Waste of time. Learned next to nothing in his Writing Skills class. When you ask him a question, he turns it around on you, doesn't bother to help. Very unclear on what he expects. Teaches easy, and then turns around and grades hard. He is not willing to go out of his way for anything. Look elsewher

Avoid this "teacher" at all costs. It is beyond me how someone this bad at teaching could be at Berklee.

I had him for arranging one and had to withdrawl from the course becuase I was about to fail. He doesn't teach at all, and puts things on the midterm that you don't learn...he's ridiculous and an awful teacher!

does not teach anything related to arranging. questions on tests are totally subjective. bad news.

He was truly the worst teacher I've ever had. I think he decides what you're going to get the first day of class and that's it, no discussion. Didn't use the department standard tests, so he wrote his own, which were terribly confusing and wrecked havoc on my grades. Also very confrontational.

one day ron reid was trying his very hardest to teach us about transposing for trumpet. fairly easy right? 2 hours later he had made so many mistakes a kid in my class was teaching it to him. WHAT THE ****!

worst teacher ever. gets pissed if you ask him a question and acts like we went over it amillion times in class. alot of things he doesnt even talk about and on his tests he makes you re-write melodies note for note which takes up half the test period. and if you dont write things the way he ould do them then he will mark your test wrong. bad!!!

Man this guy is horrible. Seriously I would rather blow my brains out then take his class again. He completely ruined that class for me. He was unhelpful and unclear. He never followed the syllabus. He would get angry if you asked him a question about the material. Acting like we should already know what the answer should be. He is awful.

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Wow. I've never seen a more underqualified teacher in my life. When we were covering bass/drum grooves, he would consistantly get rhythms wrong, and as so many of you have mentioned, he's a hard grader, un-approachable and doesn't follow course material. I would never say this if it wasn't unwarrented, but HE SHOULD BE FIRED.

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I am an A grade student who was not able to pass this class... he puts things on exams that he didn't teach and takes no accountability for the entire class failing... do not waste your money on this class wait a semester and get a teacher worth your money

This man is the most unorganized person I have ever met. He lost more than half of the class's midterm projects. He routinely shows up to class late, can never find anything, does not speak clearly, and gets upset with students when they ask for help. He has absolutely no right to be working in an academic atmosphere.

Worst teacher at the school. He doesn't care about his students and tries to have them fail. He made me cry in class and wasn't helpful at all. I ended up having to repeat the class because I failed from the lack of information taught

Professor Reid does not teach his class on material learned, but rather or how well the students can guess what he implies by his overgeneralized and vague directions. Professor Reid is unorganized, self-important, vague, and uncaring of his students. When approached for help or approached to clarify directions, Reid is rude and belligerent.

Absolutely should not be teaching. Really terrible

This guy is unclear when explaining, and gets mad when students have questions. Raises his voice when repeating himself (like that's gonna help), sends homework often and does not really care if you understand or not, AVOID this teacher.

Ron Reid is definitely not a good teacher, he is a very tough grader and he includes stuff in the exam that he never talked about during class. He has very closed opinions about how music should be and does not accept anything else. What I like about Ron Reid is that he was never late to class and that he used the book and followed it verbatim.

very tough on grading

The worst teacher I have ever had. Does not care if you succeed in the class and does not bother to help his students. He is horrible and not a teacher. You learn nothing in his class and just struggle. He does not respect or care about his students. I wish I never took his class.

Super nice guy, tries to be friendly, but hardest grader of all time. By far the most work I put into any Berklee class and yet somehow never got an A on any assignment. There's no true methodology to his grading or teaching, he is super biased, and you won't do good unless you go to office hours

AVOID. He does not teaches very well outside what the textbooks are written. He is a very tough grader: if you miss just an one thing, you are not going to get an A, B or even C. I got one thing wrong in my first homework, and got a D. Also, he does not really tell you the applying side of all the arranging theories.

honestly this teacher is horrible and non sympathetic. if you did something wrong in a quiz or test he would raise his voice in front of everyone in class. ITS EMBARASSING. he would also laugh at you offensively when you ask questions or get your answers wrong. His tests are ridiculous and his questions are very vague and not in detail. dont take.

Ive never done arranging and I had help from all of my friends from higher semesters, even tutors on my homework and still got a D. I got one A and he changed it online to a D. I believe he has some kind of preference, Im not sure. Ive tried to go to his office hours and doesnt help at all. If they put you with this professor, BEG for a change

His definitely the worst teacher in writing department. His lack of teaching skills really destroyed our grades. Beside, he got no humanity. No excuse for late assignments or you will receive an F. Really tough in grading, no matter daily assignments or exams. Definitely won't take again.

I struggled in this class he didnt give clear explanation of any the criteria expected us to be professional and has no sympathy . He give horrific feedback he had good feedback on one assignments. Doesnt answer emails only sometimes if your lucky. He gave me a 49 and said needs some work. If you want to be stress free stay away from Ron Reid

He doesn't explain things clearly during the class, and his grading system is too strict. You need to learn most of the things by yourself. Plus, he doesn't reply emails. AVOID.

Incredibly un-organized and un-clear. For instance, he said our first quiz would be multiple choice ... and it wasn't? The Midterm was 15 pages long, we were not informed about this. He wants us to cover many countries in detail, yet... the amount information he gives on each topic varies. Close to un-reachable by email... Don't take him....

I missed some assignments, he told me to send them in and then didn't check his email and didn't give me the credits and I ended up failing. He gave me a D on my midterm and final project, which was super unreasonable I resubmitted the same projects when I retook the class with a different teacher, and I got As. Avoid this teacher!!!

NEVER TAKE HIS CLASS. me and my classmates all got F on homework even though we finished it and revised it. He never cares. Also, his lectures are in a mess. Nobody can understand him.

Dr Reid is unfortunately an awful teacher. He is not thorough with the lesson he also berates you if you fail to exceed his expectations. He's not great with responding to emais also goes over lessons to fast with no clairty. He has a specific preference if you fail to follow you won't get a higher grade than a D I passed because of final. AVOID!

Professor Reid is, for lack of more flattering terminology, lazy, and neglectful towards how he grades and assigns work. You'd be lucky if he answers your emails, grades on time, grades at all, or uses any consistent or linear rubric. In this semester currently, he has two units to cover, a final project and exam, with 12 days left in the semester.

AVOIDDDD tho he is a chill teacher, he doesnt teach things, gives low grades.. feel like every time walk into the classroom to enjoy 2h of chilling then find out that I learn nothing. Always just writing questions like the arr book HW. Classes r like he teaches u where to notate drum, HW is like to write a whole drum set, but never teaches groove

to attach the last common, he graded 1 of my hw at 22:00 on the final grade due day, and didn't give me final grade.. I mean there are around 2 weeks to grade why wait to the end? got the final project grade and final grade after the due day, and I assume that he didn't download my project n hw lol

Avoid, nobody can survive from him. He is a nice person but not a good teacher. Ive attended his classes twice, and they are all the worst classes Ive ever taken.

The other reviews covered his lack of organization and grading criteria, but I find his character equally lacking in quality. He was rude to students, consistently showed up 5-10 minutes late, and did not wear a mask once while the students all had to. I didn't learn how to arrange; I learned how to appease Ron and his boring writing style.

I have a disability that makes me unable to take notes and receive information simultaneously so I get my notes through accommodations. Ron embarrassed me in front of the class for not taking notes and when I confronted him after class he told me, and I quote, "well you know how some students are". He also doesn't wear a mask or reply to my emails.

If you can avoid this professor, do it. I missed the midterm for a covid scare. I emailed the teacher, no response for a week. I emailed the chair, no response for a week. I emailed HR operations and they looped the teacher in an email explaining why I missed class with covid symptoms-No response. Horrible organization and lackluster presentations.

Ron is terrible at communication so infuriating. Hate that I spent money on his class what a waste. Beware students it will be the hardest class you take of your life. Not to mention you will demeaned. The only thing im grateful for was to experience incompetence at its finest. PLEASE WITHDRAW DONT TAKE DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!

Do not take ensemble with Ron Reid! He belittles you in class, doesn't bother to learn your name and will call you by whatever name he sees fit to. He also writes these god awful arrangements of obscure songs that he then changes his mind about up to 10 times in one class and doesn't take suggestions from anyone. His Afropop ensemble was the worst!

He has you learn the material through graded homework and doesn't allow corrections. If you are someone with academic accommodations, AVOID! He wasn't cooperative in helping me find a way to complete the class after a two week stay at the hospital. I had no choice but to withdrawal and am now behind in my arranging credits.

Amazing musician, really bad professor. How does he still not learn how to teach a class and grade the works after all these years?

I have seldom in my time in school been so mistreated by faculty member. Ron Reid constantly forgot about not only my own academic accommodations, but another student in the class, even with constant reminders. He belittles in class, he puts you on the spot, and allows no room for growth. I almost went to Diversity equity and inclusion. Just awful.

Laughably terrible teacher. The midterm included all information from all PowerPoints and all homework readings. Lazy teaching

Avoid Ron Reid at all costs! I took this class my last semester at Berklee. After graduating, I received an email that falsely accused my final paper of plagiarism and a he gave me a D for the class (was an A). I emailed Ron Reid and got no response, ever. After taking the issue to the Chair, Ron Reid changed my final grade to a B, 6 months later!

Do not take this professor. Not only is he uninteresting and incredibly slow at teaching, his grading criteria is not clear at all and he is incredibly harsh with grading at that. I can recall several times where I put a note stem on the wrong side and got 10% off for the whole assignment just because of that. Also not supportive at all.

I have never had a worse learning experience than with Ron Reid. you can tell he's a nice guy, but omg class with him is a death sentence. I ran every assignment I submitted past a tutor until they were perfect. still Ron would only ever give me 70%'s. took off 6 points because I forgot to write "forte" on my guitar notation. save urself the pain

Never ever take his class

If you wanna get rejected by CWP department because you did not get an B for Arranging 1, go for him.

Professor Reid lacks professionalism in the classrooms. Extremely abrasive. confrontational professor I am so upset that i wasted my money on this important course. I beg students to please do anything in your power to avoid this professor. He will devour your confidence for hours and make every class a living NIGHTMARE. Ron Reid the life ruiner.

Cold calls all the time in class, and grades really difficult on only a few materials.

Grades so harshly for a course that is more subjective than objective. Do not take any class taught by him.

His lectures are confusing and doesn't respond to emails. Prepare to be berated if you are struggling in this course. While other professors had their Arranging 1 projects only in a score format, he wants you to sequence it into a DAW and bounce it. His course load is pretty hefty and complicated for students. Immediately ask for a change!

This professor is very unprofessional. He doesn't explain things clearly, he takes forever to grade your assignments, and doesn't respond to your emails.

DON'T TAKE THIS. You'll get a higher grade with ANY other teacher. Rude, always late or sick, gives confusing assignments with typos and important errors, extremely hard grader. It's shocking how he's employed at one of the best music schools in the world despite being the most incompetent music teacher I've ever had to experience. Fire this guy

How is this guy still employed? He must be tenured or something, this is by far the worst music teacher i have ever had, it is no wonder how this goober has 55 awful reviews on this website. Taking this class was like a constant lobotomy. It's a glorified MAT class where you will suffer. I wish i had more characters to write negative things. god.

This dude barely teaches anything. Touches on everything once and never again and teaches only out of the 40-year old textbook, and if you don't know something, he'll blame you for it and not his lazy "teaching." He'll take one point off of your homework for anything he deems a mistake, regardless of whether or not you understand the concepts.

just don't.... save yourself

Save yourself. Bro hasn't been to class on time once this semester, and got offended when we left one day he was 20 minutes late. He hasn't given me more than a 50% on a homework assignment even though I clearly understand the material and follow the instructions. I've done all the homework, got a 90% on the midterm, yet still have a D in the class

RUN!! PLEASE RUN—This guy grades so unfairly and so "textbook" it's nuts. How does it make sense that I've never gotten under an A in my LIFE, even after coming to Berklee, EXCEPT for this one class? He also picks on me all the time for no reason and calls me out in class for forgetting my homework/textbook when I have it right in front of me.

You could be Beethoven and the highest grade you would get in his class would be a B+. He is not a musician, simple as that. Arranging and composing are two of the most subjective courses at this college and he grades like it's medicine school. No matter how hard you'll try you will not get the A. Everything you know about music is wrong for him.

You'll have an easier time taking any other MHIS class. The slides are very long and very boring. He reads directly from them for the whole class, so no one pays attention or cares, not even the Caribbean students. Study guides don't help. Very tough grader. Doesn't reply to emails. Trust me and the 61 others. Don't take this class.

If being a good teacher only resumed to reading a PowerPoint, M.Reid would be excellent. But it requires more to stay mentally present in his class. The grading is poor and if it was for "grading criteria", I wouldn't be here. Readings hmwk don't have a clear definition of what the student is supposed to write, just like the grading, it's blurry.

I studied for every quiz and test, turned in every assignment completed and on time, got a 92% on my final and I passed with a 69. This man cannot teach. He puts material that is NEVER discussed on quizzes and exams. He gives no opportunity for extra credit, and is extremely difficult to reason with. Nice guy, absolutely terrible professor.

Ron Reid is a very inconsistent grader. He once graded my assignment twice by accident and gave them both different grades by 10 percent. He doesn't teach what he grades and does not display all of the directions or rules of an assignment until he has already graded it and lectured you for it. The class is not worth it. Save yourself.

he does not factually understand the words coming out of his mouth. students were correcting him every three minutes. never responds to emails, doesn't accomodate for ANYTHING, springs weird due date times on you as if he WANTS you to miss the deadlines, deducts points disproportionately, and is overall the most horrible professor I have ever seen

I took Ron 7 semesters ago and I'm still here thinking about just how much I hate that man and how he taught. it was so bad, I want to give you a 0, but that's not possible, so I give you: a 1.

Had the displeasure of having arranging 1 & 2 with this bozo. You may think "oh whatever tough class" and just deal with it cause you HAVE to take his class. You don't have to do anything, what you could do instead of taking his class is: take a walk, hang out with friends, think about how lucky you are not taking his god awful class.

Do NOT take him. Grading is super inconsistent, takes off marks for wording he wouldn't use. Way too much homework. Quizzes labeled “multiple choice” but filled with vague answer questions, no instructions. 3 hr class with no breaks, just reads slides, nothing beyond heavy readings. All this in only 3 weeks of taking his class. Terrible teaching.

Ron Reid is not effective in teaching the material of this class. He is disorganized, reads everything off the board, has never answered students' emails, and has inconsistent grading methods. I really hope Berklee reconsiders his position.

Don't take his class. He never responds to emails and has weird deadlines. Once, I submitted the exact answer he showed us in class for my late homework, and he still marked it half wrong — even though it was exactly what he wrote! He also likes to give students F's. There were many times I wanted to cry in the middle of his class. DONT TAKE HIM

Awful. Never responded to emails, I handed in all the work on time, but he couldn't find it. I asked him about it every week after class and he always responded with "not my problem". Don't take this class.

Very little teaching in his class and is not at all charitable. When you ask a question, he responds by saying, "Look in your textbook".

Absolutely the best professor I've ever had! Engaging, knowledgeable, and genuinely cares about students' success, making every class both challenging and enjoyable!

One of the worst professors I've had at Berklee. No matter what I did or worked on in arranging, he'd fail me. I worked so hard on the midterm project, did a good job, and received a 50/100... I mean, WHO does that??