Academic Facilitator Joe Cilento, RRFC.
“My parents always had music playing throughout our house. It wasn’t just one genre, it was jazz, R&B, rock and before I knew it, I was able to fake playing guitar like Jimi Hendrix and lip-sync to Luther Vandross songs. As I got a little older, I realized that my dad had been playing guitar since he was 14 years old. He really was the first ‘rock star’ I knew. Watching him play (and how cool my friends thought that was) is what led me to ask for guitar lessons- I wanted to be like him and fit in with my older friends who played in a band.
The turning point for me was when I realized music started consuming all my thoughts- I couldn’t sit in class without singing songs I heard that day in my head! That led to me to pursue my guitar lessons more heavily and by the time I was in high school, I knew what I wanted to do with my life…
With that in mind, I applied to a lot of prestigious music schools including Berklee and most rejected me! In fact, I was even deferred from Berklee and wasn’t able to start in the fall like everyone else. That delay hurt at first but I realized that my hunger for it only grew and that confirmed my desire to pursue a higher education in music.
I showed up to school the first day thinking I’d be a jazz guitarist until the day I died, but being in a place that allowed me to explore made me interested in many different genres and aspects of music. I eventually found myself studying Music Production & Engineering as well as Film Scoring. This dual major path connected right back to my childhood of being exposed to so many styles of music. I barely knew how to plug-in a mic when I started but I kept digging and following those who were more experienced than me. Soon, I had some decent work under by belt. My time at Berklee was filled with work, self-doubt, laughter and a whole lot of self-discovery. Berklee prepared me for a lot but I quickly realized that there was a whole lot more beyond those school walls!”
What do you wish more people realized about our programs or offerings?
“I think a lot of people realize how great an opportunity the Recording Connection is but I think they are missing out on a few crucial points. The students in the program get unprecedented access to studios and engineers that many of my peers (and myself) would’ve died for even after graduating with a dual degree and 5+ years of experience! The history of the industry is brimming with stories of young engineer-hopefuls that began sweeping the floor at local studios just to show the head engineers that they were dedicated enough to stick around.
The students in the Recording Connection get immediate access to professional working studios with engineers who have decades of experience and best of all- the studio doesn’t view them as an intern but as a fellow contributor to the flow of the studio. The Recording Connection really puts the opportunities right in front of each student and it’s up to them to seize them!”
What advice do you have for anyone wanting to work in audio or music?
“I really did begin my career in audio barely knowing how to get a sound in a mic coming out of a speaker. I knew I wanted to learn it and humbled myself before those who had more experience than I did. I took my education seriously and showed up every day saying, ‘I may not know this but I promise you that I will work hard.’ This industry is HUGE and has DEEP roots with careers spanning decades. Every day there is something new to learn and someone new to learn from. The minute you start to put yourself before others in your own mind is when you start taking steps in the wrong direction.”
* * * * *
