Question about Berkley

[Agtronic]

Question about Berklee

Do you guys think it's possible for someone who has never been able to finish highschool to be successful at a school like Berklee?

Edit : spelling ... (see what I mean).

 

[foo]

I'm assuming you mean the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Generally speaking, being unable to finish High School is an indication of limited academic aptitude.
A school like Berklee is a whole truckload of academics (and of performance etc etc).

But . . .

For some, the drudgery of yer basic boring slog is way below their genius/work ethic level and they are bored out of their minds.

To put it gently, Winston Churchill was not a great student.
Albert Einstein failed the entrance exam to Zurich Technical College.

So - how bad do you want it, how smart are you, and how hard are you willing to work?

 

[Light]

Well, I got in because I had a killer academic record. The other way to get in is being a great player. What they want is an indication of ability to focus on what you are doing. That being said, if you want to go through the degree program, you will need to be able to study academics as well as music.

The bigger issue is that if you do not have a degree or GED, it is impossible to get IN, as Berklee is a college. So, from that point of view, if you can't finish high school, you can not go to Berklee.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Agtronic]

Thanks for the advice. I am not a stupid person, I just have great difficulty concentrating on things that don't interest me. That's why I'm thinking it might be something I could do successfully. The only thing I'd be worried about is the performing. I've never been on a stage before, and have never been able to get in front of a class and make an oral presentation (main reason I couldn't finish high-school). But I guess music is a subject matter like any other, and there's more to it than just being good on the fretboard.

It's always been a dream of mine to understand theory, as I think it would broaden my musical vocabulary. I can only get so far by ear, and I think I've hit my limit at this point.

Thanks guys!

 

[zeppelin]

I think you could save $70k a year and learn theory from a private instructor close to you. That seems like the smarter move to me. Just my $.02

 

[noiseportrait]

I don't want to discourage you, but the academics at berklee are VERY rigorous. I have a good friend who goes there now; he was a straight A student in high school and he is having a very difficult time trying to manage his time and coursework there. However, there is no other school like it if you want to make a career as a guitarist.

 

[Light]

I don't want to discourage you, but the academics at berklee are VERY rigorous.

Sorry, but no, not even kinda. The non-music academics at Berklee are a joke. To be honest, many of the music classes are not much better. I barely had to study until I got into the Music Production and Engineering program. The only real exception to that (for me) was ear training. I understood the concept of solfeg, and I could hear the intervals and such, I just could never put them together.

I should note, however, that I had been studying harmony for a good six years before I ever got to Berklee, so I had a bit of an advantage on that. None the less, Berklee's academic classes are mostly a joke. The major exception would be any of the English classes taught by Pat Patterson (who also wrote the lyric writing curriculum, and is one of the three best teachers I have ever had).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[kdoggity]

Maybe it's just me but if the audio samples provided in the "student profiles" section of the Berklee website are any indication of the talent the school produces, I would steer clear. I heard, in a matter of minutes, some of the worst music I have heard in a long time. I'm sure a school dedicated to making musicians churns out some great ones every year, but I'm shocked that they choose to represent their talent the way they have. Go listen for yourself, it's ridiculous.

 

[joro]

From what I understand........

The only thing you need to be able to enroll in Berklee ....

is the tuition....

 

[Light]

From what I understand........

The only thing you need to be able to enroll in Berklee ....

is the tuition....

Not quite, but it is close.

Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot their, but Berklee is like any other school. You only get out of it what you put into it. It is up to YOU to work hard. If you do, you can learn a hell of a lot. If you only want to limp through, then you can do that to. It is up to the indiviual.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi