sberry

Thanks so much to all of you for your replies and valuable suggestions. I have never done this before- it's a very powerful thing to compare notes/seek advice from others. I am not sure what my son will do- he was unhappy several times before and decided to stick it out. I think it is a bit overwhelming to him to do the research, make the calls and appointments, etc.- he'd rather practice! My instinct is to let him figure out what he wants to do but if he seeks my advice, present some options. But he will be 21 this fall and he needs to take the initiative. Status quo may ultimately be the best option as he has a nice scholarship and while he does not have much of a peer group, his jazz guitar teacher is hinting that he is ready to include him at some of his local gigs, which would be a great experience. Also, he could concentrate on preparing to apply for admission to a Conservatory for his Master's. Last, he may have the option to study for a semester at the Puerto Rico Conservatory, a little-known school (at least to me until recently) that is currently in expansion mode since they just moved into a beautiful building in San Juan (I visited in April). The jazz guitar teacher is a Berklee grad and they apparently have a great Jazz and Carribean music program. Does anyone have any experience with this school? Again, thanks for your ideas- I appreciate them very much.

Susan

jazzzmomm

Hi sberry,

Just want to say hello and share a little with you because my son is a jazz guitarist. The lack of serious peers to play with would be a real downer for a committed jazz musician--it's so collaborative. Your son sounds like he deserves to be with players who see things the way he does. I don't know if transferring to a place like NEC (where my son is) as a senior would be worth the trouble or if he should just apply to Conservatories for graduate school. Maybe the best thing to do is to really tap into that private teacher at Goucher and tell him that he has the goal of going on to grad study at a top conservatory and just spend the year working on audition material. Does he go out and try to get gigs? I might think that putting his all into this last year in terms of playing time and lessons and theory work would be a good investment. I am pretty sure that NEC and MSM have MM programs for jazz musicians and I would think these are performance degrees.

He is late for auditioning into other programs. U of Arts in Philly might still be auditioning, but check out the quality of the peers there before making a choice that would be similar to where he is. William Patterson in NJ is a very good jazz program that also auditions late.

And don't be discouraged. You don't have to get to a conservatory by the traditional route. There is a student at NEC who was a lawyer for a few years before deciding to go to music school!

BassMom-IL

first time on this site and the info provided in this string is extremely informative.
first time also venturing into the exciting world of college program research for my only kid.
it's daunting.
looking for input on jazz programs for bass players - mainly electric, but he's interested in stand up also.
any advice is helpful...prefer midwest schools.

VicAria

University of North Texas (UNT)

You could also look at both Western Michigan University and Michigan State. Neither is a large jazz program, but your son would be working with two very gifted instructors/performers. At Michigan State, the jazz department is headed by Rodney Whitaker, who is one of Wynton Marsalis' bass players. At Western Michigan, it's Tom Knific.

I think Northwestern is also rebuilding its jazz program.

SJTH

Yes, Northwestern has a new jazz faculty as of the 08-09 school year. Oberlin of course has great jazz bass. Info on their faculty can be found on their website.

BassDad

Oberlin also has an amazing new building opening early 2010, mainly for the Jazz department. My daughter took Jazz lessons with Peter Dominguez in addition to her Classical lessons with Tom Sperl and says both are excellent teachers.

-Allmusic-

Many jazz programs offer upright bass only, not electric (I think Michigan State is one, and I would imagine Northwestern would be as well). The more straight ahead the program, the more likely that bass will be upright only.

In general, upright jazz bass players are in great demand.

THE`HAIRY`LEMON

Boney James and Dave Koz both came out of UCLA. :P

goodschool

The University of Tennessee is one of the best kept secrets in the country. Their jazz program was founded by Jerry Coker (still teaching in the area but semi retired from the university) and their rhythm section faculty consists of:

Donald Brown - Piano
Rusty Holloway - Bass
Keith Brown - Drums
Mark Boling - Guitar

UT Knoxville | School of Music

All these guys are internationally respected as players and educators

NYJets19

The University of Southern California has a very strong jazz program. Notable professors are Bob Mintzer (teaches and runs the top big band), Bill Watrous for trombone, Peter Erskine for drums. In addition to strong faculty they have a wide variety of classes offered in addition to big band/combo opportunities. Not to mention, USC is in LA which is a major music hub, something to consider for after college.

UC2008

reply to Steve M. UCLA ethnomusicology/ jazz studies is more competitive than before. Overall, UCLA music is more competitive than before. There are students who got into conservatories but chose UCLA. for example, a jazz freshman was choosing between Umich and UCLA. I'm pretty sure he chose Umich in the end. I also know of one person who chose UCLA over New School with a scholarship.

btiberio

Hello everyone-

I'm new to this site, and this is my first time posting.

I'm a jazz bassist in Rochester, NY, and will be a high school senior in the Fall. I have been doing a lot of research on jazz programs, and have come up with a list to work with. At this point, I feel like getting human feedback will be most helpful. This is what my list has boiled down to:

[Top choices]- William Paterson U, Eastman, Manhattan, New School, CalArts, SUNY Purchase, and New England Conservatory

[Other schools I'm interested in, but need to research more/ visit]- UArts in Phili, Temple University, USC Thornton, and NYU

I've reviewed this thread, and haven't found any discussion regarding William Paterson- this surprises me, because I just spent a week at the school, and I get the feeling that it is currently one of the most happening jazz schools, and is definitely the best bang for your buck, regarding schools in the NYC area. Also, for bass, the school is quite appealing, with Steve La Spina and Marcus McLaurine as core faculty. Perhaps it is lesser known because of its very low, selective enrollment? I think it's jazz program is similar in size to MSM, with a similar talent level. Do not dismiss this as a possibility if you don't know anything about WPU, but I would love some educated feedback.

Berklee is on my list as well, but I don't feel the need to discuss the school. Also, a highly skilled drummer that I play with is very into the idea of going to U Miami for grad school, and wants me to go with him. I know very little about the school, but I have heard it is at the top.

I am quite obsessed with the search for the perfect music school for me- any advice, suggestions, thoughts, insight is much appreciated. I look forward to joining the discussion!

violadad

btiberio, welcome. A couple of William Paterson threads:
jazz piano at William Paterson
Music Management at William Paterson in NJ?
New Jazz program -- pros and cons
Jazz Guitar Schools
University choices for a jazz trombone player

And Frost
Miami or Eastman for Jazz

Searching by keyword and title through the search this forum button will often bring up the most relevant threads, but there are many tangential subthemes running through a number of threads. Some of the best info gems are hard to locate using the search function. I found those using the institution name in the title. There are more. Try jazz as the keyword as well.

Another good source can be Master List of Music School Acceptances, Fall 2009 Scan the last post, and look for jazz majors, and specific schools. Degree pursuit, discipline and instrument is listed for each poster. You can also search for info under a specific username.

The best general advice is here So You Want To Be Music Major - One Family's Experience Check out the other pinned threads and the featured discussion threads as well. A number of recurring topics and questions have also been crosslinked.

btiberio

Thanks I'm sure this will help me a lot!

Trumpet57

Hoping to return topic to the front page and get some additional comments and information.