Frost School of Music

REACHING HIGHER GROUND YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO JAZZ EDUCATION Find Your Fit—Detailed Listings for 222 Schools Getting the Big Scholarship The Affordable 2-Step Degree Real-World Experience at College Innovations at University of Miami’s Frost School of Music Nolan Schroeder performs at a reception following a Scholarship Benefit Concert at the University of Northern Iowa. (Photo: UNI School of Music) STUDENT MUSIC GUIDE Professor John Daversa (left) prepares for a 2013 concert with members of the Concert Jazz Band at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. VERSATILE LIGHT STUDIO ‘HOW CAN I AFFORD IT?’ FEATURES That’s the key question on the minds of aspiring jazz musicians who want to earn a degree. DownBeat is here to help. Our annual Student Music Guide contains detailed information on hun- 74 ‘Real-World’ Jazz Education dreds of schools, as well was in-depth, insightful articles that help students (and their parents) decide which schools would be the best fit. These articles include practical tips as well as commen- How schools prepare students for tary from the top educators in the field. life beyond the classroom Educator JB Dyas’ essay “Getting the Big Scholarship” (page 140) is filled with valuable information on how to prepare for the important audition process, as well as pointers on how to maxi- 100 Frost School of Music mize scholarship awards. This article will help you impress the judges. The essay offers important The University of Miami’s Frost tips on developing your repertoire and securing your letters of recommendation. “The 2-Step Degree” (page 164) offers advice on how to transfer to a second institution to com- School of Music provides students plete your studies. Cost, of course, is a major factor in choosing to start your education at a commu- with a broad musical educaton nity college or in-state school before transferring to a larger university or conservatory. This article provides tips on what courses to take, and which credits can be carried from one school to the next. 140 Getting the Big Scholarship On page 100, we present a profile of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Frost Tips for students seeking to land is one of the many world-class degree-granting institutions that offer a range of scholarship and financial aid options. a scholarship Our “‘Real-World’ Jazz Education” piece (page 74) will guide you toward schools that provide the kind of professional experience you need to get good-paying gigs after graduation—when it’s 164 The ‘2-Step Degree’ time to start paying off those student loans. Tips on how to transfer to a At the heart of this guide are detailed listings of jazz programs at 222 schools. Our listings have second institution to complete been organized by region, including an International section. Throughout the listings, you’ll notice your degree that some schools’ names have a colored banner. Those schools have placed advertisements in this issue of DownBeat, providing another source of information about a particular jazz program. (To find the ad for a particular school, see the DB Buyers Guide on page 193.) As you begin researching jazz studies programs, you’ll find that some schools are more expen- SCHOOL LISTINGS sive than others. But don’t rule out a school solely on the basis of tuition. You might find that the school offers scholarship opportunities and financial aid options that could make it affordable. 78 East The most important thing to remember is this: Do your research. After you’ve read through this guide, we encourage you to meet with a counselor or teacher to discuss your plans. Visit the web- 102 South sites of any schools that interest you. We’ve compiled the most recent information we could gather at press time, but some information may have changed; therefore, be sure to contact a school rep- 118 Midwest resentative to get up-to-date guidelines on admissions, enrollment, scholarships and financial aid. 144 West The process of selecting a program and applying to it can seem overwhelming. But remember, there are plenty of people out there whose job is to help you earn a degree. We want you connect to 168 International with them. We hope this guide inspires you to dream big and achieve your goals. DB 72 DOWNBEAT OCTOBER 2015 STUDENT MUSIC GUIDE ‘REAL-WORLD’ JAZZ EDUCATION HOW SCHOOLS PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM BY BOB DOERSCHUK hen trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire musical skills, obviously. Professional behavior and mindsets. Nobody is going to ‘employ’ you. was studying at the Thelonious Monk would be the second area: being on time, com- You will embark on a career that is entrepre- W Institute of Jazz, veteran bassist Ron ing prepared, being respectful. neurial, whether you understand that or not. Carter, one of the program’s faculty members, “Then there’s the third, which is about the You will have to develop your own career.” related a story to the class about helping a per- relationships you build. I’m not talking about “Musicians have to figure out their own way son in a wheelchair who had tipped over the business-savvy networking. It’s about building of making it all work,” said Daniel Seeff, pro- curb that morning. relationships that are based on sincerity. You’re gram director of the Thelonious Monk Institute For Akinmusire, it was more than an account only going to be a student for so long, so this of Jazz Performance at UCLA. “Robert Glasper of a random incident in Carter’s day. It was a les- comes first.” talks to our students a lot about that. He says, son that, in retrospect, was as crucial as study- “Intro to Character Building” isn’t being ‘Graduating from school and making a record ing theory and performance in preparing for a offered by America’s top jazz studies programs. where you play standards is much more difficult professional career. But between visiting artists, faculty and stu- to pull off now. You have to take what you’ve “The lesson is that these guys are beautiful dents, it is increasingly a matter for discussion learned and reimagine it as something else you human beings,” the trumpeter said. “I remem- at educational institutions today. The reason can present to people.’ You have to be more ber Herbie Hancock would always say to us, has everything to do with the changing land- creative than just playing jazz as you put your ‘I’m a human being first.’ You think of him just scape of professional jazz, where, essentially, career together.” playing the piano 20 hours a day and that’s all every artist is on his or her own. Several institutions address this with their he does. But the reason they play that way isn’t Panos Panay—founding managing director undergraduates by encouraging them to think just because of technique or whatever. If you’re of Berklee College of Music’s Berklee Institute clearly and early about their aspirations. Seeff not a great human being, that stuff is not going for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE)— described how Karen Kennedy, president of 24 to reach people the way you intend it to. Those equates the situation with changes in practical- Seven Artist Management, approaches the topic are the types of lessons I took away from the ly every job market. “In the late ’90s, perform- in the business course she teaches at the Monk institute.” ing musicians had an industry with a structure Institute. “She gets very specific about what you Aaron Flagg, recently appointed chair and that almost emulated corporate America,” he want to do: ‘How many days a year do you want assistant director of Juilliard Jazz at The said. “You vied for a job, that job being to be to tour? How much money do you want to earn? Juilliard School, gives this issue equal foot- signed to GRP or Concord or Blue Note or some What type of audience do you want to play for? ing with traditional academics as a priority for other major label. By and large, these labels How many albums do you want to put out each getting students ready to prepare their careers. employed you and gave you a long-term com- year?’ You make this list and then you work “Our department is set up to make sure we help mitment. There were benefits that came with backward on how to get to this point.” our students deal with this question of balance,” being a ‘long-term employee’ of that label. Kennedy also teaches at Juilliard, where a Flagg said. “There are actually three areas where “Fast-forward 20 years, and that structure similar approach to career-mapping helps new Juilliard prepares people to be working musi- doesn’t really exist anymore,” Panay continued. students think beyond their classroom instruc- cians in the modern world. One of them is “You need to develop very different instincts tion toward their professional futures. Her 74 DOWNBEAT OCTOBER 2015 Bobby McFerrin performs with students from the University of North Texas. MICHAEL CLEMENTS Business of Jazz class for fourth-year under- marketplace for music,” Hedenstrom said. “And universities, Dyas offers students advice on how grads and master’s students covers a variety of I think I’ve been well prepared for it. You have a to put together a strong presentation. “But some- practical topics, such as how to put together an lot of courses that go into things like video edit- times he tells the students that a teaching position effective EPK, how to write a résumé and how to ing, how to do research in a library and how to may not exist,” Seeff added.

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