Berklee School of Music – Application Essay

by Santeyio on January 2, 2012

If you have not had access to formal music training,
- describe what challenges you faced in developing your musicianship,
- how you overcame those challenges, and
- how that experience might contribute to your success as a student at Berklee.

I’ve heard un-trained musicians talk about how magical and wonderful playing music is, but when it comes down to it they don’t put in the routine practice that is so necessary for good music. Scales, exercises, sight-reading, theory: learning these things is the greatest challenge I’ve faced coming from a background without formal training. I haven’t had a teacher to make me work, so I’ve taught myself to commit to a regular routine. When I taught myself to play piano and read music freshman year in highschool, I sat for hours at a time figuring out The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. I would listen to it over and over again, study a book about reading music, and stumble along to the sheet music. It was not something that came easily, but I put in the hours until I could play. The same year I moved to several Mozart pieces and my crowning classical achievement: memorizing Beethoven’s 1st movement of Pathetique and performing it at a talent show. I’ve had to search out my own exercises and create my own practice schedule. Pushing through this major challenge I have developed the ability to self-motivate and an understanding of the value of regular practice.

Being homeschooled, I never had the opportunity to play in school bands or ensembles, so I had to make music by myself. Desiring to play with other musicians, I joined a fife and drum corps. I became lead fifer and gained a lot of experience performing in front of large crowds. My musical horizons began to expand and I began composing songs for a four or five man band. But in not having access to people who could play my compositions, I took to recording them in garageband. I taught myself to play the various instruments I needed and used my dad’s macbook to turn myself into a one-man-band.

Money. A roadblock that nearly all musicians face, myself no exception. Instruments are expensive. Software is expensive. Recording gear is expensive. Private training is expensive. And most musicians aren’t rock stars raking in cash. During my senior year, I scraped together enough money to upgrade from garageband to Pro-Tools and from an SM58 to a Rhode NTK condensor. That summer I was working full time, but took one week off to record and mix my first album. I hardly slept, didn’t shower, and ended up ten pounds lighter because I was so engrossed in the project. I learned that summer to make do with what I have. You don’t need thousands upon thousands of dollars to write some good songs and produce an album that will touch a few lives.

My experience in playing classical piano pieces, being lead fifer in a fife and drum corps, playing rock and blues guitar, and singing pop covers has given my compositions a wide variety of influences. I feel like Berklee would be the perfect place for me to expand my range of influences and devote myself entirely to practice and study. I offer Berklee a disciplined student devoted to music and a mind that desires to contribute something to the great historical dialogue we call music.

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Know Thyself

by Santeyio on October 8, 2011

Don’t be afraid of not knowing something. As I grow older, I have come to realize something. That is this; I don’t know everything. Neither have I thought about everything. Logical conclusion: I don’t necessarily have an answer to certain questions. I’ve learned another thing: Honesty is always best. Being open and transparent about who and what you are, your faults and failures as well as your talents and skills. Don’t hide anything, and don’t say anything you’re not comfortable with other people hearing. It’s just good policy.

In order to be honest, you have to know yourself. In order to know yourself, you have to spend time alone in silence. I heard someone say recently that being a monk/hermit is running away from society and is the ‘easy way’. I submit to you, as someone who most likely has been completely isolated from all human contact for longer than you have ever been, that it is not an easy thing to live with yourself. If you ever try being alone for any prolonged period of time (at least two days), you will realize that it is a very hard thing to face yourself.

I realized today, while staring into a fire I made outside in the firepit, that I am my greatest enemy. Being completely honest with myself about myself is a hard thing to do. To sit down and think about all that I am, all the things I have done, where I am now, my deficiencies and shortcomings, my lingering sins and black spots. I don’t know myself very truly or well yet. I’m getting there.

But know this: everything starts with you. If you can be honest with yourself about yourself, you have taken the first step towards wisdom. The harder part is accepting who you are. If you can accept who you are (not a distorted picture of who you are but who you truly are), you can accept anyone. If you know yourself truly and are able to accept who and what you are truly, you will be able to accept all men. The two go hand in hand: you will know when you know yourself when you can love and accept all men, and when you love and accept all men you will know that you know yourself. (And don’t make the foolish assertion that love can be unaffectionate).

Know yourself. Never be afraid or ashamed to say ‘Well. I never thought about that before.’ Never be afraid to ask ‘What does that word mean?’ Never be ashamed of what you don’t know. Know that you are beautiful in your own right in your being, for you are made in the image of God. Know that you’re also probably to some degree messed up. Know yourself, and you can begin to know God. For when you know yourself truly, you come to see the beauty in this mess we call reality. And when you are in tune with reality, you will come slowly to know God. Therefore, know thyself.

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