The Story So Far...

Hello all,

For the past three years I have been trying to get enough scholarship to attend Berklee.  I have invested a lot of time and energy into my dream of studying music at this prestigious school and it has been a central goal in my life.  That is not to say that I am blindly scrabbling at the doors of this institution in the hopes that it will magically turn me into a successful composer.  The energy I am investing towards making Berklee financially possible is also contributing to my musicianship and building my career. 

The reason I am set on Berklee is because it is a truly unique and incredible institution.  It is one of the only colleges that is focused on contemporary music.  It has incredible and unique classes, incredibly knowledgeable faculty, a student body full of talented and passionate musicians, and a vast amount of connections, resources and opportunities for students.  I could rattle off a thousand reasons why I want to go to Berklee yet perhaps the best (and most unhelpful) answer to why I want to go to Berklee is that it feels right.  I have been living in Boston and spending lots of time at Berklee and I have found it to be a nourishing environment where I can learn and grow as a musician. 

Fall 2014 Notes

After not receiving enough scholarship to start Berklee this past fall I learned that I really needed to step up my game to make Berklee happen.  This was already my second attempt and I realized that getting to Berklee required more than just doing better on my audition. I spent this fall in Boston becoming familiar with the city, taking online courses, attending free musical events at nearby colleges and preparing for my audition.  I also toured the west coast with a band and have been studying to test out of Berklee courses.  My audition felt like it went really well however I won't hear from Berklee until March.

Spring 2015 Notes

This semester looks similar to last semester.  I am taking online classes full time from Southern Maine Community College.  I am increasing my focus on studying to test out of Berklee courses.  I am investing energy into creating a website and scheduling gigs for the band my girlfriend and I have together.  I am planning on connecting with filmmakers and film students in the Boston area in the hopes of making film scoring connections.

Well, there is an overview of what is going on.  Future blog posts will focus on more specific pieces of my career puzzle.

Intro

Hello all,

This is a blog that I should have started a couple of years ago.  I am no stranger to sharing my ventures with the world having spent my junior year in high school launching a fundraising campaign so that I could attend a semester program in Ecuador.  After that adventure, having received so much support from my friends, family and community I felt like that was a one time shebang and I could not ask for any more from my community.  During the past couple years that I have spent working towards Berklee I have been very inwardly focused, investing a lot of time in studying and preparing for auditions.  While the steps that I am taking are vital to the success of this goal I have been worried that it will not be enough and for the past year I have had this nagging feeling that there is something I am missing.  It was only recently came to the realization that I need to start sharing this process with the community.  I need to emerge from the shell that has been trapping my motivation and passion from flourishing and embracing this dream.  This blog is part of putting my dream out to the cosmos.  I cannot make this dream come true on my own.

Before I close this post I will admit that yes, I am terrified that Berklee might not work out but it is not because I do not have other options.  I have some ideas for back up plans, I could start working as a professional musician, find internships or join some bands but I am at a point in my life where I want to study and learn the foundation of knowledge that will help me pursue a career in music.  I am so unquestionably ready to attend college to study composition and I am just as certain that Berklee is the place where my passions will be able to flourish.


Best,
Clayton