# Music Schools?



## pauledc (Mar 4, 2013)

Hi All, 

I'm sure this is the wrong part of the forum...but not sure where to post... you've all been very helpful with my amp, so...

My boy is looking to apply to some music college / university programs for next year in the southern Ontario area or beyond depending.

He is a great guitar player and possibly wants to get into sound engineering. He's only 17 so really has no idea of what he wants to do.

Any recommendations for a school or program would be great...the web sites are a little confusing. 

Most people are telling him to go to school for something else and play music on the weekends like everyone else!

Cheers


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

Look at Humber College in Toronto for music studies. Mohawk College in Hamilton has music programs also. Seems like a lot of people study at those two. Hamilton is cheaper to live in for a poor student.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Humber and Mohawk are the only two colleges. Humber is University level and a 4 year course. He will need advanced English to get in. They also offer a 1 year intro course, but that does not guarantee admissions into the 4 year. Mohawk has a 3 year college level course, with an option to go to McMaster for a BA. It's called a MoMac. Regardless of college he will need to do an audition. Mohawk's is live, Humber's is done over YouTube. There are a number of prerequisite pieces he will need to learn for the audition.

How do I know all this? My son enrolled in Mohawk last Sept. and had to go through all of this. He has since changed majors. The music course is tough, and takes a lot of hours.
There is also Brock, and MacMaster for universities. Above holds true for them as well. 
One more thing. Competition is fierce for guitar. Usually only a half dozen spots are open for that.


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

Yes Dan I know a very good drummer that bombed at Mohawk years ago, so it is not easy. He did go on to open a drum store in the area.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I have nothing to offer except that his high school music teacher and/or guidance counselor should be able to help him out. Also, make sure that he visits the campuses of anyplace he is interested in, if at all possible.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I'm not sure if you're talking Canada only, but a buddy of mine went to Berklee in MA, I think, years back. It's a very well respected school dedicated to musical studies as opposed to a music program at a school that has a variety of studies.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Berklee, I believe, has an online course. I'm sure Mr. Google could help you out.


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## ThatGingerMojo (Jul 30, 2014)

I did a one year diploma course at the Trebas Institute for Recorded Music Production and Audio Engineering. This school taught me everything I needed to get around a studio, how to make digital music, and music theory. Great school, great enviornment and the best year of my life. However, after it was all said and done the Trebas Institute is not recognized by any educational body as post secondary education. That kinda sucked. Would I recommend it, probably not compared to Mohawk or Berklee. How about Julliard while we are ridiculous?


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## pauledc (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks all. Im not sure if Juilliard accepts metal heads, but you never know...he can just stick with the classical aspect of metal.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Maybe they only accept the RARE METAL heads?


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

I don't want to be a party pooper. But for those who recommend Berklee College of Music, just a little reality check. Tuition is $37800 per year in 2014-15, $56282 if you need room and board. You'd be looking at a $200,000 debt by the time your son graduates. Unless he's god's gift to guitar he's also unlikely to get significant scholarship, especially as a Canadian. Then he can find a job teaching guitar at $15 an hour at the local guitar store. Same for those sound engineering courses at $20,000 for a year that don't even hand out recognized degrees. Considering home studios rule the day, music sales are at an all-time low and getting significantly lower every year and that recording studios are closing left and right, I would think this is pretty much the worst possible investment in your son's future.

If music is the only thing you can see him doing, then he should apply to McGill. He can get a real degree from a world class university, for a tiny fraction of the cost of a college like Berklee and Montreal is a pretty good music town.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

pattste said:


> I don't want to be a party pooper. But for those who recommend Berklee College of Music, just a little reality check. Tuition is $37800 per year in 2014-15, $56282 if you need room and board. You'd be looking at a $200,000 debt by the time your son graduates. Unless he's god's gift to guitar he's also unlikely to get significant scholarship, especially as a Canadian. Then he can find a job teaching guitar at $15 an hour at the local guitar store. Same for those sound engineering courses at $20,000 for a year that don't even hand out recognized degrees. Considering home studios rule the day, music sales are at an all-time low and getting significantly lower every year and that recording studios are closing left and right, I would think this is pretty much the worst possible investment in your son's future.
> 
> If music is the only thing you can see him doing, then he should apply to McGill. He can get a real degree from a world class university, for a tiny fraction of the cost of a college like Berklee and Montreal is a pretty good music town.


This sounds like very reasonable logic. There are people that are famous who have came from programs like those at Berklee, but how many more musicians have just grown up playing and became famous from that!


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## pauledc (Mar 4, 2013)

Yes Berklee is out of the question, I'm thinking more along the lines of deadear's poorer student suggestion of Hamilton. 

Dcole you are correct, if you have the goods, school is not needed and could possibly hinder your talent.


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