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.

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For the purposes of this blog, lets imagine that I am taking the role of the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin and you are my ambitious patient, Bob Wiley.

If you don’t know these characters, do yourself a favor by finding a VCR (the preferred way to watch a classic of this magnitude) and pop in “What About Bob?”.  Now Bob Wiley has just about every possible phobia known to man. Despite Bob’s difficulties, he makes an astounding transformation from a man who fears anything and everything to a capable, and valued member of society.

It is surprisingly common for students to call me and tell me they are going to quit their jobs, study Music Business full time and then become an A&R, a highly competitive job that requires extensive experience in the music industry. In short, quitting your job for a risk this big is not a good idea. I am in no way saying that people with such lofty goals are in the same category as Bob Wiley, but I often find myself giving advice that I learned from his psychiatrist, the great Dr. Leo Marvin. Baby Steps….

Student: “I have 3 kids and a mortgage and I work in the legal field. I don’t like my job so I am going to quit and start a record label.”

Michael: Baby Steps…

 

Student: “I write songs using a computer program. I am thinking about dropping out of college to move to LA and give Film Scoring a shot”

Michael: Baby Steps…

 

The “Baby Steps” idea definitely comes into play when you are interested in getting into the music industry (in any capacity). The talents who are discovered performing on YouTube and rocket straight to the Ellen Show are few and far between. It is ok to take your time and develop a foundation that you can build your future career on.

Step one: Come up with Measurable and Attainable Goals

It is fine to have a stretch goal like “I want to make music my primary means of survival”. The chances of this becoming a reality increases greatly if you have the foresight to break it down and get specific. For example, in 2011 I was studying Orchestration and I gave myself the goal of writing 10 new songs in one calendar year. The purpose was twofold: Get familiar with the regular writing demands required to do this professionally and to further develop my craft and portfolio. The exercise was challenging and contributed greatly to my goal AND I didn’t have to bet the farm to meet it.

Another exercise works for performers and teachers. Set a goal like the following “I want to make $500 this year from gigging/teaching banjo lessons/doing studio work/anything else related to music.” This will teach you how to manage your opportunities and how to follow-up! If you have convinced someone to study music with you and they have taken $100 worth of lessons and suddenly dropped off of the face of the earth, you need to make sure you nurture the relationship so that they come back and of course, tell their friends. Baby Steps…

Step two: Be Persistent

So, you have been baby stepping along and things are going great! Lets say you have a ton of music produced and you want to get some of that sweet, sweet royalty money. You have heard that Music Libraries and Sound Catalogs are a good way to get your foot in the door so you send some demos out and wait…and wait…and continue to wait.

You will keep on waiting unless you are persistent and leave no stone unturned. Call, email, and even show up at every music library you can find and be prepared to tell them why they should listen to your tracks. Have everything labeled and neatly organized to make it as easy as possible for them to hear your work. Just because you get one person to listen to your stuff does not give you an excuse to stop calling more libraries.

Step three: Never leave an opportunity on the table

I have tried my hand at transforming nonsensical synth midi recordings into orchestral scores so that an ambitious hobbyist could hear his creations performed by a studio orchestra. One time I had a gig transcribing extremely complicated Liberace piano solo’s from old video clips for a client who was dead set on reviving the old tunes. I even had the opportunity to score music for a group involved in supervised (yet illegal) intravenous drug use (that was a wild one). Sure, I made money in some of these cases. Others were utter financial failures. What gained in every instance was experience, and just as importantly, a reputation. Now if a transcription/film scoring/weird orchestration gig comes up I have demo’s to show them AND I have references. Be creative and realize that getting out of your comfort zone can lead to a breakthrough!

Working with music is extremely rewarding. Even if it takes you longer than you want to reach your financial goals, enjoy the ride. We are performers, producers, orchestrators, songwriters, artist managers, and more. It is amazing that people are willing to pay us to do something so fun! Take baby steps and you can make a transformation…just like Bob.

-Michael

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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 (www.thefieldeffectmusic.com/). He enjoys pizza and also has a beard.

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In my last post I tackled some things to help you with your presence on Twitter. This post is all about the things that can hurt you when amassing a following. These things are easy to avoid and just as easy to do.

Auto Tweets

This is something I actually fell victim to. A lot of your social media is going to be tied together. Be careful not to blast your followers with multiple copies of the same tweet in short succession. For instance, my band’s WordPress Blog was set-up to push any new posts to Twitter and Tumblr. Problem was that our Tumblr was also set-up to push to Twitter! In a matter of seconds our followers were hit with redundant tweets. I quickly put a stop to this, I know personally I have unfollowed people for such things.

Ask for Followers/Likes

This is something that I see all the time. It’s one thing to promote your Facebook page or website on Twitter. Those two sources are where people can get more information about upcoming dates, news and listen to your music. Asking for likes on social media is not the way to build a dedicated fan base. “Liking” something for “Following” someone is a passive act. Seeing a high number of “Likes” or “Followers” is definitely an ego boost and feels good…but are these fans buying your record and coming to your shows, or just clicking “Follow” and forgetting about it? If you’re nearing a personal milestone such as 500 followers or 1,000 likes, it can’t hurt to point that out and maybe garner a bit more attention. Look at it as a relationship though; you don’t want to seem needy.

One too Many Retweets…

Share what YOU have to say. It’s great to retweet interesting stuff and share things your fans are saying but people are following YOU! I have unfollowed on a number of occasions because all they did was retweet things over and over. You might think, you don’t have anything interesting to say and that is where you are wrong. Conor Oberst of @brighteyesband could tweet “I prefer Skippy brand peanut butter” and 90% of his fan base will think “WHOA! Conor Oberst likes the same peanut butter I do!!!” You can keep it light, just remember to keep it you.

Don’t Think You’re Better Than Your Followers

Too often I see major stars openly dissing their fans. Most recently, Rihanna went after a fan on twitter. Not cool Rihanna, not cool. You have to remember that not everything you do will jive with your fans but never under any circumstances should you attack them. People might talk trash, but let it go. No need to go after them. You could very easily loose more fans by doing so, let them talk, no one will notice.

So these have been my thoughts on the Twitter game. This is the approach I am taking and it seems to be going well! Let me know what you all think! What are you doing to keep fans engaged on Twitter?

Doug

www.thefieldeffectmusic.com
@thefieldeffect

Check out our Online Music Marketing course if you are interested in leveraging all of your digital marketing efforts.

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Berkleemusic’s next term begins on June 25th, 2012.

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

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

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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 (www.thefieldeffectmusic.com/). He enjoys pizza and also has a beard.

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Every musician should be on Twitter. It’s a quick, simple and direct way to engage and grow your fan base when you are away from the stage. Just like everything else, there is a right and a wrong way to using Twitter, and you want to be sure that you are using it for good and not EVIL! Below I’ve outlined a few tools, tips and tricks that can help you manage your Twitter presence and max out it’s potential.

Content, Content. Content!

Not a day should go by with out a tweet from you or your band. But Doug, I have nothing cool to say or talk about! That’s where you are wrong. Your fans want a little glimpse into your day to day. What are you doing when you’re not rocking faces? Something as simple as “Listening to the new @yellowbirddd_ track and it rules!” puts you on their level and might help them discover artists you enjoy. Bottom line is don’t over think it. Share what you’re doing, listening to even eating. Tweet a picture of your view from your seat in the back of the van while you’re touring. People connect to your music. Let them connect to you as well.

Interaction = Awesome Sauce

No doubt you follow some of your favorite musicians on Twitter. How often do you see fans soliciting re-tweets and replies from the superstars? It would just make by birthday if I got a RT from @KarminMusic!!! Obviously the more popular you become and the more followers you amass it will become difficult to respond to every tweet, but setting aside just 10 or 15 minutes a day to tweet at some fans can make their week, month or even year! Let them know they are appreciated, welcome new followers, it takes all of 30 seconds to write 140 characters or less. If they tweet back at you then you’re showing up in their feed and all of their followers see it as well. Don’t forget your fellow musicians in all of this. You’re playing the game together, always nice to have some allies!

Navigating the Vast Realm of the Twitterverse

So your music rules and people are paying attention. You’ve been interacting with your fans and pumping out the tweets but now there are so many you can’t keep up! There are a few tools out there that can really help you manage all this awesome madness.

TweetDeck – Personally I use TweetDeck. It’s the official aggregator of Twitter and is super easy to set-up and use. You can use it through the web, install it as a Chrome App if you use Google Chrome as your Browser or install it on your Mac through the Mac App Store. It displays your Twitter Feed, Mentions, Direct Messages and custom searches all on one screen. It can also sync up multiple accounts so if you and your band members all have personal twitters you can manage those as well!

HootSuite – HootSuite tends to take things to the next level. With a paid subscription you can get detailed analytics on your Twitter traffic and even further customization in terms of display and search options. A label rep, manager outside marketing team, and not the band itself will most likely utilize the paid options. You do need to save sometime to write songs and practice after all.

Twitter Mobile App – Chances are at least one if not all of your band members have a smartphone. Great way to hit your followers on the go, the van can be a boring place on those long drives between gigs…unless you have a small TV and a VCR, but seriously you can only watch Twister so many times! Tweet a picture of the audience from stage, let them feel the thrill of staring out into a packed house!

So for a quick recap – stay active, interact with your fans, there’s an app for that. Share your thoughts below and be on the lookout for a follow-up blog about some things NOT to do on Twitter!

Doug

www.thefieldeffectmusic.com
@thefieldeffect

Check out our Online Music Marketing course if you are interested in leveraging all of your digital marketing efforts.

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Berkleemusic’s next term begins on June 25th, 2012.

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

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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

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