It’s about starting over . com

Those of you who know me know that I’ve been planning to audition to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston for some years. Actually, it was in my thoughts from the moment I learned about the articulation agreement that Berklee has with the Rimon School, which I’ve already attended for three years.

How does it work?

For the curious–it works like this. The Berklee College, not to be confused with any of the colleges or universities in Berkeley California, has an articulation agreement with what are called BIN schools around the world. The agreement works like this (in a nutshell): you take certain courses at the BIN school and, as long as you get a grade of B or better in each one, you can transfer those credits (and yourself) to Berklee. Once you’ve completed the required courses, you’re in. You don’t need to be accepted because, by virtue of the fact that you’ve completed these courses at the BIN school, you’re in.

What’s the catch? Really folks, there isn’t one. A word or two about studying at the Rimon School though–I’ll tell you right now that it’s pretty easy to get in, as long as you possess a modicum of talent, but it’s not at all easy to stay in. It’s hard work and the less educated you are in music theory, the harder it is. I came in with nothing behind me and it’s been a real uphill battle, but one I adore. I adore the challenge, the hard work, and most of all, the results.

Why did I audition?

So, back to the Berklee thing. Everyone who applies to attend Berklee, BIN transfer students included, must audition. The purpose of the audition is twofold. First, it’s for placement. They test you in various areas and your placement in classes at Berklee is based on the results. The second and, for me, more important purpose is for possible scholarships. Without a substantial scholarship, I cannot attend.

Is there much competition or is a scholarship a sure thing?

Hmmmm, well, the competition is pretty tough. Now, I think that Rimon is one of the smaller schools in which auditions are held. They were scheduled back-to-back, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. over a two-day period with a one-hour lunch break in the middle. Each audition was supposed to last only 15 minutes. So, that means 4 musicians per hour, 7 hours each day, two days: that’s 56 musicians auditioning at Rimon. Oh, and this is called, “The World Scholarship Tour.” They’ll be auditioning musicians at multiple locations around the world. That’s a lot of competition! And believe me, Berklee is one of the best music schools on the earth so a lot of people want to get in.

How many people will be granted full scholarships? Not many. I think it’s something like seven to ten. You can read about it here.

So, how’d it go already?

Okay, I’ve gotten so many emails asking how the audition went! I promised I would post about it, so here it goes. It was Continue Reading »

I WAS RECOGNIZED! BY SOMEONE I NEVER MET! TWICE!

I was in a music store today buying a cable for my guitar and some other small things. At the cashier’s, a woman noticed my Jacob’s Ladder t-shirt and asked me if I performed there. When I said yes, she said, “with Et al?” She then went on to tell me that she’s familiar with all the other members as well. She was very sweet and I felt very proud.

Do people speak to you in stores and tell you they recognize you if you suck?

Then, I went on to the grocery store to buy something for lunch. The same thing happened in the parking lot (with a different woman though ) only this time, she didn’t say anything about the t-shirt.

Well, I guess it pays to wear your Jacob’s Ladder t-shirts in public! AND, I guess it pays to perform at Jacob’s Ladder!

Due to popular demand, I’m adding a new category–Performances. This will give people the opportunity to keep up with my (hopefully increasing) performance schedule even if they’re far away and can’t attend.

Why is this important for my starting-over community? Performing is a huge step for me. It requires a huge leap of faith, and it also forces me to deal with a lot of issues, some physical and many emotional. I remember the first time I performed, that is, this time around. It was at the Tzora Folk Club, and my hands were shaking so frantically that I didn’t even need to strum my guitar–I just placed my fingers over the strings and the frantic shaking took care of the rest. Percussion was provided by my knees.

I performed a song titled, A New Life, and I literally felt I was performing naked in front of about 100 strangers. I don’t know if it would have been easier to perform a song I didn’t write, but I had been asked to perform this one and, truly, I wanted to.

Yes, I do want to perform, almost more than anything. And I’m determined to overcome any anxiety I might have about it. I’ll post here about my performances because I want my readers to understand that doing almost anything new is frightening, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. If it’s something you want, something that will bring you happiness and fulfillment, you should go for it. The anxiety will fade with experience, and the people who love you will support you in every way because they want you to be happy and healthy. After all, what is life about anyway?

 So please stay tuned, and check out my performance category from time to time. I’ll give you stage-fright updates too–the most recent is that I’m really starting to enjoy it a LOT more, my hands are shaking a LOT less, and it really is one of the big loves of my life.