<p>My son is only a freshman, but has definitely been bitten by the jazz bug. He is a pianist (8 years of lessons and counting). He is the pianist for the Jazz Ensemble at his high school (one of the rare freshmen to ever hold that spot!), and recently did a clinic and got to play a duet with a well-respected jazz pianist who approached me after the concert, gave me her business card and told me that my son had "a ton" of potential as a jazz musician! Wow! I knew he liked to play, but I had no idea. </p>
<p>So....he's pretty focused now on jazz piano as a college major. He's really just a typical kid from the Midwest...we're not high-powered, crazy music parents or anything. He's had a pretty normal piano teacher...just someone from the local music store. But, I'm thinking we now need to get serious about this. To say I'm a little overwhelmed is an understatment. I've read a bunch of the threads here, and there is a lot of good advice out there. I've got two kids in college right now, but both are Biology majors at local state universities, so this is all new to me. </p>
<p>The kid is also really strong academically, identified G&T in 1st grade, strong math and science. So, academically, he'd probably be fine with some more competive schools....too early to really tell yet. He tells me that he would either want to stay Midwest or go to a big city. In other words, he'd be fine going far from home, as long as it was exciting. Cost is definitely an issue, and we're solidly upper middle-class and would likely get no federal aid. </p>
<p>So, based on those parameters, here's what I'm thinking so far. I welcome your ideas and thoughts:</p>
<p>UNT
Indiana U
SUNY_New Paltz
U of Cincinnati
Oberlin (out of our price range, really)
Temple
Lawrence (1 hour from home, but really expensive)
U of Minnesota, Duluth
Webster, St. Louis (Midwest Student Exchange for affordability)
Western Michigan</p>
<p>If you are close to a college that has a jazz piano professor, it may be worth checking into whether he can take pre-college studies there. As far as UNT goes, it is a program with a great reputation but it is BIG in size. I love Oberlin. My son received a large merit award there for composition so don’t write it off.</p>
<p>I would suggest getting him involved with either a pre-college music program, and send him to summer camp (if you’re in Wisconsin you might look into Birch Creek, they have a good jazz program). He will be playing with other kids at his level and will also be interacting with teachers (and sometimes students) from college programs.</p>
<p>Also, don’t discount the idea of merit scholarship money. My S has applied to Lawrence (among other places) and we are hoping that he gets some scholarship money, they do give some.</p>
<p>My S is studying jazz piano at IU Jacobs School of Music, and is finding it to be a fantastic experience. Unlike the classical and voice programs there, the jazz studies dept is small (approx 50 - 55 majors), so it is much more intimate, and with four big bands, Latin jazz band, and small combos, provides plenty of playing opportunity. As in the rest of the music school, the level of musicianship among the students is very high, and the faculty is top notch. My S happens to like the fact that he is in ensembles along with grad students. Because of that, he will never be the top musician there, and will continue to have new growth opportunities.</p>
<p>As previously suggested, now would be a good time for you to be seeking out summer jazz camps for your son. We’re not from the Midwest, but two that I’ve heard about are Shell Lake and Birch Creek. In fact, my S’s jazz piano professor is on the faculty for at least one of the sessions at Shell Lake.</p>
<p>ZA_CommonSense: I noted that your post says you’re about an hour away from Lawrence. Does this mean Milwaukee area? If so, you may want to PM me because even though I’m not a jazz pianist I know one of the best in the city who teaches lots of students.</p>
<p>I agree about not writing off Oberlin–there are some very nice merit scholarships to be had. HIghly recommend your son consider the Eastman Summer jazz program–it is 2 weeks. Probably too late for this year, but between soph and junior year would be good. He can see where he “rates” with some other good players, play some great jazz, and see if a conservatory atmosphere is what he’d like.</p>
<p>Thank you so much everyone for your ideas. I also spoke with S’s jazz ensemble director at parent-teacher conferences tonight. He mentioned the programs at UNT, U of Miami, Lawrence, and Michigan Tech (?). He also said that our next step would be a summer jazz program, and strongly recommended Shell Lake. So…S is now signed up for a week of Jazz Improv camp at Shell Lake. It was not as horribly expensive as I had feared, and he’s VERY excited. </p>
<p>@PianoMan12…yes, we are northwest of Milwaukee, in Washington County. I will PM you in the next couple of days for ideas on jazz teachers. Thanks much!</p>