A Berklee Student's First Day of Class.

The first week of Berklee (orientation week) was somewhat bland and conventional-- a lot of assemblies, and so many new acquaintances that you can barely remember your own name anymore. But the first day of classes has a very different vibe to it. By the time classes start to roll around, there is a whole new energy that comes up around Berklee College of Music as continuing students start to show up and flock in.

Berklee tip#1: Always check your email before a class, because teachers will often request assignments or make changes to the schedule even just hours before hand.

11:10 AM
After this, I ended up with a little over 5 minutes to get down the street to my Ear Training 4 class. Interestingly enough, Berklee puts all of its entering students together instead of combining them with continuing students on the same level, so every person in my class had tested in as well, and was in the same boat as me. After about 5 minutes, we jumped right into exercises, and they were considerably more challenging than I expected for the first day, even for a high level Ear Training class. Luckily, I had reviewed the book somewhat, and have had a lot of experience with sightsinging (as a singer), so I wasn't completely lost in the class-- many people who test into high course levels end up dropping down because of the rigorous courseload or because they realize they have some knowledge gaps they need to fill.

Berklee tip #2: If you plan on taking the ESPA, don't try cramming for it, because even if you pick up on something, you might just find yourself overwhelmed by the courseload if you aren't properly prepared. Try looking through the Berklee website for course descriptions to see what levels of classes will fit you best, and aim for those. Remember, at least 80% of entering students start in all level 1 classes, so there's nothing to be ashamed of.

12:10 PM
My next class was Harmony 3, which was your basic theory course, and mostly served as a first day review session-- nothing much to report there.

6:30 PM
And finally my last class, which was by far my favorite: my private voice lesson. As a result of my placement audition on day 2 of orientation, I was placed with Janie Barnett, and I would definitely say that she is a perfect fit for me as a voice teacher. I mentioned in my audition that I was classically trained, but trying to steer away from that, and I also told my auditioners of my intent to become a singer-songwriter. Not only is Janie a singer-songwriter as well, she uses a non-classically based method of teaching for contemporary students! Wow Berklee, you gave me exactly what I wanted.

Berklee tip #3: Be clear in your placement audition of what style of music you like to play, and where you want to go with your music career. They will listen and will pair you with the teacher that best suits your needs.

Looking Back:
The first day of classes at Berklee is completely unlike that of any other school I have been to, and in a good way. Almost everyone I know has at least 3 or 4 homework assignments already, but no one seems to disappointed about it it-- in fact, they seem even more inspired to work and practice than they were before! It's looking like this is going go be a very intense, but equally rewarding semester.