Not in the jazz world so I can’t talk that intelligently about the programs mentioned. The first reality of music schools is that the biggest factor is going to be the teacher, and that is a very individualistic thing. A program could have a great group of teachers on the instrument, and you could find none of them work for the student. It is very much a master/apprentice kind of vibe. Teachers in areas where there is a lively jazz scene, not only are likely working musicians or retired working musicians, but they also likely know how to get gigs, which for Jazz is so important. Oberlin might have a good jazz program (I really don’t know it at all for that), but because it is a traditional college town in a more rural area, the opportunity for gigs may be limited(and again, that is a hypothetical). Some kids want to be on a college campus, which means schools like NEC and Juilliard, which are stand alone conservatories, might not work for them. The other thing is the approach of the school, are they more wedded to theory then performance? Do the kids get a chance to perform in a variety of small ensembles, etc? And yes, where the school is, what it is like, is important, too. If you don’t like the school’s vibe, where for example NEC doesn’t really have a campus, there are several buildings that make it up (Berklee is the same, it is literally nearby to NEC); great area (Back Bay), but if you want a college campus, may not be a fit (NYU is like that, they used to say the city was your campus, and given how much NYU now owns of it, not entirely untrue (it was very different when I went there 90 zillion years ago, back then it was tiny compared to today real estate wise). What tours can do is give you an idea of facilities, the area they are in, and even maybe an idea of the life of the school (look at posters for events around the place, etc).
If you are applying to a lot of schools then touring can be prohibitively expensive. One value to visiting is getting an idea of what you want , standalone vs college, and you could limit your tours to each type (same with more rural vs cityish). Keep in mind that if you are going to do in person auditions, then you will be travelling there anyway, for the auditions. I realize you could eliminate schools by touring before even deciding to audition, but personally I don’t think there is an ROI on that, I would focus on figuring out schools that have teachers and programs you think would be good, set your list, view some of them pre audition to get an idea of the type of environment/school, then tour the rest when you audition. With the schools not in our area my son applied to, he didn’t see them before the auditions.
Not sure this will help anyone, but one thing I can say with all forms of music is that the real battle is with the teacher, other elements kind of work themselves out, and given the cost of touring many schools (obviously, if you are visiting NYC , a number of the schools mentioned are in this region, so those may be easier to see , you could do that in a day or two if you are willing to drive around).
