Currently, I’m looking for a music college that offers high quality, professional courses in all of the aforementioned genres of music (as well as theory and composition), but it seems for the most part that music colleges either focus on classical/contemporary or rock/jazz, and not all of the genres, which I want. The music college closest to me that I was thinking of applying for is the Jacob’s School of Music in IU, but I’ve heard that there’s a much larger focus on old, classical works there rather than newer works or rock/jazz. I’ve also heard about Berklee, but I’ve also heard that due to its city location and non-campus type structure that it doesn’t provide as good of an education, nor does it provide good classical based learning opportunities that I want.
What’s the best college option for me in this scenario?
I think you’ll find at whatever music school you go to, people are working on all kinds of genres regardless of their specific focus in school. My son is a jazz student, but has played in punk, indie, american roots and rock bands with other musicians who are also studying jazz, or, in some cases, classical music.
You should spend some time looking at the web pages of schools you are interested in to figure out what’s going on there. For example, Berklee is a conservatory, so it is a music school specifically, not a music school inside a university, like the Jacobs School.
It’s helpful for people here to know what instrument you play and what your specific interests are in order to get advice.
At Jacobs, there is only classical and jazz. The main focus at IU feels classical due to its long tradition and large size but I think the jazz program is reputable. I’m not that knowledgeable however on jazz so I can just give you my impression. Rock or contemporary does not exist at IU to my knowledge. My D graduated from Jacobs last year in the “classical” dept so to speak.
What is your primary instrument? For voice, even some of the commercial music programs start with 2 years of classical study. I do not know how it works with other instruments.
@dbandmom My primary instruments are basically all percussion; marimba, drum set, vibraphone, snare drum, etc. I also compose music, and would like to expand my prowess of composing to include jazz, rock , and other contemporary genres, as well as better my ability of composing entirely.
Then you really need a diverse percussion program that covers everything. My son is a percussion major at Eastman. He is in the classical dept. he must also take at least a semester of drumset with the jazz dept. There are all types of groups at Eastman from bluegrass to classical. Indiana also has a diversified percussion dept. You would be fine looking into that program. Percussion is tough so get as well rounded as you can before auditions. Mallet, timpani, snare and drumset are ideal.
The Eastman percussion ensemble (4 students - 2 male, 2 female) that performed during my son’s audition was incredible - all original compositions too, I think. Eastman is a conservatory that requires a strong classical foundation even for jazz students. You can actually learn a lot about a school’s focus by the audition requirements!
Also, I’m noticing you’re grouping jazz and rock together, which is not typical. As you’re discovering, you will audition in classical percussion or jazz drumset with some programs that require both. Then you’ve got your schools like Berklee which incorporate contemporary music into the curriculum, and have more free form auditions. Check out the CI dept at NEC in Boston (although it’s another Boston school with a city campus!). My son loves it.
Berklee offers just about any type of musical instruction you could think of. They are definitely a contemporary music school but core curriculum is Jazz based as most genres are rooted in Jazz. Also they will most likely be merging with Boston Conservatory next year which will open up a whole new world of opportunities. My son just started Berklee and loves it! Good Luck