Do you want to attend a college for singing? Only one thing is for sure, it’s going to be amazing and you’re going to come out of it as a different person and musician.
It’s not hard to get into a college for singing given that you prepare for it with due diligence. This means understanding and studying subjects like music theory and ear training while getting better at singing. Starting a practice routine a few months prior to your interview will be best.
I understand that you may not completely understand this especially if this is the first time you’re making a big decision for yourself, let’s understand this a little bit better.
Not Hard If You’re Well Prepared
The thing with entering a music college is simple. You ought to be prepared for what’s coming. Your interview and your academics. If you’re sure you want to attend, I hope you learn a lot and are able to make the most of it.
A Word on Competition
Don’t think about it.
Competition is the only thing you cannot control. If you want to go to music college for singing then don’t back off. Because how much you practice and well you learn your craft are the only things that you can control.
Don’t think about competition because even if it does exist, would you do anything differently? If yes, maybe you need to think twice about this or maybe more than twice.
If not, that’s the kind of person I would love to work with.
A Word on Academics
I wasn’t a superstar when it came to grades in my school. But I did pass them and scored average marks. I wasn’t impressing anybody.
You might wonder if that will affect your ability to get into a music college. My honest advice is going to be, don’t get an ‘F’ in anything, and try to do your best even if you’re not the brightest person in the class.
It’s okay and in the long term, what you do in high school matters so little that even you’d forget about your grades in a few years’ time.
A music college shouldn’t determine your admission based on your high school grades, to begin with, but don’t give them a reason to make a fuss about it, regardless of how good you may be.
Your Interview
This is where the big guns are, you need to put your best foot forward, it doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 24 you need to give your best shot.
A good music college interview will be hard and very thorough. Your invigilator’s job is to see your limits, you don’t have to be perfect but you must act like you are and must certainly perform like that as well.
So be prepared, talk to people who have attended that school, and understand what are the pros and cons of attending a specific school.
A good level of skill will show how serious you’ve been about your practice. So practice like hell and show them what you’ve been up to, believe me, they know how hard practicing is.
My Story
It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford bass guitar classes but I couldn’t find anyone good enough around me to teach me. They either had only one or the other thing down.
Either they were good at being in a band or taught a generic bass line and both explained theory very poorly. I was determined to get into Berklee.
So I did.
I did it without a teacher and developed a bad left-hand positioning habit which is now gone and I am all good. But I pulled it off. I got into Berklee. Not only that, but I also scored the ‘Writing and Composition Scholarship’.
Pretty neat for a dude with no teacher.
Was it hard?
Yes, but I had no help. If I were to apply to a music college now, I’d probably do a lot better. A lot.
But keep these things in mind and prepare well ahead in advance and not just 2 months before, please. That will the worst decision to make because chances are if you are not up a certain mark, you will not get in.
Follow this for yourself and you will find yourself receiving the admission letter.
Which is going to break your confidence, in all honesty, I would’ve quit music or done something stupid if I hadn’t gotten in. I am not asking you have a ‘Plan B’.
I’m saying, prepare and practice like hell for Plan A.
What To Do Before Joining College
However, before you enter a music college regardless of which one it is, you must understand that there are a few things that are not just common among all but some things that will help you get an edge over your peers in music colleges.
Music Theory
The more you know the better.
At Berklee College of Music, you will be given an assessment test based on which you will start your music theory classes. So, when you first go there is definitely going to be music theory regardless of which college you choose for yourself.
The more you understand it and are able to use it in your composition the more of an easy time you’ll have even if they don’t take assessments for it.
It’ll be more of a revision for you.
Ear Training
Boy, I wish I had prepared myself more for that.
It will just come in handy everywhere. Doesn’t matter which class. Having a strong ear will prove to be your bread and butter in every scenario. So go ahead and practice the hell out of this skill.
Combined with music theory this is a winning formula.
I recommend these two things because you can rely on these skills after you’re done with college as well. They’re here to stay with you.
Other Things To Do Before College
I would say there are still a few skills that you should keep in mind other than singing, music theory, and ear training.
There is music production.
Which I deem the most important after learning music theory and ear training. It is something that you can rely on even after college and while music theory and ear training may not save you money, learning how to produce music on your own and having the right knowledge to record yourself properly is going to go a long way. A very long way.
A friend of mine recently called me and told me the charges a local studio is costing him for five hours. Shocked by the rates he asked if it was correct. I honestly told him, yes.
He asked what he should do, and I again told him honestly, “You should’ve picked up music production three years ago”.
And it’s true, he didn’t listen to my advice and in a music college learning how to produce music is going to come in very handy and even in your basic music production classes.
How You Can Be a Better Singer Before College
Online courses.
Read here about all the benefits an online course can give you.
Not only that, I am about to share with you the same online course I have, ‘The Four Pillars of Singing’. This is going to help you on a level you can’t even fathom.
But try to have at least one course in your library. Here is the list of all the courses I could back up.
Whatever you end up deciding, never forget to practice and practice like hell until you get where you want to be!