MUSIC COLLEGES??

[DreamSound]

Hei guys, I just graduated with major in Marketing, and I realized that I will never be happy unless I'm playing music 16 hours a day . So I want to come back to college and do it right starting a career in music.

I want to get a major in Guitar Performance with a minor in Audio Engineering. My dream is to go to Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA but there's no way I could afford it. So my question is: What are the best music schools in the U.S.?

So far I'm looking at University of Southern California, going for the Studio/Jazz Guitar but I'm trying to find something more Berkleeish (Where they teach electric guitar/contemporary music).

THANKS -

[cap217]

Well the Berklee community is HUGE!@@!!@!@!@

Look into it, I know of a few people that received 75% tuition and others get something! If you have talent then you will be rewarded! Great school (meaningless degree, in my opinion) but what you learn will make you HAPPY! I am in the same boat but now in grad school getting my MBA, WHY? I want to do music!

[cap217]

Here is a cheap school.... Tri-c in Cleveland, we hold the Jazz Fest and it is a national deal. Actually Berklee works together with Tri-c and the cost is under a grand a semseter! Perfect! But for studio work just get a job in a studio and learn!

[Tibbon]

Originally Posted by cap217

Well the Berklee community is HUGE!@@!!@!@!@

Look into it, I know of a few people that received 75% tuition and others get something! If you have talent then you will be rewarded! Great school (meaningless degree, in my opinion) but what you learn will make you HAPPY! I am in the same boat but now in grad school getting my MBA, WHY? I want to do music!

I'm at Berklee now, and the degree itself is technically worthless (unless you continue with grad school), but what you learn is amazing. There are a lot of people in your boat at Berklee who have already graduated from great schools, but want something in music. What's nice, is since you aren't worried about a degree, you can take whatever classes you want and forget the rest.

[DreamSound]

Thanks for the responses. Berklee majors are technically worthless? What music major is? Yeah, I just want to learn from the best and be in that environment more than anything else!! Right now I have to make excuses to family and friends so I can spend all day playing/recording (feel me?). I want to be in an environment where that's encouraged.

About going to Berkle and other music schools, well, to be honest, let say my financial advisor and loan officer (my dad) won't let me go to a music college. He wants me to go to a full-university so he can persuade me or maybe I'll change my mind into getting an MBA (not gonna happen ). He flat out said no about going to Berklee, plus I'm still an international student (from Chile) so no chance for scholarships.

I will keep researching schools, but PLEASE send me some names this way.

[Tibbon]

Originally Posted by DreamSound

Thanks for the responses. Berklee majors are technically worthless? What music major is? Yeah, I just want to learn from the best and be in that environment more than anything else!! Right now I have to make excuses to family and friends so I can spend all day playing/recording (feel me?). I want to be in an environment where that's encouraged.

About going to Berkle and other music schools, well, to be honest, let say my financial advisor and loan officer (my dad) won't let me go to a music college. He wants me to go to a full-university so he can persuade me or maybe I'll change my mind into getting an MBA (not gonna happen ). He flat out said no about going to Berklee, plus I'm still an international student (from Chile) so no chance for scholarships.

I will keep researching schools, but PLEASE send me some names this way.

Berklee has a few scholarships for international students. Check out the World Scholarship Tour one for starters, and then there's a few more.

Berklee majors aren't 'worthless', but it's like this: A ton of people go to Berklee, and not many graduate. There's the John Mayer's of the world that went there for 2 months and then quit, and became famous, and then there's the people that spent 4 years and 120K USD and can't find jobs afterwards. It's worthless in the degree that no one is going to line up afterwards begging you to work for them. Even though it's the top "Contemporary Music" school in the world, no employeer is going to consider that you went to a "Top College" like Harvard or MIT. I have plenty of friends that have recently graduated from Harvard and MIT, and they have career fairs in their senior year that they line up jobs with signing bonusus, insurance, good pay etc.... This is the music business, get real. None of that will happen.

The reason that a degree is 'worthless', is that it still comes down to you and your talent, and not a piece of paper at all.

[allencollins]

Being from Boston I know many people that have gone to Berklee.
Ive seen Berklee spawn some incredible players and Ive also seen Berkee ruin many players.

Berklee is a jazz school bottom line. They make everyone think they are a well rounded music school but they are not. It's a Jazz school. Back in 83 - 84 I was in a Thrash metal band in Boston and we were doing really well. We started getting a name for ourselves and we were really writing well together.

In 85 2 of my band members graduated high school and went off to berklee. I have nothing against Jazz in fact I love Fusion but Berklee totaly brainwashed these two guys. They both spaced out and quit the band saying it was too imature. The drummer especially. He went from one of the best metal double bass drummers in boston to this guy who started holding his drum sticks like Buddy Rich and playing Herb Albert cover songs. I know he regrets it, he told me years later he got caught up in the Berklee 'lifestyle' of jazz and wished he never did.

Again I love Jazz but you have to be true to yourself. If you love Jazz then go to Berklee If you love classical then you need go to Julliard or the Conservetory. If you want to play rock then don't go to school for music at all. it will suck out any soul you have and leave you a 'technician'

Berklee actually has songwriting classes. That's just silly. I know even Paul McCartney or Bob Dylan would think that was pathetic

But my point is simply if you go to Berklee you will become a jazz player

[audioez]

Originally Posted by allencollins

But my point is simply if you go to Berklee you will become a jazz player

Or become fat from eating at "the pour house" on boylston!

Oh and isn't there some guy who still hangs around there who looks kind've like this guy ... he's always screaming for "spare change"

[Bob Olhsson]

If you can get in, go to USC!

[Tibbon]

Originally Posted by audioez

Or become fat from eating at "the pour house" on boylston!

Oh and isn't there some guy who still hangs around there who looks kind've like this guy ... he's always screaming for "spare change"

Which one? Santa? The guy that calls every white guy "Michael J. Fox"? There's so many. Then there's the ex-cop that snapped and rides his bike up and down the street screaming "Move".

I'm almost done with Berklee, and I (Perhaps through the miracle of never hanging out on, or living on campus) still can't play Giant Steps. I never got into the jazz thing, but I will agree that it's rather bad there. There's actually two camps of teachers now. One that loves jazz, and one that makes fun of it.

Go to the University of New Orleans and study under Ellis Marsalis (It's worked for his sons)

[DreamSound]

Thanks a lot for the insight on Berklee. Just from looking at the video at their site it looked like Jazz was the thing there. I also play rock and metal (www.myspace.com/silentoutcryband) but I want to learn other styles and I want to strictly spend two years learning theory and be in a musician's environment. Figuring everything out on one's own sucks, that's what I've been doing for the past 12 years. I'm gonna look at all the other schools suggested here!