Question About Double Major At Berklee

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>First of all, I am new to this forum, so hello everyone!</p>

<p>Second, I have a question about double majors at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. I have applied early action to Berklee, as it is my top school, and have just recently had my audition. Now I am just waiting for their admission decision, issued on January 31.</p>

<p>Anyways, I have been planning on majoring in Performance if I do get accepted into Berklee. However, I am also very interested in composing, arranging, and production and have recently been thinking about doing a double major in Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production.</p>

<p>I was wondering if there are any current Berklee students or alumni that could tell me a little more about doing a double major at Berklee (i.e. what it's like, is it worth it, etc.) or even someone who could give me some more general information on double majors.</p>

<p>Responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>

<p>(P.S. I play trumpet. :))</p>

<p>--
~Squiggly914</p>

2

<p>Squiggly, welcome. </p>

<p>From Berklee's Program/Majors webpage:

[quote]
Dual Majors
Students may combine many of Berklee's 12 majors, depending on the nature of the program, in order to broaden their course of study and fulfill diverse interests and career preparation goals. The dual major program requires a five-year course of study and is available to both degree and diploma candidates.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>In theory, it's possible. I could not access Berklee's pages this morning, but I suggest you try and dig a bit deeper into their policies. If not detailed within the webpages, try looking for a link to their undergrad handbook, usually under a current students/academics tab. This is the official document for all institution policies, and covers admissions, academic, financial policies as well as degree requirements by major. You can also speak to an admissions counselor about specific questions.</p>

<p>There are a number of previous posts covering aspects of Berklee, and posts covering double majors and dual degrees across a number of disciplines and institutions.</p>

<p>In general, the program structure, availability, and support for dual majors or double degrees will vary widely by school. Performance tends to be a time and credit intensive degree, and can be difficult to combine with a seperate academic discipline. A dual major, combining performance with composition, theory, music ed or music business can be a bit "easier" insofar as there are often overlapping required courses applicable to both. However, it can be tricky, as a program like music ed is a highly sequenced course structure and you can run into issues with course schedule conflicts.</p>

<p>Note that a good number of these programs are of five year duration, adding time and additional expense above a four year degree.</p>

<p>Another potential stumbling block is your performance instructor's attitudes and willingness to support a dual program. Some may see it as a diversion from the performance goal, where some may not. Even if an institution offers and allows a dual pursuit, you may get resistance.</p>

<p>My son was a performance/music ed dual major at Hartt, and opted out of ed very late in his program. I've posted a number of insights on his experiences and conflicts within the forum.</p>

<p>The poster PamelaMaeSnap has a daughter currently at Berklee as a freshman songwriting major. If she doesn't respond to your thread, you can PM her for some insight.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Too late to edit, but I want to add one point:</p>

<p>As you've already applied, one thing to consider is that there are often slightly different admit criteria for music disciplines. Performance is usually to the highest audition standard, whereas the music academic disciplines such as theory, history, and music ed often put more weight on academics; composition and songwriting usually require a representative portfolio of works. </p>

<p>In some programs, you must state your dual intent with application, as program size may be limited. You'd have to check Berklee's policy.</p>

<p>While not necessarily insurmountable, it's something to be aware of.</p>

4

<p>Violadad:</p>

<p>Thanks for the quick and informative reply.</p>

<p>I have thoroughly explored and searched Berklee's web pages for more information on double majors. However, finding a link to their undergraduate handbook is something I haven't thought of. I will look into it as soon as I can access Berklee's web site (they seem to be down at the moment). Thanks. </p>

<p>As for declaring a major, I know Berklee's policy is that students don't declare a major until their second or even third semester. Therefore, when auditioning/being interviewed, they look more at your overall musicianship to determine if you would be a good fit for their school rather than a good fit for the major you are interested in.</p>

<p>I do understand that a double major takes much more time, energy, and money. So a big deciding factor will be the amount of scholarship I receive if I am accepted. However, I feel a double major in performance and contemporary writing and production could produce more opportunities for me to make a living after college which is very important, especially as a musician.</p>

<p>Anyways, thank you again for your response. I really appreciate it. And I will contact PamelaMaeSnap soon if she doesn't reply to this thread.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>--
~Squiggly914</p>

5

<p>Heya
I just recently had my audition at Berklee for EA too (Dec. 6). I'm also thinking of double majoring in Music Business and Performance (Guitar). Did you get the impression that everyone will get their decision on January 31st or do you think the admission decisions will come in on a rolling basis until then?
Good Luck-
Ben</p>

6

<p>Hey Benjmusic.</p>

<p>Yeah, I think a double major in Performance and Music Business is a really great idea if you can handle the workload (as well as the finances). From what I understand and the impression I got, all Early Action applicants will recieve an email on January 31, regardless of what the decision is. They also said that they usually send them out after 5:00 pm EST. Best of luck!</p>

<p>--
~Squiggly914</p>