by Matt Baamonde.

Matt Baamonde

To my relief and joy, I was notified during the last week of school that I was the winner of a Berklee Achievement Scholarship for the next school year. Combined with my Peter Kaleta Scholarship Award, a significant amount of my tuition has been knocked off, making the pressure of student loans a bit less intense.

I needed the time off and have spent the summer focusing on making money for the upcoming year. The problem with this has been that the ‘music-instruction’ industry is not in a good state right now. I often made good money as a guitar teacher during the summer, subbing for teachers on vacation or when they were out sick. Some of the music stores where I normally teach have gone out of business and others have had to let teachers go, due to the current state of the economy. Since music is ultimately a luxury, many people are, unfortunately, cutting it from their expenses - leaving me in the classic ‘struggling musician’ boat.

Doing what I can, I have started writing articles on music theory (a specialty of mine) online, and privately teaching students found through Craig’s List ads, etc. I’ve definitely had to hustle, driving to students’ homes, selling stuff on eBay, etc. On top of that, I’ve searched the area for singers and I’m planning to perform a few times before the end of the summer. I count on the money I earn during the summer for expense money at Berklee. Since this summer has been less profitable than the previous two, I am very glad to have the scholarship money this year.

Being home has been a great relief for me. But, I know many of my friends are continuing to work at Berklee for the summer semester, rather than take the time off. The summer is an abbreviated semester (from 12 weeks to 16 weeks), there are fewer teachers, and you often won’t get the same amount of information (or it might be crammed), but there are several advantages to taking summer classes.

If there are certain classes you want out of the way, hard classes you prefer to focus on individually, or if you want to shorten your time to graduation, staying at Berklee through the summer can be the ticket. It goes by very fast, from what I’ve been told. In addition, Boston is beautiful during the summer, without the biting cold of the winter and there seems to be much more to do. Often, though, most people don’t want to handle more than two consecutive semesters, considering the workload, the desire for a vacation, and the need to see their families.

Looking forward, I’m relieved to be done with all of my core classes- no more Guitar Proficiencies, Ear Training, Harmony, Arranging or Traditional Harmony/Counterpoint. I’ve spent the summer really focusing on guitar playing and getting my chops together for my Jazz/Blues lab.

My roommate and I are going back to the same room for three years in a row and we’re excited to be getting back to the work and to see our friends. We’ve become friends, and because Berklee looks to pair-up people who live near each other (when they can), we’ve seen each other several times this summer and drive home and back to school together each year, splitting expenses on a cargo van. The next year is going to be wild and I’m really looking forward to see where Berklee is going to take me. In store is a lot of hard work, but I know the payoff will be worth every minute of it.

To recap from my September 07 article, I’ll be in room 344 with my roommate Chris in the 150 Massachusetts Avenue building. New student check-in is September 2nd and that date is rapidly approaching, so I thought I’d compile a list of things any new student, or even returning ones, should not be without.

Important Items (in no particular order):

Your instrument and accessories- Prepare for the worst!

Guitar/Bass players - It’s recommended that you bring two 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 as 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, (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.

**Sidebar: I’d advise any guitar player, or even any musician, to read my recent interview with the extraordinary guitarist, Steve Lukather . Best known for his band, Toto, he gives a real insight into the industry from the perspective of a successful band member and as a studio musician who was on virtually every record released out of LA for 20+ years. Many of his insights into the modern music business are eye-opening.

Can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!

-Matt
(Baazar)