...On Berklee College of Music, and other music institutions.

[King Boo]

I recently got a 12,000 dollar renewable scholarship to there, and it kinda threw me for a loop. I didn't really have much any other plans, but its still pretty expensive even with the scholarship. I mean it feels like a great oppurtunity for me, but with the music industry being the way it is, idk if i want to be in debt.

what are your thoughts on the school?

what other schools are you guys going to/or planning to attend?

 

[ROAR]

I go to MTSU and study in the RIM programm.
Recording Industry Msomething.
Right now I'm just a sophomore but my buddies
who are further down the line are getting great experience
with audio engineering and producing.

Going to a school like mine or maybe Belmont in Nashville
is great for experience and learning exactly what you need to.
But it will all boil down to WHO you know when you want a career.
Berklee College of Music is a great school where Vai went, Petrucci,
Adam D, and loads of other people. John Mayer went there for a short
while but dropped out because he found the people he needed to and started
his career.
If you're great with networking and wand to get the tools you will need,
I'd say go for it. That's an excellent scholarship opportunity and an amazing
school where you are sure to find people who can help you.
And it's also accredited unlike a place like Musicians Institute or the like.

 

[SirMyghin]

Well I currently am finishing my Master's in Civil Engineer (M.ASc, writing my thesis up, almost done). My stance is generally this, go to school for something that you can make your career in. Your chance at a music career doesn't necessarily depend on your musical education, permitting you take the time to do musical education for yourself. It really isn't terribly difficult, but paying to learn music, in very large amounts, probably has very little return comparatively.

You are better off over all if you get something more practical if you are shelling out the big bucks for it.

 

[BigPhi84]

I go to MTSU and study in the RIM programm.
Recording Industry Msomething.
Right now I'm just a sophomore but my buddies
who are further down the line are getting great experience
with audio engineering and producing.

You go to MTSU and are not a part of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia?!?!


You should consider joining!

 

[in-pursuit]

Your chance at a music career doesn't necessarily depend on your musical education, permitting you take the time to do musical education for yourself. It really isn't terribly difficult, but paying to learn music, in very large amounts, probably has very little return comparatively.

you're likely to hear something similar to this from every person who has done a similar course. in fact, I can't recall ever talking to a working AE (either irl or online) who has said that there wasn't much they got out of their course that they couldn't have learnt for themselves. from what I've gathered, it's a good opportunity to make contacts and play with some cool gear. whether you think that's worth the time and money you'll need to put into it is up to you in the end.

 

[ROAR]

You go to MTSU and are not a part of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia?!?!


You should consider joining!

Greek Life isn't my thing,
but I've been debating looking into it for a while.
Might as well check it out now haha

 

[Winspear]

^ Also in agreement. I'm entering my second year in AE at university. I've done 2 years at college (free) beforehand. Aside from the basic sound/science stuff which I learnt in my first year of college and a little useful things here and there, no there's not much I've picked up that I couldn't have done myself / already knew from studying at home. I can't see that changing in the next 2 years.

It is indeed all about making contacts. I'm not entirely sure if this is going to go anywhere but I'm hoping it does and that I will meet some more people.

 

[BigPhi84]

Hey, OP, check out this thread. I posted a fairly long response in it, and my feelings haven't changed about it.


http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/mu...ng-back-school-pursue-mu-bachelors-music.html

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

You go to MTSU and are not a part of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia?!?!


You should consider joining!

Why do you keep pressuring people to join your frat?



NOBODY WANTS IN FOR A REASON BIG PHOOL!!!

 

[King Boo]

i do want to make as many contacts as I can, and i can renew my scholarship for equal or more money. and i've been told that i can also learn all the stuff they'll teach me myself, but where i live, it's nearly impossible. I want to do Music Production and Engineering, and here nothing nearly musical happens at all, no recording studios nothing. so i feel like the hands on will be great for me,

 

[King Boo]

i do want to make as many contacts as I can, and i can renew my scholarship for equal or more money. and i've been told that i can also learn all the stuff they'll teach me myself, but where i live, it's nearly impossible. I want to do Music Production and Engineering, and here nothing nearly musical happens at all, no recording studios nothing. so i feel like the hands on will be great for me.

as well as the fact that ive never been around any other dedicated musicians, and it would be a great place to get a band going of some sort.

 

[BigPhi84]

Why do you keep pressuring people to join your frat?

NOBODY WANTS IN FOR A REASON BIG PHOOL!!!

LOL. Don't be mad that we don't recognize Canada as a REAL country!!!!



The music industry is a cut-throat world, and as musicians, we need to buck that trend and help each other out as much as possible. We also need to help our (American , Mehtab) society out as much as we can. That's what Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is about.

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Needs to be about paying tribute to your vastly superior Canadian overlords. But really OP, getting into music professionally is going to be really hard, you put in tons of hours for very little or no pay. Good luck though!

 

[brutalwizard]

sevenstring, crushing my musical aspirations since 2010

 

[SirMyghin]

you're likely to hear something similar to this from every person who has done a similar course. in fact, I can't recall ever talking to a working AE (either irl or online) who has said that there wasn't much they got out of their course that they couldn't have learnt for themselves. from what I've gathered, it's a good opportunity to make contacts and play with some cool gear. whether you think that's worth the time and money you'll need to put into it is up to you in the end.

I mean in terms of raw skills you get out of it.

 

[SomeGuy97]

I recently got a 12,000 dollar renewable scholarship to there, and it kinda threw me for a loop. I didn't really have much any other plans, but its still pretty expensive even with the scholarship. I mean it feels like a great oppurtunity for me, but with the music industry being the way it is, idk if i want to be in debt.

what are your thoughts on the school?

what other schools are you guys going to/or planning to attend?

It's not the music industry that you need to be worried about for going into debt- it's the economy that you need to be worried about. Is your scholarship per-semester or year? If it's per semester that's nearly full ride (16k/sem) and only under that condition I would say you'd be a fool not to do it *especially* with no other plans in sight. Even if it's every year (or two semesters or whatever) that's still a pretty good deal.

Trust me when I say this- the doors that will open up for you from the school's name alone are downright retarded. Depending on what major you choose, you will have access to some things that aren't mentioned on any pamphlets or website. Yes you *might* be able to sit down and teach yourself some of the things you would learn there, but realistically what are the odds that you will actually sit down and force yourself to learn that much material in a relatively short amount of time? I like to tell myself I *could have* but I know deep down that I never would have. Beyond that you will learn things that you never knew you wanted to learn (and therefore never would have learned). Plus the networking. The school is allllllll about networking. That alone is invaluable.

I would do it. From a financial standpoint you'd be getting a six-figure education for pennies on the dollar. In a tough economy, it's hard to beat that. Definitely a wise investment.

 

[King Boo]

It's not the music industry that you need to be worried about for going into debt- it's the economy that you need to be worried about. Is your scholarship per-semester or year? If it's per semester that's nearly full ride (16k/sem) and only under that condition I would say you'd be a fool not to do it *especially* with no other plans in sight. Even if it's every year (or two semesters or whatever) that's still a pretty good deal.

Trust me when I say this- the doors that will open up for you from the school's name alone are downright retarded. Depending on what major you choose, you will have access to some things that aren't mentioned on any pamphlets or website. Yes you *might* be able to sit down and teach yourself some of the things you would learn there, but realistically what are the odds that you will actually sit down and force yourself to learn that much material in a relatively short amount of time? I like to tell myself I *could have* but I know deep down that I never would have. Beyond that you will learn things that you never knew you wanted to learn (and therefore never would have learned). Plus the networking. The school is allllllll about networking. That alone is invaluable.

I would do it. From a financial standpoint you'd be getting a six-figure education for pennies on the dollar. In a tough economy, it's hard to beat that. Definitely a wise investment.

it is per year, and it is a great oppurtunity. I want to major in Music Production and Engineering, and Minor in composition .

 

[SomeGuy97]

it is per year, and it is a great oppurtunity. I want to major in Music Production and Engineering, and Minor in composition .

Well you can't "minor" in anything, but you can do a dual major. You also have to be accepted into the MP&E program- you can't just choose it. It's based off a series of interviews and your cumulative GPA. I think around your third semester you can try to apply (maybe second- though it's easier to get into the longer you've been there). Other than that you can't declare a major until your second semester. The more you find out about each major the more you will change your mind. You can always switch majors- it's relatively easy. I did it twice.

 

[Danxile]

My girlfriend was previously number one one in her class at berklee with an outstanding 4.0 GPA. She just recently transferred to NYU's Tisch school of music. She has had numerous internships with record companies and gets to work concerts all the time. She also just landed an unbelievably well paying part time job that she can handle with school. I got a chance to go up there a bunch of times and I thought the whole feeling in Boston and the people who attended berklee provide a perfect opportunity to get a creative career going in the music biz. Hope this helps. If you want more info feel free to PM me.

 

[ArrowHead]

My girlfriend was previously number one one in her class at berklee with an outstanding 4.0 GPA. She just recently transferred to NYU's Tisch school of music. She has had numerous internships with record companies and gets to work concerts all the time. She also just landed an unbelievably well paying part time job that she can handle with school. I got a chance to go up there a bunch of times and I thought the whole feeling in Boston and the people who attended berklee provide a perfect opportunity to get a creative career going in the music biz. Hope this helps. If you want more info feel free to PM me.

I had a bandmate a few years back that graduated Berklee. He studied under Mangini, and was one of the very best drummers I've ever played with. Maybe one of the best metal drummers in the WORLD!

He currently is doing "session" work, posting youtube videos, and living with his parents. Meanwhile he graduated at least 6 years ago, and he's likely played on quite a few albums that you love!

Point is, and not to discourage anyone, but even with the education and drive there are a lot of people who still aren't going to be able to make a career out of music. ESPECIALLY in Boston. It's a great city, but the live music scene is drying up pretty darned fast around here.

If you want to progress, network, and live for music, maybe take a year off? Get an apartment in a city? Sign up with 3 or 4 different guitar teachers, get a piano teacher, and study your ass off 12 hours a day? Network your ass off?

You'll find you can get a lot of the same benefits as Berklee, but for far less money. Then, if after that year you feel this is what you still want out of life, you can go for something like Berklee?