I know that Princeton offers a minor in jazz, but does anyone know how big the jazz scene is on campus and if there is conservatory level talent (for jazz)? I am a serious jazz pianist but don’t know for sure if I want to pursue it as a career yet.
Take a look here for jazz related events on the campus of Princeton:
Also take a look at “Jazz at Princeton” if you haven’t yet:
https://music.princeton.edu/current-students/jazz-princeton-university
My son is a conservatory level violinist who was admitted to Princeton this past year but he’s currently taking a gap year to pursue his long neglected personal interests. He’ll be joining the Class of 2022. Princeton and its peers attract conservatory level musicians, and I do know that Princeton Pianists Ensemble is of very high quality: https://www.princetonpianists.com/#princeton-pianists
One main reason why my son was attracted to Princeton more than any others is the fact that Princeton offers flexibility and opportunity for those who aren’t certain of making a career in music. The dual degree program with the Royal College of Music in London is offered in such a way that you can experience it for a semester (in junior year) as an opportunity to taste and reflect further on which direction you’d like to go. Many musicians use it as a musical study abroad and pursue a non-musical career upon return. Some do go back for an MM degree. The choice is up to you. It isn’t like Harvard-NEC dual degree program where you’re committed to it from the get go. My son once thought of the Harvard-NEC dual degree program but in the end ditched the idea as he couldn’t bring himself to live with the double commitment. He wanted a flexible program that allows some room to explore various options, and Princeton offered what he was looking for.
My son, who is a senior now at Princeton, is a jazz musician, though I have to admit not at a conservatory level. ( He got admitted partly because of his art supplement and the word put in by the then director of the jazz program at Princeton. ) Their music program is full of serious musicians, who like you decided they did not want to pursue music full time. They have had some changes at the top of the Jazz program in the past two years. They have a new director of the program, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and a new director of their Big Band, Darcy James Argue. My son was going to discontinue his jazz involvement last year, but the energy and excitement from the new leadership drew him in again into the big band, and he says he loves the program, and I can attest to the fact that he has grown a lot as a musician these past 3+ years. Good luck!