by Matt Baamonde.

It’s a strange feeling to realize that almost three years ago, I was just entering Berklee as an inspired, yet intimidated, guitar player with no comprehension as to where my life as a whole was heading. Today, I’m just trying to take in every last bit of knowledge so I can get myself established in a career that will sustain me beyond Berklee. Very soon I will officially announce the launch of my very own music production company, called “Baazar Music Productions.”

The past semester has truly shown me my musical strengths and my love for songwriting and composition that three years ago was lost in the confusion of all the possibilities. There is a lot of pressure at Berklee and in the music industry in general, to be a certain person, a specific archetype, like the “rockstar” or the “producer” or the “manager” or the “mix engineer,” but the truth is- these lines are not so clear-cut anymore.

It seems today you often have to be your own producer, songwriter, engineer, manager, and even marketer/publicist. Rarely do you just get to be the guy who just plays guitar or sings in a band. Today’s music industry is all about exposure and it doesn’t matter how good your chops are if no one has ever heard of you.

It took me a long time to really figure that out and now I’m trying to correct myself during my final semester and get my business up and moving. Berklee has given me the skills and the confidence to know my work is professional and on the cutting edge. Now I have to find the work.

The company is really an “all-of-the-above” music source, offering clients everything from original music including: film scoring, commercial writing, theme songs, hold-music, jingles and radio tunes, to other music related tasks like: arranging, music notation, transcription, and music and gear consulting. This is a cutthroat business and very competitive, so part of the plan is for me to stay in Boston and use Berklee to my full advantage. Using my social network, that has been ever expanding, any clients with a budget ample enough will get the full range of Berklee musicians available on their recordings.

Most of my competition is relying on MIDI samples and computer-generated music, while I aim to get as many human elements into my music as possible. With all the singers and players around here, this edge could be a winning formula. I also want to stay local and try to gig with friends and see if a band project becomes viable. Clearly, as the business develops, I will need to find ways to support myself, pay student loans back, etc. A real job may be on the horizon, or maybe teaching, etc. Have to pay the bills…

There are also a lot of concerns about the economy. Music is a luxury to many, and like a lot of businesses offering non-essential items, times are very tough. I am hoping that with the new year, the new presidency, etc., there will be an upswing in the market.

I talked to one friend graduating this year who plans to head home after graduation and go back to Retail Sales. He has decided that he does not have the stomach for the grind that he feels a music career would require. While I get it, I guess I really don't, not four years into the school. This is something that completely blows my mind. Still, many of my friends are in a quandry as to what they will do upon graduation.

But, while I work towards getting that up and running I still have to maintain a full 16 credit schedule at school- most of it Contemporary Writing and Production (CWP) classes. I’m taking: Vocal Writing, Jingle Writing, Scoring for Strings, Writing for Large Ensemble 2 (Orchestral Writing,) Advanced Production for the Studio, and Directed Study in Contemporary Writing.

Directed Study is a one-on-one tutorial meant to prepare me for the post-graduation workplace. It's like a semester of career counseling with one of my CWP professors. I plan to make the most of this course. Many of my instructors have figured out how to make music into a very lucrative career.

On top of that I have Conducting 2, Keyboarding 2, and History of Western Music 2. It’s gonna be rough, but I still have Tuesday’s off and only one short class on Friday, so things will have a balance, allowing enough time for me to still hit the gym and try to maintain a social life.

I should stress again that the amount of time to be successful at all these things does take a heavy strain on your free time. I’ve had several angry girlfriends due to my intense focus and determination, and on Friday night at midnight when most people are partying and relaxing, well…. I guess it's not such a bad thing to try to party and relax too. But, don’t be surprised if you catch me back at my guitar, keyboard, or computer trying to work on the next project or gig.

This semester is gonna be huge! So much to do and a lot of it with ramifications beyond Berklee... Not a minute to waste.

All the best,

Matt Baamonde