<p>Thanks momofthreeboys. Don’t know why it was so hard to find! Great teachers…</p>
<p>Hi Moms,
Oberlin is one of the schools we are looking at. Has anyone children currently at USC guitar program or Julliard? Those to me would allow Josh to moonlight as a musician while completing his degree both in the studio or touring acts in NY or LA. What say you experienced parents in music game?? As far as classical guitar, he plays classical guitar as is well trained, but his passion is probably more in contemporary music. But guitar is guitar and he enjoys performing w both a classical guitar and electric hollowbody.
Dr. A</p>
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<p>While there are greater moonlighting opportunities in NYC and presumably LA, he will also face much stiffer competition from numerous other moonlighters/musicians in those areas. </p>
<p>Moreover, moonlighting like that will also take substantial amount of time away from his undergraduate studies and conservatories like Oberlin* will require a huge time commitment. </p>
<p>It takes a resourceful person with great time management skills to balance the conservatory time commitments with moonlighting in highly competitive places like NYC or LA. </p>
<ul>
<li>I speak as an alum from the college who has had many classmates who were con/double degree majors.</li>
</ul>
<p>Again–check the music majors forum. Parents of students who study guitar in LA, NYC and at Oberlin check in and post there. In the Parents Forum, the experience tends to be a little less direct. (compmom excluded 
)</p>
<p>Don’t forget Manhattan School of Music if conservatory is an option:
[Manhattan</a> School of Music > Instruction & Faculty > Academic Departments > Jazz](<a href=“http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Academic-Departments/Jazz]Manhattan”>Jazz Arts - Manhattan School of Music)
[Contemporary</a> Performance](<a href=“http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Academic-Departments/Contemporary-Performance]Contemporary”>http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Academic-Departments/Contemporary-Performance)
We loved MSM, beautiful old building that once housed Juilliard, and Columbia and Barnard very close.</p>
<p>In the Boston area, I know students from all kinds of schools who gig off campus, including of course NEC and Berklee, but also Tufts, BU…maybe not as high powered as LA or NYC and still pretty expensive, but as someone once said, the music scene “may not be wide, but it’s deep.”</p>
<p>p.s. Thanks musicamusica but I do not know much about jazz or contemporary so my input isn’t of that much value. And I didn’t even know Berklee had classical guitar 
I strongly second the suggestion about the music forum, where there is a lot of expertise in the areas this son is interested in.</p>
<p>cannot edit, here are links for guitar at MSM
[Manhattan</a> School of Music > Instruction & Faculty > Academic Departments > Guitar](<a href=“http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Academic-Departments/Guitar]Manhattan”>http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Academic-Departments/Guitar)
[Manhattan</a> School of Music > Instruction & Faculty > Audition > Jazz Guitar](<a href=“http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Audition/Jazz-Guitar]Manhattan”>http://www.msmnyc.edu/Instruction-Faculty/Audition/Jazz-Guitar)</p>
<p>I think it would also depend on what kind of college campus experience the OPs son wants. Some of the possibilities are much closer to a “traditional” college experience than others.</p>
<p>As you know, in order to make a living in music, one has to be the best of the best. So, I would expect that he would make headway into the studio and touring performance like his friend … at Julliard who is a freshman and now playing bass with Justin Bieber in the studio. Also, there are new programs into medicine (FlexMed at Mt Sinai) so that if he felt he couldn’t make a living in music by his senior year, I am sure he would have a plan B.
I think he would manage just fine performing in the studio and in Chamber Orchestras and jazz ensembles as well as keeping up with his studies. But that remains to be seen…
Dr. A</p>
<p>I suggest going to music forum and searching on “jazz guitar”. You will find a lot of good suggestions.</p>
<p>Surprised I haven’t seen the University of North Texas mentioned yet.
UNT has the largest COM (College Of Music) in the US and is famous for both it’s jazz and classical programs. It was the 1st jazz program in the country and it’s lab band has been nominated at least twice for a Grammy.</p>
<p>The COM is ranked in the top 10 state supported COMs in the US.</p>
<p>It has a very strong Classical and Jazz guitar program.</p>
<p>There are many jazz students who have degrees from both Berklee and UNT, Masters or undergrad from each.</p>
<p>The classical guitar program has students from NEC, Eastman, Cleveland Conservatory and from Korea, Japan, Germany Bosnia, South America etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know about its guitar program, but Loyola University in New Orleans has an excellent music department. You can’t beat New Orleans for its music scene, and the culture, food, etc. University of Miami, where I attended, also had an excellent music school while I was there, and it is also a city known for its culture, music. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sarah Jaroez just graduated from the New England Conservatory and she is one heck of a guitarist. Maybe not classical or purely jazz but on her way to a wonderful career.</p>
<p>From a purely practical point of view I would go where there will be the biggest number of alumni-contacts in the field he’s interested in, 5 years after he graduates.</p>
<p>The reality is that the contacts he makes in college all refer journeyman jobs and opportunities to each other.</p>
<p>You want to have a good network, an opportunity to play with great players, and be in a city where there’s a lot of opportunity.</p>
<p>I went to Berklee, studied privately at NEC, got a grad degree in music at NYU and did post grad at Columbia. I taught at both Berklee and NYU.</p>
<p>Had a successful career in jazz, film, popular music. Most of my important auditions, tours, sessions etc came from referrals. The earliest and most important ones all came from classmates or alumni. The same classmates have been multiple grammy winners, on the cover’s of the musician mags, etc. The point is they had successful careers. Many did not and found something else as a main career after years of struggling, but still enjoy music in their life.</p>
<p>In the last 20 years music has become an increasingly tough field. Takes a lot of resourcefulness and flexibility to carve out a living. Most instrumentalists eventually use a teaching gig as a financial anchor while continuing to record and tour - so graduate degrees are extremely useful if you want a tenure track option down the road.</p>
<p>I would recommend a school in Boston (New England Conservatory or Berklee), Los Angeles ( USC studio guitar program ) or New York ( Manhattan School of Music, NYU, etc. ) Nashville is good also. </p>
<p>The style of learning and personality of the student are important in whether you pick a more intimate small school or a larger more structured program. Either way if you want to become a good jazz player you need access to a few good teachers, great players and facilities where you can play, write and experiment together for a couple years. </p>
<p>After that the real work starts. </p>