<p>NU just got Jay Lesenger to head its opera program. HUGE. Big name and highly respected as one of the best.</p>
<p>That - coupled with a new building coming in the next couple of years that will knock everyone's socks off - will remind people of the musical caliber at Northwestern University.</p>
<p>I think it may be misleading to say that academics are the only thing that music admissions relies on. In the theatre department, this is true, because there is no auditon at NU. But the music school auditions students. I have a son who graduated from Northwestern, and it is a uniquely smart and talented study body, quite comparable with the student body at the Ivy my other son goes to. But, what makes Northwestern really cool is that there is the opportunity to be in a conservatory within this top-notch university. </p>
<p>Personally, I am JEALOUS that my current freshman conservatory student did not get a chance to take advantage of Northwestern's new jazz program. He was one year too early. You cannot graduate from Northwestern, no matter your major, without being an amazing critical thinker and writer.</p>
<p>The jury is still out on a "new music building in a couple of years" since that's been the stance for going on 30 years now. </p>
<p>Granted, they have been a bit more definitive in that statement as of late, but until they actually break ground I would caution against letting this be a driving factor for any prospective students to apply based on NWU's past history.</p>
<p>It's actually scandalous that they haven't built something sooner. If this was part of the football program or sciences or business school, they'd be in their second "new" building already.</p>
<p>Zep is right, since they have been talking about the "new building is coming" for at least 30 years (since I was an undergrad there!).</p>
<p>Also, it will take awhile to get the jazz program up and going. Of the top kids we know as seniors this year, I don't know a one applying to NU's new jazz program, and these are kids with the stats (some of them) for Tufts/NEC. </p>
<p>I really hope that the jazz program blossoms, and that the new building breaks ground. The jazz new building at Oberlin will draw a lot of people who didn't like the idea of jazz in an old gym. The physical facilities are important, and say a lot about a school's support for music in general, or jazz in particular, which tends to be the poor, forgotten cousin of most traditional music schools.</p>
<p>Fancy new buildings have very little to do in reality with the worth of a school. I remember the OLD Northwestern buildings when you could hear every note the brass students played as they practiced. And the brass faculty was known as being among the very best in the world.</p>
<p>Fancy new buildings, in an of themselves, certainly do not indicate the quality of a program, but in most cases, they do tell how valued the music program is. Like Zep said, if it were sciences, or football at NU, there would have been a new building long ago. Of course, great musicians will thrive, even in substandard buildings, but it really is a joy to hear or play music in more acoustically modern spaces (and I dare say, not to hear every note of the brass players as you are trying to play the piano)...;)</p>
<p>yeah, the new building is really happening. if you read enough that's public news, it's obvious; also, final architects should be announced within a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>it's simply not a matter of discussion anymore. everything has been committed. and it will be state-of-the-art.</p>
<p>Like I said before, let's talk about it when they actually break ground... I do hope they come through this time, but their track record has been less than stellar on this point.</p>
<p>Linnlew, I'm very happy for you that your kid got into the school she wanted. I still stand by everything I've said. The fact is that I've known several singers who've been accepted at Northwestern... these are singers who didn't get auditions at some of the top schools including CCM and Rice. The fact is that if a student wants to go to Northwestern, it's more important that they have the grades to go than just about anything else, this includes their audition. Otherwise, what's the point in even going up there because the university simply will not budge, even for a very talented singer who was an average student.</p>
<p>Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think that a university which values one's ability to do math more than there ability to sing beautifully is going to be able to create the best singers.</p>
<p>I'm very excited to hear about Northwestern's new building. I went to visit a few years ago and I thought that their facilities weren't the best; then again, I wasn't that impressed by Oberlin's either. I didn't end up applying to the Northwestern program, academically it would have been a bit of a stretch for me too and I simply didn't feel it was worth it.</p>
<p>Before the new jazz program, the story was that jazz was a bedraggled stepchild of the classical department at Northwestern. Now, they really seem to have put together an actual stellar jazz department, so I believe they are serious about rededicating to music at Northwestern.</p>
<p>After I posted this I noticed that Allmusic described jazz as a "poor...cousin"! That's so funny. Having jazz musicians for kids, we have been hearing the same phraseology spoken about the music they love!</p>
<p>Remember, I have a jazz musician too...who happens to also play classical!...he sees BOTH sides, and definitely feels that the jazz genre is second shrift at most music schools. Point of example, S was told by one conservatory jazz drum teacher that the classical timpani teacher got very mad at him for "leaning on the timpani and fooling around with the mallets", as if he had no idea how to respect percussion instruments...of course this teacher was also a superb classical percussionist (in his earlier life!). Rude and disrespectful, for sure, but many classical musicians do not even consider jazzers "real" musicians!</p>
<p>Regarding the new jazz program at NU, I'm only finding a few new faculty members on the website, although they are great names. I wonder how many of these new faculty members will reside in the Chicago area (Wertico does), or fly in for lessons? Good question for prospective students to ask. It seems Victor Goines is still early in the building phase.</p>
<p>A school typically doesn't change the school of music to the current school president unless it is serious.</p>
<p>Press</a> Release May 13 2008, General News, News, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University</p>
<p>Anyone have experience with jazz at NU this year? How many jazz studies students are there? How many jazz ensembles? How does the momentum for jazz seem?</p>
<p>Awesome! Kind of nice that they went for a local firm, but not just any local firm--one that's known internationally. Thanks, Sam Lee. Even though I like Frank Gehry and the like, I'm glad they chose a firm in the tradition of Chicago architecture, which is to say bold and gorgeous but also comfortable, highly functional, and not over-the-top.</p>
<p>I noticed that no one has offered SJTH any info on NU's new jazz faculty & reinstated program. Haven't any inside info, but I did notice this concert announcement on their website:</p>
<p>"Pick-Staiger Concert Hall will host the Bienen School of Music Jazz Faculty Concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13. The concert will debut Northwestern’s new director of jazz studies Victor Goines, who was previously artistic director of the jazz program at the Juilliard School. A jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, Goines has collaborated with many celebrated musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles. New jazz faculty trombonist Elliot Mason, pianist Peter Martin, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Herlin Riley and tenor saxophonist Christopher Madsen will join Goines on stage. "</p>
<p>Not that I know anything about jazz education, but I'd read the announcement as an attempt to interest the public in NU's program. (I'm open to correction if wrong and I do enjoy jazz, just don't do the medium myself.)</p>
<p>I wouldn't hesitiate for a moment to contact NU and the Jazz Dept specifically if I wanted the type of info that SJTH is looking for. The questions are all valid - there should be special interest given the recent history of jazz at NU and NU should be willing to entertain the concerns. I'd even go so far as to insist on talking to Goines (or other faculty member if more relevant) if I was considering coming from a distance to look at the school. </p>
<p>Often the 1st contact offered thru Admissions or a general info number is a work study student who may have very little info on any concern held by applicants. My classical violin students have had good luck contacting the head of violin or string dept directly (phone or e-mail) with questions about the school or auditions.</p>
<p>Thanks, Fiddlestix for your support! I saw the notice for the jazz faculty concert, and would love to see a video of it. I'm still hoping some NU music students/parents with info about jazz will chime in!</p>
<p>I have a question.</p>
<p>In the article, it says that opera, choral, vocal, and piano studios will be housed in the new building. Where will the strings, brass and woodwind studios and orchestra/band etc. be housed ?</p>
<p>Friends</a> of NU Jazz - Supporting and Enriching Jazz at Northwestern University</p>
<p>This is a helpful link to follow the time-line and support of people for the jazz program. There were no students accepted in jazz last year, the year that Victor Goines was hired. I haven't seen any press releases (and there are no updates on this site) as to how many were accepted for '08-'09 and what the instrumentation will look like. Are there enough students for several combos and a big band? It seems like that should be easy enough to find out with a call to the school.</p>