Hey guys,

I reciently turned 17, and am a junior in high school. My ambition, is to get into Berklee. I've been working on my rudiments lately, but I'm not sure what else I should improve. I can read music, and play 3 other instruments well. I've been playing drums since I was 6. I'm working on changeing my sticking style to traditional, and have taught myself up until the past 4 years. I play a jazz/funk/rock groove, mainly. I'm trying to brodden my styles of music I listen to.

Wat else should I do? any advice?

i hear you brother!
some advice i can give you would be;

Listen to ALL types of music tht have drums in them, and experiment with them, play along to them.
dont limit yourself when your on the drums!- what i mean by this is, dont just stick to the basic beat and play it all the way thru the song, add rudiments in where u can, only if it sounds RIGHT tho, drum fills are gr8 in my opinion but only if they are played right, if your giving constant drum rolls around the kit, they can get quite boring and to be fair, CRAP. If u can make a drum fill sound exciting and uniqe, then you've achieved something:)

Practice!! Try not to practice the same thing all the time, if your doing the same thing over and over tht you've already learnt your learning nothing as time passes, broaden your range...

Hope tht helps..
Good Luck

~Scott~








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Tama/Zildjian/Remo/Vater
www.myspace.com/scotthurford

White_stripe772 wrote:

Hey guys,

I reciently turned 17, and am a junior in high school. My ambition, is to get into Berklee. I've been working on my rudiments lately, but I'm not sure what else I should improve. I can read music, and play 3 other instruments well. I've been playing drums since I was 6. I'm working on changeing my sticking style to traditional, and have taught myself up until the past 4 years. I play a jazz/funk/rock groove, mainly. I'm trying to brodden my styles of music I listen to.

Wat else should I do? any advice?

--------------------------------


I recommend private study. Many serious drum teachers have college prep curriculum for drum students attempting to get into colleges for music. Ypu will want help when preparing the initial audition tape or cd. I attended Berklee for some summer programs, and I must tell you that there is an extremely small margin for error. I don't mean errors in your playing, but rather in your focus and dedication. Study with as many teachers in your area as you can, try to become a chameleon playing many different styles, and listen to all sorts of music. MOST IMPORTANTLY PRACTICE 3 - 6 HOURS A DAY. I'm not kidding, that is what it takes, and that is what you will be doing while attending Berklee, if not more than that! Have you sent for the information for enrollment? Depending on what degree you want to go for the other instruments may or may not help you getting into the school. It's fantastic that you play other instruments, and if you want to learn to teach music you will be required to learn and play other instruments. Performance and education degrees are offered at Berklee. Perhaps find a musician in your area that is a recent alumni from Berklee and talk to them. Speak to your guidance counselor, and get your parents involved. Also try your best to graduate HS with a high GPA, Berklee is a very expensive college and scholarships can help tremendously. Also, bear in mind that Berklee is not the only killer music school out there. Check into the Musicians Institute in CA (PIT for drummers) North Texas State University in Denton, Texas also has a great program with I think Ed Soph as the percussion director, and there is always the Drummers Collective in N.Y. One more thing, Modern Drummer magazine has done in the past, and if I remember correctly they just recently did a guide to drum schools all over the world. Call them and ask what issues and how to get them. Call them at: 973 239 4141 or on the web at moderndrummer.com.

Best of luck to you my friend!
Practice...Practice...Practice!








_________________
Jayson Asbury
For information regarding the products that I endorse please visit me on the web or on myspace @ www.myspace.com/jaysonasburydrummer
& @ www.jaysonasbury.com
Stick It!

Learn Latin Grooves. They are the pinnicle of Musical Set drumming. Anyone who has played drums for a couple years can bust out Rock/Funk, and maybe Jazz. It takes skill and precision to play Samba, Bossa Nova, Mozambique, Nanigo, and even the Tango. Latin is where it's at. Start with Bossa Nova, the most basic.

Private studying is best. No doubt.

Homki890








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Go to their website, they have what you need to know for the audition, then practice those things, forget about all the odd-time polyrythm stuff for now and just make sure you are solid in what they want, It just so happens I have an audtion for berklee tomorrow, and don't forget that if you don't get in the first time just try again if you really want to go there, an extra six months might make the difference and having auditioned once you will know what to expect. Trust me when I say six months won't kill you, I'm in my second year of college and halfway through ths first semester I decided I didn't want to be a history or anthropology major and music would be my life. I have enough credits that if I hung around for another year I'd have my BA but you gotta look towards what you wanna be forty years from now. I you want send me a messege and I'll tell you how the audition process is.

Absorb everything you can about your instrument and take private lessons!. you mentioned you can play 3 other instruments? pick the one you wanna "go places with" and stick with it. playing other instruments is fun ( i persoanlly can play guitar, bass, harmonica, trumpet, piano, sax and trombome. reading music for all of them) but drums is my passion. its the only instrument i sit down and really work on. technique is something huge you gotta work on. not saying techique is the most important thing in the world. it just really helps clean up your drumming. sight reading, odd time signatures, practice with a metronome Music theory (if your gonna be going to college for percussion and studying timpani and marimbas and all that stuff) but learn your "stereotype beats" be familiar with jazz, funk, latin, rock, brazilian, cuban, sambas, songos. work on keeping claves and ostinatos on differant sound sources, the differant techniques and styles. you're still in highschool, get as many music related classes as possible and try to do well no matter how much they suck. you need good references on your resume. I go through the phases where i wanna take time off playing out and touring and go to college for drumming. I've been accepted to Berklee twice now since high school but the first time had to back out because i started actually making my living of drumming and now recently this past year had to back out because my band was put on a 3 month tour. so if you have any questions or need any advice, feel free to message me. but basically just work your butt off and learn as much as you can before you even apply to a college and take as many music classes in school as you can. good references and a solid audition tape s a good foundation when trying to get into a music college

Make sure your still having fun....dont put so much pressure on your future.....yada yada yada.....i find it easier to learn and play when im not stressed about what im doing (where im going). dont know if this helps just thought id play dad for half a minute.

sounds like youll get where you want to go.









Last edited by Lepricoin on Tue Nov 14, 2006 10:29 am; edited 1 time in total

Joe Morello has a few great books out that will definatley help you technique. The names unfortunatley escape me at the moment...but they are all easy to get through google. Everyone has really hit the nail on the head, knuckle down and make it the impetus (drive) in your life...there's alot of distraction in high school, but if you stay focused on what you want to do, it's definatley attainable. Your academics will be very important...so be sure to bust you ass with the regular school work...and someone above mentioned talking to a Berklee grad to see what's required as well.

good luck, I wish you the best.








_________________
"as your attorney, I advise you to drive at top speed & it'll be a goddamn miracle if we can get there before you turn into a wild animal!!....30 minutes, it was going to be very close."

private study, learn to hold the sticks as close to buddy rich as you can, middle eastern rhythm, latin beat...

should be fine

myspace.com/billbougill








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I think that any young drummer starting out today should get himself a great teacher and learn all there is to know about the instrument that he wants to play.

Buddy Rich

I have been looking in schools and the one i want to go to the most is burklee school of music in Cali. I'm not going in under a drum major. I want to take many types of music and history of it all. I want to be a composer/producer. I have doing SAT classes and help w/ schools from that place. I am on top of my game and I devote my life to music. All i want to do is just getin the right school. I have already applied to 2 schools Burklee and University of Miami(FL). I am also a jounior...and anything I would say is to do as much as u can to get in the school of your choice. I barly have anytime for my friends, but I know i will have great years when i go to college!








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Pearl set
Zildjian cymbals
Remo heads
Triple base peddle
Drums are my life

www.myspace.com/samdrummerw

To Drummerjew:

First off there is no Burklee

UCBerkley is in california (got a few friends going there right now) and it is not a music school though like many other colleges it does have a music program.

The Berklee School of Music is in Boston (which I'm going to in the fall woohoo!) The audition isn't bad at all so I would practice my but off, however don't worry about it.

I hope you haven't been looking at the wrong schools and its just something I didn't get in your message. Good Luck with everything, I know how stressfull it can be.








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M.U.S.I.C.- Make up something interesting and complementary- Neil Peart

Without music, Life would be an error- Friedrich Nietzsche

man you need to be listenin to some Return to Forever! Lenny White is basically a drummin bamf, just try playin along to some of those tracks. peace

Death Metal and WORK YOUR ASS OFF!!!!!!

Flatliner wrote:

To Drummerjew:

First off there is no Burklee

UCBerkley is in california (got a few friends going there right now) and it is not a music school though like many other colleges it does have a music program.

The Berklee School of Music is in Boston (which I'm going to in the fall woohoo!) The audition isn't bad at all so I would practice my but off, however don't worry about it.

I hope you haven't been looking at the wrong schools and its just something I didn't get in your message. Good Luck with everything, I know how stressfull it can be.

dude you are so lucky..you are gonna be working with the best of the best. I have vistityed there so many times i live like 15 mins away and i love it there.








_________________
Black pearl 5 piece

Zildjian 14" Hi-Hat
Zildjain 16" Crash
Zildjian 18" Crash
Zildjian 20 " Ride

White_stripe772 wrote:

Hey guys,

I reciently turned 17, and am a junior in high school. My ambition, is to get into Berklee. I've been working on my rudiments lately, but I'm not sure what else I should improve. I can read music, and play 3 other instruments well. I've been playing drums since I was 6. I'm working on changeing my sticking style to traditional, and have taught myself up until the past 4 years. I play a jazz/funk/rock groove, mainly. I'm trying to brodden my styles of music I listen to.

Wat else should I do? any advice?

A phone call to Berklee about their admission policies and standards is more than appropriate for a junior in high school.

http://www.berklee.edu/admissions/

A phone call or e-mail to Dean Anderson (percussion chair) would also be a good start to get the low down on requisite material you'll need to master before auditioning.