You also have to do an excessive amount of listening to records, an excessive amount of transcribing records and artists, and taking what an artist was doing at a specific time and comparing that to what was going on in the world at that time and really understand the transitions of the music. Because then you're playing about something; you can draw from that and make comparisons. Rate Professor Smith.

Artist website. He is a great role model and mentor.Avoid taking for ensemble. He is more than a great teacher, he is a great mentor.Neal is an amazing teacher. You are getting your moneys worth when you take lessons with this manIf you want to lean jazz the right way, this the guy!Neal is one of the greatest and most dedicated drummers I've ever had the pleasure to work with. If you want the help you WILL get it.. if you're looking for an easy ride don't even think about it. What I offer a student comes more from a practical application, what it really takes to make a living doing this.
Super genuine and very warm-hearted guy.

Come prepared or you'll regret it. Pushes you to do your very best and makes sure you know what you're doing. His dedication to his students is incredible.. like I've never seen. Playing jazz, you have to speak jazz. Go to France, most people speak French. Will truly tell you if you've got it right, or got in wrong....then you go from there. Helmed by Neal Smith, a drummer, professor and ensemble coach at the Berklee College of Music, The Neal Smith Jazz Ensemble is a handpicked ensemble featuring some of the top players from the school, all of whom separately play around the Boston area. The Office of Student Success connects Berklee students with the resources available at the College that can help them achieve personal, academic and career success. ""Reality for me is half academic, half university of the streets. You have to be able to sight read extremely well, you have to be able to interpret music extremely well, and you have to be able to adapt to your environment. He has studied with the likes of Max Roach and Vernell Fournier.

Login/Sign Up. 4.4. Associate Professor. This guide illustrates just a few of them. Neal is one of the best instructors out there. Neal is amazing Rating and reviews for Neal Smith from Berklee College of Music. 4.1 / 5. Neal Smith and Billy Pierce—each of them a renowned musician and Berklee faculty member— bring a group of Berklee’s top student instrumentalists and composers for a showcase at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. I really like to challenge and pull the best out of them.

Student Activities at Berklee. But university of the streets dominates. You get called based on your reputation, you come in, and a lot of times you get the music at the session. Professor in the Percussion department at Berklee College of Music. In learning the language, you have to do more than learn a bunch of exercises out of a book, but you have to experience black culture, the church, clubs, and concert halls. Center for Campus Life. Real way to learn something useful.Most genuine and honest instructors at Berklee.

For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations. Off the bandstand, the lives of people who help create the music…It's about putting life and music together, not just reading something out of a book. Would take again. nsmith1@berklee.edu. ... Neal Smith. On Monday, November 13, Neal Smith’s Berklee Octet will take the stage at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York with special guest, saxophone virtuoso and Berklee chair of woodwinds Bill Pierce. . He really pushes you, and expects a lot from his students, but it's all worth it in the long run. Courses Taught. Neal is one of the best drum set teachers there is.