Types of Jazz Programs

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I was wondering if those who have experience with jazz programs could help me out here. </p>

<p>During my time on here, I've noticed certain programs like NEC being called a bit more edgy where a school like Eastman is often refereed to as a traditional jazz program. </p>

<p>I was just wondering if it would be possible for the jazz people on here to let me know how traditional or modern certain jazz studies programs are. In other words, where is maybe different style of playing appreciated or where is the jazz education a bit more open. </p>

<p>Any thoughts are appreciated. Two schools I'd love to hear about would be Cincinnati and Oberlin, but I'm open to hear anything.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/916040-jazz-schools-different-styles.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/916040-jazz-schools-different-styles.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I visited both Cincinnati and Oberlin this summer and I liked them both and am applying to both of them. Oberlin shot up to my second choice next to Berklee for jazz guitar. Although it’s in the middle of a cornfield town the school is awesome and would most definitely make up for any downfalls the surrounding area has. the little town wasn’t that bad either and i saw inception at a movie theater that was two steps away from both the campus and the inn i was at. </p>

<p>cincinnati was really cool as well and the jazz guitar program, like oberlin is small which i like. but i’m not sure about percussion/drumming. anyways just go to the ccm website (college conservatory of music) and look up the jazz studies section. it’s well equipped with nice facilities and is a great school that goes a tad unnoticed probably. cincinnati itself is interesting, some parts are extremely seedy and ghetto but two blocks away is really nice and urban…but the campus itself is large and very beautiful.</p>

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<p>Thanks 18karat and Violadad. </p>

<p>18karat, how would characterize the differences between Cincinnati and Oberlin? </p>

<p>Anyone else have anymore thoughts?</p>

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<p>I dealt mostly with less well known and less prestigious programs then places like NEC, MSM Indiana, North Texas etc. but I’d be happy to give you some information (as I think all these schools are very much worth looking in to). Its also important to note that even in the very modern programs, you’ll be learning straight ahead jazz for technique/repetoire purposes (meaning even if you end up playing autumn leaves in 7/4 on a gig, you’ll be learning the vanilla version first)</p>

<p>City College of New York
Great, small program. Extremely traditional and staight ahead and shares a good deal of faculty with MSM and Julliard. If you want to study straight ahead jazz in new york and want somewhere cheap and easier to get in to then the big schools, Id suggest this school.</p>

<p>NYU
Small program, kind of competetitive and EXTREMELY modern. I studied with one of the guitar professors there this summer (incedently; I studied with him then found out he teachers there) and I can say he completely transformed my playing in terms of time feel, fretboard knowledge and navigation of the changes, as well as helping me get my feet wet with inside/outside playing (a big part of the scene at and around NYU). </p>

<p>The New School
Bigger then NYU but otherwise very similar. Very modern and focused on developing a teacher-mentor relationship with players in the NY scene. A lot of really exciting players come out of here.</p>

<p>Berklee
Berklee has everything but classical. You study standards and straight ahead tunes in most classes, but most of the players are quite modern. Theres tons of opportunities in every genre, but the jazz players definatly lean towards the modern (but usually not quite avant garde) side of things.</p>

<p>Temple University
I really didn’t like boyer. It has some amazing faculty (though Dick Oates, who met with us at the information session came off as really stuck up and extremely stuck in the past—though an AMAZING player/teacher if your into that style. I later went to a masterclass of his and he came off the same way) and nice facilitites, but seemed very much focused on training performers to play in the 60’s and 70’s, the school also seemed a bit snooty (though maybe its just me). Though let me be clear: a very good school for straight ahead jazz. </p>

<p>The University of The Arts
(I go here now). The program is centered on straight ahead jazz, though there are performance opportunities in almost every genre, from classical to electronica. The players are very good, but (especially in the guitar, vocal and bass department) there are a good deal who aren’t yet solid jazz players, but have substantial experience in another genre and play at a fairly high level (and can fake their way through a chart). Theres also a good deal of modern playing opportunities (students play regularly at Chris’s a club right around the corner) and a lot of players who are leaning towards the more current side of things.</p>

<p>Belmont University
Defininatly more on the comercial side of things. The jazz program (like many in the south and non-california west) seems very straight ahead, and more on teaching you jazz to help you play commercial music. But if you want to be a session musician who can play some jazz, its a great school.</p>

<p>UMASS Amherst
I didn’t apply as I realized I had no desire to be in Amherst, MA, but its a solid program with solid faculty, though its definitly more straight ahead/traditional.</p>

<p>Loyola University New Orleans
(I attended here for a year). Really good faculty. I did not have one teacher who wasn’t great, and who wasn’t one of the top players in the New Orleans scene. The guitar teacher (and really the whole program) definatly leans towards the 50’s-60’s blue note sound, and the attitude of jazz as an aural and oral tradition (which, as far as I’m concerned is the only way to learn the more traditional styles without sounding like a jazz at lincoln center hack). If your interested in bop sound and want to develop it like most bop players did, I’d check out loyola. Its also a much more laid back school then many. THe downside is that the jazz department is very small (under 60 students), which is good as far as instruction goes, but less good as far as opportunities to play go. There also isn’t really a jazz theory sequence, just a one semester course called jazz theory and piano. But you can definatly get a solid hold on the more traditional repetoire and styles here and a good well rounded (if not especially modern or applicable to you if you want to play modern jazz in New York or Europe) musical education.</p>

<p>Musicians Institute
See belmont. I didn’t even end up visiting here. It used to be a great jazz program (had joe pass on faculty for a while in either the 70’s or 80’s) and If you’ve ever seen the instructional book Superchops, that was developed and used here. Now its definatly more focused on popular music and session playing, with jazz being used to ‘legitimize’ the education and give players a background with improvising through harder changes. Still, it seems like a great school for an aspiring session player. It seems like it may be a for-profit college, but I’m not sure.</p>

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<p>^ Musician’s Institute is a for profit institution, as is Full Sail. There are others. If you decide to go this route, do not compare these programs with what you will find at a standard degree granting not for profit college or university. They may well be fine for any particular student, but I urge extreme due diligence.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much jazzguitar19! I actually visited Belmont this summer and loved it. Definitely more of a college experience than some of the others, something I’m looking for.</p>

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<p>

What should we look for as an indicator of a solid jazz theory sequence?
My son ruled out a school we visited last week because of the lack of any jazz theory [they only had a minor in jazz studies]. He’s developed an interest in Loyola N.O., but I don’t think he’s aware of this situation.</p>

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<p>^We found that getting our hands on a course calendar was very valuable when touring schools (or access to online if avail, but usually not). Then searching under all the theory courses – schools will have it or not. If you don’t see a specific jazz theory class, then you know they’re not emphasizing theory. BTW, Umich, if you’ve looked at it, does have a 2nd year jazz theory 6-credit sequence after two freshmen courses in “basic” (but not really basic) theory. Also seems to have a lot of improv classes etc. Cheers, K</p>

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<p>I’m pretty sure Oberlin requires one year of jazz theory for jazz performance majors.</p>

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<p>The Oberlin Jazz curriculum may be found at</p>

<p><a href=“http://catalog.oberlin.edu/mime/download.pdf?catoid=21&ftype=2&foid=621[/url]”>http://catalog.oberlin.edu/mime/download.pdf?catoid=21&ftype=2&foid=621&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>great find, thanks bassdad. oberlin is my second choice school, for jazz guitar…would love to study there</p>

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<p>You can usually find the course requirements for the jazz degree on each school’s website, and you can see how many courses of jazz theory are required, though they may not always have the name “jazz theory.” At IU, which has a very strong jazz program, there’s not a course by that name, but jazz majors are required to take two years of jazz improvisation, which is where jazz theory is incorporated. Consequently, you can’t assume everything by the course name, but you can often find the course descriptions online as well. Generally you’ll find this in the music school bulletin or course catalog, but sometimes it will be elsewhere on the website. You might also find a sample course sequence for students in that major, which can be helpful. By comparing the course requirements of several schools, you can start to get a sense for the depth of some schools vs. others.</p>