McGill Faculty Program vs. Temple Honors Program - Jazz Piano

College Majors Music Major
1

Hi,

My son was accepted to the McGill Faculty program for Jazz Piano (it is a flexible degree so that you can complete a double major) and also in the Temple Honors Program.

Does anyone have experience with either one of these programs, and with the music scene in Montreal vs. Philly?

My son liked both schools, money coming out in the same ballpark, so we’re having a hard time deciding how to proceed.

Thanks,

Sharon

2

@Sharon P - I just PM’d you.

3

You may find this video interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmYP8FNIl6I
Montreal has an incredible music scene in all areas.

4

Not sure how helpful this is, but I asked my son what he thought of the choice and he said it’s really a matter of personal preference. Both have good jazz programs. One of the jazz piano faculty at Temple is one of my son’s former teachers, whom he loves. But my son also loves the Montreal jazz scene. He says the McGill program is more structured than Temple, while the Montreal jazz scene is more open and Philly is more straight ahead. Bottom line, from his perspective, both are good choices. If my son had the choice, he’d go with McGill because he loves the Montreal jazz scene (he’s performed in both places several times and will be back in Montreal next month). But Temple would be a great choice too if your son feels more comfortable there. I guess the good news is that your son can’t go wrong with either. Congrats and best of luck!

5

There is a VERY big difference in the emphasis in the two degrees. The faculty degree at McGill is not a performance degree, it is an emphasis. You only have private lessons for two years (unless you fail your final exam). You will not get in the sought after studios. A person who we talked to said that you will not get nearly the attention that performance majors get and that it is the equivalent of taking piano as a theory or composition major. You cannot add a second major until the second year and that cannot be a performance major. If he is serious about performance, I would choose Temple.

6

@PAPDAD - thank you for posting that! My son’s comments above were with respect to the jazz performance programs at the two schools, because that’s what I asked him about. I did not understand or appreciate that the Faculty program for jazz piano at McGill was a very different animal. I’m glad you were here to clarify. It obviously makes a huge difference.