<p>Anyone have direct experience with jazz at Peabody?</p>
<p>My daughter and I visited last year for classical singing. This is a real conservatory appoach and the students are REALLY into classical training, not so much into newer or jazz trends. Peabody is another section of town and the shuttles don't always run on a given schedule, especially after midnight, this part of town is really quiet after dark, residential with a few coffee places. There did not seem to be any connection between the Peabody students and the JHU students. Peabody kids went to JHU for their liberal arts courses and JHU kids we spoke really did not go over to Peabody for concerts. I thought the programs at NU and CMU were stronger for jazz, figuring Chicago is sort of a jazz root. Ithaca College also has a great jazz program that integrates the academics well. Tufts has a companion program with New England Conservatory but I don't know if NJC has jazz. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>NEC has one of the most innovative jazz programs in the country, and is a very competitive admit. Peabody has a newish jazz program that has never really been well developed, and it seems that it is not terribly competitive (no pre-screen, for example, at least up through last year). We know one kid there, who was already one of the best jazzers there...as a Freshman. Some kids really like being a very large fish in a small pond, and some don't. Send me a PM if you want a little more info.</p>
<p>To isingforyou8, oh boy does NEC have jazz! In fact, many say the best jazz in the country. (And with the country being the home of jazz music - maybe it can be inferred the best jazz in the world?)</p>
<p>To second Allmusic, I know a few jazz musicians at NEC. The standard is extremely high, virtually all of the faculty there are superstars in their fields. Many jazz students at NEC are already making good money constantly gig'ing, touring, and some already have agents representing them and numerous albums released even as teenaged undergrads.</p>
<p>The jazz departments at Eastman and Manhattan School of Music are also top quality. I've never heard Peabody's department mentioned in the same breath as these schools though. That is not to say you shouldn't investigate more.</p>
<p>I have a son in the jazz dept at NEC. What distinguishes the department there, aside from the high quality of the experience, is the innovative focus. New, experimental, open. If you love straight ahead jazz, check out Manhattan School of Music. If you are looking for a pure conservatory, we just keep hearing that these two schools offer the most exhilarating environments, and I can tell you that my son could not be happier at NEC. Every week he has some other amazing music experience--no kidding. Just the faculty alone...!</p>
<p>During the application process I remember Peabody and Eastman had applications that just seemed to be asking for information that did not sound like my son! It was funny that we could pick up just from that stage of the process that these were not jazz departments he would fit into. I think it was the classical audition that they required, which he could have done with a little extra work, but it just didn't jibe with what he was looking for--there was a sense that the jazz departments at these schools were second to the classical departments. Schools like NEC, MSM have independently wonderful jazz alongside their wonderful classical music.</p>
<p>I am a little confused by isingforyou8's post. Northwestern just recently restarted their jazz program last year and only have 12 students this year, although they have some amazing faculty. CMU only has a minor in jazz and, as someone who lives in Ithaca and takes lessons with faculty there, I would not want to go to Ithaca College for jazz. There is only one real jazz faculty member and very few students in the program.
I visited Peabody and was not super impressed. It is a very small program, only about 25 students total, and they all seemed to be guitar players. They whole program seemed very lax, but not in a good way. As a bass player, I spoke to one of the bass players who said that both bass players in the program signed up for every ensemble and therefore only get to play for half the time and spend a lot of time sitting around. In a serious jazz program, I would hope that this wouldn't happen. I am sure Peabody is great for classical and the facilities seemed nicer than I found at most conservatories (NEC for example) but it is certainly not in the same league as some of the other schools mentioned for jazz.</p>
<p>" I am sure Peabody is great for classical and the facilities seemed nicer than I found at most conservatories (NEC for example)"</p>
<p>Nicer than Jordan Hall?</p>
<p>Thanks for the Peabody info, everyone. We're familiar with the other schools, and my son has applications into some of them. My biggest regret of our music school tour last Spring was the very disappointing time we had at NEC, especially reading Jazzzmom and others' glowing reviews of that school (and Boston is one of MY fav US cities). I think it would have been a great fit for my son, but we had an extremely disappointing tour and info session that really turned him off. It's amazing how those can be such a pinnacle for kids. I think I could have gotten him interested in re-visiting MSM (which I also loved) if they didn't have a Dec. 1 deadline. I'm, of course, second-guessing everything at this point!!!</p>
<p>We know a kid at Peabody who is complaining that he doesn't get to play enough jazz (he's a sax player). He's a freshman, so maybe he'll have more playing opportunities later.</p>
<p>Aside from Jordan Hall, NEC's facilities are pretty decrepit (I have described the basement performing space pea green walls; not to mention the cockroach that went scuttling by as my daughter was in the bathroom...yuck...and the dorms............!).</p>
<p>But I still contend it is one of the amazing places. Fantastic faculty, incredibly talented students. So people can overlook the facilities a bit, because the rest is amazing.</p>
<p>I don't think the Peabody jazzers are doing anywhere near the kinds of performing that kids at some of the other music schools are doing, both on and off campus. I hope that changes (though I don't know the jazz scene in Baltimore).</p>
<p>NEC dorms are legend, and I swear it enhances their romantic image of themselves as ARTISTS, but most students move out sophomore year to neighborhood apartments. Jazz sax player Felipe Salles wrote a song about his NEC dorm room called The Cell, or something like that!</p>
<p>To SJTH: I always feel bad when I go off giving opinions about this or that jazz program because what works for one kid doesn't for another. Believe me, I felt frustrated by my son's lack of interest in applying to Oberlin, and worried that he was missing a great option. As it turned out, he ended up in a place that he feels he was fated to be, and I couldn't have forced him to apply to Oberlin--no how, no way.</p>
<p>We actually had a lousy tour of NEC, too back when our son was looking. The guide was a classical student with zero information about jazz. But, I guess having the advantage of a teacher who went to NEC was what convinced him it was worth pursuing, and going to see some ensembles perform later in the Winter before acceptances came out. DO try to see students from the schools perform if possible. </p>
<p>Last year, I thought NEC accepted late applications, just added a fee.</p>
<p>Definitely, definitely try to hear (and/or play with) current students, wherever possible. My son was so fortunate to have the opportunity to jam everywhere he seriously considered going (including those that he dropped early, because he wasn't thrilled with what he saw or heard I guess!). </p>
<p>And I also agree about any of us providing opinions on jazz programs...it's pretty hard to have a universal standard, because the programs are all quite different in terms of types/caliber of kids, types of music played or emphasized, how combos are arranged, how often teachers are in town, where kids can gig, etc. I think there are good fits available for everyone, but not every school is right for every kid.</p>
<p>Just a little additional note, how about Oberlin, Mannes or Berklee? Quincy Jones went to Emerson and look where he is today! I would like to know where you end up. When we visited NU a couple weeks ago, the person giving the information session sort of involuntarily sniffed when asked about the jazz program, which did not leave a good impression with us, besides the school being too rah-rah</p>
<p>I meant to say Berklee for Quincy Jones! How about University of Miami Frost School of Music? How about Boston Conservatory? I don't know anything about its instrumental, just a few of the private teachers here in NJ went there. Please let us know where you do end up.</p>
<p>Mannes has no jazz. The jazz school at The New School is The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.</p>
<p>I know some fine jazz players with affiliations to Berklee. Note that it is a very large program - which may be a good, bad, or irrelevant subject depending on the individual.</p>
<p>I am interested in this thread as my S has applied to Peabody. </p>
<p>I was curious about jazzzmons statement:</p>
<p>"During the application process I remember Peabody and Eastman had applications that just seemed to be asking for information that did not sound like my son."</p>
<p>I did not find that the app requested information that was any different from other schools. In fact, it was not overly lengthy and included a "spot on" essay question. </p>
<p>Regarding the statement:</p>
<p>"I think it was the classical audition that they required ..."</p>
<p>Peabody does not require a classical audition for jazz students, Eastman does.</p>
<p>I am puzzled by dhalp28s comment that the program at Peabody seemed to be all guitar players. Can anyone else speak to the balance (or lack of) in their program? We visited but, due to time constraints, were not able to see a jazz ensemble class. I have heard of doubling up in ensemble classes. We saw that at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.</p>
<p>If I didn't remember the Peabody application, I'm sorry! I do think that in our highly subjective comparison of jazz programs, our son was setting his sights on three specific schools: MSM because he had gone to the precollege, NEC and The New School. He applied to most of the well-known jazz programs, but these were the ones he really wanted. We may have jumped rashly to the conclusion that Peabody fell into the group of excellent Conservatories where jazz was not the most vibrant component--classical was. I could see,and so could my son, as we researched, which schools had classical departments that were primary and jazz departments that seemed secondary. Northwestern was like this for many years. While the classical musicians had attention and funding and exciting opportunities, the jazz musicians felt somewhat ignored. A new endowment seems to be changing that at NU. My memory is obviously faulty, but I also feel like I remember Peabody had relatively few ensembles. </p>
<p>Just a comment about doubling: that fact ultimately led my son to choose NEC over New School. With only six guitars in the entire school, NEC has more playing opportunities for him than you can imagine.</p>
<p>I’d be interested to hear of more recent developments or impressions regarding this subject.</p>
<p>I know that Alex Norris is now their jazz trumpet instructor, though it’s not on their web site yet.</p>
<p>This thread is a few years old… Are there any new opinions on Peabody jazz?</p>