Berklee, with an enrollment of 4,000, is unique among major music schools in the nation in that its curriculum focuses on jazz, rock and other contemporary music. Alumni include such popular artists as Quincy Jones, Bruce Hornsby, Melissa Etheridge and Branford Marsalis.

“It's almost scary,” Vasquez said. “I'll definitely be with the top of the top over there.”

Vasquez, who played euphonium in the BSHS Steer Band, had intended on applying for the school right after graduation, but circumstances prevented his doing so at the time. So he spent two semesters at Howard College before getting another shot at the elite school this spring.

He traveled to Dallas in late March for an audition that didn't quite live up to his expectations.

“I had practiced and practiced and practiced for that audition,” he said. “I went in there thinking I had 15 minutes, then I learned I had only 5 ... Nothing went as planned. I didn't think there was any way I was going to be accepted.”

After the audition came an interview — which Vasquez also thought was a disaster.

“The interview went just as bad,” he said. “Afterward, I didn't want to go anywhere and talk to anyone. I just got back into the car and didn't say a word.”

Thinking his chances of being accepted at Berklee was pretty much nil at this point, Vasquez started looking at other options, other schools. On March 31, however, he learned that his audition hadn't been nearly as disastrous as he had feared.

“I went home for lunch and saw I had an e-mail from Berklee,” Vasquez said. “That's when I read the first line: 'We are honored to notify you of your acceptance to the Berklee College of Music.' ... I don't think I read any more than that. I just dropped my head and started crying.”

Vasquez and his father took a trip to Boston in June to scout around the campus.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “They have top-of-the-line technology and the campus is beautiful ... It's everything I had hoped it would be.”

Vasquez will study a variety of courses at Berklee, including music theory and history, music business and recording. What he plans to do with that education, however, is still a bit up in the air.

“I'm just planning right now on going to college and getting my degree,” he said. “We'll see what happens after that .... I'm not sure if I want to teach or what, but if someone wanted to place the Steer Marching Band in my hands, I wouldn't mind that a bit.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it