Music Business Major; Do I have a chance?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hell all,</p>

<p>I am a 22 y.o. blk male from a grimy city in Upstate, NY. I am a Musician (singer, rapper, producer, engineer, writer, p/t guitarist, etc). I live in the studio (literally) and I am a fulltime student at CC as a music major. Just finished up my first semester. I've been making music since very young. I don't watch television or play video games... I write songs and produce beats all the time! I've worked in a handful of studios, ran my own independent one for two years and produced projects for a group in 2005 and 2007. I perform at least twice per week. I am pretty good at marketing and getting a good amount of people out to a show. I sing in a doo-wop group at school, and I am also working on the school's radio station (Took labs to learn the equipment this past fall, will have my own 1-hour show next semester! {:-)</p>

<p>Took some classes at Eastman Community Music School in 2007 (Theory, Jazz Comp, Pop Comp, Beginner Guitar Class). I also work with kids, showing them basics about recording music in my spare time. I work with a reggae band in the summer helping them find shows around Upstate.</p>

<p>GPA = 3.00, and I will have 20 credits as of Jan, 15 2009 </p>

<p>Music Theory = B
History of Music 1 = B+
Political Science = A+
Introductory Psychology = D+
College Chorus = A
Great Mysteries of the Earth = ?A
Dangerous Earth = ?A</p>

<p>Next semester I will take the following:</p>

<p>Music Business 101
College Chorus
Music Theory II
History of Music II
Midi Recording Technique
Guitar Class I
Honors Public Speaking</p>

<p>Dropped out of h.s. after 9th grade... Then, got a GED. Scored 3390 on that out of 4000; had perfect scores on Social Studies and Reading Comprehension (800 out of 800). My city's school district has something like a 50-60% dropout rate as it's told, and I believe that it is actually higher. Never took an SAT or anything like that.</p>

<p>Now, as a transfer student, do I have an honest chance at getting into any of these schools?</p>

<p>1)Berklee (Music business program)
2)University of Toronto (St. George campus; Music Comprehensive)
3)McNally Smith school of Music (Music Business program)
4)Suny New Paltz (Popular Music Studies)
5)University of Western Ontario (Popular Music Studies)
6)Suny Oneonta (Music Industry degree)</p>

<p>Also, my current degree program is music performance, but I plan to switch to Liberal Arts. Will this effect my ability to get into one of the above mentioned schools? My reason for changing is that my school's music program only has two tracks: Performance or Production & Engineering. I don't really want to do either. I am most interested right now in management, concert and event promotion, music marketing, booking... things like that. I already produce fulltime and I DON'T want to sing Italian art songs for a living, so I plan to switch to LA and build a more suitable grounding for my future studies by taking a wide variety of music electives in both departments. </p>

<p>I don't view school as a place to get exact information that will lead to direct success, but more as a stepping stone. It is moreso a place to go an network, and a way to travel. It is for acquiring valuable friendships and connections with other like-minded people who know too that the only way to make it in these days is by extreme measures and an incredibly strong work ethic.</p>

<p>Odviously, I like the cold and would like to more or less stay in the crowded Northeast.</p>

<p>If anyone would care to chance me or provide any type of feedback, it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>Peace and Love, Magz (GrindStreet)</p>

2

<p>Berklee generally just about admits anybody who can afford the tuition. Toronto might be unrealistic. You seem to possibly match up at the SUNYs.</p>

3

<p>Not to disparage McNally Smith specifically, but be advised that it is a for profit school, as opposed to most of the institutions discussed on this forum and CC in general, which are non profit educational institutions.</p>

<p>While McNally Smith, Full Sail, Devry and others of similar ilk across various disciplines may well provide specific training (normally applied hands on or technical in nature) do not expect the same overall experience that one would get at a typical four year institution. For all intents and purposes, they are specific technical and trade programs.</p>

<p>Other aspects, including high level academics, broad spectrum of courses across numerous disciplines, and merit/talent/academic scholarships and grants will be sorely lacking. Financial aid is usually limited to federal/state sponsored programs.</p>

<p>Some of these schools provide excellent training and have great job placement rates, and others do not. Investigate fully. It can be the right choice for specific students.</p>

<p>Just remember you're comparing apples and oranges in comparing for profit and non-profit institutions.</p>

<p>Another point I want to make is that many of your cc music credits MAY not be transferable to another music program. At a NY cc there may be reciprocal agreements with the SUNYs that would allow/accept music credits and you may want to discuss this with a knowledgeable person at your cc. Music credit transfer may be iffy at another music program. Theory credits tend to be the biggest stumbling block as transfer music credits. Keep your music courses syllabi, your submitted work, and a course description for your cc music courses, as your earned music credits may be subject to a review process at the institution you will transfer to. You may get credit for these courses towards total credit requirements, but they may not necessarily count towards specific (music) degree distribution. It may mean an extra semester or two.</p>

<p>Specific music transfer and credit acceptances are usually detailed in the music transfer application or undergrad handbook webpages.</p>

4

<p>Look at Drexel---Great Music Business program.</p>

5

<p>I think you would look great to Berklee, and it's NOT a cinch to get into. You have to audition on an instrument even if you're going for music business. But it sounds like you can do that. The promotion and production aspect of what you want to do as a career sound like NYU's graduate program in music business, so you might want to keep something like that in the back of your mind as you complete your undergraduate degree. It seems like you should stay near a big city for internship opportunities--Boston and New York for example. </p>

<p>Another off-beat suggestion that would be likely to value highly all your real-life music experience: Five Towns College on Long Island. They are known for music tech.</p>

<p>I have a friend who produces rap music in Queens, and he is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia--not near a city, exactly! But it is apparently an excellent music production department.</p>

<p>Good luck to you!</p>

6

<p>I went to McNally Smith for music business during the transition from MusicTech (a 2 year Tech School) to McNally Smith (a 4 year College), and now I work at McNally Smith doing a lot of their web stuff. </p>

<p>I agree with many of the things being said on here about the 2 year programs not being well rounded and lacking much of the liberal art pieces that make for a whole learning experience, but I do have to say that McNally Smith has recently revamped it's Liberal Arts program and it's very well done (you can read more about it here: Attain</a> a Music Business Degree From One of the Best Music Liberal Arts Schools | McNally Smith College of Music)</p>

<p>As far as you "having a chance" I would have to say yes. At McNally Smith they look at more than just your grades from high school, or if you have your GED versus a diploma, and being a transfer student with grades above a C speaks very well for you. I would contact one of the Admissions Reps at McNally Smith, that way they can look at your situation individually. </p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

7

<p>Thank you everyone</p>