At just 21, Carly Tefft, a soulful and energetic singer-songwriter from Cape Cod, has hit the ground running. From releasing her Boston Strong anthem, “Keep On Running” on Marathon Monday in April of 2014 to releasing her sophomore album “Tell It All”, recorded at the renowned Darkhorse Studios (Nashville, TN), it is clear why Tefft was a nominee for “Singer/Songwriter of the Year” by Limelight Magazine Awards. Tefft writes with her own blend of folk, rock, and pop-a la Carole King, Grace Potter, and Sheryl Crow. Her recent resume of performances include the Bluebird Café (Nashville, TN) as well as Hotel Café, House of Blues Lounge (Hollywood, CA), Club Passim (Cambridge, MA) and Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA).
- Jams/Shows (almost) every hour of the night, every different type of music
Whether it’s in the dorms of 270, apartment buildings in Alston, shows in Cambridge or Caf shows, there’s certainly isn’t a lack of music here.
- Being in the best part of Boston
You can walk EVERYWHERE…so much culture everywhere you turn. From the rowdy sports fans at Fenway Park or the TD Garden to the Museum of Fine Arts, to a shopping spree and lunch on Newbury street, to the beautiful sunset over the Charles River, all while walking the streets of the birthplace of the American Revolution (make sure to take a Duck Tour to learn about it all).
- The Classes
…Okay, maybe not ear training (although I promise it does help in the long run!), but you have access to songwriting classes, wicked cool ensembles, recording in the studios, working for the student record label. There’s an abundance of classes not offered anywhere else in the world (“The Songwriting of John Lennon”…come on, that’s so cool!)
- The Recording Studios
Free studio time does NOT exist in the real world (unless you build your own)…so take advantage of it! Make friends with MP&E, EP&D, and Songwriting majors.
- Rehearsal Spaces
Like recording studios, unless you have a huge space and really nice neighbors, free rehearsal rooms don’t come around that often, either.
- Cool musicians randomly showing up at our school…just because they’re awesome (and they must think we’re awesome too).
Oh, what’s that? John Oates is coming for a week? And then Mike Posner? And don’t forget about the songwriting classes taught by Paula Cole and Kara DioGuardi, as well as Livingston Taylor’s stage performance class.
- Trips around the USA (and world!)
Go to NYC with the Music Biz club in the fall, travel to Nashville with 120 other Berklee kids during Spring Break, and get your hip-hop on during the Atlanta Trip! And if you feel like being a world traveler, Berklee has a campus in Valencia, Spain. HOLA!
- The freedom to be a unique individual
You got pink hair? That’s cool. The kid next to you has 5 tattoos on his face while the girl in the front has anime stickers on her harmony book. Berklee embraces you to be yourself.
- The Berklee Beach
On a rare occasion the sun IS shinning in Boston, the Berklee Beach (outside 150, now I guess 160 too?) is the cool hang to enjoy a nice day, jam out on the sidewalk and catch up with friends
- Breaking into song is totally normal…and people join in with you.
Doesn’t matter the artist, genre, song…odds are someone will chime in, most likely in harmony (#OnlyAtBerklee).
- Attending the Best Music School in the World; playing/creating music with your best friends who are some of the best musicians in the world.
‘Nuff Said. Rock on! These relationships will last a lifetime and these are truly the folks who are going to be running the music biz with you in the next ten years!
Keep up with Carly’s post-graduation plans at carlytefft.com.