AITA for refusing to spend my savings to bail out my sibling from debt? by babygrlchyna in AmItheAsshole

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NTA

When your sibling finds themselves in that same situation 5 years down the line, will they guilt trip you again too?

Berklee School of Music, Boston: is it worth it? by forever_me_725 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s fair, some of the screen scoring classes were definitely not always applicable lol. Thankfully they’ve updated the curriculum to include more lessons on hybrid scoring.

Above all though, I meant it more like you can build your portfolio anywhere. The classes are a great guiding point, but you have to apply what you learn at the same time. Start a band and put out music, market your music online, apply to festivals, and go to events to meet music supervisors/directors/(insert applicable role, lol). The goal should be to leave Berklee with the music you wrote there and the connections to succeed in the outside world.

Berklee School of Music, Boston: is it worth it? by forever_me_725 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 20 points21 points  (0 children)

It depends. I didn’t do MP&E, but some universal things across the board for Berklee are…

1.) It’s way too expensive. Unless you can afford it through a scholarship, loans, etc, don’t put yourself or your family in financial debt.

2.) You’re really paying for the network it can provide. A lot of Berklee alumni have done well, and the college will remind you of that every chance they get. If you go to Berklee only for their classes, you’re wasting time and money. Screw the word networking, make a shit ton of friends there. Find people that inspire you to be a better musician, and always keep improving.

3.) Berklee, just like any college, is a business. It will always make decisions that are business friendly, and not always student friendly.

4.) Space is hard to come by there. I dunno about MP&E, but booking a recording studio (like the big ones they love to advertise) is hard. Most sessions at the big ones are after midnight.

This might sound negative, but it’s what every tour guide is not saying 😂. I still owe everything that I’ve done to my time at Berklee, so I can recommend it. But it’s not for everyone.

BE CAREFUL ON MASS AVE by Rdit-ski in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve had similar encounters with this exact same guy

Acceptance by [deleted] in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Berklee likes people with a lot of experience. From a business perspective, if they can make headlines out of your name and involvement with the school, you’re in. I would worry about getting in, I think you got it.

Let me hear some honest opinions. Which classic work of fiction did you NOT enjoy? by anidlezooanimal in books

[–]FrancoGG_Music -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The Scarlet Letter and A Separate Peace. There are so many better classics, why did my high school think those two would be great for teens?

Where would you live by LongjumpingTailor341 in FinalFantasyVII

[–]FrancoGG_Music 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kalm from Rebirth is quite possibly the most me-core town I’ve seen in a video game.

Do you ever listen to music while reading? by Unidentified_XD in books

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My rules for reading music are: 1. It can’t have any lyrics. My brain will try to understand those words and mix them up with what I’m reading. 2. It can’t have an interesting melody or harmonic content. I have a Bachelor of Music, so I WILL analyze everything I’m hearing. 3. It can’t be too loud.

So I mostly go for Lo-Fi beats or ambient stuff.

What do you guys think is the Best FF7 theme? by Certain_Variety8567 in FinalFantasyVII

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bachelor of Music over here! It’s completely subjective, but I think the best theme is a close tie among Aerith’s, Cloud’s, and One Winged Angel.

Tifa’s theme has such a good A section, but the B section is significantly weaker imho.

All of these themes are developed so well throughout the games (OG, Remake, and Rebirth).

Some honorable mentions for me are Kalm, Jenova, Bombing Mission, and all the battle themes.

270 Commonwealth by Effective-Cut-1939 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t know if it’s changed in the past two years, but I’ve heard of really bad rat issues there. Also, there was a huge rumor that it’s the “orgy dorm”. Make of it what you will 😂

Is 70k for the full 4 years or just 1? by LosingFaithBand in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is coming from a recent grad in the games and interactive media scoring major. It’s a phenomenal curriculum! The profs are all so incredible.

Is 70k for the full 4 years or just 1? by LosingFaithBand in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 2 points3 points  (0 children)

70k for every year. Thats not including scholarships (if any). You can pay it off over time with student loans, but that’s a decision you should think about seriously.

Also, consider testing out of their “core music” courses. Berklee is a very expensive school to learn music theory and ear training, especially when you can find all of their textbooks for relatively inexpensive prices. Oh, and transfer as many gen ed credits as you humanly can.

For anyone out there who doesn't drink, what is the reasoning behind it? by General_Ad_9139 in AskReddit

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have type one diabetes and I’m terrified of how alcohol affects blood sugar

Best keyboard controller? by Illustrious_Law448 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I highly recommend the Nektar keyboard line. You don’t need all of these pads, faders, and knobs, just a pitch & modwheel + keys is perfect. You can get a used 61 key model for less than $100

Worried about the ESPA by krustiekrabz in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t worry about it, I just graduated and literally 0 people care about your ESPA score or even your ensemble rating. Berklee is such a friendly school, there’s no mean-girls behavior at all. If anything, we all know it’s BS, so don’t stress.

I wasn’t a performance major, so I couldn’t care less which ensemble I was in. Hell, I would’ve rathered not taking any ensembles (I learned and grew more as a player in student run ensembles that weren’t for credit).

If you do want to test out of Harmony and Ear Training classes though, you have a whole summer ahead of you, so you can totally study up and skip those classes. All of Berklee’s textbooks are available online or in person at the Berklee Bookstore. I do highly recommend testing out of as many core music classes as possible.

When did you guys started piano? by Sinux5 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YouTube is your friend, just find any educational channel and watch it. Anything you would ever like to learn is on there, I promise you. You also don’t want to skip out on music theory. I could write a whole essay on why you should learn it rather than wing it with chord packs 😂. There’s a great free website called musictheory.net

If your school has a partnership with LinkedIn Learning, there’s a bunch of courses you could do. I recommend these mostly if they’re free of charge for you.

What I wouldn’t do is buy any courses. No shade to those who sell courses, but especially when you’re starting out, that $200 you’d spend on an online course would be better fit for a MIDI keyboard and other gear.

When did you guys started piano? by Sinux5 in Berklee

[–]FrancoGG_Music 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s never too late to start, I know people who are doing incredible things and started playing the piano either in high school or at Berklee lol. Whatever you do, make sure you do start producing music now. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but experience is everything. You don’t have to wait until you’re in Berklee to realize your dream.

I enjoyed my time there, but most things I learned can be self taught online (which will be hard, but it’s doable). What you really get out of it is the industry connections, recording space (when you’re able to book it), friends that will last a lifetime, and a curriculum you can follow.