berklee - exactly how good do you have to be to do a degree?

[thepumpkinkid]

i've been looking at their website and it's a bit vague ..

if i played FTLOG or eruption in the audition is that enough?? do they expect a really good knowledge of theory? do they expect you to be able to sbe good at site read (eg. do they expect you to be able to read pieces like power cosmic or whatever?)? and also how old do you have to be to do the degree course?? i know over here, in the UK you have to be 18 but i'm not sure if it's the same over there ...

anyway, all help and info is appreciated

ollie

[Devine]

This isn't personal experience, but it comes directly from my friend who is there now. *If you want a scholarship, jazz is the ticket. *He says that only the most exceptional rock players find their way. *Berklee is basically a jazz factory, so most professors are oriented toward this genre. *As for the difficulty, it depends what you want. *You want to be Steve Vai? *So does kid A through Z. *Your idea has to be more original and more well-done than theirs; even then, you have no guarantee. *Want to be a studio musician? *Maybe you only have to out do kids Athrough Y. *The music industry is one with a huge supply and zero demand; consider that. *Classes are not your most important concern, the motivation to push yourself to be better than the next guy. *You don?t just "do a degree" and become a star; there?s a lot more thought that needs to go into choosing Berklee or any other conservatory. *When you get there, though, they'll teach you everything.

-Devin

[jem7vwh]

I have a number of friends who went to Berklee. *One did the typical shredder thing and played For the Love of God, Always With You, Always With Me, and Eugene's Trick Bag. *They were relatively (they hear it all the time) impressed and he was accepted.

Another friend submitted only original work. *He got a much faster answer. *They accepted him quickly.


Both of them said that the hardest part of the curriculum was playing enough guitar. *It was expected that you played about 7 hours a day.

Any theory you can soak up here will help you immensly. *If you haven't looked into sight-reading notation, now is a very good time to start. *

Finally, Jazz is a huge thing at Berklee. *If you're not comfortable with that, you might want to consider G.I.T. *

[Metal7000]

Berklee will accept anyone, more or less. *for a lot of people it can be a great school, for a lot of people it's not. *you'll get out of it what you put into it. *one thing it's not, though, is selective. *They accept roughly 75% of those who apply. *there are state schools in New York, for example, that have music programs that only take 12 to 20% of applicants. *julliard takes 8%. *please give a large amount of thought and research into picking out the right music school. *(Berklee may be the one for you...im just saying to investigate others.) *but don't worry about getting into berklee...if you can play, you'll get in

jon

[thepumpkinkid]

ok, thanks for the help guys ..

well, i think if i goto berklee it will be in around 5 years time so i still have time to get up in all areas of my playing and theory ... i'll also have my grade 8 in classical guitar so that should be a bonus ..

7 hours is actually a long time. people say they practice "all day" but being disciplined to play for a full 7 hours is quite difficult. hmmm.

GIT?? sorry, i'm from england ... i'm guessing it's some sort of american event ..?

and the age thing?? *shrugs*

thanks again, ollie

[mojo]

look you want to get into berklee and do well.
check out a saxophonist calle john coltrane. Learn alot of his songs.
some to consider are
1. Giant steps
2. Blue trane
3. Limehouse blues
4. Mr PC.
5. Countdown

Do all the changes(solo) in all positions up to speed and you'll be a king there..
Don't look at me. I like jazz don't practice it enought and when i do, my rock sounds like jazz with a helload of distortion.
J