I Got Into Berklee College of Music: Here's My Advice on How You Can, Too

In January of 2016, I sat in my bedroom and opened an email announcing my acceptance into Berklee College of Music. I was proud and excited, and a little surprised (us musicians sure are full of self-doubt, aren't we?), but I knew I'd worked hard to get in, and, more than anything, I felt accomplished.

So how did I do it? How did I get accepted to a highly competitive music school?

Please note this just my advice, and does not guarantee admission.

The Application

Let's start with the application. There were only two things that I think set apart my application: my letters of recommendation and my after school activities.

One of my letters of recommendation came from a band teacher from high school. I asked him to write me one because I knew he'd seen firsthand my dedication to music and my growth as a musician throughout my time in high school. The other person I asked to write me a letter of recommendation was my private piano instructor, because he'd known me since I was in fifth grade and I knew that he believed in me.

Basically: I recommend asking people who know you and believe in you to write your letters of recommendation. I would NOT necessarily recommend getting two people related to music to write your recommendations.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that extracurriculars can influence your acceptance. I think my music extracurriculars set me apart, even though I was applying to a music school because of what they represented.

One of the extracurriculars I think set me apart was my participation in a Saturday program where I was in a choir, a jazz vocal ensemble, and took multiple music classes. This showed a desire to participate in music on a higher level and to improve.

The other extracurricular that I think set me apart was marching band—because I was drum major, which showed dedication, leadership, and musicianship.

What do you do in music that shows your dedication or sets you apart from other applicants? Include that!

The Interview

I think the biggest advice I can give you to help with the interview is to prepare for the interview. You can find sample questions online, which I'd recommend writing out answers to.

I prepared by answering sample questions and discussing my answers with my dad. In addition, I practiced speaking without fillers (like, uhm.. uh..., etc.) and speaking clearly and succinctly.

Do not assume the interview is going to go well without preparation. Preparation takes some of the anxiety out of the interview even if none of the questions you prepared are asked.

Above all, speak clearly in your interview, be friendly, think your answers through before speaking, and be respectful to your interviewer.

The Audition

This is arguably the most important part of your application to Berklee, so make sure you are prepared.

Select music that you are very familiar with, reflects what you want to do while at Berklee, and that will show off your skills.

For example, I chose Ain't it Fun by Paramore as my cover to show off my vocal ability because the range shows my ability to mix chest and head voice as well as my ability to belt. The other song I performed was an original that showed my songwriting ability, my piano ability, and my ability to self-accompany. I also prepared a song in case they asked to hear a jazz selection: I chose My Funny Valentine because I knew the song so well and knew I would be successful.

Practice early, practice often, practice smart.

Practice early: choose your songs loooong before you'll be auditioning, and practice them for months (if possible) before your audition. You want to know your pieces like the back of your hand so if you panic in your audition, you don't have to worry about messing up the song too much.

Practice often: long hours of crammed practicing won't do you as much good as the same amount of hours spread out over a longer period of time. This gives you more space to hear things you need to change. The more consistently I practice, the more confident I am as opposed to when I have crammed.

Practice smart: don't run through your songs over and over again and expect to get better. For me, I knew it was important to separate the piano and voice and focus on each individually. If you're an instrumentalist, that could mean playing with a track and without a track.

Run through each section separately. Run through slower than you plan on playing and focus on intonation, or diction, or on a smooth transition between notes. Run the song until you make a mistake, stop, and fix it. Sing your song in the shower, hum through your song when you're driving, listen to as many versions as you can. Use your best practicing techniques to fully round your performance.

Be aware there are things you can't prepare for.

You will need to sight read and improvise at the audition. There are no easy steps to prepare for these unless you already do these things regularly. If you want to try, you can look at easy excerpts for your instrument and try to read them as best you can, or put on a track and try to improvise. My advice? Keep calm and do your best and know they don't expect you to be perfect. Prepare as much as you can but know these are ultimately skills that are taught at Berklee.*

*note that I was relatively confident in these skills before my audition and thus didn't prepare for them.

Dress the Part

Personally, I dressed up for my audition. I think that it shows respect and that I really cared about it. Showing up in sweatpants and a messy bun, or basketball shorts and a t-shirt, might communicate disinterest or that you think you're above it all. I'm not saying to wear a suit, but a nice pair of jeans and a button down or a dress you feel pretty in would be nice.

To sum it all up...

Everyone gets into Berklee, or any other music school, on their own merit. But preparing correctly and being intentional about your decisions can help you shine when your application comes up or when you walk into your audition.

Again this is just my advice, so know you're not guaranteed results. But this is, in my opinion, a good place to start.