The Berklee College of Music

Date: Oct 06 2003
Major: Music - Composition/Theory (This Major's Salary over time)
My time at Berklee was short (one semester) but I was able to finish 5 semesters of theory and 2 semesters of arranging. It was a long time ago, but based on things I've heard, I believe my comments still hold.

Berklee is really a trade school. Don't go there for any type of education other than to improve your music, specifically jazz/rock/contemporary, so that you can head into the professional contemporary musical scene. That being said, I learned much more about music in the one semester at Berklee than in my next 3 years after transfering to a traditional music school.

At Berklee, I quickly realized that there were some really great musicians around me, and I was good but not great. I transfered and still pursued music but broadened my education and went to law school. I now enjoy music for myself on the side.

Berklee (and Boston) was a fascinating and challenging experience that quickly helped me sort out how music should fit into my life. It was not a place to be coddled. You need to know what you want and really want it. You need to excel for yourself and use the Berklee experience to build your musical knowledge, breadth and performance to establish yourself into the contemporary musical scene. You should be doing your gig before you leave Berklee. There is no job fair for jazz or rock musicians.