Information for Berklee

4913 Views 20 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Watsonp143, Jul 29, 2007

JimiDS

Discussion Starter · Jun 2, 2007

Ok i need some information about Berklee University (or any other you consider worthing for studying) I visited the web page but i want it in simple english (not native speaker and youngster) so do your best. Also have in mind that i am not sure if i want to study sax or guitar (which i play for years) but curtainly i want music! Something else is that i need a scholarship and want information also in simple english (damned web page:x ). Thank you in advance

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thejoyofsax

· #2 · Jun 4, 2007

Berklee College of Music is a very famous, highly selective college. Many well-known performers and composers have studied there and found great success in the professional music industry.

Because of its fame, it is difficult to get in and STAY in at Berklee. I have read that around half of each freshman (or first year) class does not return for a second year. Although it is a great school, the training is very intense and it is also very expensive to go there, with minimal chances at scholarship.

The school has many different programs of study, but I usually call it the "School of Rock," simply because it is most known for the performers, songwriters, and recording engineers who graduate from there. Thus, if you want to study something like music education, I would not choose Berklee. However, if you want to be a performer and you are one of the 5 best saxophonists on the island of Cyprus, perhaps you should go for it.

I do not attend Berklee, but I have friends who have. If you would like to know more, you can ask some more questions or there is probably a Berklee student somewhere on this forum who will respond.

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ramZsax

· #3 · Jun 4, 2007

This year Berklee had 14.7 or so million dollars in scholarship money.

I know 12+ people that attend Beklee right now, or will next year. All of them are on scholarships, and at least four are on full rides.

Many people transfer to Berklee after a year or two at another place, couple of my friends did that too.

Contrary to above, a friend of mine who graduated from Berklee in 2000 or 2001 told me Berklee has the best music education program in the country. Though, he is a complete and total die-hard Berklee supporter so i don't know how valid that is, never cared to look to much into it myself. But he is an amazing tenor sax player signed with Fresh Sound New Talent....so...

Berklee also has GREAT saxophone teachers...George Garzone, bill pierce etc, and they are also known for having a lot of guitar players, though i don't know anything about the teachers.

--Quote from a Branford Marsalis Clinic--

Q. “What does one have to do to get into Berklee College of Music?”

A. Branford Marsalis – “Write a check that doesn't bounce.”

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JimiDS

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 4, 2007

thejoyofsax said:
Thus, if you want to study something like music education, I would not choose Berklee. However, if you want to be a performer and you are one of the 5 best saxophonists on the island of Cyprus, perhaps you should go for it.

I want to study performance but i decided that saxophone is not my forte so i 'm going for the guitar.
And Cyprus has no more than 15-20 saxophone students and only 3-5 will study music

However 80% of the teaching/performing saxophonists (and other jazz-playing instrumentalists) graduated from Berkee, I had the honour of playing (guitar) with some of them at a jazz workshop organized by American embassy and met the latin/jazz group Duende whose members also suggested Berklee for my "needs"...

danarsenault

· #5 · Jun 4, 2007

thejoyofsax said:
Berklee College of Music is a very famous, highly selective college. Many well-known performers and composers have studied there and found great success in the professional music industry.

Because of its fame, it is difficult to get in and STAY in at Berklee. I have read that around half of each freshman (or first year) class does not return for a second year. Although it is a great school, the training is very intense and it is also very expensive to go there, with minimal chances at scholarship.

The school has many different programs of study, but I usually call it the "School of Rock," simply because it is most known for the performers, songwriters, and recording engineers who graduate from there. Thus, if you want to study something like music education, I would not choose Berklee. However, if you want to be a performer and you are one of the 5 best saxophonists on the island of Cyprus, perhaps you should go for it.

I do not attend Berklee, but I have friends who have. If you would like to know more, you can ask some more questions or there is probably a Berklee student somewhere on this forum who will respond.

As an alumnus, I think most of this is a bit off. Berklee is selective now that they have admissions auditions, but it used to be an open admissions place. Under open admissions, many students who had no business being in music school did not return, true. School of rock is a misnomer. It used to be a jazz school, but now all types of music are embraced more than ever. The music education program is just fine. Dr. Peter Cokkinias, who plays in my group, is a fantastic teacher in the Ed. deptartment.

mattiasNYC

· #6 · Jun 4, 2007

JimiDS said:
Ok i need some information about Berklee University (or any other you consider worthing for studying) I visited the web page but i want it in simple english (not native speaker and youngster) so do your best. Also have in mind that i am not sure if i want to study sax or guitar (which i play for years) but curtainly i want music! Something else is that i need a scholarship and want information also in simple english (damned web page:x ). Thank you in advance

Before I attended (96-'00) I went over to Finland for a scholarship audition. They hold these in different places around the world. You essentially just go there and play for them. Based on your skills they'll consider you for a scholarship. If I remember correctly Italy may be the closest location for you.

You should REALLY check that out. Otherwise it can get pretty expensive.

Berklee was a great experience for me. But I should warn you that the more you know what you want, and the more YOU make it happen, the more you get out of the experience.

Compared to some other schools the curriculum is pretty flexible. You can pick a major and follow the recommended schedule, or you can put something together yourself. And you can also switch majors if you're unhappy.

A WORD OF CAUTION! Triple check with Berklee's counelors for foreign students before you change majors and put together your schedule. There are strict rules about what, when and how much to study, and if you screw that up it'll mess with your VISA status.....

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Nefertiti

· #7 · Jun 4, 2007

Do any of you know anyone who wanted to go to Berklee and didn't get in. I've never met anyone. I was just curious.

thejoyofsax

· #8 · Jun 4, 2007

I would like to admit that I was a bit presumptuous in my first post, and probably spoke a bit unfairly.

I think Berklee is an incredible institution that has done much for the advancement of music pedagogy in the world. I don't mean to discount its credibility or mission; I was just trying to point out to the young man from Cyprus that it is not his only option and may be a difficult one to conquer.

The "School of Rock" label that I assigned was a bit tongue-in-cheek, and I think it's great that they are now embracing more genres of music. However, it is clear that the school's main focus is on contemporary and popular music. A chunk from the mission statement on the website says,

"Founded on jazz and popular music rooted in the African cultural diaspora, our comprehensive curriculum is distinctly contemporary in its content and approach, and embraces the principal musical movements of our time. Through a course of scholarly and practical learning experiences integrating performance and writing, our curriculum covers the variety of influential styles, relevant technologies, and career opportunities open to today's music professional."

I'm sure the music ed program there is phenomenal, but it comes at a cost. I think that a prospective student interested in being an educator could find an equitable experience with much more personal attention at one of many other public universities and for much cheaper.

As for the 14 mil in scholarships, Berklee currently enrolls 3,800 students. If divided evenly (though I know it isn't), each student gets $3,684. As per the site, tuition alone costs almost $12,000/semester and dorm costs are at about $6,000. That means, to a freshman, that one year of school costs $36,000, just for classes and a roof. $3,600 wouldn't be that comforting to me, unless I were getting some pretty sweet financial aid from the government.

So JimiDS, I would take MattiasNYC's advice and look seriously into that international scholarship. You might also look into some other prominent US schools known for their jazz programs. North Texas, Miami, almost anything in the New York area.

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JimiDS

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 5, 2007

mattiasNYC said:
Before I attended (96-'00) I went over to Finland for a scholarship audition. They hold these in different places around the world. You essentially just go there and play for them. Based on your skills they'll consider you for a scholarship. If I remember correctly Italy may be the closest location for you.

Do you mean that Berklee counselors travel around the world and look for possible talented musicians to give a scholarship?:?
Well there is another subject...here we must attend a compulsory military service for 2 years

Can i attend after 2 years IF i am accepted???
And i saw in the web page that i need a TOEFL do they accept IGCSE or i'll have to get TOEFL or even worst IELTS???
Please help me figure that out while it's still early....

ramZsax

· #10 · Jun 5, 2007

JimiDS said:
Do you mean that Berklee counselors travel around the world and look for possible talented musicians to give a scholarship?:?.

Yup. It's called The Berklee World Scholarship Tour, they put their schedule up online.

bbbouklas

· #11 · Jun 5, 2007

Hi from Greece..
this year the comitee came to Greece around January-February (so you could come to Greece if the don't go to Cyprus), aplications were submited 6months or so earlier.. There in nOt a 2 year time wait until you get in, If one got accepted in January they willl be in Berklee in September (100% sure this is the way it works, a friend of mine got in this waylast year).. but another friend of mine got the exams this year to attend after 1year because of compulsory 1year army in Greece

danarsenault

· #12 · Jun 5, 2007

Nefertiti said:
Do any of you know anyone who wanted to go to Berklee and didn't get in. I've never met anyone. I was just curious.

In the old open admission days, of all the thousands of students I met, I only ever met one student who did not get in. His check must have have bounced. Now, I understand less than half of the applicants get in, which has more to do with number of applications versus freshman class size.
With regard to 'school of rock', Berklee has long had the most flexable programs of any music college I ever heard of, and I've been to many of them. This can be good and bad. You can study pretty much what you want to, but that means you need to be in a good spot personally to make those choices. Most students are not.

JimiDS

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 5, 2007

bbbouklas said:
There in nOt a 2 year time wait until you get in... but another friend of mine got the exams this year to attend after 1year because of compulsory 1year army in Greece

Can you make youself clear please...

mattiasNYC

· #14 · Jun 5, 2007

JimiDS said:
Do you mean that Berklee counselors travel around the world and look for possible talented musicians to give a scholarship?:?
Well there is another subject...here we must attend a compulsory military service for 2 years Can i attend after 2 years IF i am accepted???
And i saw in the web page that i need a TOEFL do they accept IGCSE or i'll have to get TOEFL or even worst IELTS???
Please help me figure that out while it's still early....

As someone else said; yes, they travel with a group of teachers and scholarship office personell around the world to hand out scholarships. Back when I got mine it was good for six semesters, meaning I could start studying at any time after I got approved for admission / scholarship for the first six semesters (which includes the summer). In other words, let's say you play an audition in June, and you get accepted with a scholarship for this fall (August/September), you could (back in '96) then begin this fall, spring '08, summer '08, fall '08, spring '09 or summer '09. That's six semesters. Not sure if the same rule applies now though.

BUT, keep in mind that the best thing for you is going to be to get a scholarship that's as high as possible. I have no idea what military service is like where you live, but if you think you can still improve over the next year, then I'd wait and apply for the scholarship then instead. I don't think you can "reapply" for a scholarship once you're awarded one, meaning if you have two chances to apply before you go to Berklee (because you have to wait two years), and you go the first chance you have and get a scholarship, I don't think you'll get a better one the next time, if you are even allowed to audition again. But then again, just check with Berklee and see what the rules are.

The one thing NOT to do is to wait with the scholarship application / audition until you get to Boston. If you do, I can guarantee you that your scholarship is going to be less money.

Tests are a new thing I'm clueless about so I can't help you with that unfortunately.

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JimiDS

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 7, 2007

Ok i got the point(s)...BUT i have a few questions more:
1st-for bbbouklas
I still don't get it do they wait for me to finish the army or not? and
2nd
Among with the music courses will i have to do all the coventional stuff (maths,english,etc)?

mattiasNYC

· #16 · Jun 9, 2007

JimiDS said:
Ok i got the point(s)...BUT i have a few questions more:
1st-for bbbouklas
I still don't get it do they wait for me to finish the army or not? and
2nd
Among with the music courses will i have to do all the coventional stuff (maths,english,etc)?

Please correct me if I'm wrong here... and remember, this was true a while ago but it may have changed:

1) When you get accepted, it means you will be able to begin studies at Berklee at any time for the next six semesters (once again; this was true 1996-2000 when studied there). The scholarship would "follow". If you apply now and get accepted with scholarship for fall 2007, you can enroll (begin studying) starting fall 2007, and at the latest summer 2009. They don't care what you do or when you enroll. Unless of course this has changed recently.

The rules may have changed, but that's the way they did things when I applied.

2) The courses you have to take depend on the music program, and the "level" of studies you want. They used to have a "Diploma", which as far as I can remember was only music classes. If you chose a "Bachelor's", you would have to earn credits in "GE", "General Education", in which you'd study physics, history etc.

Two things to remember if this still is the case:

a) You can transfer credits from your education in your home country if your school meets certain requirements. That means that you won't have to take the classes in the US and they'll show up on your grade transcript as taken.

b) If, for example, you want to become a teacher in Cyprus when you return from the US, you may have to have a degree that is valid in Cyprus - meaning that your Diploma may not be enough. You may have to either go for a Bachelor's in the US, or study more when you come back to Cyprus (unless you already took specified classes before you went to the US).

hope that clarified it a bit....

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Selmer Player 88

· #17 · Jun 19, 2007

I'm currently a 3rd semester Berklee student, and I think I can help you out a bit.

1) Degree versus Diploma

The Degree program enables you to obtain a BM Degree in the field of study that you pursue at Berklee. The Diploma program enables you to obtain a diploma in the same fields of study as a degree;

however -

Degree students and Diploma students pay roughly the same amount of tuition, however the degree student can enroll in 16 credits, while the diploma student can enroll in only 13 credits. The difference in price does not equal the 3 credit cost difference.

Students in the degree program must complete Liberal arts courses (english, history, physical science, etc).

Also degree students must complete traditional music studies (Traditional Harmony and Comp I and II, Conducting I and II, Counterpoint I and II, History of Western Music I and II).

Berklee liberal arts courses are for the most part *cough cough* laughable, however the traditional music studies are very useful and helpful for even contemporary musicians.

Degrees are also widely accepted as more valuable than diplomas - while this does not pertain to performance, it highly pertains to other aspects of the music industry should you pursue a job with instrument companies, record labels, booking agencies, etc.

If you do not wish to get a degree (i highly advise it and it seems very easy to do at berklee (most transfer credits are accepted - even from joke community colleges) - Since you set your schedule (after 1st semester), you could very well enroll in the degree program, pay roughly the same as a diploma program, set your schedule to follow the path of a diploma, and take 16 credits instead of 13 (keeping in mind somewhere down the road you will need to switch programs to the diploma program in order to graduate).

I also encourage you to start a username at the berkleemusic.com forum - many berklee students interact there.

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bigtiny

· #18 · Jun 19, 2007

thejoyofsax said:
Berklee College of Music is a very famous, highly selective college. Many well-known performers and composers have studied there and found great success in the professional music industry.

Because of its fame, it is difficult to get in and STAY in at Berklee. I have read that around half of each freshman (or first year) class does not return for a second year. Although it is a great school, the training is very intense and it is also very expensive to go there, with minimal chances at scholarship.

The school has many different programs of study, but I usually call it the "School of Rock," simply because it is most known for the performers, songwriters, and recording engineers who graduate from there. Thus, if you want to study something like music education, I would not choose Berklee. However, if you want to be a performer and you are one of the 5 best saxophonists on the island of Cyprus, perhaps you should go for it.

I do not attend Berklee, but I have friends who have. If you would like to know more, you can ask some more questions or there is probably a Berklee student somewhere on this forum who will respond.

Berklee is not difficult to get into or stay into....it's expensive. If you have the money and want to go there, pretty much anybody can get in. If you want to play jazz and your skills are not very high, then you'll have to do a lot of remedial work before you'll be at a level to take full advantage of faculty like Burton,Crook, et al, but it can be done.

bigtiny

joelsp

· #19 · Jun 24, 2007

danarsenault said:
As an alumnus, I think most of this is a bit off. Berklee is selective now that they have admissions auditions, but it used to be an open admissions place.

When I started at berklee back in '99 it was an open admissions school. Of course, the freshman drop out rate was pretty high, I think it was well over 50 percent. I wasn't aware that they were an audition based school now. Hard to believe it's been 5 years since I finished there.

Oh well, I do know that they give scholarships to the extremely talented. Things like records you've played on, or concerts you've done with high profile musicians helps. A lot of the people who get the full rides are already basically pro musicians. However if you can really play, they will give some money.

km

· #20 · Jul 28, 2007

any comments on the berklee online syllabus?

http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/course?course_item_id=7212638&tab=7251282&program=

$795 seems steep for an online course - anyone tried it - recommendations for this or other online courses?

km

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