February 12th, 2026
Small Talk with Leonardo Wagner
Leonardo Wagner (LW) is one of the students who take full advantage of the offerings given at the Berklee College of Music. He interviews with Kevin Small Jr. (KSJ), the Founder and President of SNAKE Magazine, to discuss his time at the school and how he has even enjoyed music beyond his vibrant college campus.
KSJ: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT ATTENDING THE BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC?
LW: It's probably the opportunity and the melting pot here. You have people from every background, culturally and musically. That was my reason to come to Berklee: as a musician, you gotta have lots of insights from every part of the world–especially as a film musician who will eventually have to do documentaries and different scenarios. So getting all this insight from every culture, from every music genre, helps me amplify my knowledge about film music and music in general. It makes me open-minded as well. In Berlin, I was a bit closed-minded; I had my friend group. But here, I had to adapt to a whole new system, whole new people. And that's great. I'm very calm now, very open-minded. I accept people for who they are. And that really helped me because as a musician you have to be adaptable, flexible. That's the core thing that I like about Berklee.
And the opportunity of the clubs here. I'm actually interning in one of the clubs and you got these meetings, you got different events and projects with other people as well. I got some projects in hip hop, I got some projects in film, in classical music. I had a concert with an orchestra in the Old South Church at Copley Square, and that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the club I'm currently attending. And the challenges some of the faculty offer are also cool. You can meet CEOs or music supervisors from Ubisoft, for example. That was a challenge I participated in.
KSJ: ATTENDING A COLLEGE LIKE BERKLEE PROBABLY MEANS EVERYWHERE YOU GO ON CAMPUS YOU HAVE MUSIC AT YOUR DISPOSAL. HAVE YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO ENJOY MUSIC OFF CAMPUS? IF SO, WHAT HAS THAT BEEN LIKE?
LW: I was at the event, the Beat The Odds Massachusetts Music and Arts Summit last year. That's what I really love outside of Berklee as well. You have these events where you can connect outside of campus; I got a lot of insights from those. One thing, not related to music, but Emerson College has film directors: I met some of them, and that was awesome. I mean, in Boston, you have all those colleges, right? The big colleges of America, and you really have so much opportunity to meet new people.
KSJ: WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO FUTURE STUDENTS AT THE BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC?
LW: It's connections. It's all connections. I think people are focusing too much on studies, but the core part of Berklee is actually the people. You can learn so much from the people, from the seniors, what they've been through–they have so many interesting stories to tell you. And since everyone comes from a different background, they all can give you different insight, and you can compress that all into basic knowledge. You can get really inspired. It's also heavy inspiration at Berklee. Listening to other people's music, taking advice, sharing with people, sharing ideas–that really helps you as a musician to go forward. And don't let yourself down by some professors. There are some professors that really put you out there and scold you. Never listen to these types of professors. Always listen to the people, to the students. I think their advice is worth gold, actually. There is no better experience than a Berklee experience, with the people. If it was only the professors, then Berklee wouldn't be what it is. You know? That's my advice. And do your thing. Always be on your own pace. Don't rush it.