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Berklee Students Make Music With Apple

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As long as man has lived, there have been musical composers - hunched over their instruments for sometimes years on end - scribbling treble and bass clefs, seventh notes, and then revising, over and over, on smudged, disintegrating paper. Today, because of Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, smudged-up paper is definitely "out."

As long as man has existed, there have been musical composers -bent over their instruments for sometimes years on end -scribbling treble and bass clefs, seventh notes, and thenrevising, over and over, on smudged, disintegrating paper. Today, because of Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music,smudged-up paper is definitely "out."

In the Fall of 2004, Berklee's 1,700 students (and all faculty) pledged allegiance to Apple and received enough PowerBook G4laptops for the entire campus. Yes, now it's actually arequirement of the entire curriculum; You must be wireless.

Not only are students prepared to compose music on theirPowerBook G4 laptops, they can also quickly download and installmusic production software, edit videos, design presentations, andput together their own MP3s, which can then be uploaded,distributed and promoted online at places such as itunes andnapster. Indeed CDBABY founded by Oregon musician Derek Siversoffer artists online digital distribution through a multitudechannels.

Self-marketing is great, isn't it? Taking expensive trips toaudition on an empty stage, with staring judges in the"audience," will hopefully soon be a thing of the past. Today,Berklee's students stay at school and using the power of theinternet can send their latest score to film producers,symphonies, other community or regional orchestras, and aplethora of private companies who regularly outsource for musicof all genres.

Even the transaction itself was easy; Berklee's Vice Presidentof Information Technology, David Mash, had 2,000 laptops ready todistribute to students in no time. The NetBoot and NetworkInstall, features of Mac OS X Sever, and, in particular, Xserve,made configuration a snap.

Mash also plans to disperse 1,400 more laptops during the2004-'05 school year - the school bought licensing with Apple andthe software vendors. So, whenever a new version comes out, thestudents simply hitch up to the Xserve and download the installerby the light of the dorm room lamp.

Parents, students and faculty were educated and "orientated" onthe need for this progressive move, which was a matter of gettingstudents ready for the workplace -- where wireless technology isalready a staple.

What happens when the computer crashes and the music stops? Notto worry. There's an on-campus service center, where studentsdrop off the offending laptop and pick up another one on loan. No time is lost, and NetRestore deftly grabs any lost data leftflying loose on the superhighway.

It's likely many parents were concerned about their bankaccounts when the news about mandatory Apple Powerbooks andibooks hit home. But, when compared with the single-unit saleprice, at $4,384, featuring the same specifications, the BerkleeLaptop Purchase Program (BLPP) comes out way ahead. At a flat$2,749.50, including a four-year extended warranty and "PlatformPlan," including an OSX Operating System; iLife, which providesseveral other downloads; Finale/Smart Music; Microsoft Office;and NoteTaker, it looks like everyone's getting their money'sworth.

These powerbooks certainly don't look like they could carry,save, and perform all the other software acrobatics that they do-- these little powerhouses are thin (the 12-inch model weighsonly 4.6 pounds) and have rounded, smooth frames for bettertransport ease. Powerbooks are also very upgradable-friendly,even years after the initial purchase.

Thanks to Apple laptops Berklee's students are gaining workplaceexperience every day - while they're still in school.

More info: - Apple Powerbooks used by music students

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