<p>I need some advice. I am a freshman jazz studies major on guitar. I am currently going to a state school in California that has a very poor music program. I am originally from the LA area and I would like to return there to be at that music scene. I am going to Fullerton College next year to finish up credits I need to transfer. I have limited my choice of schools to Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Long Beach. I prefer Long Beach because I live 2 minutes from it. Can I please have some pros and cons of each school? I plan on remaining a jazz major so I need to know what both programs are like. I am well aware that each of them are amazing in their own right. Another thing that is important to me is how many guitar players are in each of those programs? My current school is plagued with them; about 1/3 of the program is guitar players, so I would like to go to a school that has a little more musical diversity. I am hoping to make a career in big band if that helps. My goal in life is to play with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Thanks.</p>
<p>-A Troubled Jazz Major</p>
<p>Another thing I should add is how big are the programs? Are there a lot of people or only a few? Is there a wide range of instrumentation or a lot of one or two instruments? Thanks.</p>
<p>Since you are at Fullerton College, any one of those departments is an easy drive. Make an appointment to visit —they would all be more than happy to answer your questions re size et al. Also try and have a lesson with a faculty member.</p>
<p>I would second the input by musicamusica. These should be questions that can be answered by just going to the source with a few emails and a visit.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. I was planning on doing when I go home for spring break. I was hoping to get some opinions from current students or alumni from those schools though. I would like a students opinion, not a faculty members.</p>
<p>There might be a facebook group you could check</p>
<p>First, Fullerton College has an amazing jazz program! My son has worked with a couple of the professors there through various clinics and such. You will be in good hands while you’re figuring out your next step. Both CSU Long Beach and CSU Fullerton have great professors. I can speak to you about one of the programs - - - My son is a freshman music composition major at CSULB, taking sax lessons from Jay Mason who plays with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Though not a jazz studies major, my son does play and write jazz music. The school does have a great jazz program - - - Three of the 29 2013 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award winners were current or past Long Beach students. </p>
<p>The school is great about letting students explore and play with other groups - - - and there are a lot of them. While at a sax ensemble concert (classical sax) I overheard a group of jazz sax students asking and receiving permission to sit in on the classical sax clinic classes. It was impressive to see the excitement that the students had about learning multiple styles of music. Long Beach is a big school - #2 in California and #20 in the country. But, the Bob Cole Conservatory is on its own area of the campus, down near the pyramid and the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. This isolated location of the campus makes the big program feel much smaller. When my son visited the school, one of the things that impressed him most was the number of practice rooms, and that students were actually using them (surprisingly, that wasn’t the case at some schools he visited). In addition to students working on their own, there is a sense of camaraderie, with students offering to jam with one another. With the nice So. Cal weather, students often sit outside and play together as well, which is easy to do since they’re on their own end of the campus. The concerts I have attended have included music arranged or composed by student musicians, which shows that they’re willing to let students explore their craft and get their music played. Again, this wasn’t the case at some of the other schools we explored. </p>
<p>What I would suggest for you is to explore the calendar on each school’s website. Pick several jazz concerts and attend them so that you can judge the quality of the program and musicians yourself. Schedule a visit to each campus and chat with professors with whom you would be working. Both schools have great professors and though my son didn’t apply to Fullerton, one of the professors who knew of him reached out and offered encouragement and suggestions which tells me that they also aim to work closely with their students. Ultimately, the right school for you will be determined by you. You’ll know the right fit when you’ve visited both programs.</p>
<p>OCMusicMom - great to hear that your son is doing well at CSULB! I’m happy everything has worked out so well.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great response,OCMusicMom! That was very helpful!</p>
<p>Thank you, SpiritManager. It has been a great fit! Thank you for all of your great advice along the way!</p>
<p>Quite welcome, randomman123. I also wanted to comment on one of the things you said about being in LA. The Fullerton prof who spoke to my son when we were at the Reno Jazz Festival this past spring said the same thing. While he was speaking specifically to composition rather than jazz, his words to my son were that he needed to ultimately be at USC since his goal is eventually to work in film scoring, This prof was already familiar with my son’s work through other people in the jazz world, but had heard his classical and film scoring type music as well. At this time, this is my son’s plan for a masters degree but who knows how that might change over time. Since you’re going to finish your GenEd in a JC, you might think of adding USC or UCLA into your mix of choices, if your specific program allows for transfer students (composition does not). My advice would be the same about checking out their programs and music for the best fit for you. Another thing you might consider is checking out the Colburn Sessions Squad to see if and when they’ll be running. They have traditionally met on Sunday nights at the Colburn School in LA. Our son has sat in a number of times - lots of LA jazz musicians attend.</p>