Best Music College

[Marial]

Oberlin???

My nephew recently graduated from USC's undergrad music program. He's been very positive about it. His instrument is trumpet/cornet.

 

[MostlyBass]

If you play bass guitar only, then your choices are much more limited than if you played upright. Not necessarily good or bad, it just is.

If you're goal is to be a session player, give some real thought if you need a 4 year degree. Maybe yes, maybe no.

In the meantime you should study with every possible teacher and be attending as many clinics, masterclasses, etc. as possible.

And be sure you can read and sightread extremely well.

 

[Roy Vogt]

Oberlin???

My nephew recently graduated from USC's undergrad music program. He's been very positive about it. His instrument is trumpet/cornet.

Alphonso Johnson is the Bass Instructor there. 'nuff said.....
The only graduate I know from there is Ben Shepherd and he's gigging with Lee Ritenour and David Archuletta among others. If you want to stay and work in LA when you graduate it's a good choice.
I would find a school that's close to where you eventually want to work if possible. You can start building a network of contacts while you're safely in school and not having to make the rent every month.

 

[xUptheIronsx]

...as many have mentioned, do your research, but also research and define your idea of the overall school experience. Take into consideration things like school/program size. The bigger the program, the less performance opportunities you might get. If there are 30 bodies in a bass studio, and only 10 ensembles, you might not see a lot of playing time, especially as a young'n.

A smaller school will also allow you to have more attention in theory/history/aural training classes etc.

Research schools that will allow you exposure to possible contacts in your field afterward via clinics and guest conductors/artists etc.

What I find with some of my students is tha t they think "bigger is better", or the "school that so-and-so went to would work for me too". Then they get there and have a miserable time because they didn't think about how the whole environment fit them.

A lot of the schools people mentioned here are VERY competitive...to get into, once you are in, and as you go. That is a very different kind of environment to be in, and if you don't thrive on that, it can kill you very quickly.

 

[therhodeo]

If you're goal is to be a session player, give some real thought if you need a 4 year degree. Maybe yes, maybe no.
.

Also consider the cost of the education and whether that cost is actually value added to your music career. For every hotshot coming out of someplace like Berklee there's another guy coming out of someplace like Van Wert OH (Brent Mason's hometown) who can rip too. Music is a bit like baseball. Going to college is great and has many benefits (especially outside of the sport or its equivalent in this example, music) but going to the minor leagues and learning from experience is a valid path as well.

 

[therhodeo]

A lot of the schools people mentioned here are VERY competitive...to get into, once you are in, and as you go. That is a very different kind of environment to be in, and if you don't thrive on that, it can kill you very quickly.

Wouldn't it be accurate to say that thats a pretty good primer for the music industry? Doesn't seem like a game where you can afford to not be the most driven guy out there.

 

[20db pad]

Another thing to think about is the actual goal of becoming a session player. Things ain't what they used to be and there really isn't a session "scene" anymore.

 

[AaronVonRock]

The University of North Texas. One of the best jazz programs in the country.

This right here.

 

[Lee Moses]

Thank you all so much for the advice! I originally wanted to go to Berklee because the guys from Dream Theater went there, but after some conversations with a few Berklee students on facebook, I'm having second thoughts. They said it's too much money for the education you get, and that the teachers only focus on the top 10 students in the school. I've heard UArts and Rutgers are both very good places to study. And I'd love to meet this Anthony Wellington (considering I've pretty much surpassed my first bass teacher).

As a Berklee alumnus (and a North Texas graduate as well), the comments about Berklee teachers only focusing on the top 10 students are ridiculous. I doubt there is a school in existence that has more ensemble opportunities and more hands-on bass labs. And the private instruction is unexcelled. For everybody.

One thing about Berklee versus many other schools is that Berklee will allow you to focus on electric bass, if you wish. Many other schools (but not all) will have you primarily playing double bass.

Berklee is very expensive, there is no doubt about that. But if you can afford it or qualify for scholarships and/or grants, it is as good a music school as you will find.

 

[rjmsteel]

Subscribed. I'd like to tag along. I am 53 and have been playing, mainly self taught, since 1972.
My eldest son is a Freshman at The University of Iowa and is on the Sports Business Management track, which is possibly another tough career path. But he is smart and could take path choices a number of different directions within or outside of - or as mentioned within the realm of a double major.

 

[Gaolee]

I understand that Indiana has an excellent music program. There are a number of very good schools out there, so the main thing is to find the one that fits you best. If you are motivated and get a lot out of a school, it sure beats doing OK at another school that has a theoretically better reputation. You don't mention whether you are interested in classical music as well as everything else. If so, there are quite a few more options to consider. If you have a background in classical music and jazz, it will provide a broad foundation for you to work from. It's a tough world to make a living in, but the most motivated, talented people make it. There's no saying you can't be one of those people who are successful at it.

 

[azureblue]

what is a good music school to be a session bassist?
any school that is an area with a lot of recording studios

How hard is it to get into that school?
What do you mean by "hard"?

How hard is it to get a scholarship to that school?
Work harder. Now. No, harder than that.

What can I do to make a more successful career playing music?
Meet people. Half of it is being in the right place at the right time, ready to play. If you do not develop bad habits or dependencies, and see your self as not only a musician but a business person, you will get a rep as being the dependable guy who is the rock and always delivers.

IOW, and this is coming from someone who has been there done that, over half of music school is about making connections and proving yourself. You need to be a monster with a portfolio before you go in, so you can impress your teachers from the first day. Sure, you will learn in music school, but if you are not already ahead of your grade, then you will not be noticed. You need to always be two steps ahead of everybody, and getting high grades on all of your tests.

Each music school is strong on some facet. For instance, if you wanted to study jazz and really understand it from its roots, then I would recommend Loyola New Orleans. After all, jazz was born in New Orleans and the whole town breathes jazz 24 / 7. One of the issues of some music schools is over attendance, and you could be just one of maybe 200 other bass players in a class, and you may not get noticed. Check class size for any school you want to go to. UC Northridge isn't a bad place, either, but you had better be ready to stay focused your goal for four years. GIT in Hollywood used to be the rock guitar / bass school. I don't know if it still is, but look into it. And at one time there were some real LA monsters teaching and doing seminars at GIT. And NYC, too. North Texas State and U of Miami are great schools, too. Of course, Berkeley, and you can contact some of the teachers right here. And be prepared to be exposed to some other music career that will cause you to change your direction. You may go to UC Northridge or UCLA and discover that you have a knack and a love for film scoring.


If being a session player is your goal, then you need to start now, recording yourself playing a lot of different styles of music, from jazz to highly arranged theater songs (I offer from the play "Chess" - Florence / the American, as an example) to metal, and listening back until you can lay down a perfect track in one or two takes. You MUST develop a sense of time and groove. You need to be able to play with a click, and be just as steady with one, and you need to be able to play ahead of and behind a click. You need to be able to lock onto the drummer and play near exactly with him. You need to be able to sight read and read bass and treble clefs as well as Nashville numbers. And be able to read the left hand of a piano chart and figure out how to get a bass part out of that. Of course, you will need a through education in music theory and really good ears. And creativity. which will more than likely be ignored when you are in a session

Find guys around you who are recording and get into the sessions, no matter if its concert stage or in the bedroom. Get used to tracking and the recording process, and how to work with sometimes temperamental people.

Here's what I would suggest - go to the source. Learn about the music schools and do a lot of research on what their faculty is and who their grads are, and what they are doing now. Then, once you have decided, then get to know one of them and have them tell you what they look for in incoming students. Find out what the tests are for incoming students and start work on that. Then work like a dog, and, by the time you are a high school senior, be ready to take the college's incoming student tests. See if the school has summer classes / camps you can go to. If you are going in as a bass player, meet the bass teacher. Be prepared to play something that will impress him (not you), if he asks. See if you like him and see how well you communicate. Then ask him what knocks his socks off, then go learn to do that. If you meet him, you get along great, and he inspires you to stay up all night long working on music, then you've found your sensei....

Thanks in advance for answers, and please try not to joke about low pay/ insult me for wanting to pursue the "rock star" career.

 

[jdwinva]

Berklee College of Music in Boston is the best overall music college out there. Idk if it ranks at the top for bass or not. A big part of their education is how to be successful in the business of music. There are tons of talented and skilled musicians out there, so you have to understand how to navigate the business in order to be successful.

They do offer some scholarships. Go to their website for details. It helps for some of the scholarships if you attend one of the summer sessions.

Note that the regular federal financial aid is not available at Berklee. Most colleges offer financial aid including loans, work study, grants, and scholarships. Berklee is a different kind of school and so you either pay full fare, you get private loans (not federally subsidized), or you get one of a few Berklee scholarships.

I'm 53, and only a hobbiest. One of my daughters is a college senior majoring in applied mathematics. She turned down Berklee when she decided it was too risky to bank on a music career.

With that for perspective, I suggest you consider a no-loan education. The last thing you need is the burden of school loans. A state university would be a good option there. Another thought is to put together your own program of intense theory and instrument skills outside of a university setting. The smartest approach is to major in something marketable while having a double major in music performance.

Many schools are recognizing the benefits of a diverse double major. Vanderbilt Univ. in Nashville is one such school. You could, for example, double major in accounting and music, or double major in electrical engineering and music. These would give you an outstanding marketable skill to feed yourself, and if you do try to make music your career you will have a superb education to help you understand important aspects beyond just playing music. Plus with Vanderbilt you are right there in the heart of Nashville for the music connections.

If you can swing a scholarship to Berklee, I would go there if it were me.

Its tough to advise young people these days. There are so many uncertainties and changes in the world. On one hand, there are people who make a middle class income in the music industry. On the other hand the industry has changed so much in the last 15 years, making the old paths and old strategies obsolete. You have to do something you get some fulfillment out of, yet you have to feed yourself and your family.

Good luck.

I agree with the above post 100% and would add that for what it costs to go to Berklee with an unsure ROI (return on invesment) you could go to medical school and get a much better ROI and play music on the weekends.

 

[electracoyote]

I have visited a few, and my vote goes to Belmont in Nashville.

 

[Lee Moses]

Note that the regular federal financial aid is not available at Berklee. Most colleges offer financial aid including loans, work study, grants, and scholarships. Berklee is a different kind of school and so you either pay full fare, you get private loans (not federally subsidized), or you get one of a few Berklee scholarships.

I just caught this now. This is incorrect. I received both Pell Grants and Stafford Loans (both federally subsidized) while at Berklee.

 

[Reddog01]

One more tidbit. Most teachers in these schools will give lessons. A lot of times, the first one will be free. Two things happen during these lessons. First, your son can tell if the teacher is a person they may wish to study with, and secondly, the teacher can measure how teachable your son is. It needs to be a good fit, because, unlike almost every other major, a student will study with the same teacher the whole time they are at the school. Don't let the "sticker price" keep you from considering any school. Most music majors never pay the listed price. More money is given in music scholarships than athletics in the United States.

 

[Lee Moses]

It needs to be a good fit, because, unlike almost every other major, a student will study with the same teacher the whole time they are at the school.

This may be true at other schools, but it is not necessarily the case at Berklee or North Texas. I had two different private instructors during my time at Berklee, and four different teachers during my time at UNT.

 

[lsabina]

+1 Here I made so many life-long connections and received an excellent musical education.

 

[Roy Vogt]

This may be true at other schools, but it is not necessarily the case at Berklee or North Texas. I had two different private instructors during my time at Berklee, and four different teachers during my time at UNT.

That's the case at Belmont as well. I encourage the students to move around and take advantage of all the teachers here. It gives a real balance to their experience.

 

[Roy Vogt]

I have visited a few, and my vote goes to Belmont in Nashville.

Thanks!