Music School Central - College Counseling Reviews 

Let me start by answering the first question you might be asking, would you hire Bill Zuckerman dba Music School Central - College Counseling again? The answer is a resounding, “Yes, and here is why!”

Content: The main difference here from all of the other vendors was that he was a “Cradle to Grave” service experience. All of the other vendors I researched had a basic fee and then built in extras through an “a la carte” approach. Bill said from the beginning. Our relationship starts whenever you say it starts (contractually-there was no pressure or hard sell by him) and if you want, it doesn’t end until your student makes their final choice. Little did we know how much this would mean.

Price: Bill was not the cheapest nor was he the most expensive. His services were not inexpensive but worth every penny and more. One of the reasons was his keen ability to communicate and organizational skills. Bill listens to the clients (applicant and parents) from beginning to end. He asked the right questions and helped develop a realistic list of safe/target/stretch schools. His knowledge of music programs is top notch and up to date. He made what is a complex matrix of requirements easy to understand and broke them down into manageable chunks with meaningful follow-up. For us, the follow-up took many forms.

Bill spent time getting to understand your student’s scholastic goals, objectives, and tuition cost considerations. He gets the student to take a critical look at their resume to capture all accomplishments and makes suggestions (if there is time) in order to bridge some gaps if applicable. Once we selected the schools (this ebbed and flowed even past Christmas) he was able to prioritize and suggest consolidation of certain essay prompts and help the students brainstorm based on their personal experiences. My daughter had weekly assignments with get backs including essay prompts, resume, music theory practice, play list by genre, etc. Of course there were plenty of times when she had competing priorities and not everything on the list was completed but Bill was steady, firm, and encouraging.

Navigating the different requirements for each of the applications including putting together portfolios? No problem, as long as you have Bill on your team! Bill gave lots of meaningful tips, suggestions, and constructive feedback to help your student’s package stand out and apart from others. Bill set up mock interviews/auditions with current admissions staff with desirable music programs. This was huge!

Customer Service: Bill was responsive, professional, timely, and ridiculously organized. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and would highly recommend him for your family if you are serious about seeking admission to highly competitive music programs. I can say with certainty, that because of Bill’s guidance, knowledge, and input, he was able to give meaningful feedback to help better showcase my daughter’s skills and abilities beyond an average scholastic pedigree. She was invited to audition and subsequently admitted to several prestigious programs, some with partial scholarships. Most importantly, she was admitted to her dream school (beyond reach), the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music.

Bill and Music School Central are great at what they do! I actually found Bill during a Google search of "good music schools" when my son was a freshman at LaGuardia High School in NYC as a violin major. I knew we were going to be needing to think about college prep sooner than I was ready for, and while I went to a theater school myself, so much has changed since then that I really felt a little of unsure of how to begin the process for a musician. Bill had submitted an article online, ranking his opinion of the top music schools, and I kept it bookmarked for a while to reflect on while trying to figure out what the next steps were. I ended up giving him a call at the end of my son's sophomore year to inquire about his services and was impressed by the level of detail and attention he offered. I also appreciated his willingness to work with me in coming up with a payment plan that met my needs, as it was a big investment for me to manage as a single parent. We decided to start in my son's junior year, which in hindsight I am extremely grateful for. The whole experience can be quite overwhelming, especially once their senior year begins, so he was able spread out the tasks and communications over an extended period of time. This allowed my son to accomplish everything in smaller chunks until the bigger push toward the end of the application process. He listened to our wishes about where my son wanted to go and not go, and always did his best to recommend schools that met our criteria. He was patient and kind with my son, and walked him through every step from giving him timelines to complete each requirement so we stayed on course, to arranging lessons with professors of prospective schools. This was huge, as ultimately my son decided on the school with the teacher he felt most aligned with. It was the best decision he could have made as he is very happy with his professor and is looking forward to growing with him as a musician. It also didn't hurt that he received a great scholarship! Thank you, Bill, for making the experience easier for us and guiding us through what could have been an even more challenging one without you!

Hi, I am Sunildas from Mumbai, India. Our association with Bill started way back in 2022. That was the point at which my son Shaurya was in 10th grade and we were wondering on how to move ahead for his under graduate studies. We were clear that we wanted our son to study in the US and in the music space since our son is a trained classical pianist. Things got a bit complicated as our son was good in maths and physics so we were looking for good US colleges that combined Music and Engineering skills. Honestly we were lost at that point.

That’s when we came across Bill. We connected with him and shared our concerns and expectations.
It was a feeling of instant comfort. We built an immediate rapport. My son was super comfortable working with Bill.Over a span of 2 years Bill worked with my son to hone his music production skills. Bill would interface my son with reputed teachers from esteemed colleges which helped tremendously. It wouldnt be a stretch to say that my son truly evolved as a musician under Bill's tutelage. Bill worked diligently with us in picking and choosing colleges where we were to apply. We had many meetings and email exchanges before we finalised the list. In all these meetings Bill would give us a patient hearing and give us detailed explanations on the pros and cons of each college. Bill would coach my son extensively on the essay writing bit too.

Finally all the hard work paid off and we got acceptance along with Scholarship, which was a major pre-requisite for us, at almost all the colleges we were targeting. We continued to pick Bill's brain even after acceptance to decide on the college to finally enrol in. Happy to share that my son got enrolled at Drexel university in the Music Industry program with a handsome scholarship, thanks to all the hard work put in by Bill.

We found Bill online when my son was in 11th grade and had just decided to pursue a music major. Since we're from Canada and not familiar with schools in the United States, Bill's professionalism, reliability, and knowledge in the application process for music schools were invaluable. He helped my son schedule the application timeline, create school lists, and guided him through the entire process. We went from feeling confused and anxious to gaining clarity about our goals step by step. In the senior year, Bill worked even more closely with us, following up on the application process weekly and also providing interview training in advance. As a result, my son was accepted by almost every school on his list, with good scholarships. We're thrilled with this outcome and we truly appreciate Bill's support every step of the way.

We learned about Bill's services through contacts and google search and worked with him throughout our daughter's 12th grade. Both my wife and myself have tech background so it was not easy for us to guide our daughter on pursuing her aspirations around Music Education. After working with Bill, she was able to get into one of her top choice schools with 100% scholarship. In addition, she also secured several alternatives with various levels of scholarships. This is highly attributable to Bill's coaching and planning through several 1x1 zoom sessions with our daughter. Specifically Bill coached our daughter on preparing for auditions, writing essays by highlighting her strengths and aspirations well, and provided a very methodical plan that made the college application process simpler. In addition, he also kept us in the loop by answering questions we had along the way over zoom calls making it simpler for all of us.

Bill definitely has a well defined process and is exceptional in working with both students and parents around their capabilities and needs to produce the best outcome possible. His process is well defined, kept us informed, and had enough flexibility to address our unique needs. 100% recommend Bill's services for any aspiring music student to increase their chances of getting into top colleges. Thank you, Bill!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND BILL FOR COLLEGE GUIDANCE. We have two musician sons: our older son is a jazz and classical trombone player who graduated high school in 2023 and our younger son is a jazz saxophone player and choral singer who is graduating in 2024. We started working with Bill to help our older son during the spring of his junior year. At that time, we knew very little about the different music schools and the music school application process generally. Bill was amazing at “white-boarding” the entire process for us, reviewing our son’s qualifications and preparing a plan for him beginning that spring and continuing all the way through the submission of his applications and completion of his auditions. With our younger son, even though we had just been through the process the prior year, Bill was great at setting up a plan based on his specific skills and goals to take him through his own process.

Bill introduced both of our sons to faculty at several music schools and university music programs during the spring and summer prior to their senior years. During this time, the boys met either in person or on zoom with these faculty members to learn more about their programs and take lessons. Both boys improved dramatically during the six months prior to submitting screening materials and also had the opportunity to develop relationships with these professors. Our sons got auditions at almost every school they applied to including USC, Michigan, UCLA, NYU and Carnegie Melon.

We cannot recommend Bill any more highly for anyone applying to a music school or high-end music program at a traditional university. He is extremely knowledgeable about the process and the various nuances of the different programs at these colleges, and is immensely qualified musically to evaluate students to help them determine the right fit based on their skills and preferences. Bill is organized, thoughtful, and insightful about what makes sense for students both personally and musically. Our boys truly enjoyed their time with Bill, and as parents, it was a pleasure to have Bill working with our sons.

We HIGHLY recommend Bill if your child is considering applying to a music program. We were fortunate enough to find him through an internet search as we realized that, as parents, we had no idea how to help our son navigate the complicated process of applying to programs that require portfolios and much more than what is required for a traditional college application. We literally could not have done this without Bill. Our son is not classically or traditionally trained, he is self-taught and has a passion for music. He is interested in music production and technology. Bill absolutely knows what he is doing and went far above and beyond to spend time prepping our son, setting him up with several people in his large network of music professionals to draw from. He reviewed our son's portfolios while providing feedback to help him present his best self. Our son applied to only a handful of schools because his interest is so narrow and was accepted into 3 of his top choices. He chose Drexel which I know will be an amazing fit for him. Bill is extremely thoughtful, organized, smart, and helpful. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

In late 2022, our son explained to us that he was interested in studying audio engineering in college. The process for applying to university audio engineering programs has more requirements than less specialized majors.

Based on a recommendation from a friend, we hired Bill in January 2023 to help us navigate the multi-step college application process required for audio engineering programs. With Bill’s assistance and guidance, our son was accepted to four of the six universities to which he applied, including an acceptance to his top choice school that also included a merit-based aid award.

Bill worked closely with us and our son and provided very valuable assistance in the following areas:

• An assessment, by a university music professor, of our son’s music playing skill level, Bill’s assessment of our son’s audio engineering ability;
• Recommendations for a computer, audio software, a tutor for learning the software, and summer audio engineering programs at various universities;
• Preparing a list of university and audio engineering programs for which to apply;
• Assistance with preparing musical pieces and recordings for an audio engineering portfolio and drafting university application essays;
• Assistance with completing and submitting the university applications; and
• Suggestions for requesting merit-based financial aid.

We had a very positive experience working with Bill and highly recommend his services. Trying to work through the audio engineering program application process would have been very challenging without his assistance.

I am delighted to express our gratitude for the outstanding services provided by Bill in securing a scholarship for my daughter at a prestigious music conservatory. From the initial consultation to the final acceptance letter, Bill’s expertise and dedication were remarkable.

Throughout the application process, Bill demonstrated a deep understanding of the intricate requirements and expectations of the music conservatory admissions. He meticulously guided my daughter in selecting schools, filling out applications, preparing her for auditions and interviews, and helping us navigate multiple offers in order for our daughter to make her best decision for her future.

I highly recommend their services to any aspiring musician navigating the competitive landscape of music college admissions. Thank you for helping turn our daughter's musical aspirations into a reality.

I can't begin to say how instrumental Bill was in helping my son to find the right fit school . He plays piano and flute and a class in HS called Studio Band helped to peek his interest in Sound Recording Technology. We, as parents, did not know anything about the field and were at a loss as to how to guide him . We found Bill through an internet search and decided to enlist his services. This was the best decision that we could have made for our son. Bill's expertise and guidance was reassuring every step of the way. He helped us to collate a precise college list. He was focused and organized in his stepwise approach to getting through the application and interview process. Bill was accessible throughout the entire process. My son is now thriving at his university and very happy with his choice of school . THANK YOU BILL!!!!!

Parents seek these services to help their kids, right? So really, the most important reviews come from THEM. After being accepted to ALL of his TOP FOUR choices, here is what our son had to say to Bill:

"I'd like to personally thank you for all your help and guidance, and we definitely could not have done it without you. I'm now on the way to receive an elite education truly connected to my passion, one which in my junior year, I could have never even imagined. The outcome of this entire process has granted my life a secure sense of direction and purpose. I can't wait to pursue a life full of music and meaning, and you should feel proud of your help in making that happen."

Wow. My SON is SO happy.

We can't speak highly enough about Bill and Music School Central. Our son was accepted to the Thornton School of Music at USC, Belmont University in Nashville, Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and the Berklee College of Music. USC wasn't even on our radar because it was such a long shot, and when Reagan got accepted, he felt like he couldn't pass up such an amazing opportunity.

Bill's thorough approach to our son's resume, completion of the Common App, his pre-screen audition video submissions, the essays, activities list, in-person audition prep, and everything else - was top notch.

I can't imagine that we would have been as prepared or experienced the same outcome without Bill's help.

If I could give him 20 stars, I would!

Bill was a game-changer for us. We worked with Bill for 2 years after our son (somewhat surprisingly) chose to pursue music at the beginning of his junior year. Being science parents, we knew nothing about this extensive process! Bill was so much more than a college counselor - he functioned as a career counselor, music theory teacher, connector, strategy partner, project manager, audition coach, and sounding board. His collaboration was customized to what our son needed, rather than a pre-specified "package". The whole engagement involved excellent communication and affirming but realistic expectations. We backed off as parents and let our son take the lead in working with Bill, which built his ownership and confidence. Ultimately our son has ended up at a school which is a great fit for him, that we might not have even considered without Bill's input; his knowledge of schools and programs alone is worth every penny. The scholarships our son received in the end more than covered our costs. And even without that we would absolutely do this again - it's been a fabulous (bargain) investment in our son's future.

We reached out to Bill during our son’s junior year when we decided to pursue the music school as a college option and quickly realized we knew nothing about the process. Unfamiliar with the unique nuances and requirements of applying to music schools, Bill was the perfect advisor who helped us navigate our way through each application step. During our junior year, Bill helped us create a shortlist of schools, helped us create a music resume and repertoire list, and arranged a mock audition with a college faculty in my son’s instrument that allowed him to receive performance feedback early in the application process. We also worked with Bill on music summer school/camp applications simultaneously. During the summer before senior year, we worked with Bill on the main common app essay and activities list, and he advised us on how to start preparing for pre screenings in the fall. By fall of senior year we were having almost weekly sessions, reviewing school specific essays and short answers, doing practice interviews and helping us manage the application process overall. The music school application process can be extremely overwhelming, but Bill helped us prioritize and organize to keep us on track.

Throughout the process, Bill was always very responsive and thoughtful in his guidance and approach. My son was accepted to his first choice music program, and we are very grateful for Bill’s support throughout our college application journey.

We will recommend Bill to any parent/student looking to pursue the music school application process.

Working with Bill was truly the best thing we did for so many reasons, most of all peace of mind, and ultimately really great schools/opportunities for our son to choose from. Bill worked with our son for two years, preparing and guiding him throughout the whole arduous process, of which we had zero prior experience. His relationships with top rate teachers in the music world that were able to assess our son's musical strengths and weaknesses was also a huge plus, helping him know what to work towards. Our son needed extra help with music theory and Bill brought him up to speed with personally tailored lessons for him. Bill's guidance and feedback with the Common App essays were also invaluable. The scholarships awarded in the end more than paid for Bill's fees many times over. A consummate professional, Bill is the best!

Music School Central helped my son get into several top-choice music programs. Bill helped with essays, got us feedback from music professors, and gave some good suggestions himself on our audition music. He was consistently reliable, encouraging, and conscientious.