Studying Music Online

Leigh McLaren is a Senior Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. She has a bachelors in Music Business, and Masters in Higher Education. Leigh is a vocalist, who has concentrated primarily in Jazz and Musical Theater.

---

Here we are in week four, and you are starting to get into the real fun stuff in your course.
However, the Berkleemusic site and the “My Home” page might still be a bit of a mystery to you. There are so many great resources within Berkleemusic that students never even take advantage of. As advisors we want to make sure that our students get the most out of their Berkleemusic experience. This blog post is about the resources that you may not have even known about, but will undoubtedly help your music education, and even your music career!

The Berklee Music Network
If you haven’t already, definitely make sure that you set up a profile on the network. You can access the network by mousing over the “Go to” heading on the top right hand corner of your “My Home” and selecting the network. From there you can upload pictures, music, photos, videos, as well as browse the jobs in your area. You can also view all of the different groups within the network and other students’ network activities. This is a great network that Berklee and Berkleemusic have set up to help students meet each other, collaborate, and find the gig of their dreams! This site is also really important if you want to apply for a scholarship in the future because you will need a really awesome profile page that showcases your talents and skills.

Berklee Partner Deals
If you are interested in purchasing software, for your course, or just to learn more about it, check out this link. There are discounts on Ableton, Sonar, Finale, as well as magazines, and gear!

Berklee College of Music Stan Getz Library
The library resource can be found inside your course, under the “resources” link, directly below the search bar. The library, which is also used by the main campus students contains several academic resources, articles, streaming audio, and even an “ask a librarian” feature, which can help you find exactly what you are looking for. This is great for doing research for class, or just taking your music knowledge to the next level.

Technical Assistance
With the online courses, you may have a few questions pertaining to the content, gear, or even just posting your assignments. Don’t worry, we have many students who ask these questions, and the technical assistance link is a great place to help you find answers to those questions, and many more, like finding and accessing the chat, course materials etc.
This can be found under the school links heading on your “My Home” page.

Academic Policies
Maybe not as much fun as the other links, but equally important is the academic policies link. If you have questions about grading, certificates, substitutions or transfers, this is a great page to familiarize yourself with.

So start setting up a profile if you haven’t already, or check out the Stan Getz library, and make the most of your Berkleemusic education! And of course, as always, don’t hesitate to contact your advisor if you have any questions.

Leigh McLaren

---

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on April 2nd, 2012.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Brian John is a Student Advisor at berkleemusic.com. He has a Bachelors in Piano Performance from Miami University of Ohio, and a Masters in Composition from Longy School of Music. Brian’s background is primarily in Classical music, but a 4 year stint in a home-grown jam band gives him a unique perspective on both genres. He continues to compose and perform for people across the US.

---

SOPA and PIPA – two acronyms that were made infamous on Jan. 18th 2012 as thousands of individuals and dozens of websites took part in what is now being called “Blackout Day”. The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act were originally drafted to allow US Government agencies to bring criminal charges against, and to subsequently shut down, overseas websites illegally hosting copyrighted content. The broader Internet community, including giants like Google, Wired, and Wikipedia, became involved because these bills contained wording that was dangerously vague and open to interpretation and abuse. With these two bills now essentially dead in the water, it will be months or even years before another piece of legislation is in place to combat the piracy of copyrighted content.

A major portion of pirated content is media, which includes television, movies, books, and music. While this attempt at legislation was intended to punish those websites which provide pirated content, very little attention has been given to why pirating websites are so problematic in the first place. The true issue here is one of access. When creators do not make media available, consumers will search for, and find, other ways of acquiring it.

While governments need to step forward and create laws to protect copyrighted content, and in turn the copyright holders, no amount of legislation will be able to stop piracy. World-wide, the expectation of consumers is shifting to one of immediate and complete access anywhere at any time. The biggest piracy deterrent will be media companies catching up to the ‘access race’, thus making pirating websites obsolete and unnecessary. It is incumbent upon these companies to make their product easy to find and affordable to acquire. The average consumer will only turn to piracy websites if/when the company refuses access. By making the content available, the creator not only discourages piracy, they also control the medium in which it is distributed, which in turn allows them to control any and all revenue streams.

Independent musicians have been following this trend, and capitalizing on it for the past few years. It is common now for musicians to give music away for free to build a fan base, and to build a social media following. This trend actually allows independent musicians to capitalize on music piracy – by encouraging the sharing of their music, they are able to reach more people and build a larger group of fans. Once consumers become fans, they are more likely to have a vested interest in an artist and to support them by purchasing what the artists is selling, whether it be music or merchandise.

Established artists have also found ways to catch up in the ‘access race’ by allowing the sale of their music via sites such as iTunes and CD Baby. There are now also streaming sites such as Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify that offer access without ownership. If Sweden is to be any indicator, this increase in access directly leads to a decline in music piracy. According to Media Vision, a Swedish polling firm, illegal downloading of music is down by 25% since 2009. Considering that Sweden was the origin of some of the world’s largest pirating services, such as Pirate Bay and Pirate Party, this is a clear indication that legal avenues of access directly result in a decline in piracy.

One would expect the large, established organizations to take advantage of this trend. They have a captive audience that is clamoring for access to their product. A study released by telecommunications giant Ericsson indicates that over 70% of consumers are streaming, downloading, or watching recorded content and 36% of consumers are watching streamed on-demand movies. With access to the Internet now widely available through televisions, this trend is only expected to increase.

If content creators, especially the creators of major motion pictures, were to invest in direct-to-consumer access portals, their potential for profit due to monthly fees and advertising revenue is immense. Copyright holders, and the organizations that represent them, know that the content is out there and available already, so there is nothing to be lost in such a venture. In fact, there is everything to gain. Netflix, the predominant television and movie streaming company, currently claims more than 20 million subscribers globally, and they don’t even have the rights to stream the latest blockbuster films. Major networks like NBC, PBS, and Fox stream full episodes online. Consumers are starting to expect that their media will be available to stream online, and if it is available legally or illegally, they will find it.

The discussion surrounding copyright-protected material and how to best protect the creators of such material in a digital age will continue long after this blog is written. While SOPA and PIPA have been tabled, comprehensive reform is needed that takes into account all of the concerns raised in the recent debate. Whatever regulations are finally passed, it is up to the people involved in media creation to recognize and capitalize on all forms of distribution. It is also up to the people consuming this media to respect the work that has been done, and to recognize that these artists deserve be paid for their efforts.

Brian

---

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on April 2nd, 2012.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Mark Hopkins is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He finished his studies at Berklee College of Music, as a Guitarist/Songwriting Major, in 2009. Mark is a regular gigging musician who has toured extensively and released 6 albums in the past 10 years. You can hear some of Mark’s music on myspace.com/markhopkinsmusic

---

So, you’re in the midst of the dreaded college application process. The stress is on and you’re freaked out because all you really want to do is play music. Here are the thoughts that are running through your mind… (I know, because I had ‘em too).

“What do I do?”

“Where do I begin?”

“Where can I study music?”

“What the heck can I do with a career in music?”

Well, if you’re on this page, you are already 3/4 of the way there.

Berklee College of Music is the place to study contemporary music styles in the world… no, I take that back… the Universe. So, what’s the process? A lot of prospective students freak out to find that there is a live audition process to be accepted into the college. I am here to tell you the best way to approach that audition, and to cut down on that looming dark cloud of stress.

1) Be Yourself! You are who you are. Everyone that is applying and auditioning comes from different walks of life and different skill levels. The coolest thing about Berklee is how diverse it is. You are there for you, not Bob or Susan in the next room over.

2) That being said, remember what the website says, “Put your best foot forward”. That means do what you do best. If you are an amazing shred guitarist, or classical pianist, don’t walk in to your audition thinking you have to prepare a Jazz piece. Berklee has become more and more all styles than ever in the past few years; all genres are welcome! Concentrate on your strengths and really let that shine in your prepared piece.

3) Make sure you read the Audition Guidelines on Berklee’s site. That will show you exactly what you will be asked to do in your 15 minute audition. That’s right, 15 minutes! It goes by in a flash. I am sure you’ll find that there are some things you are unsure about (concerning your skills). If we were all musical geniuses we wouldn’t need to be auditioning for Berklee. The faculty members that will be proctoring your audition understand that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and they want to see how well rounded you are as a musician. For instance, some people are great sight-readers, but struggle with improvisation, and vice versa. Once again, see # 2.

4) Lastly, go in calm. Remember you are there because you love music! Don’t let one audition get in the way of that. A lot of people are crushed if they don’t get in to Berklee. It’s not the end of the world; you can always re-audition the following year. If you do end up re-auditioning think about how much further ahead in the game you would be than the first timers shaking in their boots.

All-in-all, I found my Berklee Audition to be a thrilling experience. It was a blast! Plus the faculty are great at making you feel at ease and you get to jam with them. Go in there with your head held high and do your thing with confidence and a smile on your face.

---

Berkleemusic, Berklee’s online school, offers a number of online courses to prepare you for the physical school in Boston. You can build a solid foundation by studying the core curriculum prior to arriving at the school, and even earn college credit. Check out these online preparatory courses here.

Berkleemusic’s online spring term begins April 5, 2010.
Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Student Advisor Amy H answers one of our most commonly asked questions, and explains how students interact with their instructors and classmates online.

Berkleemusic’s online winter term begins January 11, 2010. Find out more at berkleemusic.com.

---

Contact a Berkleemusic Student Advisor
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Berkleemusic’s online winter term begins January 11, 2010. Find out more at berkleemusic.com.

---

Contact a Berkleemusic Student Advisor
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Student Advisor Michael answers one of our most commonly asked questions about studying music online with Berklee.

Berkleemusic’s online winter term begins January 11, 2010. Find out more at berkleemusic.com.

---

Contact a Berkleemusic Student Advisor
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Hello everyone! I’m Leigh McLaren, Student Advisor at Berkleemusic. Just like my colleague Liam, I work on the Retention side of the team.

I’m here to assist current and returning online students, make sure that they are well prepared before they start, help them choose their future courses, and check in on them throughout their studies.

Our summer term began June 29th and we are at week five of the term already. How time flies!

For the last few weeks, we have been checking in on our students to make sure that they are receiving the finest and most enjoyable learning experience possible. Between weeks three and five, I’m calling and emailing everyone to make sure that everything is going well. It’s very important to get our students’ feedback so that we can advise them in the best way possible.

My personal background is in music business, so I am especially excited to hear how our students are doing in our business courses, and what their future plans are! I also love to hear new things about our other subject areas like production, songwriting, arranging, theory, guitar, and bass.

One of my favorite things about being a Student Advisor is hearing each student’s unique experience with our online courses and programs. I love hearing how their studies have impacted their lives and careers differently—especially since our students come from all over the world, and represent a huge range of ages, from 15 to 70!

If I haven’t talked to you already this term, I look forward to speaking with you soon. I hope your course is going wonderfully, and if you do have any questions at all, don’t forget to contact an Advisor.

---

Contact a Berkleemusic Student Advisor
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---

Liam McCormack here. I am a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic. Welcome to Studying Music Online, our new advisor blog, where you’ll get the inside scoop on what’s happening at Berkleemusic, in and out of the online classroom.

I know that many of you have spoken to us via phone and email, but I wanted to give you a bit more insight into our Advising team and all of our responsibilities at Berkleemusic.

Within our Advising team, there are two sides: Recruitment and Retention.

The Recruitment Advisor’s main responsibilities are to educate potential students about the many details of the Berkleemusic online learning experience. For example, how our courses function, which course is best for the student’s goals, how financing works, our affiliation with Berklee College of Music, our certificate programs, and more.

The Recruitment Advisors keep in touch with the student as they make decisions about their enrollment plans, answering any questions along the way, up until the point where the student actually enrolls in a course or certificate program.

At that point, the student is assigned to a specific Retention Advisor.

The student’s Retention Advisor is now their permanent Advisor contact at Berkleemusic. The Retention Advisor’s responsibilities are to help the student with any questions about our academic policies, help them pick courses for the future, guide them through scheduling their certificate programs, check in on them throughout their studies to see how things are going, etc.

The Recruitment and Retention team all work in the same space in our office which allows our tight knit group to communicate with ease and assist our students throughout their Berkleemusic experience.

I hope this insight is informative and helpful to you and I encourage you to contact the Advisors with any questions you may have!

---

Contact a Berkleemusic Student Advisor
1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

---