Senior Ethan Ridings started playing his a guitar at age 11 and singing at age 13, but he never dreamed that his hobby would turn into his dream and future career choice.

“When I was 10, I got the Spongebob Squarepants sound track to his movie and the Spongebob version of I Want to Rock was really good and it inspired me to start,” Ridings said.

When college talk first began, Ridings knew that music was his first choice. From there, he began looking into colleges with strong music programs and came across Berklee College of Music located in Boston, Mass.

“Berklee it’s the number one music conservatory in the world. I just want to have the best school of music,” Ridings said.

Berklee College of Music is a private, co-ed college structured around music students. According to U.S. News and World Report its acceptance rate is less than 20 percent.

“To get into Berklee, I had to apply and get invited to go there to audition. At the audition, you play a song and improvise with them. Then, there is an interview. After that, you read music and do ear training,” Riding said.

Ridings audition date is set for Nov. 9, 2013. At the audition, Ridings believes that he will do well.

“The audition process is tough, but I have been practicing a lot,” Riding said.

In preparation for the upcoming audition Ridings has been practicing daily and performing different gigs. He hopes that performing live in front of people will help him master the art of performance.

“I have been practicing four to six hours daily and practicing different songs and guitar licks,” Ridings said.