Grad Schools

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>DS sent me an email today. He is trying to figure out grad school options. He is a trumpet player. Here are his choices right now (in consultation with his trumpet teacher)...Rice, Northwestern, Juilliard (major reach he thinks), UCLA, Wichita State (he LOVES the trumpet teacher there...studied with her in the summers), possibly Eastman, and McGill. He may drop UCLA and Eastman. He may apply to stay at BU but that is not his top choice. He may add others...but that is what he is thinking right now. He will try to take lessons with teachers before next year...yikes. I can't believe he's doing all this AGAIN.</p>

2

<p>Great line up. I've heard the trumpet program at Northwestern is outstanding. And Chris Martin (formerly of Atlanta SO, now principal trumpet in Chicago SO) went to Eastman.</p>

<p>But I don't envy you starting the process all over again. :(</p>

3

<p>Performance trumpet MM?</p>

<p>He should be in the city.</p>

<p>Julliard, Manhattan, Mannes. In that order.</p>

4

<p>My son says Northwestern is the place to go. (He hopes to do grad school there after his four years at Indiana.) The trumpet instructors there taught my son's trumpet teacher when they were at Eastman, but they have since moved to Northwestern and are, from what my son says, turning out the top trumpet players in the nation. The teachers now at Northwestern are actually the ones who taught Chris Martin when he was at Eastman.</p>

5

<p>Well, that clears something up for me. Chris' brother also plays trumpet and was in youth orchestra with my S. I know Northwestern was his dream school (which is why I posted the above), and I wondered why, since his brother had done so well at Eastman. Now I know.</p>

6

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<p>He isn't much interested in the programs at Manhattan and Mannes. But Juilliard is on his list...a reach but it's there. I think he's also adding Yale to his list.</p>

7

<p>Since Yale grad school is free for musicians, it's definitely worth a shot. Next year when he auditions at Juilliard, if he needs a place to stay, give me a holler. And while I agree that NYC is a "happening place" for musicians, I think Chicago isn't too shabby in that regard, either!</p>

8

<p>Yale has a huge plus in that Alan Dean is the trumpet teacher. If your goal is straight-ahead orchestra playing, Yale/Alan are a poor choice. If you want to play music on the trumpet, he is as good as it gets.</p>

<p>The hoopla over Yale being 'free' is somewhat overblown. They have always been very generous in grant money to their graduate music students.</p>

<p>At some point, a performer needs to perform. Northwestern has a picturesque setting, excellent trumpet teachers and good ensembles. It would be a nice place to spend two years. Then what? </p>

<p>In NY, beyond playing in your school's ensembles, you'll be meeting and, hopefully, working with musicians outside of school: stageband at the Met, subbing Broadway, church gigs, semi-professional orhestras. If you want to argue that Barbara Butler at Northwestern is a better teacher than Phil Smith at Juilliard, fine by me. That's an undergrad type of reason to choose a school. What you need now are contacts and oppurtunities. Like it or not, the US music scene goes through NY. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, Juilliard is a 'reach' for any trumpet applicant. They listen to 60-80 players for 2-3 undergrad and 2-3 graduate slots each year. Also, some of the spots will be 'pre-filled' by Juilliard pre-college students and players already known to the trumpet faculty. That's why I posted earlier about Manhattan and Mannes. To many, they are lesser schools than a Northwestern or IU or Rice. To me, they have the huge plus of being in NY.</p>

<p>I apologize if this post sounds strident. It comes down to one question for your son: Does he want to play or teach? If the ultimate goal is college teaching, go to Northwestern, or one of its kin. If he wants to play, go to NY.</p>

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<p>LetsGoMets, it sounds to me like when you say "playing," you really mean "playing in New York." Chicago (or LA, Boston, or others) is a major musical center and a great place to start a career in performance. And it's pretty obvious that going to Northwestern would result in more Chicago-area contacts and networking than would going to school in New York. There may not be AS many opportunities outside of school, but still quite a lot. That's why some people advocate choosing a grad school based on where you'd like to begin your career.
But aside from that, contacts and networking will help with getting freelance gigs, but will not help you win an audition. Only good teaching and good performance opportunities will do that.</p>

10

<p>< If the ultimate goal is college teaching, go to Northwestern, or one of its kin. If he wants to play, go to NY.></p>

<p>Matt Muckey, 21 yr. old senior at Northwestern, just won the associate 3rd trumpet job with NY Phil.</p>

<p>Carol Jantsch, 20 yr. old senior at U. Mich recently won the principal tuba job with Philadelphia Orchestra.</p>

<p>There really is music outside of NYC, and I'd rather pay my money to Northwestern for trumpet over Manhattan or Mannes any day!</p>