compmom

Just one more thing to add: I don't know anything at all about jazz studies, so whatever comments I made were relevant for classical music studies (including what is called "new music" or contemporary concert or contemporary classical or whatever you want to call it). So many really good schools have jazz studies now, and requirements in the curriculum (or admissions) are probably different than those our daughter is looking into...Many people here know a lot more about this...

johnc

Thank you all for the encouraging and informative posts! Sorry I haven't responded sooner - been home sick...

violadad - I have skimmed BassDad's work, and will return to it. Getting an evaluation from his teacher is next, and perhaps a few other people we know.

compmom - "making brave phone calls" - that's it, isn't it!! Picking up the phone and not being afraid to sound a little stupid... :-) Thanks for the push!

henrob - Thanks for the note on Belmont and Lee. Belmont is definitely high on the list, and Lee looks interesting. Coming out of a Christian HS, he leans away from a Christian college, but has the impression Belmont is not as strict and "Christian" as others. Found many of your comments in other threads, and you seem to confirm that.

In any case, Belmont may be the best option in the middle of the country. Other commercial programs seem to be on the coasts and cost $45,000+!

All of you have confirmed some things we were thinking and brought up other good points. Depending on what our more musical friends and acquaintances advise, we'll make sure he keeps getting the keyboard and theory he needs, and perhaps some jazz stuff as well.

He has a chance to go to one of Berklee's shorter summer workshops, and I just heard about a week-long program at nearby Illinois Wesleyan that covers composition and other topics about studying music in college. Need to check that out!

ImperialZeppelin

Illinois Wesleyan has a small, but reasonable music department. It may very well be a perfect place for a late bloomer. Was DD's safety and they certainly weren't stingy with financial aid...

jazzzmomm

Two books we used in our research which were helpful in different ways were "Peterson's College Guide for Performing Arts Majors" and "Schools that Rock". The former is a more traditional college guide with listings of schools, majors, admissions criteria, etc. and which also includes a section on being a music major. The latter is a fun guide published by Rolling Stone Magazine that lists schools with good music programs and good music scenes around campus, which is important for jazz and contemporary students, as they learn from getting out and playing local clubs, etc.

mom55

My son is a freshman jazz studies major (sax) at Michigan. He loves it. One of his requirements in looking at a school was that it allowed him some freedom to create other kinds of music besides jazz. The head of the UM program, Ellen Rowe, said, "As long as it has integrity, we support our students' pursuit of their musical voice." Ellen is very accessible and worth talking to.

My son is liking the jazz, and also joined (with 2 other jazz studies majors and 4 other kids) one of the hottest rock/blues bands on campus called Great Divide...check them out on MySpace.