Hi there! My spouse and I have been having a conversation about this idea, and I’d love to know what you think. It would be really helpful.
The other day, one of our friends said “X University has a great jazz program.” It got us thinking about what that means. We figure that the best school is one that matches with our kid’s vision and style of learning. But…
Do you think there is such a thing as a better program (not counting fit for a particular child)? What qualities would you consider when choosing?
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All the ideas I’m coming up with are relative to the kid (e.g., challenge level, faculty they admire and click with, school resources or expertise in their particular genre or instrument, enough peers who play the same things).
First thing to consider is who will be their primary teacher throughout the program. Everything else is important, but secondary. No matter how good the overall program is, if their individual voice or instrumental teacher is not a good match for them, then the program is no good for them.
This is good advice, thank you. I’m such a newbie. There are so many ensembles and other courses, I didn’t realize it was so critical.
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In my kid’s opinion…it was his primary studio teacher and the strength of the ensembles he was going to play in.
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I think there are a lot more great programs/options than are regularly talked about on this board. I do think teacher compatibility and fit is crucial. I think affordability is crucial. I do think the vibe of a program is important - is it collaborative or competitive or somewhere in between on the spectrum and how your student will fit into that? I would actually hope/expect most jazz based programs to feel collaborative? But we just briefly toured a couple of those kinds of options before my kids decided that wasn’t their path.
Faculty roles are super competitive almost everywhere. I was more impressed by some faculty at little talked about schools near metros than some more that were a bit more remote. Anyway - I do think you can come across amazing teachers plenty of places.
For us the look of facilities, the exact size of the program (though of course a peer group is important), the exact location is secondary to us but others certainly may feel differently. Though after having a kid through covid in college, we are thinking more about travel and secondary expenses. Every program we have looked up has had a broad range of performing opportunities. That might be more important to look at deeply at smaller or more off beat programs and I can imagine that might be more important for jazz oriented programs where you might hope students would be working small ensembles. Even in classical programs I really appreciate where there are obvious opportunities for students to branch out and be experimental and practice/perform with peers.
And this is kind of an afterthought, but I have known a lot of people working in the arts in our metro over the years. I also think in terms of how is my kid going to build soft skills in an environment. Working musicians now aren’t just performers these days. They need to be a jack of all trades. They need really good problem solving, communication, writing, organizational, collaboration skills.
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One other thing my kid considered…wanted to be in a major metro area so he could go and listen to great music too. And have off campus opportunities to play in things like civic orchestras and the like.
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I’ve been wanting to ask about this. What kind of competition happens within a program? Is it competing for ensemble casting? For teacher attention and time? Jazz by its very nature is collaborative, so yeah competitive jazz doesn’t make any sense. 
We’ve been noticing a huge difference, especially with the array of jazz-specific ensembles at each school. Columbia College, CU Denver, and some others have a particularly varied list. Also, The New School explicitly says that they recast their ensembles every semester. Now, I know that’s something to look out for. My kid loves Latin jazz and anything Spanish language (Spanish being the main other thing I could see him majoring in besides music), and at some of these schools there are opportunities like that in the array of ensembles.
We were just talking about this, this very minute. Both my husband and I went to schools where artists were required to try all the roles in an art form. With music programs, I can see how some of them require this approach with business-related and tech-related courses.
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Yes, this is so important! It’s the main reason why a couple of music programs that sounded promising never made it onto his list.
@BeverlyWest i will add, my kid’s college job was as an usher for a major symphony orchestra and their pops orchestra. He was able to see 1/2 of each concert from inside the house…but since he typically ushered more than one night, he saw the whole thing…for free. Cheaper than rush tickets!
And as he put it…it wasn’t like he was doing anything else between 7 and 10 on a Friday or Saturday night…or the Sunday matinee times.
It was an added thing he didn’t find out about until he got to the school.
Oh…and almost all of the ushers were college students and many music. So if they had concerts or rehearsals, it was never a problem finding a sub.
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Speaking of whether a program is great, does anyone know about University of Illinois Chicago? The School of Theater and Music has a BMus in Jazz Studies. I’d love to know more about it and see if it would be worth the push to apply this week.
My son talked with me about what he finds important in a good school for him/what he’s looking for. I was happy to hear about his quite solid idea of what he wants. He’s very aware that some schools may sound superior at first but are not right for every musician. I’m excited that’s coming from him, and that he knows what he wants.
He talked about collaboration and performance. He’s always said ensembles were a #1 consideration for him, including the ability to have space in the great ones. He wants to collaborate across music and art forms, and have some time for classes that are not music. He wants to be able to perform in the local jazz scene, if there is one (which I think will be a big determining factor when the time comes). We talked about how a few on his list tend toward being competitive and consuming, and he’s totally aware and wants to apply to a variety to see what he gets to consider when the time comes.
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I worked the box office at the big regional theater in Pr1nceton where, during the day, I interned. It was an incredible opportunity to see almost all of many amazing performances. I remember Einstein on the Beach as particularly awesome, as well as a production of Three Sisters that I worked on.
Oh yes, especially the Sundays.
Another parent on this forum was telling me about her son’s work opportunities at Loyola, which sounded fantastic too. I think this is an important consideration. Because our kids haven’t been to college yet, they might not think about all these factors.
I thought I would comment here for all the “sherpas” (parents at auditions) out there this weekend. You may have some down time as you “hurry up and wait”.
@BeverlyWest - your son’s great program will be revealed during the process. Just like a marathon time. You can rehearse in your mind and anticipate your pace, your nutrition, your game plan…but your time is only known once you cross the finish line. If you have run a few, you know to have more than one goal: first to finish, second to hit a certain time and third to maybe PR if the planets are aligning before and during the race. Right now, you are passing 20 miles where much will be revealed to you. As you know, there’s really not a lot you can do anymore … but finish.
I’m glad that you posted your kid’s comments bc it is time to take the back seat to him (except on money, imo). You can have all your spreadsheets and mental lists. It’s great to collect data to be sure every school is looked at from every angle. I even made a list of “necessary items” like COST, teacher, ensembles, prestiges (couldn’t help myself), well-rounded education (mattered to us), enviorment, facilities etc and gave each a value (teacher more than facilities for example). Still you add it all up and you find out that most schools have similar scores (maybe facilites and enviroment are less at one school…but teacher is higher). That helped me see that all schools had pros and cons (there was no unicorn school, in other words).
I mentioned this excellent, profound idea to my D to help her…and she gave me a look of pity and dismay…and then did an eyeroll. So anywho…I did it in secret after that.
My D made HER decision based on teacher…and I don’t know…gut instinct. It did hit the cost parameters that we discussed quite clearly with her. Since I had my secret list that told me it was a fine decision…I didn’t need to second guess her.
Some kids decide quickly, others agonize until the end. Anyway to get to their own decision is fine. But the best thing a parent can do is give them space to make that decision…because trust me…they will complain sometime during the first year…and as a parent it is a lot easier to endure the complaints when it was their decision and not yours!
Happy trails, sherpas!
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Thank you so much for this thoughtful message. I love your idea of secretly keeping track of your own factors. I don’t want to push him or try to sway him, especially at this point in the marathon, and I was so happy to hear his thoughts. It’s funny, I think no matter the program there is still an element of prestige for everyone. 
That’s why it’s kind of funny when non-music people hear him mention some schools on his list.
The best program is the one where your student will be energized and maintain his/her love of the music. And that will depend on your student.
But a few factors my son looked for (I think) way back when:
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Good faculty - and not just primary teacher. The primary teacher may or may not be there for four years, and jazz students typically interact with other faculty as well, for example their ensemble leaders and other faculty on their instrument.
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High level peers - most of jazz is playing with others. You want your fellow students to be as passionate and talented as you are (or even moreso). When my son got to Juilliard, he called me after his first ensemble session and said “Dad, you can’t believe how good these students are.” It was incredibly energizing for him.
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Location - this will depend on the student, but my son was only interested in a metropolitan area where he could gig and have mentors outside of school as well as in school. As one of his outside-of-school mentors said to him, you’re going to learn more on the bandstand than in the classroom. I think he actually learned a lot from both, but being able to gig regularly was important.
With the benefit of hindsight, I would say brand name is also useful - it can help open some doors when you’re getting started. Of course, once the door is opened, you have to deliver. And you can open doors from anywhere with enough hustle. But the brand name does provide you with an easier entree.
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Thank you for these thoughts. This is really helpful. I am concerned about peer level, and I feel like it might be the most important factor. I’m not sure how to gauge it, though, except to assume that well known schools have talented students. What if my kid doesn’t go to a UNT or other well known jazz school? Hmmm. More to think about.