The World in One School
Written: Nov 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Diversity of cultures and music
Cons: Lot of flaky pot heads around
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| oparu1's Full Review: Berklee College of Music |
One of the great things about Berklee College of Music (in Boston) is the fact that it is 40% international. In any given band, class, or recording session, it is possible that each member is from a different country. It is not unusual to be the only American sitting in a class of 15 students. Some classes have no Americans at all in them. This kind of diversity is very beneficial for new ideas to emerge because everyone thinks differently here even though we are all musicians. Since Berklee is a school that encourages all styles of music, it does not have a conservatory type of attitude where students are trained to like classical music or one style or standard of music. A senior recital can be a program of heavy metal, jazz, or even classical music. When it comes to music or culture, anything goes here. This kind of diversity is what keeps me coming back to this school.
Unlike other colleges, there are no sports teams so that's why you probably won't see a review about athletics here on epinions. I think there was a soccer team 5 years ago but it disbanded due to lack of interest. The students are genuinely passionate about music and want to be playing, writing, or thinking about music all the time. The synth majors would rather be holed up in the synth lab than kick around a ball. The music production and engineering majors often have studio sessions at 2 a.m. and don't mind doing it. When we hear students from other schools complaining about pulling all-nighters before exams, we really don't have any sympathy for them because we pull all-nighters throughout the semester for studio sessions, exams, and just practising.
We don't want to get away from school because music is our passion. If that makes us seem like a bunch of nerds then so be it. Maybe we are. However, you won't see any pocket protectors and tape on thick glasses here. What you will see is plenty of strange hair colours and ear rings galore on the guys and the girls. Of course there are also plenty of people who don't look outrageous. If everyone looked strange, we would all be conforming to strangeness. That's the great thing about Berklee - everyone is an individual and we respect that fact.
This doesn't mean that there are no parties. There are just as many parties involving alcohol, pot, and whatever else you can imagine. Students work hard and play hard at Berklee. However, this does not imply that Berklee is a party school or that there are a lot of pot heads around. We get our work done first and foremost.
Similar to other schools, we Berklee has a lot of events that occur during the school year. This mainly includes musical or cultural events. At the beginning of November, 2000, we had a Latin Music / Culture week, which included concerts, dance lessons, and master classes. This was organized by students and there was even a representative from the Mexican embassy present at one of the concerts. There are recitals presented all year round by both students and faculty. Often, people from the music industry come to Berklee to talk to the students. If you are a serious music student, there is always something musical going on around Berklee outside the classroom.
However, Berklee also has its own kind of special event. Last spring, some students played a practical joke on April Fool's day. Before the big event, there had been posters on the wall with slogans like "They are coming". Most people just thought that it was another poster for an upcoming recital. On April Fool's Day, they put live chickens in various parts of the school. Chickens were spotted in elevators, rest rooms, and practice rooms. The authorities had to be called in to gather up the loose chickens. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident.
There are also a significant number of older students (i.e. over 24 years old) at Berklee. I am 28 and had to work a few years in Japan to save enough money to attend school here. The younger students tend to be those who are supported by their parents. Us old farts are usually self-supporting. Freshmen are required to live in the dorms unless they are over 21. Dorm life can be convenient but it's expensive ($1000+ a month). Needless to say, us old farts usually don't live in the dorms.
Almost anyone can fit in at Berklee because there is so much diversity here. The only people who would not fit in are people who are too narrow minded to accept this kind of diversity. As long as you are serious about music and have a good attitude, you should have no problems fitting in.
I remember once when I was at Harvard participating in a Business School experiment and had the chance to talk to some MIT students. One said that in some ways, they were jealous of us Berklee students. I had to wonder why since they are all so smart and attend a prestigious university. After all, I just thought that us Berklee students were just a bunch of hippies destined for unemployment, right after the philosophy majors (I can say that because I used to be a philosophy major). The MIT student said that we all seemed to be so laid back and MIT is not that way. I thought about that for a while and came to the conclusion that we have to be that way or else no one would want to work with us. Music is such a group oriented profession that it is vital to be easy going and laid back if one is to be successful. I haven't seen that student since then but I'd like to thank her for making me think about the social atmosphere at Berklee. It's something that I hope more students will notice and not take for granted while they are attending Berklee.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
oparu1
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Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
Yes, I really like Barry Manilow.
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