Non-Traditional Student Seeking Jazz Study

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hello! I'm new to this forum but have scanned several pages of very helpful information in the "best university jazz programs" threads - thanks to all who wrote in these! (I accidentally submitted my original post in a different area, but I meant to make it a brand new thread here - sorry!)</p>

<p>To introduce myself, I am a 28-year old female college graduate (my major was not related to music, much to my regret) considering returning to school to study jazz performance - it would have to be for a Bachelor's, since I doubt my ability to get into a Master's music program. I play both the piano and the guitar and have had a tentative relationship with music (both classical and jazz) for the past 12 years or so.</p>

<p>Over the past 6 months, however, I have become VERY serious/passionate about studying JAZZ - probably for piano, since that is my better instrument. I do have a little bit of a jazz background from my brother, who is a jazz guitarist and has taught me some jazz theory/etc. I used to study with a private instructor, but he was very classically oriented and rather condescending toward jazz, so lately I have honestly just been teaching myself, practicing several hours a day, using the Jamey Abersold Instruction books and dvd's (thank goodness for these, they are so incredibly helpful/awesome!). I also plan on attending several jazz camps this summer to strengthen my jazz skills and to get some experience performing with combos, etc. I am also on the hunt for a jazz piano teacher. I currently live near Denver, Colorado but would be willing (and would prefer) to re-locate to a city with a great jazz program and scene.</p>

<p>What colleges would you recommend for jazz piano, and for someone like me, who is a non-traditional student? Stylistically, I prefer traditional, straight-ahead jazz (swing, bebop) but I also really love bossa nova and latin. Location-wise, I prefer the west-coast or schools in the south, though I might consider east-coast schools if they would be a good fit for what I'd like to study. I am new to the application/auditioning process so would also welcome any advice in that regard. I would like to get a list of schools compiled so I can begin prep work for admission next fall (Fall 2011). I wish I could begin study in the Spring 2011, but I have had no luck in finding programs that offer a Spring admit. Anyone know of any? Would any colleges make an exception for a Spring admit? I suppose I am in a bit of a hurry to start moving forward with my jazz/music studies because I don't want to waste any more time - going back for another Bachelor's is going to take another 3, possibly 4 more years, so the sooner I get started the better! Any advice from all of you is welcome!
...loving the jazz so much..!
Mellidy</p>

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<p>Mellidy, I’m not so sure you’d have to-restart at the undergrad level. Since you’re interested in the west coast, you should contact Portland State University–
Joel Bluestone is the department <a href=“mailto:chair--bluestonej@pdx.edu”>chair–bluestonej@pdx.edu</a> and ask him what the requirements are for their masters degree in jazz sudies. That might be a great place to start, and he could perhaps lead you to other possibilities. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Maybe this is too obvious, but since you’re already near Denver, what about investigating the University of Denver? I know that they have a jazz studies program, and they offer both undergraduate and masters degrees in jazz.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your responses, SJTH and jazzkat!</p>

<p>As far as Portland State, I am doing some research on the school, and the faculty looks decent, albeit a little small for jazz, but perhaps you get a lot of individual attention that way, which would be great. The Portland State website indicates that a classical as well as jazz audition is required for a B.A or M.A, which is a little unattractive to me. Even though I do have some classical training, it’s not at a very advanced level. Although I could definitely learn some difficult, audition-appropriate classical pieces, that would take a lot of time and would probably cut into my jazz prep time. Since I mentioned that I have primarily been teaching myself jazz, I still need A LOT more prep before I am ready for auditions. I have a decent grasp on chords, technique, and a little theory, but my improvisation ability is not developed at all, and my sight-reading and ear-training could use work. I guess what I am saying is that I would rather devote my prep focus on jazz rather than having to divide it between jazz and classical, esp if jazz is my ultimate goal anyway.</p>

<p>In terms of being able to do a Master’s in Jazz Studies right away - that would honestly be awesome, but I really don’t feel like I have the skill set to do that. I am very much looking for solid, disciplined jazz training. To be honest, a lot of the undergrad audition requirements at schools with good jazz programs are already very difficult for me, so how could I possibly meet the Master’s requirements?</p>

<p>With regard to University of Denver - I certainly am considering it, but I actually graduated from that school (in a different non-music major) and am looking for a change of pace. It’s a great school and Lamont is well known and respected, but I do think it leans more classical than it does jazz. Of course, there are some really talented jazz folks on the faculty there, so it’s still a possibility. It is a private school, however, so it’s very pricy, and I have heard they are not the most generous on scholarships. Also, they do require some classical repertoire as part of their audition.</p>

<p>Another member on here recommended Berklee to me, and she made some good points - that I would fit well with the student body there because it’s very diverse in terms of people’s ages, proficiency-levels, and backgrounds. I get that impression too, which is appealing, and she also mentioned that you can test out of some basic requirements which would mean I could graduate sooner than later. The school does look fantastic, but I suppose my two major qualms are with the location (big polluted city, bad weather) and with the potential cost (SUPER expensive with little chance of scholarship unless you are outstanding). After already having paid for an expensive undergrad education, I’m not really ready to head into massive debt again. I also just don’t really like super-urban campuses like the ones in Boston, where I’m hard-pressed to even find a little greenery/trees! Anybody care to share their experience with Berklee? I would really be curious to hear about it because I am torn with regard to applying.</p>

<p>I have found a few more schools that look appealing:
California State Long Beach
University of North Texas
University of Miami</p>

<p>Anybody have any further feedback about their experiences with these schools? Anybody know anything about their piano/guitar faculty? Audition difficulty? Spring admit possibility? Any recommendations for OTHER schools? I would love to hear it. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Cal State Long Beach has a very good jazz program. However, you may not be able to get a second bachelor’s degree, especially as an out of state student. Check directly with admissions and/or the music school. Also, they have nixed spring admissions for everyone.</p>

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<p>Wow, I had never considered that colleges would not allow a student to obtain a second bachelor’s degree! I mean, I am willing to pay for it, after all! But thanks for the heads up, Soprano - I’ll make sure to double check with programs regarding that issue before I go ahead and plunge into the application process.</p>