My son is about to accept a scholarship offer from the Hartt School for Jazz Studies as a drummer. However the school is very expensive, and the offer only covers about 30% of the four year tuition. He has also been offered a 90% merit scholarship to the University of Southern Maine. They are not really known for their music program, but its hard not to accept a virtual full ride.
The plan would be to accept the USM offer then work to get a better scholarship to SUNY Purchase when is his dream school.
Thoughts anyone??
I’m confused. It sounds like your son is accepting both Hartt and USM but really wants to go to SUNY?
He was going to accept the Hartt offer this week, but just found out about the USM offer, so he is in a bit of a quandry, and needs to make a decision this week. Yes, SUNY Purchase is his dream school, but his audition did not go well, so he was not accepted. He’s pretty confident that after a year at another school he could get into Purchase. He has actually played with a couple of the faculty at SUNY Purchase.
Hartt is a conservatory whereas USM is not. Its program definitely seems to have more depth and variety. But what does he like about Hartt and USM (taking financial considerations out of the equation for a minute)? Would credits transfer to Purchase if he were to transfer? Could he consult with those Purchase faculty for opinions on the 2 programs, or feedback on his audition? Have you considered a gap year?
Are you out of state for SUNY? How many transfers does Purchase take or are you thinking of leveraging the USM offer to Purchase?
Hartt is a good music school but is it worth the debt that will be incurred?
Yes, agreed, Hartt is much more concentrated and in depth, and probably one of the things that attracted him to them. It’s the financial consideration that makes it difficult. He auditioned at Rutgers, Hartt, USM, and Purchase. The vibe at Hartt was very positive, and he felt comfortable there, although he admits that he doesn’t know a lot about the program. He did ask about transfer credits from USM to Purchase and was told they would transfer. He hasn’t talked to anyone at Purchase. He didn’t get any feedback whatsoever concerning his audition. I will suggest he try and talk to them again. It was a little disheartening, because he takes his craft very seriously, and is quite talented. I have heard of the term “gap year” but am not familiar with what it entails. To be honest the only thing he likes about USM is that they are paying more. It has always been an extreme fall back to the other schools. Rutgers was his number one at some point because he went there for summer school and connected with Conrad Herwig, but their scholarship offer was very small.
@techmom99 Hi, yes we are out of state for SUNY. Not 100% on how many transfers Purchase takes. Haven’t thought about levering the option to Purchase, but since he wasn’t accepted I think there is a grace period before he can try again. I guess we could try and leverage to Hartt, but he has been told that their offer is all there is available this year
Agreed, that is part of his dilemma, especially when another school is offering close to a full ride.
Be careful about assuming that merit scholarships will be available to your son as a transfer student. Most schools have different scholarship policies for transfer students. I would speak to admissions at Purchase first and discuss your son’s situation and your strategy with them. Some schools have “feeder” schools identified that may give you more advantageous arrangements. (How does he know USM credits will transfer if he hasn’t talked to anyone at Purchase?)
I think Hartt has a really good jazz program. The director is Javon Jackson, who played with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The current chair for the jazz department at Juilliard was the Dean at Hartt before moving to Juilliard.
It looks like USM requires the jazz studies students to also study classical and participate in classical ensembles – is this something your son wants to do?
Is Rutgers being considered?
@ScreenName48105 Thank you, we will take that into consideration. He hasn’t talked to anyone in the music program at Purchase. Just admissions.
I will encourage my son to get more educated about the program. My dilemma is that I am restricted to only supporting him, and have been asked not to contact the schools. He wants to do all of the work. I respect that, but it is very hard not to be knocking on doors for him.
Yes, he is OK with studying classical as well. He has played in the local youth orchestra for 5 years, so its not a big deal to him. He loves Jazz, but doesn’t mind classical.
He has pretty much given up on Rutgers which is unfortunate because he really connected with Conrad and was excited about going there. Conrad has not been responsive to any of his inquires.
We knew a jazz percussionist who had a great experience at Hartt several years ago. Please try to visit both schools this week. Don’t make this big a decision without a visit if you can.
@chemusic Demographically, as well as financially, another visit right now can’t happen. Most of these schools have a 1 May deadline so we are on a timeline to get this done very soon. He is comfortable with both schools from the visit he had last month he just needs to make the right decision that he is comfortable with. My hope was to get more personal experience comments to help him decide. I am leaning toward him taking the Hartt offer because I don’t think he will get it again, but it is his decision.
I think he probably would get ‘stronger’ jazz exposure at Hartt but I am not familiar with jazz at USM. I went to Hartt many years ago and the program has steadily grown. I think your instincts are correct, he can always transfer to USM but the Hartt opportunity is now if the finances work for you and the vibe was good there. Also the Hartt ‘credentials’ would be a plus if he decided he would be happier at Purchase and wanted to transfer. Additionally Hartt faculty have strong connections in NYC.
Thank You 
I just spoke with him and he will probably accept the USM scholarship because “Money Talks” and not being seriously in debt after 4 years of college is very appealing to him. He is planning on taking a Masters program in NYC or Mass, or possibly at North Texas, but will also be looking to get into Purchase after his first year at USM since that is where he would ultimately like to end up, but it will have to be a significant scholarship for him to accept it.
The USM Jazz Percussion instructor is Les Harris Jr. He got his BA at Berklee, and his father Les Harris Sr. taught at Berklee for many years. He also has some pretty decent credentials of his own, and played with some big names over the years. My son thinks he will be able to help refine his craft.
Your son sounds pragmatic! As a drummer myself, I believe ensemble opportunities and playing with lots of good musicians is so important. At least as important as the percussion instructor. Not just big band either. Is that happening at USM?
It sounds like a good choice and he is a practical kid! The teacher is so important, especially the right teacher at the right time in your life. Kudos to you for standing back and letting him decide. Another thought, he may get more playing time at USM!
@drummergirl The good thing is that my son has played a great deal with combos and ensembles with many, many professional musicians as well as some really great groups at his high school, and his several gigs with his own combo. His groups have won numerous awards at the State Jazz festivals, and he himself received outstanding musician for his division in both combo and ensemble. (Sorry about the bragging, proud dad)
I know that USM has a Jazz Combo, but he will definitely need to get himself into the local scene in Portland. He has played with a couple folks from that area so I think the opportunity will be there for him to keep playing gigs in the area. He has a few groups he plays with that he could probably continue with and some yearly gigs as well. So if he stays there, he can continue those as well.
I agree about the instructor’s role. My son has had the same instructor for 5 years and he has been phenomenal for his growth and developing his own style as well as giving him numerous opportunities to play with other musicians. And those connections have been consistent over the years and they all love playing with him.
@chemusic We didn’t really consider the playing time aspect, that is a very good point
Did you speak with the financial aid people at Hartt? You can ask for more $$. We did that. We had a higher scholarship offer from a school my son was less interested in. We told them about the other offer, and asked nicely if there was anything they could do to make the finances less of an issue. They did come up with some more $$-they didn’t match the other offer, but it made it easier to turn the other offer down. There was a deadline by which you had to submit an appeal in writing.
@electricbassmom I mentioned that to my son, and he got the impression from someone that you can’t ask for more.
Usually the comparison offer needs to come from the same type if school… private to private… conservatory to consevatory. However if Hartt truly is his first choice, tell Hartt so they can try to increase your aid.