Are Berklee's Music Courses Really That Good?

By Shriyaa Madan Gopal

The Berklee College of Music is an incredibly prestigious music school known for its alumni, including Charlie Puth and Lauv, and for the 300 Grammys they have won. Berklee is renowned for its contemporary approach to music and diverse programs. This summer, I came across an opportunity to audit Berklee’s free music theory course on EDX. So, is one of the top music institutes’ courses actually worth it?

It’s a six-week course made up of YouTube videos posted by Berklee and taught by Berklee professor George Russel Jr., with featured spotlights from Berklee students who shared their musical journey. This course also includes multiple-choice questions regarding the videos posted. 

The course syllabus is made up of six lessons, which include:

Lesson 1: Major Scale Defining Harmony, Ear Training, and Intervals Constructing and Singing the Major Scale Major 2nd and Major 3rd Intervals Finding the Tonal Center

Lesson 2: Major and Minor Triads Review from Lesson 1 Perfect 4th and Perfect 5th Intervals Building Major and Minor Triads The I IV V Chord Progression

Lesson 3: Pentatonic Scale Review from Lesson 2 Major 6th and Major 7th Intervals Building and Singing the Minor Pentatonic Scale 

Lesson 4: Major and Dominant Seventh Chords Review from Lesson 3 Building Major and Dominant Seventh Chords Blues Progression

Lesson 5: Song Form Review from Lesson 4 7-3-5 Chord Voicings 4/4 and 3/4 Time Signatures Blues and AABA Song Forms Chord Sheets

Lesson 6: Review of All Material Composing a Blues Riff Tune Using the Minor Pentatonic Scale

To enrol in this course, you will need to go to a website called EDX and create an account. From there, you can enter the course you are interested in to audit. Then once the course opens, you are free to complete it at whatever pace you prefer within the time limit of six weeks. If you choose to partake in the paid version of the course, you will be able to complete check-ins and hand in small assignments for marking that include a specific due date and at the end of the course, you will receive a certificate.

Some important things to note down before you sign up are:

• You must take notes when watching the videos, but you can access the lesson note plan at the start of each module.

• If you choose to audit it, you must stay consistent, as the lifespan of the course materials is relatively short.

• It is not necessary, but it is recommended that you have access to some sort of piano or keyboard ( though I didn’t have one myself)

• If you audit, you will not be able to achieve a certificate at the end of the course.

So, to answer the burning question, is the course really worth it?

To be honest, as a music student myself, I felt that this course was more of a deeper consolidation of my previous knowledge. I also noticed that the syllabus does tend to overlap with the theory component of year nine and ten music, which I believe to be really beneficial. Overall, I think it's a great way to develop your music theory skills if you are a beginner or are not well-versed in music theory. However, if you would say you are around an intermediate level when it comes to music and your knowledge, this course would better serve you as a tool for revision and to strengthen your skills. I totally recommend you give it a go!