<p>D is starting to get excited about Michigan! If you attend the School of Music or know someone who does, please post your impressions of the school. Are you glad that you attend? What is the general atmosphere like? Where are the undergrads going to grad school etc... I would also be interested to know why you chose Michigan over other music schools.
.
.</p>
<p>Our daughter is a soph. at UMich and loves it. We have been impressed by just about every aspect of the school...fabulous conservatory program and wonderful liberal arts opportunities. I've sent a pm with a few more details.</p>
<p>My daughter went to Interlochen for high school and several of the vocalists went to UMich after Interlochen. My daughter (Rice grad) thinks Michigan is one of the top vocal programs. It is, of course, a wonderful university for academics and athletics. I think it is a great pick.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor seems pretty safe, too.</p>
<p>Our son is a freshman jazz studies major. He has had a wonderful year. He really likes his private teacher and just this week was really enthusiastic about a visiting artist (jazz musician) who was sitting in on the jazz ensemble and also available for private lessons. Being in the jazz program and the school of music in general has made for a very close-knit community within a very large university, but he also has made many friends who are not musicians. He is also part of a very popular rock/blues band, Great Divide, which has added to the fun. He likes Ann Arbor a lot.</p>
<p>To answer your last question...He targeted UM early on as a good match; he was looking for the whole college experience and a strong music program. He definitely planned to be in a rock band along with studying jazz, and was looking for a good college town with that in mind.</p>
<p>It is generally quite respected not only in its region but nationwide and has a large alumni pool which is not a bad thing.</p>
<p>So I may be a little biased, being a Buckeye and all, but a girl who was a pretty good trombone player amongst the local jazz scene around here ended up going to Michigan. She's a year older than me and a year younger than my friend who went to Eastman. From what I understand she is the only jazz performance trombone player at the school, but if you find the right program the music school there can be pretty good. In my opinion though, she should have gone somewhere else and she would be much better at this point in time.</p>
<p>I have great respect for Michigan--it is no doubt a fabulous place to go to college and I know that the music school has a wonderful reputation. It was our tortured last minute choice not to apply there because there is no jazz guitar faculty. Since so many other of our son's schools were "where you go to study jazz guitar" we left this one off--it's far away, weren't sure what the experience would be like in a department that seems not to emphasize his instrument. However, this belongs in the 20/20 thread--I regret not having UMich as a choice, just for the college experience.</p>
<p>Um, there are definitely other jazz trombone majors at UM. One of them, a sophomore, is in the rock band that my son is in, and I know there are others, too.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting! D has not made her final decision yet, but Michigan seems to fit most of her criteria. Keep posting please :)</p>
<p>Where to spend the next four years in a young life is a difficult decision. Whatever road you take will make "all the difference." No matter what you finally decide, try to keep your options open and your contacts plentiful so that if it doesn't work out for some reason, you can have a backup plan one or two years down the road.</p>
<p>My D's last audition was at U of Mich yesterday. Before we got there, she seemed to suffer from the one more left syndrome. She left with a very, very positive impression. She really liked the music school, the university and Ann Arbor. She's talked to several teachers who went there. She liked the idea of a strong music program within a strong university setting. The faculty were very professional, cordial and "human" during the audition process. The information session was very thorough. Overall, a positive experience no matter what happens. I think she'd be quite happy there.</p>