Berklee college of Music

[SlickXQ]

Hey all! I've got some concerns/questions and stuff regarding Berklee so if any of your are going there/ are there/ went there, your input is greatly appreciated. I'm going on my third year on the guitar and I've only had like a month of lessons when I first got it and then I took a couple months of lessons this summer. I've also played in school bands for many years with other instruments(wish I had started on the guitar sooner ) My concerns pertain to what level should I be at comfortably to go there? I'm a tad rusty with theory, I can read music but I'm a tad rusty(have to work it out on paper before applying it to the guitar) and (sounds odd) I know some mechanics in theory but I don't know what I don't know...yeah. Also when I began playing the guitar it was mostly tabs I learned from but now i'm trying to work out theory onto the fretboard.

Now, ability wise I'm quite good (atleast people tell me that) I can't/don't seem to play any simple stuff like pop rock and things of that sort but I can play satch and vai songs(almost done with juice *Glee!! * ) I spend way too much time on that and not enough time on basic stuff lol. Does Berklee, after the assessment tests, offer refresher/basics course or is it just for those who already know alot starting off? there's more concerns but i can't think of them at the moment but I want to hear from a person with experience as opposed to an admissions advisor for now.

Oh well I'm filling out the application but I just want to know what my chances are of getting in and how well i'd measure up to the crowd( I visited there this summer....amazing and everyone is so nice!).

Any advice would be awesome, thanks,
Nik

[Carlo]

every tried taking the proficiency assessment samples?

http://www.berklee.edu/assessments/default.html

I found it ridiculously easy....except the music tech questions But it might give u a good idea where you're at or supposed to be.....though I never went to Berklee.

[Anton]

There are so many forum articles on this , do a forum search and you may be able to find those questions answered for you
Anton

[kennydoe]

Berklee entrance exam:

Question #1: How long have you been playi......never mind

Question #1: How much did your parents make last year?

The end. Thanks for taking the exam. we'll let you know.

[Carlo]

Originally Posted by kennydoe

Berklee entrance exam:

Question #1: How long have you been playi......never mind

Question #1: How much did your parents make last year?

The end. Thanks for taking the exam. we'll let you know.

LOL

like Kenny would say.....just find an apartment next to the school

[kennydoe]

in all seriousness, without repeating what i've said about Berklee 1,000 times on this forum (do a search)....

Nobody goes to college knowing everything. If you go in with a goal and a mind eager to learn, you'll get out what you put in.

~K

[BREWTAL*LICKS]

How did the guys who went there afford it by the way?

I'm trying to get bursaries and stuff, I served spaghetti at the rotary club gddammit!!!!

I also went there this summer for the guitar sessions. REALLY fun!

[spencer096]

i was considering berklee for a long time (im at Cleveland State, been there for 2 years transferring out this year) along with other schools. The bottom line is your focus. if your a rock player, berklee is a good school so is GIT in LA. but im mostly a jazz player so north texas is the best school in the country (along with New School in New York, new england conservatory, north florida, north colorado, and the university of miami) so thats where im headed.

anyways, i have a few buddies who are there now. one is a jazz bassist who is intermediate at best, but he got a 2/3 scholarship the other is really rich and a rock player whos great, but doesnt know much about theory and sight singing. they both said that berklee is a great atmosphere and there are tons of gigging oppurtunities around school, but the scene is dead, and most of their instructors dont really know them. but they did say the ensembles are ridiculous in the sense that anything you want to play, there are people there who want to play it with you.

i went into school not knowing a thing about sight singing an a little about theory. after 2 years, i feel that i could teach it too freshman based on the excellent instruction i was given. the teachers at cleveland state are amazing individuals and youd be hard pressed to find better anywhere and i got personal help too. at berklee, you have to realize, there are close to 8,000 students there. you might consider going somewhere local, woodshedding for a few years, then transferring somewhere to get your degree. 2 years at CSU = $10,000 (plus a $1500 scholarship each semester and invaluable instruction with amazing teachers). 1 year at Berklee = $32,000 (where youd most likely be a second thought unless your a genius prodigy).

hands on personal instruction is much more valuable in the long run and you get a better knowledge of the subject/skill by going this route. taking a sight singing class in a class size of 30 allows much more growth and focus than that offered in a class size of 100 in an auditorium where the instructor cant hear you and offer advice on what you need to work on. berklee was a great school, but now is oversaturated. its called Guitar U for a reason, over 1000 guitarists go there, meaning you gotta bust your ass to stand out.

another thing that turned me off was the emergance of singer/songwriters going there. it seems the focus is more on making it in the music business rather than cultivating a unique voice on your instrument. beautiful campus tho.

just my thoughts/experiences/meanderings

[fishhead785]

i dont know if the requirements have changed there but about 10 years ago when i was considering berklee they had sent me an entrance application with a few pages of theory questions and a demo tape was required also