<p>Hi CC Parents,
I am a physician who was a music major at Emory University. My son is a 16 yo guitarist in Atlanta and studies classical and jazz guitar. He won a scholarship at Interlochen for classical guitar last summer 2013 and recently made the Jazz band of America 2014.
He can probably go anywhere from Julliard to USC...so my question is: if your son or daughter could've gone anywhere, where did they end up? Finally, the criteria for these kids of course is the teacher and the ability to grow as a player and be able to actually be the best they could possibly be. Josh plays both classical and jazz guitar, and would like to continue both genres probably w a focus in Jazz and minor in classical. All music programs are fair game and let's take out size and cost for argument sake. At the end of the day he just wants to give himself a chance to make a difference in the guitar world. What say you experienced MM parents particularly of classical and jazz guitar???!!!!
Dr. A</p>
<p>My first thought was Berklee because I’ve known a handful of guitar students there over the years. They are mostly jazz, rock, etc. but also cover classical. Big emphasis on performance. And it’s in Back Bay, Boston, which is a great place.</p>
<p>[Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Music”>Music Major - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>search or post under the music majors forum. Lots of guitarists and guitar parents there.
Also— I am not aware of any good school that offers a music performance minor. He might just want to choose a school that has strengths in both.</p>
<p>Explore the Jazz Studies Program at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Their Jazz Performance majors take two foundation years in jazz and classical in a 4-year program of study. The other major is Jazz Composition.</p>
<p>Oberlin was the first Music Conservatory to really recognize jazz by bringing Dave Brubeck Quartet to play there some 50 years ago when no other Conservatory would have them onstage. Brubeck has done an annual concert there ever since, to express continued appreciation.</p>
<p>Several years ago, they created an entire Jazz Studies program for performance and other, within the Conservatory which is world-rate. They brought some of the great jazz musicians to the school to join their music faculty. They built to accommodate the new program, adding to a great Conservatory offering.</p>
<p>He could explore jazz and classical there. Note also the College and Conservatory are one institution, as they began in the 19th century. Many Oberlin Conservatory musicians say they enjoy the social interaction with liberal arts students of the College at meals and dorms. If your son also has strong academic interests, and qualifies, he can do a 5-year double degree, but doesn’t have to. </p>
<p>Details about Jazz Studies program here [Overview</a> - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/jazz-studies/]Overview”>http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/jazz-studies/)
And about the Conservatory of Music [Conservatory</a> of Music - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/]Conservatory”>http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/)</p>
<p>Go to discussion home and then click on music major. The music forum is very active and very helpful.</p>
<p>Berklee, Oberlin, NEC, Hartt, Ithaca, Juilliard, San Francisco conservatory are all possibilities. Some conservatories do not offer guitar, and some state university music schools don’t either. UMass Lowell has guitar, Amherst does not.</p>
<p>As you know from your own experience, he can also attend college and study music. Bennington may still have Frederick Hand. You would have to check websites to make sure guitar is offered. Some LAC’s don’t have guitar faculty but will offer to find a teacher.</p>
<p>Anyway, folks on the music forum will help and you can do a search too, because this topic as come up on that forum before, a few times.</p>
<p>Berklee would be my choice.</p>
<p>I don’t think Berklee has Classical Guitar.</p>
<p>I see that that Berklee does have classical guitar, though I never think of it as the place to go for classical music - more of a jazz haven.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, I mentioned some of the schools above because they have excellent guitar teachers/departments. Some offer classical and some offer jazz, or both. Websites will tell you more.</p>
<p>Hartt guitar faculty: [Faculty</a> Biographies | The Hartt School Guitar Department](<a href=“http://www.theharttschoolguitardepartment.com/faculty-biographies.html]Faculty”>http://www.theharttschoolguitardepartment.com/faculty-biographies.html) </p>
<p>Ithaca’s classical guitar (one of the oldest guitar programs in the country) <a href=“Pablo Cohen | Ithaca College”>Pablo Cohen | Ithaca College; they have classical and jazz. [Guitar</a> (Classical and Jazz) - Requirements per Instrument - Admission - Ithaca College](<a href=“Music Admission | Ithaca College”>Music Admission | Ithaca College)</p>
<p>NEC has Elliot Fisk [Eliot</a> Fisk | New England Conservatory](<a href=“http://necmusic.edu/faculty/eliot-fisk?lid=2&sid=3]Eliot”>Eliot Fisk | New England Conservatory). Classical and jazz programs.</p>
<p>I’ll stop here and you can check out Juilliard and San Francisco…</p>
<p>It’s important to know that Berklee is different from the others in that it offers acoustic and electric guitar in these styles: jazz, rock, metal, acoustic pop, funk, fusion, and blues. [Guitar</a> Courses | Berklee College of Music](<a href=“http://www.berklee.edu/guitar/guitar-courses]Guitar”>Guitar Courses)</p>
<p>Most state universities do not offer guitar. Bard offers guitar in the regular college program rather than the conservatory: “Jazz studies, and instruments such as guitar, organ and saxophone are offered through the the College’s regular four-year Music Program and not through the Conservatory.” I am not so sure that Bard offers classical guitar.</p>
<p>Curtis added guitar (when my daughter applied they didn’t offer it): [Curtis</a> Institute of Music : Curtis Adds Classical Guitar Program](<a href=“http://www.curtis.edu/about-curtis/press-media-room/news-archive/2010/curtis-adds-classical-guitar-program.html]Curtis”>http://www.curtis.edu/about-curtis/press-media-room/news-archive/2010/curtis-adds-classical-guitar-program.html) Teachers are Jason Vieaux and David Starobin, not too shabby.</p>
<p>I will second Ithaca for classical guitar.</p>
<p>Back for a minute:</p>
<p>Juilliard classical guitar has Sharon Isbin. <a href=“http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/music/guitar[/url]”>http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/music/guitar</a> They also have jazz guitar. [Jazz</a> Guitar | The Juilliard School](<a href=“http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/music/jazz/jazz-guitar]Jazz”>http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/music/jazz/jazz-guitar)</p>
<p>San Francisco Conservatory classical, and early music: [Guitar</a> - myCampus](<a href=“http://www.sfcm.edu/guitar1]Guitar”>Guitar | SFCM)</p>
<p>UMass Lowell has both classical and jazz: [Richard</a> Schilling](<a href=“http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/music/adjunct-faculty/schilling-richard.aspx]Richard”>http://www.uml.edu/FAHSS/music/adjunct-faculty/schilling-richard.aspx), and electric or steel string as well <a href=“https://www.uml.edu/docs/Audition-Requirements-2012-2013_tcm18-89046.pdf[/url]”>https://www.uml.edu/docs/Audition-Requirements-2012-2013_tcm18-89046.pdf</a>.</p>
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<p>They do, but I didn’t get the sense that the OPs son was interested in a career in classical. The two people I know well that attended Berklee are equally comfortable with classical and jazz (cello and guitar respectively) with alittle rock n roll/blues thrown in for fun. Both my friends also are Interlochen alum. I guess it really depends on where the OPs son sees himself in the future.</p>
<p>Aside from online, I cannot find any classical guitar on the Berklee page. For my own purposes, can you show me a link?</p>
<p>I think this son wanted to minor in classical but focus on jazz, and perhaps there is enough traditional theory for the guitar at Berklee to satisfy those two directions.</p>
<p>cannot edit: I meant “aside from Berklee online.”</p>
<p>[Principal</a> Instruments | Berklee College of Music](<a href=“http://www.berklee.edu/principal-instruments]Principal”>Principal Instruments)</p>
<p>Click on guitar and it lists the courses for undergrad.</p>
<p>Berklee does have classical guitar, but the vibe I’ve gotten from knowing Berklee students and being on campus is that it’s mainly focused on jazz and rock guitar.</p>
<p>I second Oberlin.</p>
<p>Momofthreeboys, I still don’t see any mention of classical guitar.</p>
<p>The link to principal instruments goes to guitar and then a description of the guitar program: “We provide individualized instruction in both electric and acoustic guitar”. Elsewhere, acoustic seems to be defined as steel string. For my own reasons, I would love to know if you actually see reference to classical guitar. Not to beat a dead horse.</p>
<p>I left Oberlin out because someone else provided a few links but it is a great school offering everything the son could want :)</p>
<p>Eastman School of Music at the Univesity of Rochester (NY) has a program in Jazz Studies and Media, faculty in jazz guitar, and classical guitar.</p>
<p>[Search</a> | Berklee College of Music](<a href=“http://www.berklee.edu/search/node/Classical%20Guitar]Search”>http://www.berklee.edu/search/node/Classical%20Guitar)</p>
<p>If a young person wants classical and only classical I would say perhaps go elsewhere but for a kiddo who participates in classical and jazz I still would first say look at Berklee. Here’s who used to be there, think he still is.<br>
[Guitar</a> Studies, by Apostolos Paraskevas - YouTube](<a href=“Guitar Studies, by Apostolos Paraskevas - YouTube”>Guitar Studies, by Apostolos Paraskevas - YouTube)
[Apostolos</a> Paraskevas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolos_Paraskevas]Apostolos”>Apostolos Paraskevas - Wikipedia).
The people I know personally who graduated from Berklee perform both classically and jazz…acoustic and electric. No one, including me, would argue that Berklee is for everyone. But the OP was looking for ideas and I seconded whomever posted Berklee.</p>