You will probably learn more about harmony from Steve than any other teacher in the school. Extremely knowledgeble, intelligent, very analytical, and full of great insight. I've taken all of the harmony electives after Harmony 4 with him and they have all been some of the best classes I've taken.

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EXTREMELY INSPIRING

I studied with a lot of teachers, and found none who understood harmony better than Steve. He's not the easiest grader, but he's a good teacher and he doesn't try to give you a hard time. If you want to breeze the course, there are better choices. If you want to learn harmony, Steve is your man.

I thought I knew harmony. Boy was I wrong. I learned so much stuff from his class. Totally inspiring and all around great guy.

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Hard, but good. I learned a ton but I got a C. In Harmony 1-3 I learned little and got A's. So yeah.

Steve will be one of the most challenging professors you'll ever take, but you won't regret taking his class if you're interested in the material. I learned more from his class than from any other teacher, book, or class I've ever had. Rochinski's the man!

Steve is a genius. Hes one of the best teachers I have ever had, and really drills the material into your head in an interesting and stimulating way. He is also a very nice guy...he was willing to give me free hour long lessons during his office hours. hes a great guitarist too.

If you want to learn, this is your man! Great guy! Wants your best, no less. Go Steve!

Had him for Advance Modal Harm & Harm4. Hard not to respect the guy, dedicated his life to harmony. Full of great insight. On the other hand, will go off on quasi-mystical tangents about harmony that are cool, but not very useful. Arrogant and doesn't like to be disagreed with. You will learn a lot, but to like him you'll have to be a harmony nerd

This is a teacher who will teach you anything you want to know about harmony. He knows everything there is to know. If you want to be prepared for a professional career in music, I recommend you take one of his classes. If you don't want to put in the work, don't even attend music school, let alone his class.

rochinski is the man. best teacher i have had at berklee. he knows his stuff and if you ask him to explain something he will. ive had him for all of my harmony classes so far and have done well. all you have to do is pay attention and take notes and the class will be easy.

Professor Rochinski is a deep expert on music theory and he's an amazing composer. You will learn a ton just being in the same room with this guy. Sometimes he can be a little intimidating, but for me that edge just made me work harder - so I learned more. If you are serious about learning music theory and harmony, I would recommend him.

Pretty decent guy. His music is terrible, but you can learn something from the class material... you just need to use discretion when applying the techniques. I found myself respecting him even though his compositions are pretty god-awful. Worth taking if you want to fill a couple credits.

A very knowledgeable and intelligent teacher, especially in harmony and music theory stuff. Often used elevated, advanced terminology & words to describe things to the students which sometimes throw them off. Also, you will only have very limited amount of time to do your project

He is the man! so knowledgeable and so passionate~ take him if u are keen to learn. Much respect!

I think I've figured it out. Steve is a great teacher for advanced classes but not beginners. He talks fast and doesn't like to explain background, which wasn't great for my class of first-semester HARM2 students who were desperately trying to figure out what the hell "interpolated minor" and such things were. Once you know your stuff, though...

A great teacher, but not for students who do not take the subject of harmony seriously. If you put in the time and effort, show up, pay attention, and conduct yourself in an intelligent manner in class, you will have a great experience with this Rochinski.

Steve is a brilliant harmony man that will explain to you absolutely fascinating harmonic concepts that aren't in your class's curriculum. I know more about poly modal polychords than I do about harmony 4. So if you're good at harmony and don't need someone spelling out the curriculum, take Steve. If you want someone by the book, don't.

BEST TEACHER IN BERKLEE, studying with him is an life changing harmonic experience BEWARE: If you are studying here because John Mayer Did, and even if you suck on your instrument you have been accepted because you are rich, don't take him, leave that seats open for musicians!

Great!!! No comment, Steve is the best but his class is extremely tough!

If you are at Berklee to honestly learn the fundamentals of music, this man is a genuis. Yes, he uses big words. Yes, he will call you out if you don't follow his directions. He is brutally honest because he cares a lot. Just do the work he assigns and you will have such a solid musical foundation for any other class. Highly recommend him.

This guy is theeeee maaaaan! totally transform my mind and ears! he gives explanation of everything in the clearest way! I am not into jazz at all! but his class was life-changing! if you really love theory and want to involve with it into its deepest levels! take this guy! amazing big words! amazing descriptions!

Had Steve for HR4 and Reharm. Simply put, the dude's a genius.However, he is extremely intense, uses academic language that could easily confuse a subpar English speaker, and gives little to no feedback on your work.The trade-off, though, is getting your mind blown every class.Take him if you LOVE the subject he's teaching, avoid him if you don't.

I've taken Ear Training Harmony 4, Advanced Harmonic Concepts and Advanced Modal Harmony with the gentleman. I can say without a doubt if you're serious about learning take him. He makes you think in different ways, especially in the advanced classes, he throws out 'theory' and makes you think about music.

I attended Berklee but had Steve online. Hardest-working prof you will ever meet. Intellectual, great lecturer. Hardest challenge of my career. Firm, serious, very fair. Excellent guitarist. Course is not for the weak. Extremely high standards. Course designed to perfection. Will set ypu straight very fast if you screw off. Show respect get respect

As a harmony geek, I adored learning from Steve. However, I can understand how he would be a frustrating teacher from the perspective of someone who has trouble with harmony or from the perspective of a non-native English speaker. His dialect includes some heavy vocabulary. We didn't use the textbooks much, and I didn't feel I was missing them.

I think he's an amazing musician and composer. It's inspirational listening to him. However, it's hard to grasp the concepts he explains in class. So it's hard to get a good grade in his class and do very well. But if you're already good at harmony, you should definitely take him.

Most every class with Steve was mind-blowing. I am so happy that I had the chance to study with him.

Steve is a harmony genius. His system of analysis is incredibly practical and understandable. It's also, however, not the standard for Berklee, so watch out when using his methods in other Harmony classes. He is well-spoken and very intelligent. His clunky piano playing may slow down class, but that's a minor grievance. His grading is disorganized.

Seriously amazing lectures. I had a harmony class with another prof my 1st sem and hated it. Someone recommended Rochinski and I was so into his teaching I took him for 3 and 4. This guy approaches the study in the most logical, reasoned way, and you can have a real discussion without being shot down and pointed toward just what the book says.

The best harmony teacher, Im taking his Harmony 3 right now, every class has been mind blowing. Love him! You must take him if you really wanna learn

I had Steve as a teacher when I attended Berklee in 1997 and 1998. He really knows his stuff and explains it very well. Very clever and funny though a little detached towards foreign students like myself. You need to understand music to enjoy him.

Mr. Rochinsky's encyclopedical knowledge about harmony is just fascinating! His lessons were deep, logical, and inspirational. His classes were a great influence and motivation for my further studies in related topics. I think, his book "Harmony 4" is one of the best books in the field. I loved his humor as well.

Damn. If there's one thing I learned from this class, it must be that I don't actually love jazz composition. It straight killed my hesitation about whether I should focus on jazz stuff. If you feel like a jazz genius yourself, and you want to have a jazz career, take his AHC class and you'll figure it out. It's good for you either way.

Simply the best, but don't take his class if you don't understand harmony and aren't ready to work your ass off.

Polite, respectful, attentive, encouraging, intent on you understanding the material. Teaches in a manner that introduces you to novel ways of learning. Provides helpful feedback, additional materials, thoughts, advice to reinforce coursework. Intellectual teacher. This professor is why you go to college.

He didn't follow the syllabus; instead, he taught in his own way, always choosing challenging words and teaching methods that were hard to understand. I had to ask the tutor for help. The assignments were pretty chill, though. Phones were not allowed in class.

He's a bit of a character, for sure, but he's a genius. I learned more in Harmony 4 Entering than in any other class I've ever taken. The only assignments we had were the midterm and the final, which was kind of terrifying because of how hard the class was. Highly highly highly recommend taking one of his classes at some point.

If you are a harmony geek like me, and if you are looking for a teacher who is a wise, renaissance man who has a very deep understanding and hearing of music; you must participate in one of his classes and you must ask questions. If you are curios enough, there is chance your life can change. I'm a strong admirer and my life has changed forever.

Steve is a very intelligent person and clearly an expert in his field. If you're not soft, and actually want to get down on his level, and you have a head on your shoulders, he's an amazing prof. He's also understanding and accommodative. Great experience.

I took reharm online - I'm now reviewing every lecture, he really does have such a great approach to harmony, I hope one day to be able to be at his level. I wouldn't say it's easy but there is a lot to learn from him.