<p>What’s the most highly ranked Liberal Arts university with the best music program? I wish to major in music performance, most specifically jazz guitar, but also something along the lines of English/History/Politics. I live in New York and would be willing to look anywhere on the East coast to approximately the Chicago region.</p>
<p>You should look at Oberlin. It is possible to be a double-degree student with one major in the Conservatory of Music and one in the College of Arts & Sciences. It usually takes 4 1/2 - 5 years to complete.</p>
<p>@TripSounds - I remember how overwhelming this all seemed last Fall. Take the time to read thru the posts here, but it’s the best way to get answers (and learn the questions!)</p>
<p>use the search tool for: jazz guitar </p>
<p>Look at the last pages of each year’s acceptance threads, and see where the Jazz Guitar kids were accepted</p>
<p>Look at the last pages of each year’s Final decisions threads, and see where they decided to attend</p>
<p>Read the post that Stickied is at the top of this forum about colleges for music.</p>
<p>Go to your school counseling off, or the library or a bookstore, and look at college guide indexes - they usually have lists by subject.</p>
<p>An advanced title search on jazz displayed as threads is recommended.</p>
<p>Just a few (of 125 or so) from that method.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/651411-liberal-arts-colleges-w-strong-jazz-performance-programs.html?highlight=jazz[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/651411-liberal-arts-colleges-w-strong-jazz-performance-programs.html?highlight=jazz</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/154774-best-university-jazz-programs.html?highlight=jazz[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/154774-best-university-jazz-programs.html?highlight=jazz</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/978192-schools-jazz-guitar.html?highlight=jazz[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/978192-schools-jazz-guitar.html?highlight=jazz</a></p>
<p>^Could be dead wrong here but my son made a comment the other day that there was “not much of a jazz scene at Oberlin” (according to a friend of his, who is a big jazz guy.) No idea the criteria they’re talking – just sharing the comment in the effort to assist OP, who obviously would want a jazz scene. Take it with a grain of salt though - entirely hearsay 
Best way to tell is a campus visit.</p>
<p>Oberlin was the first conservatory to offer jazz studies back in 1973 and now they have the fantastic new jazz studies building with all the latest technology that just opened last year. It is fantastic. It would be hard for me to believe that you wouldn’t be amongst some of the brightest minds in terms of students and teachers. And there is so much “spontaneous music” happening on a regular basis at Oberlin… just visit and see for yourself.</p>
<p>^The person I was referring to (friend of son’s) enjoys the school and the people; just doesn’t love the “jazz scene.” Suspect he means the rural nature of the school as he is accustomed to a metropolitan area.</p>
<p>Whoa! My son is a sophomore jazz performance major at Oberlin. There is a HUGE jazz scene there, both with students performing and visiting musicians. There also is a reasonable jazz scene in Cleveland…not sure how much more you’d want, lol!! I think the only cities with jazz scenes that are ancillary to the U would be NY and probably Montreal. New Orleans, obviously, but a very specific kind of jazz. I would think with all the playing a student is doing, there’s not much more time for going into the city for entertainment.</p>
<p>^I will let you know if I get clarification/context on that comment. I was surprised by it.
Detroit, Chicago and Boston are fairly robust in terms of jazz as well, or so I am told ;).</p>
<p>At many liberal arts colleges and universities, there are no performance majors. They offer a BA in music, with subjects such as theory, history,composition, musicology, ethnomusicology and technology and music.</p>
<p>Conservatories and music schools within larger universities (perhaps that is what you meant) would offer a BM in performance.</p>
<p>Then there are schools like Oberlin and Bard, that offer double degrees, meaning a BM in performance and a BA in something else at the same time, taking 5 years. At Bard, this is required for conservatory students, and at Oberlin, it can be an option.</p>
<p>There are other schools that offer double degrees as well.</p>
<p>Tufts has a double degree (BA/BM) program with NEC, and Harvard has a double degree (BA/MM) with NEC (very selective). There other joint programs that you could look into.</p>
<p>So, basically, I guess it would help if you could clarify what your goals are and what kinds of schools/degrees you are looking for.</p>
<p>Although at Bard, (unless it’s changed in the past year) jazz is outside of the conservatory. The jazz program is part of Bard College, and it’s a BA. Confusing, I know.</p>
<p>@compmom, I most specifically meant a school I could double degree in as a performance major and also something out of music altogether (English/Politically related?). The programs I’m currently most interested in are Frost, Steinhardt, and Thorton of the likes, all music schools within larger universities, but they do not offer the double degree programs I’m interested in. If it were completely up to me I would dedicate myself entirely to music, however I don’t find enough security in it and not completely sure if that is the only thing I want in my time receiving an education. Which leads me to my next question:</p>
<p>Is there any security graduating from such schools as a guitar music performance major? I understand it will be hard no doubt, but from any sort of experience what is it like compared to other careers?</p>
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<p>In a word… no.</p>
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<p>Compared to which careers? No music career is a safe bet. I make my living in the arts, and my son hopes to make a living playing guitar… but he, like me, can’t see himself doing anything else. If you can see yourself doing anything else, there’s a good chance that “anything else” has more security.</p>
<p>On the flip side, if you can make a living in the arts, lucky you. I know I feel quite blessed. I don’t blame my son for wanting the same.</p>
<p>You can a double major at USC - in fact, they encourage double majors. But with most BA’s it’s likely to take you an extra year.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for responding and giving this great information.</p>
<p>Wow- does the USC double major have to pertain to music or can it be unrelated? I have not looked deep into their program yet but this I completely did not know.</p>
<p>McGill comes to mind-- great jazz there (better than the classical departments IMO), and a fine university.</p>
<p>BTW, how realistic is it to double major in music as a BM in performance with another field, such as physics? </p>
<p>Would this workload be too overwhelming?</p>
<p>To the OP: Oberlin, Bard and Tufts have double degrees (BA/BM), which take 5 years. At Bard, conservatory students are required to do the double degree. There may be many other schools, but these are the ones I know best.</p>
<p>I would second the McGill suggestion. My son visited earlier this year, at the time interested in jazz guitar (he is leaning more towards composition today). He was impressed with the jazz department in general, and also had a lesson with one of the guitar professors, which he enjoyed. There is a very active jazz scene in Montreal that the department takes advantage of. In addition, we found the cirriculum offered a lot of flexibility. I can’t guarantee you would walk away in 4 years with 2 degrees; it would potentially take longer. But, there is definitely room to work towards the double degree at McGill.</p>
<p>Check out the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. The jazz program at Hartt is excellent and they do alot within the city of Hartford. You can do a dual degree with Hartt and the University ( in many other majors) but it will take you more than four years. Many years ago I got a BMus in Performance and a BA in chemistry - it took 4.5 years and 3 summers of courses. I probably was one of the first to do that but it can be done. I took 18-21 credits per semester.</p>
<p>Foresthills - it depends on the instrument. If you play an orchestral instrument, it will likely be quite difficult. Orchestral instruments have required ensemble rehearsals several times a week, usually in the afternoon. As a science major, you will likely have labs in afternoons as well. Eventually, you will run into a conflict that cannot be resolved. If you are a piano or voice major it may be little easier, but not much.</p>