<p>D received her last letter today, and it was very sad news from UMich's Jazz Studies program.</p>
<p>Before I bemoan the sad news, let me say I am absolutely thrilled with her acceptances, especially given that the path we've followed through this process has been anything but conventional! It has confirmed to us that D is not totally crazy to even think about studying music at the college level. </p>
<p>However, for today it feels very sad because most programs aren't designed to take fiddlers who have fallen in love with improvisation. Of all the schools she applied to, UMich Jazz Studies was the only program that was truly suited for her. </p>
<p>Tomorrow we'll have to pick up the pieces and figure out what's next. If she were primarily a classical musician, I think the choice would be easy. But, for D, doing only classical studies is like the proverbial trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Yeah, it's ok, but will it really keep her enthused for 4 years, just to say she got a music degree?</p>
<p>I'm not entirely sure at this point how to go about evaluating the acceptances she has to figure out what will be the best fit. She is accepted at Michigan State University, Bowling Green State University and a small Christian school, Spring Arbor University. As of this morning D was evenly split between MSU & BGSU in her preference. Is there hope that jazz faculty at the other schools might take her on for elective study, even though she can't do a Jazz Studies degree at those schools? </p>
<p>All of those schools are reasonably close to one another, so I am guessing that perhaps you are not too far away from them. If possible, I would suggest visiting each of the three to which she was accepted and finding out first-hand which seems to offer the best environment. Even if she has visited them before, schools can look really different with the knowledge that you have been accepted there. The questions become much more concrete and less speculative.</p>
<p>Check out the music scene at each school to see if there are groups that her style of playing would fit in with. They do not even have to be formally associated with the school, just available to students. Have her talk to some of the music students there to get the inside view and try to find a student newspaper that might describe some of the opportunities she would have to play the kind of music that interests her. Pay special attention to the bulletin boards for signs of groups that already exist or that students are trying to form.</p>
<p>Let her talk to the teachers both on the classical and jazz faculty and ask the questions you asked on this thread. If she has not already had sample lessons with some of them, this will be her last chance before having to decide.</p>
<p>I read your posting and wondered whether you might want to check with this man, who is on the faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (which is 1 1/2 hours from Pittsburgh). He is an awesome jazz violinist; you'd never know from his bio. IUP is a less competitive school than U. Mich; it may not be too late and maybe it will have what's right for your daughter. I'm sure you could start with an email to him--:</p>
<p>Stanley Chepaitis (<a href="mailto:chip@iup.edu">chip@iup.edu</a>), D.M.A., University of Rochester-Eastman School of Music, Associate Professor, Violin, Viola, String Ensemble</p>
<p>I just looked at Michigan State's website. I had always heard that they were strong in jazz studies and it looks like a good program. More importantly, it states that the program has more than twice the number of non-majors taking classes and participating in the various ensembles than jazz majors. So a visit to discuss your daughters' interests and determine what performance opportunities might be available to her may be fruitful. Good luck to you both in the decision making and congratulations on her acceptances.</p>
<p>Are you saying that she was not accepted into the jazz program at Michigan State U, just into the classical violin program, or are you saying jazz violin doesn't exist there? As spelmom notes, she should be welcomed into the jazz groups and classes no matter what her major. My guess is the'll be very happy to have her.
Classical playing will help her have a grounding in all kinds of music. My sis-in-law went from operatic training to jazz vocals. Her foundation meant she understood how not to abuse her "instrument", gave her a wider range and great musical understanding.</p>
<p>Bass Dad- thanks for the great suggestions, especially about ways to find out the opportunities for forming groups in her area(s) of interest. You are right that we are fairly "local" to these 3 universities. We have visited all on more than one occasion and chatted fairly extensively about D's interests and previous experience. We'll need to schedule a sample lesson at MSU; we already have identified the teacher that might be the best fit but she hasn't had a lesson with him yet. It's also time to get a better feel for the general campus culture and other academic areas of interest.</p>
<p>SpelMom- I think this is an exciting time for MSU's College of Music. MSU was in the top 30 in the last music rankings way back, and since then they have worked hard at building their jazz department, as well as other departments. In fact, the College officially became a "College" on its own and not a "School" within the Arts & Letters on this Feb. 23rd, the day my D auditioned! Facilities need to be upgraded & there are plans on the board for a new building, but with Michigan's economy in the toilet right now, it's not happening yet. </p>
<p>OldinJersey- D did classical auditions at her other schools. I got the impression that MSU and BGSU do not accept violinists into the Jazz Studies degree option. That may not be a hard & fast rule but that was the impression I got. D is definitely expecting to do classical studies- even at U-M, her violin applied studies would be classical- and I agree that the classical foundation is indispensible. As part of her final investigations, she just needs to find out how much participation in jazz courses & ensembles would be open to her at either school. </p>
<p>Mom4- thanks for the note about IUP. Sometimes you just don't know from reading a faculty bio that these folks have other areas of interest besides the classical world! I do think D has a couple of good options already, we just need to evaluate them in context to make a choice. One challenge with IUP is the travel. My older D considered the Honors College there during her admissions process and my goodness, the drive from the interstate to the campus seemed awfully grueling!</p>
<p>FiddleMom, with all due respect to BGSU, which is a nice directional, Ohio school, it's nowhere near being on par with MSU, in music or anything else (especially music, and especially jazz studies). Michigan State University?s jazz program is chaired by Rodney Whitaker, who played bass in Wynton Marsalis? Lincoln Center jazz band, as is a trumpeter in the Dept. Branford Marsalis, Wynton?s brother and ex-Tonight Show band director, was Artist-in-Residence for 2 years a few years ago? It is perhaps THE jazz program outside of Julliard?. I'm a little confused by your post, also, as I'm sure your D can major in jazz violin at MSU. Since she?s been accepted to MSU, she?d make a major mistake in going to Bowling Green, instead.</p>
<p>"In fact, the College officially became a "College" on its own and not a "School" within the Arts & Letters on this Feb. 23rd, the day my D auditioned! Facilities need to be upgraded & there are plans on the board for a new building, but with Michigan's economy in the toilet right now, it's not happening yet." - FiddleMom</p>
<p>Not true. The planned new building is based on a private fundraising campaign and not state funds. MSU, this year, is finishing a 7-year, $1.2 Billion capital fundraising campaign (it has to the end of the year and they surpassed the mark in October of last year). Fundraising for a new music building is a part of this? Besides the new building, which is needed for improvement, MSU already does have excellent performance spaces, particularly in the large, acoustically renowned Wharton Center for the Performing Arts (with the 2,600 seat Great Hall and the smaller 700-seat Passant Theatre. Then there?s the large, old Auditorium plus the more intimate Fairchild Theatre. </p>
<p>I can?t stress again to your D: go to Michigan State; don?t give it any more vexing thought.</p>
<p>Quincy4: Thanks for your response. I know that MSU's reputation is certainly more far-reaching than BGSU's, and certainly by most of the considerations that are discussed here at CC the decision should be a no-brainer. In fact, D has some thought about living again in the Asian country in which she spent most of her younger years, and for that fact alone, MSU is the name to have. </p>
<p>There are some other considerations, some of which are personal & I won't bring up, which keep BGSU on the table. Musically speaking, one of them is the undergraduate ethnomusicology program. D is very interested in ethnomusicology, and if she decides that she wants to pursue it as an undergrad in addition to whatever path her performance studies takes, then BGSU may well get the nod.</p>
<p>I wasn't aware that the planned music building was tied into a current capital campaign, so thanks for pointing that out; I did go back to the website to read about it). I was reacting to a comment that was made to me about lack of state appropriations being a factor as to why it wasn't off the drawing board at this point. Thank you for pointing out that the performance facilities are excellent- I actually had a comment about the Wharton Center's great facilities in my original post, because I wanted to distinguish that resource from the need for up-to-date facilities for day-to-day teaching. That part got cut out when I trimmed my original comments for space. </p>
<p>So, we will definitely still consider both schools. Yet, there are some convincing reasons as to why MSU may well be the final choice.</p>
<p>The Oberlin jazz bass teacher taught at Michigan State for many years just prior to coming to Oberlin, so I would think MSU would have a very good jazz program.</p>
<p>I know it's after the fact, but I believe Indiana U. will let people major in jazz on different instruments than the usual if you email the director, David Baker, and he gives his approval.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter. She should go where she feels more comfortable. If she thinks she will be happier at Bowling Green or Spring Arbor, then that's where she should go. I am convinced that it is far more important what a student does in college than what college he or she attends. Here is one of my favorite articles that attests to that. It's several years old so the numbers are a little obsolete:</p>
<p>FiddleMom, I hope I didn't come off as abrasive. There are many choices, other than straight academics, that can lead a choice for a new freshman; and BGSU isn't just chopped liver... I just know how underrated MSU's music program is, nationally (more among the raters than among students, who are overwhelming the facilities), and if it were straight academics, I think the facilities, teacher and program would easily win for MSU... But you're right about the teaching facilities; what happened is that the popularity has caused buildings designed to teach around 300 students are now servicing upwards of 650. </p>
<p>But in terms of teachers, Michigan State’s tough to beat: in the 80s and 90s, the Julliard Sting Quartet spent over a decade in residence; in jazz, classical and many classes of instruments: woodwinds; brass, strings (esp violin), MSU’s very strong. I have heard less about MSU in terms of voice, but MSU's still among the better programs, even in that.... Good luck to your D no matter where she lands...</p>
<p>For violin, just from a classical perspective, MSU and BGSU are both pretty good options. Avsharian and Beluska both have had numerous successful students.</p>
<p>I went to Vasile Beluska's website again and saw that yes, he's had some really successful students. D has also had a lesson with him and I think there are some good possibilities there. She hasn't worked with Penny Kruse but Kruse is on the faculty at the Eastern Music Festival, so she's surely no slouch, either. </p>
<p>Charles Avsharian is no longer associated with MSU. He left around the end of the last semester. D has not had a lesson at MSU as yet but we will be setting one up soon.</p>