Studying Music Online

Michael Moyes is a Senior Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He finished his studies at Baylor University, where he studied Piano Performance and Business. Michael has performed Piano as a soloist, in combos, and accompanied by full Orchestra. He holds Master Certificate in Arranging and Orchestration from Berkleemusic. He also teaches bluegrass banjo in the Boston area. You can hear some of Michael’s music on the Berklee Music Network and on Soundcloud.

Weird question, right? I only ask because I was recently in Helsinki, Finland meeting with other Music educators from around the world and well, this discussion kept popping up. Many of us were talking about how to prepare students who want to make their entire income strictly from Music. Chair of Professional Music Kenn Brass recently told me that only 7% of US residents make all of their dough from musical ventures. Berklee grads do a bit better than average but still come in at around 30%. 100% of your income means enough to cover, rent, food, transportation, your vintage vinyl collection, and if you have anything left over, new gear! Bill and Theo Huxtable illustrate this more elegantly than I can…

Are you going to make enough for ALL THAT by playing in a wedding band, having a youtube clip go viral, performing on live TV, and then touring the world???

Errr, I guess it’s possible, but not very likely. Musicians (including Karmin) have to gig and gig and gig and be open minded for opportunities that may be outside their wheelhouse. I used to play a lot of wedding ceremonies; easy street for a classical pianist: Pachelbel’s Canon, Trumpet Voluntary, a couple Chopin Preludes, etc. What happens if a jazzy cocktail hour gig comes up? A high school Broadway production? A Nickleback fan club sing-along? Should I adapt to different styles I may not like to make a living OR should I say “I am a wedding pianist, that is what I do and I should be paid handsomely for dedicating my life to the continuation of this valuable art”.

I had never thought about playing gigs as ‘selling out’ but that may be because I am a product of my capitalistic society. People I met from Norway, Russia, and other countries felt very differently about the music profession. If Robert Schumann spent his 31 short years playing chamber music would we know his name today? Would music composition or performance have advanced as it has if Chopin didn’t dedicate all of his time and energy to composing painstakingly complex Etudes, Preludes, and Ballades? I don’t know. Should a government support its talented musicians financially so that they can put all of their passion and effort into creating incredible music? Perhaps they will create the next Beethoven or Beatles or Adele and bring pride to their country. There could be thousands of musicians who have what it takes to change the world so why are they using their energy to paint houses so they can pay their rent? These discussions and questions always funneled into differences between capitalism and socialism.

I guess I see their point and I think they see mine as well. I think the next Mozart or Rolling Stones or Justin Bieber will surface regardless of whether they are paid through government commissions or by rising to the top while gigging and making ends meet. We all have to live within the scope of our own realities. That being said, if some powerful government entity is reading this and wants to pay me a salary to dedicate my life to creating music, please post in the comments section and we will hash out the details.

-Michael

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on January 14th, 2013.

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

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

Annie Sklar is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. She finished her studies at Berklee College of Music, where she studied Jazz Composition and Tenor Saxophone. Annie has worked and played with jazz greats such as Maria Schneider, Rufus Reid, and Herb Pomeroy. You can hear some of her music on the Berklee Music Network.

Dance is a four-letter word in jazz. The days of swing being the go-to dance floor soundtrack have long since past, and the jazz community gazes back on that era with the fondness for the quaint and the outdated usually reserved for doddering elders. Jazz has evolved into one of the highest forms of art music that humans can conjure up. At some point, the jazz listener evolved into a creature made entirely of ears, and maybe a tapping toe. There is a definite tendency in jazz to eschew music that does not live up to high intellectual standards (if you say that isn’t true, then you might be an offender), and an even greater impulse to dismiss entirely anything that features a pulsing groove specifically for the purposes of dancing. But wait! Are we jazzers missing out on a basic human experience – dancing?

There’s a lot of bad dance music out there. The explosion of technology available to “producers” (however Mom’s basement bound they may be) has made the creation of electronic music very easy. And good lord do hacks and jokers take advantage of that. Even well produced top 40 pop music is generally so musically egregious that stumbling upon it on the radio triggers my “ekldik!” reflex (ah Yiddish, the language of lovers- words that sound exactly like what they mean). But there is dance music out there that is creative, unexpected, and fun. A good DJ playing great, well-produced tracks can provide a mind-body-spirit lift of the highest order. Who cares if the track stays on the I chord the whole time? Appreciate the forward motion of the beat and the non-complexity of the harmony. As a jazz writer, I get my fill of reharmonization and multi-tonic systems. I often find myself appreciating dance styles for their lack of chords, traded instead for atmospheric harmonic structures. As long as the groove is hot and the DJ doesn’t try to mix in a track that’s a half step off-that makes me want to throw theory books towards the booth.

No, I’m not saying (and never would) that dance music could ever hope to even approach jazz, or classical, or any other art music in creativity, emotion, or intellectual pursuit. But I would argue that it doesn’t have to. And to shake a proverbial finger at those who might dismiss it for being aesthetically shallow, when was the last time YOU danced in public? Because that is the basic function of dance genres – party music! Music that exudes such energy that anyone within earshot can’t help but move. And nothing gets a crowd moving like a moving crowd.

And now to jump into a topic that I admittedly know next to nothing about- evolutionary biology! Why do we have such a primal urge to shake it when we hear an awesome drumbeat or bass line? Why did our propensity for what we call music evolve in the first place? And did dance come first, or the music that we dance to? Completely un-scientific Googling indicates that no one has any definite answers. There has been some research (you’re not really expecting me to footnote, right? You don’t want to read ‘em and I’m definitely too lazy to write ‘em. No need to get heavy. Let’s move on) that indicates that musical productivity mirrors reproductive activity in the life cycles of humans. Darwin believed that musical ability (like singing) might be a “sexually selected” (woo woo!) trait to aid in courtship, like a peacock’s tail. So maybe that’s part of it. But there’s another hypothesis out there, proposing that music evolved as a way to bind social groups together. I can dig that, can’t you? The original purpose of dancing could be related to reproduction; showing off for the opposite sex through movement is a technique that is employed throughout the animal kingdom-check out THESE FLY MOVES. But consider also the early human tribe preparing for battle with their rivals from the other side of the watering hole. I see fire and drums and music making and dancing and general revelry. This type of behavior is hypothesized to be able to bring the group to an altered, trance-like state of mind. Individuals would be more in line with the cause, even to the extent that pain and fear would take a back seat. A good old-fashioned team building exercise! We can still experience a little piece of this most primal exercise when we dance in a crowd. You get caught up, get a little wild, and have a great time. Dancing makes your body feel good and connects you emotionally with those around you. After a particularly epic build in a track, the adrenaline rush when it drops flows through the whole crowd at the same time. Not too often do we get that kind of shared elemental human experience in a positive context (such moments are generally reserved for moments of terror, like rapidly descending airplanes). We should enjoy it before we evolve it away!

We should all get to experience the benefits of music absorbed through primal functions like dancing. Art music is wonderful and perhaps the finest form of human creative expression. Everyone should at least try to listen and understand the exceptional and uniquely human ability to manipulate pitch, tone, and rhythm to create a thing that exists only for itself. That may be the zenith of human evolution-art for the sake of art. But it is valuable to sometimes experience music at a more primitive level. And dance music is perfect for that! You don’t have to think, you don’t have to analyze-you just get to enjoy it for what it is; a vehicle for movement. You don’t necessarily have to rave out with neon and glow sticks to get it. Enjoy the basic properties of the music: the drums, bass, builds and drops, and appreciate the simple modality. And be careful who you lay your jazz snobbery on, because you never know if that chick grooving out next to you has a degree in Jazz Composition. And if she does, she may just be able to justify why dance music deserves our love, too.

-Annie

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on September 24th, 2012.

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

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

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.

Music education is one of the most important forms of education. Which, I suppose, is obvious coming from me because I work at Berklee. However, it is not just me who stresses the importance of educating through music. Music has been known to help heal brain injuries with Therapeutic Music Interventions. Music has given troubled kids an outlet for their boredom, frustration, or even depression in school. It has also even proven to help students do better on their math tests. There are articles upon articles, and tons of research that state how music education is so important, and yet music educators often end up pushed against the wall trying to defend their programs so they do not get cut. People often fail to realize the significance of education through music, and how it can really make an impact.

Eight years ago, I had the opportunity to teach at a music camp in Newton, Massachusetts for 2 months, and that was one of the most amazing summers that I have ever had. Each week there would be a new set of kids who would spend the week learning different aspects of music; theory, history, performance, songwriting, etc. During that week the kids would break into bands, and write a complete song to perform for their parents on Friday. As you can imagine, some songs were better than others, but I have never seen kids ages 9-12 so focused on anything, as they would be when they were working on their song, or with their bands. You would see kids settle disagreements, teach each other different aspects of theory, and collaborate in a way that amazed me. I remember watching some of the performances at the end of the week, and being astounded at the discipline that students showed in a week.

That summer really showed me how important it is that kids, and adults have a musical outlet. To some people it’s playing in a band, to others it’s composing, and to few it’s studying, analyzing and breaking down the works of anyone from Beethoven, to John Cage.

So, as you, a “wanna be” music educator, struggle through that Music Theory 301 course, or that Harmony 2 course, just remember how important that it is to have that education, and be able to pass it along to the generation coming up behind you- or even next to you. Music has the ability to grow, challenge, and even repair the brain like nothing else does, so keep pushing through those courses, and pushing against those who doubt the value of music education.

-Leigh

“In every successful business…there is one budget line that never gets cut. It’s called ‘Product Development’ – and it’s the key to any company’s future growth. Music education is critical to the product development of this nation’s most important resource – our children.”
- John Sykes — President, VH1

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on September 24th, 2012.

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

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

Annie Sklar is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. She finished her studies at Berklee College of Music, where she studied Jazz Composition and Tenor Saxophone. Annie has worked and played with jazz greats such as Maria Schneider, Rufus Reid, and Herb Pomeroy. You can hear some of her music on the Berklee Music Network.

Last week, we covered prepping for an interview. You should have all your ducks in a row, now its time to make it count!

THE BIG DAY

What should I wear? Tricky. I like to look at the organization’s website for telling pictures, but that’s not fool-proof. Much depends on your field-if you’re looking to work in high finance, you’ll likely want to wear a suit. But creative fields, colleges, small businesses-it’s hard to know what their office culture is like. As a girl, a simple, solid color, tailored dress with minimal jewelry works for me. That’s pretty fail safe. For the guys, in most cases you don’t have to wear a suit, but you may want to bring a sport coat just in case. You can always feel out the scene once you get to the interview, and if everyone else is dressed up, toss it on. A nice shirt (iron it, please, and no pit stains) with a reasonable tie, nice pants and decent shoes will generally work. The key is to look neat, clean, and pulled together. This extends to hair, nails, and any bags or cases you might have with you. This should be common sense, but avoid logos, statement jewelry, cleavage, short skirts, and all variety of rips and tears, even if they came built into the garment.

Get your materials organized ahead of time. You should bring a resume for each person who will be talking with you (if you’re not sure how many people there will be, bring some extras-I usually bring six). You may want to include your card, and possibly letters of reference. If there are multiple pages, collate them so that you hand each interview participant a packet without first rifling through a million sheets of paper. If you’re interviewing for a position that requires a portfolio, make sure it’s clean, complete, and relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Be nice to people. Receptionists are often the most connected people in any office. Don’t get off on the wrong foot by being rude (even if you’re just nervous). I once worked at the front desk of a busy office, and was regularly astounded by how obnoxious some people were to me. You better believe I’m going to say something if you were condescending or rude (or firing profanities at me. True story!). I don’t want someone like that working in my office. If you are neck in neck with another candidate, the decision could come down to who appears more desirable to work with. If you’re nice and polite, you’re on the right track. Also, if you’re funny, don’t be afraid to use it to your advantage! The interview is not the time to try out your new stand up routine, but a little appropriate humor never hurts.

Take a deep breath, and show them your stuff. This interview is a performance and a sale, all in one. You are the product, and you are selling yourself. Be confident, be professional, SMILE. Make eye contact, and maintain it as much as you can without being creepy. Don’t repeat yourself too much. Reiterating your strengths is great, but if you start to say the same things verbatim (which can happen easily if you’re nervous), people will notice, and their impression could be that you are limited or one-dimensional. Try to avoid “ummm” and “uhhhh” as much as possible. It’s ok to pause for a moment to think, or even buy yourself some time with a little intelligent filler (“Hmm. That’s a great question! Let me think about that for a moment.”). And lastly, don’t ramble on. If you’ve said what you need to say, stop talking. Just close your mouth and smile. Ever heard what Miles Davis said to Coltrane when he didn’t know how to end his solos? “Take the horn out of your mouth.”

If they want to talk, let ‘em talk. Listen, and don’t interrupt. A talkative interviewer can be a great advantage, as they’ll gives you lots of ammunition for asking pointed, intelligent questions. However, a real talker can pose some challenges. Timing could get dicey, as many interviews are broken into several meetings with different individuals or teams. You could also feel like you didn’t get the chance to fully present yourself, and you may end up interrupting them to get your two cents in. If you find yourself interviewed by a turbo talker, keep your answers clear and concise, and don’t stop talking until you’ve said all you need to say. Keep any questions brief and relevant.

THE AFTERMATH

Write a thank-you email. Keep it short, keep it simple. Thank them for their time, and let them know you’re looking forward to hearing from them. DO NOT include the twenty-five things that you forgot to mention and remembered on the train home (and you will have those moments, at least the first few times you interview). Make sure your note is sincere and well-written; no abbreviations (OMG, thx so much 4 everything!), and for the love of god, no emoticons.

Get ready for more. No matter what the outcome, it’s important to remember that there is no magic bullet. The job market is competitive, and any job worth having is going to generate a lot of interest. Most people don’t get the job, even when you nail the interview. The disappointment can get pretty real, especially when you’re fresh out of college and your student loan grace period is barreling to a close. But interviewing is great experience, and the more you do it, the better at it you’ll get. So go forth, apply, and interview!

-Annie

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on September 24th, 2012.

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

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

Annie Sklar is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. She finished her studies at Berklee College of Music, where she studied Jazz Composition and Tenor Saxophone. Annie has worked and played with jazz greats such as Maria Schneider, Rufus Reid, and Herb Pomeroy. You can hear some of her music on the Berklee Music Network.

Job interviews are fun! OK, they’re not fun. They’re stressful, competitive, and even a little scary if you haven’t done many before. But there are things you can do to make the interview process easier and put yourself in the best position to nail it. There may always be other candidates out there with equivalent, or stronger, experience than you have, but hey, you got the interview. They want to meet you because they liked your resume and your cover letter, and they think you’re a qualified candidate for the job. Now you need to convince them that they were right (which should be easy-everyone likes to be right). You have to figure out how to present yourself as the inevitable choice. Here are some tips that, if wielded effectively, can make you seem like THE candidate.

GETTING READY

Before you get there, you need to prepare. Don’t try to wing it. Seriously. The magic of the internet makes research easy, so do your homework. Find out everything you can about the company or organization. Know a general history, core values or mission, current initiatives, and plans for the future (a new location, a fundraising campaign, etc.). Even if you don’t end up referencing much of it, having an arsenal of information will give you confidence and stimulate intelligent conversation that goes beyond stock interview questions. Avoid trivia (“I saw on your website that your last fundraising campaign raised 59.6 million dollars over less than 48 months, and that construction is underway on your new 63-story office tower with gourmet food court and fitness center. That must be very exciting for you!”), but you can definitely use general information to your advantage (“I was impressed by the success of your last fundraising campaign. Do you have any similar initiatives planned for the future?”).

Study the job description. I’m going on the basic assumption that you know what you’re applying for. Don’t be that person who blindly submits job apps because it’s all online and it’s really easy and you can do it while you update your facebook status. Let’s not go there. Read the job description carefully and look for keywords that you can reference when describing your work experience. You’re applying for an administrative assistant position, and one of the items on the listing is “Coordinate monthly meetings for office staff.” At your last job, you’ve been answering the phones and booking birthday parties for 50 squealing six year olds at your local bowling alley (been there, done THAT). When you describe what you’ve been doing, talk about how you “coordinated large group reservations.” Even though you’ve never scheduled office meetings, you’ve connected your experience to the position at hand by using a key word (“coordinate”). You’ve coordinated before. See how that goes? The trick is to work these words into natural conversation-if each sentence out of your mouth contains the word “coordinate,” that’s going to sound canned. A good trick is to make a list of your experience that is relevant to the position. Go through the list and see if you can find a keyword in the job description to with each item of experience. Reference these words in the interview! You’ll sound professional, educated and intelligent.

Rehearse. You know what they’re going to ask. Prep your answers, it’s ok! I have found it helpful to write out responses to the questions I KNOW they’re going to ask me (“Tell me about yourself” “Why are you looking for a job” “Why do you think you would be a good fit for this position” and “Why should we hire you”). Do this as far in advance as possible, so you have a chance to revisit them several times and edit. I wouldn’t recommend bringing that document to the interview, just try to internalize the content so that you can speak naturally and not sound like you’ve memorized lines. Being well prepared for these types of questions will prevent moments that might invite rambling jabber (more on that later), and will also help you out if your interviewer is a dud (it happens). I’ve been in interviews where the person I was speaking with asked ONLY prescribed questions (right off the page, I could see), then went on to the next question without any follow up. If that happens, it’s up to you to make sure that all of your pertinent information is getting across. If your interviewer isn’t helping you out, you’ll have to help yourself by expanding on your own answers. Another possible scenario is that the interviewer is under-prepared or inexperienced, which can also be very challenging. The better prepared you are, the more you will be able to steer and stimulate the conversation.

Plan your questions. As you’re moving through the interview, you will definitely want to ask any RELEVANT questions that arise for you. You’ll feel like you’re having a real conversation, which makes things easier, and you’ll also demonstrate interest, critical thinking, and give the interviewer a chance to talk (everybody likes to talk). However, you will also want to prepare some questions for the moment when you will inevitably be asked “So, do you have any questions for me?” The answer is yes, if you want the job. You should come up with as many questions as you can, with the expectation that some will be answered during the course of the conversation. You can ask basic questions about the job, like “How soon would I be able to start?” or “How long is the training period for this position?” You can ask about compensation/benefits, but tread lightly. You don’t want to sound as though you’re only in it for the cash and the perks. “Does the company offer any tuition assistance for professional development?” is a great question, as it shows that you would be interested in pursuing some education to make you better at your job.

Know whom you will be meeting with. You may not know ahead of time exactly who will be in the interview, but you should know who to ask for when you arrive, and what their title is. Knowing whether you are meeting with an HR officer or the direct supervisor for your position may even effect how you tailor your answers. An HR person may not work in the office you are applying to, and may not have in-depth knowledge of the position beyond the description they’ve been provided with. This situation is a perfect time to use those keywords that we talked about before!

Know where you’re going. And what time you need to be there. And please show up on time. About ten minutes early is perfect-too early, and you may be inconveniencing the people who have scheduled your interview into their presumably busy day. Make sure to bring the appropriate contact information so that you can call if you are running late for some reason. Should that happen, don’t dwell on it too much. Apologize briefly (but sincerely) and move on.

Next week, we get to talk about the big day and how to make it count!!!

-Annie

Berkleemusic’s next term begins on September 24th, 2012.

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

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

Jason Peté is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. A Berklee College of Music graduate (Music Business and MGMT major and Voice principal, ’07), Jason has a background in vocal performance in genres ranging from Jazz, Pop, Gospel, Classical and Musical Theater. His performance experiences range from background vocals with major artists such as Gloria Estephan, Paul Simon, Livingston Taylor, and The Yellow Jackets to solo gigs in the New England and West Coast areas. He continues to pursue music, performing for audiences across the country.

School’s out for summer (for some of you), so you’re applying for jobs and drafting emails left and right in the hopes of landing your dream position! Or maybe you aren’t applying to jobs. We all use email communication more and more each day. I thought I would write in with some tips for email… we’ll call it email etiquette 101. The following will come in handy for job-seekers and anyone looking for a way to draft successful emails.

1. Use the subject line for the general synopsis of your email- fill out the “subject” field with a topic sentence and it should correspond to the contents of your email… a quick peek as to what your email is about. Avoid ones like “Hi Jason” — “checking in” — “following up” without including *what*, exactly you’re following-up / checking-in on.

2. If you’re emailing with a new subject / idea / topic, please start a fresh email.

3. Address the email recipient by the appropriate title and be sure you’ve spelled their name correctly: Mrs. Marcell may or may not be married, so go with Ms. Marcell, it’s an appropriate title for both married and unmarried women.

4. When applying for a job, do your research to find out the hiring manager’s first and last name and refer to him/her as such in your email submission- extra points for looking as though you’ve researched the business you want to hire you

5. Don’t reply to general emails with specific questions (i.e. Company newsletters with your resume submission) This is a no no!. Remember Ms. Marcell we referred to earlier. You want to be sure she receives your resume not the marketing representative who may or may not forward it along to her (chances are Joe marketing guy will send your email right to the trash).

6. Avoid WRITING IN ALL CAPS or in all small case. An all caps email translates as aggressive and can be distracting. THIS IS QUITE A CHALLENGE TO READ, while this and even a Combination of This looks perfectly fine.

an all lowercase email looks unprofessional and more like notes vs a finalized/proof-read email. See the difference?

7. Use proper sentence structure: First word capitalized with appropriate punctuation… Multiple instances of exclamation marks (!!!) or ??? can be interpreted as rude or condescending.

8. Email content should be concise; not as formal as a term paper per say, but to the point.

9. Spell and grammar check is also a must- misspelled words and run-on sentences are distracting.

10. For some people, email is not their job. Please allow some time before following up with a check-in email. Keep this in mind especially when emailing about a job- allow the hiring manager some time before getting back to you; patience will do you well here.

11. Avoid giant attachments and long-winded emails – especially if you’re sending a resume. Convert your resume to PDF format (Google search PDF formatting if you don’t already know how to do it). PDF format is helpful to ensure all the hard-work you’ve put into styling your resume remains and transfers accurately when sent across computer platforms. A PDF file is essentially an un-editable image that’ll look the same whether viewed on MAC or PC platforms.

12. CCing vs BCCing. The “CC” in both CC and BCC actually means Carbon Copy. When copying someone on an email using the CC field, all recipients are able to see who the email was sent to.

BCC on the otherhand- stands for Blind Carbon Copy- use this function as needed, but this is suited for an email where all recipients don’t necessarily need to see each other’s email addresses. For the occasion when you as the sender want to reach several parties with general information, but want to keep their address private, use BCC.

13. Include your contact information: Put at least your first and last name in your signature. If your email communication warrants a telephone call, add your telephone number to your signature as well or find a way to highlight your number toward the end of your email: “I look forward to speaking with you- you can reach me at XXX-XXX-XXXX”
If your telephone number is in your email signature, try something like this: “I would appreciate a call back at your convenience… my contact information appears below.”

I hope this helps! We’ll dive into résumé/cover letter writing next time.

-Jason

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

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

Michael Moyes is a Senior Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He finished his studies at Baylor University, where he studied Piano Performance and Business. Michael has performed Piano as a soloist, in combos, and accompanied by full Orchestra. He holds Master Certificate in Arranging and Orchestration from Berkleemusic. You can hear some of Michael’s music on the Berklee Music Network and on Soundcloud.

If you are familiar with the site www.soundcloud.com, or have produced any music with a DAW, you are familiar with what a waveform looks like. When looking at a waveform, we can easily see where the relative loud and quiet parts of a song will be. Basically, what you are looking at is a summary of the songs dynamics.

In the below waveform you can see that the music starts quietly, pauses a couple times, then swells with a large crescendo which brings the overall intensity to a peak. Eventually it quiets down again and finishes with one last swell. A large amount of dynamic range is typical in orchestral pieces (which this is).

Kamaishi City by Michael Moyes

On the other end of the spectrum, here is a contrasting piece from the artist “mysticgroove” that you can see has a smaller dynamic range. This is a common sight in much of (but not all of) today’s electronic, pop, and rock music.

Planet X by mysticgroove

This visual ‘wall of sound’ is very much compressed whereas the first example is hardly compressed at all.

What is compression?

Compression reduces the volume of loud sounds while amplifying quiet sounds so that the waveform pushes, pulls and shapes itself into a more uniform looking figure. The end result is a volume level that is more or less steady throughout the piece. Depending on the amount of compression added, you may no longer see (or hear) subtle or even obvious dynamic changes. If I wanted to, I could even attempt to compress that first piece so that the waveform looks the same as the 2nd.

Here is another example. This is 2 audio files of the same piece, one compressed and one not. (The compression is crude and is overdramatized to illustrate my point) The selection is from the dynamically diverse Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – 3rd movement…

One personal advantage to having a compressed audio file is being able to listen with headphones on the subway without having to constantly adjust the volume. When listening to film or classical music I often times turn up the volume so I can hear a solo piano line only to have my eardrums blasted when a chorus of trumpets enters the mix. Compression has the positive effect of making your mix sound loud which is a real benefit in many types of music.

A big disadvantage (and this is a big one) is losing the dynamic intricacies of each instrument, the room’s natural reverb, and the composer’s intended sonic landscape. In a pure listening environment like a concert hall, a living room with good speakers, or even a quiet car, dynamics in all sorts of music add a great deal of emotion. Berkleemusic professor and author Ben Newhouse writes in his Orchestration 2 course…

“Part of what makes orchestral music exciting is the vast dynamic difference between a flute solo and a full tutti (multiple instruments all playing the same notes in unison). Compression would reduce the difference between those extremes, minimizing a characteristic we love about orchestral music.”

In pure orchestral CD releases, compression is typically not used to keep the experience as close as possible to a live listening experience. In Film music, some limited compression can create some sonic space so that dialogue, sound effects, and music can live together.

Compression may be a necessary evil depending on how you intend to have your music listened to. This is a hotly debated subject and you can find countless articles about it online. Now you are hopefully armed with some information to make the call for yourself!

-Michael

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

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

Doug Orey is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2009 where he earned a degree in Music Business and Management. He is currently an avid gigging musician heavily involved in the Boston rock scene. He is the lead singer/rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for The Field Effect (http://thefieldeffectmusic.com/). He enjoys pizza and also has a beard.

One of the toughest parts of recording in a home studio can be tracking vocals. Your bedroom most likely wasn’t designed with room acoustics in mind. Maybe you have roommates or younger siblings moving about and making noise. Or if you’re like me you live in the city on a busy street and with all kinds of traffic at all hours of the day.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a blog post in some random corner of the interweb about how to build a portable isolation booth for under $30. At first a kind of scoffed at the idea, thinking it was most likely a scheme to get you to open a credit card and once you spent “X” amount of money you got some kind of a gift card you could use to buy all the supplies you need for such a project. In reality it turned out to be one of the simplest and straightforward ideas I have ever seen.

Here is what you’ll need:

1 Collapsible Storage Cube – (This is a set of two but you should be able to find just one for around $5 to $7 at your local Target or Wal-Mart)

1 Sheet of Acoustic Foam – (You can find a 12 pack here but should be able to pick up a single sheet from you local Guitar Center)

I think perhaps the most difficult part of the project is going to be cutting and fitting the foam into the cube. I suggest beginning with the sheet for the rear of the cube. Take your measurement and cut the foam to fit. Keep in mind this is soft foam so it doesn’t have to be perfect you’ll be able to mash it in there.

Once this is done cut the piece for the top of the cube. Remember to take into account the space that is being taken up by the foam you just put inside.

Repeat this step for both sides.

And there you have your finished portable isolation booth!

I actually didn’t build mine for the portability factor. I ended up measuring my height and actually mounting it to my bedroom wall. By cutting a whole in the bottom I was able easily take mics in and out. For those of you on the road touring or travelling for work this is the perfect solution to help improve the quality of your demos on the road!

-Doug

Check out our Acoustics course if you want to get REALLY deep into sound isolation!

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

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

Jason Peté is a Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. A Berklee College of Music graduate (Music Business and MGMT major and Voice principal, ’07), Jason has a background in vocal performance in genres ranging from Jazz, Pop, Gospel, Classical and Musical Theater. His performance experiences range from background vocals with major artists such as Gloria Estephan, Paul Simon, Livingston Taylor, and The Yellow Jackets to solo gigs in the New England and West Coast areas. He continues to pursue music, performing for audiences across the country.

The Winter month’s are here and with the harsh weather abound, I’m constantly battling a cold. The bigger picture is that I should consider a trip to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist to have my tonsils removed, but for now while that isn’t feasible for me, I’ve developed a series of “work-arounds” to keep my voice ready for performance and daily use.

I usually develop a cold right when the Autumn temperatures turn wintry. As a vocalist, this is a big problem for me. Early mornings seem flooded with mucus and phlegm… sometimes it’s difficult to breathe… how do I sing around this, how can I get rid of it?

A remedy I’ve discovered, without hacking all morning, is to sit in the bathroom with the shower running (steaming hot water, of course) for about 15 minutes; creating a sort of sauna-type atmosphere. Anything blocking the breath passage eventually starts to come up and rather than coughing it out (sorry for the graphic description) you’ll spit it out. Alternatively, you can stand in the shower with hot water running over your head and allow everything to drain from your mouth. It’s not environmentally friendly, wasting so much water (it can take a while) and I know it reads pretty gross, but it works! Why this elaborate process when you can just cough it out? Coughing is really bad for your vocal chords and potentially damaging:

Coughing is a natural reflex which helps to get rid of anything that may block our breath passages, but it’s often rather violent and can cause severe damage to your vocal chords. The harsh rush of air when coughing is like sand paper on your vocal chords… I’m probably exaggerating a bit here, but the bottom line is, it’s terrible for your vocal chords; so bad you’ll feel it over time. Ever notice how it hurts to talk and your voice is a bit scratchy after a coughing fit and or consecutive days of battling a cough?

Instead of coughing, try a warm glass of water. Gargling salt-water in the AM is also helpful (the salt will help to breakdown the yucky things like mucus or phlegm). Cough suppressants also come in handy, especially when attempting to get some shut-eye or in a public/office setting where coughing too frequently, too loudly can be disruptive.

You can also try ice-cream. It’s fatty properties will help coat your throat. Maybe there isn’t a scientific explanation for ice cream as a remedy, but again, it works! Give it a try. Proof is in the pudding… er, ice cream.

Throat clearing is another “remedy” we often resort to when sick with a cold or even in a performance setting before singing. Ever notice singers are always clearing their throats before singing. I think it’s our subconscious way of making sure our voice is good and ready to go before letting out the first note. Reason aside, it should be done minimally, if at all.

Clearing your throughout, similarly to coughing, presents a harsh “attack’ to the leading edges of the vocal cords. Try clearing by humming a low note. If throat clearing is unavoidable, do it gently and moderately so as not to wear out the cords.

Limit extreme temp. liquids in the Winter months, we all have a tendency to reach for really hot coffee, or cocoa (what a better way to warm up, right? NO!). Really hot or really cold beverages are harsh on the vocal folds and in the long-term can cause severe damage. Taking this a bit further, keep this in mind when choosing temperature for foods you eat as well; the same applies! Go for something tepid… keep it warm/room temperature if you want a drink on the toasty side of things.

Rest: rest all the time- the amount of sleep one should get each night varies from person to person, so if you’re not sure how much you may need, I’d suggest taking some time to experiment when you’re schedule is flexible. Your body will tell you.

Another aspect of resting applies to resting your voice… while awake. Early on in my singing career, a voice teacher recommended I rest my voice for a full hour after waking in the morning. As a 13 year old, I’m sure you can imagine how daunting this was. At that age, it didn’t seem feasible. Fast forward a decade plus later, it’s still unrealistic, but important that I attempt to remain silent during the first waking hours of the day to allow my voice to warm-up. Much like a car’s heating system during Winter, the voice needs time to warm-up and adjust. Think about it, we walk around our homes a bit in the morning, from room to room; some of us may take a shower, back to the bedroom to clothe ourselves for the day then out the door. All of these location changes have temperature changes as well, which in the first hour of the day can be harsh on the vocal chords and the general anatomy of our voices. If it isn’t feasible for you to remain quiet, keep conversation to a minimum and for further protection, consider the next thought (especially in frigid temperatures).

Protect your neck: keep it warm! Your neck is what shields your vocal chords from the cold air! Easiest fix, wear a scarf. Already wear one? Make sure it’s nice and snug around your neck, but not too tight… you want to have mobility of course.

There are a host of other useful tips out there, but I’m hoping this information helps. Be on the look-out for vocal health round two. We singer’s have a delicate and sometimes temperamental instrument. It’s important to treat it with care; it is, after-all, the only one we’ve got.

For more information on vocal heath and voice technique as well, look into our Voice Technique 101 course. Here’s a link to the course description and syllabus pages for further reading:

Voice Technique 101

Voice Technique 101 Syllabus

-Jason

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

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

Michael Moyes is a Senior Student Advisor at Berkleemusic.com. He finished his studies at Baylor University, where he studied Piano Performance and Business. Michael has performed Piano as a soloist, in combos, and accompanied by full Orchestra. He holds Master Certificate in Arranging and Orchestration from Berkleemusic. You can hear some of Michael’s music on the Berklee Music Network and on Soundcloud.

I am all over this topic. Not because I know microphones, on the contrary, I’m what the french call, les incompetents. The reason mic’s are on my mind is because I am a MIDI orchestrator, pianist, and banjo instructor (you read that correctly) who is finally diving into the world of live recording. I hope you can learn from my journey…

There are 3 types of microphones I looked at.

1. Dynamic
2. Condenser
3. Ribbon

Dynamic microphones are commonly used for live performances, speeches, and any other run of the mill uses due to their ruggedness and versatility. The SM57 and SM58 models are some of the most popular mics in the world. You can crank up the gain and throw them on the ground (not advised) without worrying about them breaking or distorting. Another benefit is that dynamic mics do not necessarily require a pre-amp or phantom power. They are great for voice and instrument miking but you may be sacrificing some clarity.

Dynamic Mic (MP3)

Condenser microphones are the ones you would often use in studio settings. These mics will capture every minute detail with painstaking accuracy. I borrowed a KSM27 and tried to record some banjo licks last night but every time I stopped playing I could hear my cat eating in the kitchen, my next door neighbor watching The Bachelor, and a phone conversation from a couple zip codes over. It was far too sensitive for my acoustically untreated bedroom in an urban Boston neighborhood. The level of detail that you would get in a good recording environment is excellent with these mics, which is why they are perfect for studio recording. You do need external power though and you want to be careful not to crank them too loud as they are sensitive and the diaphragm can be damaged.

Condenser Mic (MP3)

Ribbon mics probably shouldn’t even be mentioned here since they are out of my price range and too fragile for someone with my patience. They do sound fantastic when used on acoustic pianos though. I was fortunate enough to have an engineer record a piano concerto using some Royer R – 101’s and the result was amazing!

I am going to go with a dynamic mic for starters since my recording studio is a noisy, family inhabited bedroom. I need the sonic forgiveness a dynamic mic offers for now. Down the road, I will invest in a good condenser to record violin, cello, etc. Adding a couple live instruments to a MIDI orchestration can make an enormous difference!

Of course, I am probably going to take the new Mic Techniques course as well. You can have the freshest ingredients in the kitchen but you are going hungry if you don’t know how to cook. (write that down)

-Michael

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

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