by Matt Baamonde.

Matt Baamonde

I dreamt I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. after my whole family had gone to sleep, playing the jazz standard "Fly Me to the Moon", shredded myself silly playing Yngwie Malmsteen’s "Bedroom Eyes", jammed along for fun with a 12-bar blues backing track in Eb, and then finished recording a song for my new band until I fell asleep over my guitar on my keyboard.

Then I woke up and realized it wasn’t a dream! And I was twenty minutes late for band practice and then had to go to work where I teach guitar!

After last semester I thought my summer would ease things down a bit allowing me to relax a bit and enjoy my time off.

It’s funny how life turns things around on you. I ended up discovering that my summer was prime time to get myself ready for next semester. I’ve officially knocked out my proficiency requirements and I am now focusing on getting to the point where I can audition for a scholarship, as well as improve my ratings.

Taking lessons with Michael Fath has been a huge success for me! Taking what I’ve learned at from Berklee and adding his input has increased my guitar playing abilities exponentially!

Michael’s weekly homework is a necessary evil and forces me to practice the technical aspects of my playing as well as developing feels for styles I wasn’t comfortable with like jazz , blues and even country. His guidance on the music industry has been very important in my goal planning and getting ready for Berklee.

Needless to say I’m getting a little guitar crazy lately. And I love every minute of it!

I’m finally solidifying a future for myself doing what I love!

The recording studio internship hasn’t worked out the way I’d hoped it would, so I’m planning on looking to other sources for that developmental career experience.

At times there are things that don’t meet my expectations and it’s important that I don’t get discouraged, but instead consider it a challenge that I can overcome in other ways. After looking at the calendar I’ve been thoroughly shocked to see that the new semester is right around the corner! Time really flies fast when you’re busy. And that’s one thing I definitely have been this summer!

What really excites me about the new semester is how many fresh faces I’ll be seeing and how many of them will be people who have read my column. If you’re one of those people and you’ll be coming to Berklee this fall, please come and see me and introduce yourself!

I’ll be in room 344 with my roommate Chris in the 150 Massachusetts Avenue Building. New student check in is September 5th and that date is steadily approaching so I thought I’d compile a list of things any new students, or even returning ones, should not be without.

Important Items (In no particular order):

1) Your instrument and accessories- Prepare for the worst!

Guitar/Bass players - It’s recommended that you bring 2 guitars if you have them. I keep my guitars in separate tunings, and they serve different functions. You do not want to be the one guy whose guitar gets hit by a crazy Boston taxi driver the day of finals. Bring extra packs of strings, picks, and cleaning equipment. A guitar stand would be a good idea as well a small instrument tool kit. Also bring at least a practice amp, though you will not be allowed to practice amplified in your room. If you’re creative you won’t let that stop you! : )

You will always be allowed to practice in the practice rooms at the end of the halls. Don’t forget lots of backup guitar cables! Some teachers will not count you present in class if you do not have your guitar cable!

Drummers- If you can, bring your kit! Drummers tend to get the short end of the stick, (no pun intended) practice-wise and you will be lucky to get a practice room with a preassembled kit once a week. Obviously, you will not be allowed to play in your room, but you can assemble your kit in a practice room and practice there.

Horn/Woodwinds- Bring the essential equipment though I can’t comment on what that entails. The same rules apply for practicing as mentioned for your guitarist and drummer friends, so prepare accordingly.

Vocalists- You shouldn’t have a problem practicing unless you need to practice amplified. If that’s the case then you would probably want to get a specific room with a P.A. system. But you may want to bring a microphone, microphone stand, and XLR cable.

Other Stringed instruments- Bring your essentials and the same rules will apply as discussed above.

For everyone- If you ever have an emergency you can go to Daddy’s Junky Music or the local Guitar Center in very close proximity to Berklee.

2) A Stress Ball
3) Toiletries
4) Bedding Supplies
5) Aspirin
6) A Week’s Worth of Clothing – while there are washing machines on each floor of the dorms, they seem to be always in use and in constant repair.
7) An Alarm Clock
8) A Cell Phone- Memorize your number because you’re going to be giving it out a lot to all your new friends during the first week of school. Also be warned, the dorm telephone system is a little confusing. There about 6,000 steps to check your messages and making a call sometimes feels like going through security at an airport. There is another funny situation where you may be receiving a call and one of your roommate’s phones may ring instead of yours.
9) A Reliable Printer
10) A Stress Ball for your roommate
11) $500 for Berklee supplies and Books, and $1,000 for Spending Money – A great system I use is to have your parents put the $500 on your Berklee Card http://www.berkleecard.com/, and then the $1,000 on some kind of bank or debit card.
12) Mini Fridge - Berklee offers good discounts on renting a fridge and there are many times when you will want one!
13) Microwave
14) Iron and Ironing Board
15) Blow Dryer
16) Drano - Yes, the sinks/toilets/showers get backed up. (Boy, do Chris and I have stories.)
17) Insurance/Healthcare Information
18) A Backpack
19) A General Toolkit
20) A Sense of Humor
21) A Shower Mat
22) Power Strips
23) No Doz – or energy drinks

Optional Things:

1) Posters for your room – Stay inspired!
2) Computer-related equipment – external/flash hard drives, blank cds, usb hubs, Ethernet cables, and speakers!!!!
3) Books
4) TV Set - Good luck finding a time when the TV in the lounge is not being used! If you want to catch your favorite shows you’ll probably want your own set.
5) A Video Game System
6) A First Aid Kit
7) A Digital Camera
8) A Chin up Bar
9) Small Weight-Lifting Equipment
10) Sunglasses
11) An Ipod/MP-3 player

You’re probably going to end up having too much stuff in the end. Anything you forget will more than happily be sold to you at the variety of stores that surround Berklee. Find a way to have your roommate buy half the expensive stuff (You bring the TV, he brings the Frig, etc.)

Summer Teacher Review

Stephen Webber – Intro to MP&E – Stephen is a very knowledgeable and experienced recording engineer as well as producer and guitarist with a long history of commercial successes. His class is one of the few lecture classes at Berklee but is highly recommended for anyone considering the MP&E and major. He’s a very relaxed fun teacher and is actively involved and up-to-date with the music industry and offers valuable advice to everyone pursuing a career in music.

Jeff Williams – Music and Computer Tech – Jeff is probably one of the funniest and coolest teachers you’ll ever have at Berklee. He makes what ends up being a very boring subject a lot of fun and still ensures that you learn every bit of important detail regarding the subject matter. He’ll help you get prepared for tests! He really connects with students on a personal level and really enjoys the many projects you’ll have to prepare for him.

Marty Walsh – Ensemble – A skilled guitarist and superb band leader, Marty is great help in getting your performance chops together. He does, however, move at a very fast pace and I recommend getting your chord knowledge and sight-reading up to a standard level before taking any classes with him. If you can make your way around a chart, he’s highly recommended!

I can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!!

Facebook me!!

All the best,

Matthew Baamonde
“Baazar”