<p>Hello all,
I believe I posted about this before but I'm thinking about going back to school for a second degree within a couple years (I am taking private lessons on drums and Jazz Theory to brush up on as we speak). But within my School search I have narrowed it down to the big 5! New School, Uarts in Philly, Manhattan School of music, University of North Texas and Eastman School of Music. I know all these Schools are rather expensive especially from me coming out of a state School... BUT if theres one thing I've learned from my undergrad in a music at small liberal arts college it's that sometimes you really do get what you pay for! Not trying to sound bitter I did learn alot at my previous college at new paltz but I spent time in NYC going to Jam sessions and I realized that our connections and facilities were so poor that it actually hindered my education compared to other schools (trust me I tried to make the best out of my experience!) Now, below I'm going to go through each school I've mentioned and make a pro/cons list! From there I am hoping that anyone on this message board will be able to add any helpful remarks you/friends/fam might know about the schools. Please feel free to suggest any other schools similar to the one's I'm interested in anything helps...or send me to a different post/website :)! *OH one side note while researching schools the reason I didn't included names like NEC, Julliard, Suny Purchase, CUNY City college etc was because I am strictly looking for schools that reach all across the Jazz idiom not just say big band and bop. I found that very frustrating with my undergrad school, although I think it's essential to learn the tradition I do not want to come out sounding like a museum piece. Alot of schools are doing this and its frustrating especially with such a huge change in Jazz from acts like Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding and Christian scott to name JUST a few...so yes being a musician seems more competitive than ever!</p>
<p>1.NEW SCHOOL
Pros: Location is Nyc which is the Jazz Captial of the world, easy to get inspired, very contemporary in jazz Post bop to the very very present. My old drum teacher works there and he is wonderful. A Plethora of my musical Idols have attended here! Connections.
Cons: Very expensive and although I'm ok with this I would only be getting another bachelors which I'm not sure is worth it! For some reason the new school doesnt offer master degrees.</p>
<p>2.University of the arts.
Pro's: Extremly contemporary not just in Jazz but rock, fusion/funk/hiphop/electronica ensembles. Philly still has a great music scene and isnt as competitive as NYC. The curriculum itself seems to be the most broadly based to make it in the cruel music world (almost vocational status). Diverse players and faculty. Living in Philly is alot more manageable money wise than NYC
Cons: Once again very expensive unless I could get scholarships. Not sure how well known it is which could hurt for connections and opportunities within and outside of school.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Manhattan School of Music.
Pros: Once again NYC! Seems to be up there in connections. Professors I'd like to study with.
Cons: I heard it was more academic than performance based. Not sure how progressive/contemporary they are with their curriculum and ensembles. EXTREMELY expensive..makes me sick. Big band based?</p></li>
<li><p>Univeristy of North Texas.
Pro's: Faculty I'd LOVE to study with (particularly the drummers and arrangers). The biggest school out of the 5 so it will be easy for me to find inspiration. BY FAR the cheapest (if I get a small scholarship i'll get texas state tuition). Some drumming idols of mine graduated from here.
Con's: YEs its a big school so it might be easy for me to get lost in the shuffle/competition. Location in small town Texas is rather far from any decent connections (could be wrong though). Seems to be more big band based although I know it can be very contemporary I still prefer Small combo's.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>5.Eastman School of Music
Pro's: In Rochester NY which is right near my hometown so I can commute. VERY Excellent faculty in Theory/arranging and my primary instrument. Very small in size. Numerous downbeat awards and named "best" Jazz school.
Cons's: Most expensive out of all the schools, locations/connections seem almost non existent for the field I like to go in. Not sure about actual performance opportunities for are on and off campus. Seems like a traditional Jazz school and big band based. Exetremley competitive...more so than msm even!</p>
<p>Ok that does it! I apologize that this post is so long but I am really trying to find the graduate college that is right for me instead of making the same mistake as my undergrad! Any opinions or inputs are welcome guys :) Please send me whatever info you may have!</p>
<p>Dang-just wrote a long response that got deleted.</p>
<p>Why is Berklee not on the list? Berklee just added a master’s program and is a great place to go if you are interested in pushing boundaries and exploring different genres. It also has a very international population, which brings a lot of variety to the music scene.</p>
<p>NEC in my opinion is less conservative and traditional when it comes to Jazz then MSM. You might want to revisit NEC’s web site and check out their Contemporary Improvisation Department. NEC produces a lot of McArthur Fellows. My own son was looking for some of the same things you are and for him NEC was superior to MSM in this area.</p>
<p>The New School is definitely a happening place these days. My son (a bass player) probably likes many of the same musicians you do as many of his favorites these days came out of The New School. The New School has the advantage of being right in the heart of the city. And according to many that my son talked to, who you jam and gig with as a Jazz musician is just as important as who teaches you. I did not let my 18 year old apply to The New School because I felt like he was too young to handle it and it would be there for graduate school. If you are already jamming and gigging in NYC then The New School seems like the obvious choice.</p>
<p>My son liked Eastman. He liked the teacher. He liked that they offered a generous scholarship. He liked the way the program was structured. But he just could not get his mind around the limitations of being in Rochester. He wanted to be in a city where he could gig and jam with a wide range of friends and fellow musicians. He wanted to be either in NYC (where he has friends who are at NYU and Columbia who are actively gigging in NY, or in Boston where he has tons of friends at Berklee and NEC and also knows older musicians who he can gig and jam with.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about UNT. It was too far for us to consider. I do know that his teacher also recommended U of Miami but our son did not apply there. </p>
<p>You might want to look closely at Oberlin. Our son did not want Oberlin because he felt like it would be HS 2.0 for him. And yes Oberlin is remote. But as a graduate/older student who is looking to push boundaries and explore the creative side of Jazz Oberlin might be a great place to study. They are doing a lot of exciting things with music and technology and they seem to be producing a lot of really wonderful creative talent these days both within the LAC and the Conservatory. </p>
<p>Also you might want to consider McGill, especially since you are from Rochester and don’t have to worry about adjusting to the weather. McGill also might be more affordable. My son knows a drummer that just graduated from there who is doing extremely well and who loved his four years there. In fact after my son heard him recently he wondered if he had not made a mistake by not applying to McGill.</p>
<p>Ahh thank you StacJip! This Helped out alot. I agree with you on alot of things that you have said! Definetly look into schools like NEC again (I wasnt TOO sold on MSM either just one of my favorite musicians teaches there). I always forget about MCgill I’ll look into that as well and yes being from Rochester I definitely know how you can feel held back there now as in with every city there are some INCREDIBLE musicians found in my city one’s that deserve to be recognized but yet since we are so far out of the way from say Boston, NYC etc. it’s hard to get the name out there. Also I knew that berklee has recently offered a graduate school program and that is more than exciting but I found out that for some reason it’s only offered in europe and I am just not ready to travel that far :(. New School would be the obvious choice but I’m just not to sure if I should go the route for a second bachelors? It might work it might not.</p>
<p>I’ll try and find out more about UNT and U Miami (I always forget about them) both are big school for music and just student body in general so that could be fine.</p>
<p>Lastly do you happen to know anything about the UNiversity of the Arts program in Philadelphia. Also is your son pursuing his undergrad at the New School currently or was he just looking?</p>
<p>DJA, I realize you recognize the expense of your endeavor, so I’m assuming you somehow can afford it that doesn’t involve gigantic student loans, but nonetheless, do you really think a second undergrad degree is a worthwhile investment? Seems to me moving on to a masters would make a little more sense. Just my .02, fwiw.</p>
<p>Suspect you would enjoy Montreal in terms of jazz scene, so please do check into McGill. Best wishes in your search.</p>
<p>DJA,
My son just started at NEC for Jazz Bass. He applied and was admitted to MSM, NYU, Eastman, Oberlin and Berklee. He liked all the schools but chose NEC partly because of his desire to be in Boston and near Berklee, but also because the structure of the program and it’s flexibility and the way it allows students to be creative appealed to him. </p>
<p>I did not let him apply to The New School because I felt like they do not have enough supports in place to help an 18 year old adjust to New York City and that they are a better school for older students. Also I wanted our son to have access to liberal arts curricula where ever he went, so that he could at least experience college academics, which I feel he would enjoy a lot more than high school academics.</p>
<p>He did not apply to McGill because of distance from home and also his concern about the cold and the darkness. He did not apply to U of Miami because it’s in Florida.</p>