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STUDENT MUSIC GUIDE Where To Study Jazz 2019 JAZZ MEETS CUTTING- EDGE TECHNOLOGY 5 SUPERB SCHOOLS IN SMALLER CITIES NEW ERA AT THE NEW SCHOOL IN NYC NYO JAZZ SPOTLIGHTS YOUNG TALENT Plus: Detailed Listings for 250 Schools! OCTOBER 2018 DOWNBEAT 71 There are numerous jazz ensembles, including a big band, at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. (Photo: Tony Firriolo) Cool perspective: The musicians in NYO Jazz enjoyed the view from onstage at Carnegie Hall. TODD ROSENBERG FIND YOUR FIT FEATURES f you want to pursue a career in jazz, this about programs you might want to check out. 74 THE NEW SCHOOL Iguide is the next step in your journey. Our As you begin researching jazz studies pro- The NYC institution continues to evolve annual Student Music Guide provides essen- grams, keep in mind that the goal is to find one 102 NYO JAZZ tial information on the world of jazz education. that fits your individual needs. Be sure to visit the Youthful ambassadors for jazz At the heart of the guide are detailed listings websites of schools that interest you. We’ve com- of jazz programs at 250 schools. Our listings are piled the most recent information we could gath- 120 FIVE GEMS organized by region, including an International er at press time, but some information might have Excellent jazz programs located in small or medium-size towns section. Throughout the listings, you’ll notice changed, so contact a school representative to get that some schools’ names have a colored banner. detailed, up-to-date information on admissions, 148 HIGH-TECH ED Those schools have placed advertisements in this enrollment, scholarships and campus life. The importance of audio technology courses guide, providing another source of information There are plenty of enthusiastic, friendly about a particular jazz program. people out there to help you on your journey. We’ve also included features that are chock- The school representatives listed in this guide SCHOOL LISTINGS full of commentary by leading experts. On page are eager to assist you. When considering poten- 74, we present an article on the exciting develop- tial programs, we encourage you to keep an open 78 EAST ments at The New School in New York City. mind: A school that you might initially catego- On page 120, we present “Five Gems,” a fea- rize as a “maybe” could turn out to be the insti- ture on superb collegiate programs located in tution that transforms your life and sets you on 104 SOUTH small or medium-sized cities: the University of a path to success. Massachusetts, Amherst; Middle Tennessee State Choosing a school is a big decision. Don’t get University in Murfreesboro; Indiana University overwhelmed. These simple steps can help with 124 MIDWEST in Bloomington; Oberlin College & Conservatory the decision-making process: Make a list of the in Ohio; and the University of Northern Colorado schools that appeal to you. Talk to your counsel- 152 WEST in Greeley. ors, teachers, mentors and friends. Do some web We encourage you to read all the features in research on scholarships and financial aid. Make this section and discuss them with your friends some phone calls. Visit some campuses. And find 170 INTERNATIONAL and family. We hope this guide sparks ideas your fit. —Bobby Reed 72 DOWNBEAT OCTOBER 2018 SIOBHAN MULLAN, MATTHEW MATHEWS, COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL Guitarist Mary Halvorson (left) teaches a Stone The New School Studio Ensemble performs under the direction of Workshop at The New School’s College of Performing Arts. Christine Jensen (far right). At center is trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. OF THE NEW SCHOOL MATTHEW MATHEWS, COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL MICHAEL KIRBY SMITH, COURTESY Bassist Linda May Han Oh (right) Dr. Keller Coker chats with students in Arnhold Hall. works with students during a rehearsal. The New School Emphasizes hen students and faculty discuss Coker was serving as assistant dean, The New According to Coker, most institutions of WThe New School for Jazz and School for Jazz and Contemporary Music joined higher learning are not set up to handle the Contemporary Music, certain with The School of Drama at The New School, administrative and academic challenges that phrases recur: Creative collaboration. Artistic its theater arts school, and The Mannes School this type of interdisciplinary learning pres- freedom. Mutual respect. These phrases could of Music, its classical music conservatory. The ents. For the most part, these challenges are be taglines for the pedagogical approach of new entity, collectively called the College of about who’s going to be responsible for what— Dr. Keller Coker, who assumed the deanship Performing Arts at The New School, concen- the money, the communication, the paper- of the Manhattan institution in March 2017. trates most of the institution’s performance tal- work. At The New School, though, the deans Eighteen months in, Coker has helped the ent in one place, effectively creating a crucible of the three CoPA schools—Coker, Richard school maneuver several shifts in direction, for artistic exploration and experimentation. Kessler at Mannes and Pippin Parker at the including the influx of many prestigious facul- Here’s how it works: In CoPA, new students School of Drama—address these challenges ty members; the relocation of the experimen- encounter not only the basic core courses for among themselves in a fully cooperative man- tal jazz club, The Stone, to the school’s campus; their area of concentration, but opportuni- ner. “The three schools are really tight and close and the rollout of new academic opportunities ties to learn about other creative disciplines at the leadership level,” said Coker at his cam- for students both Stateside and abroad. These and to birth new works with like-minded stu- pus office on the fifth floor of Arnhold Hall in initiatives all reinforce Coker’s vision for The dent artists. A jazz student might be writing a Greenwich Village. “All we talk about is more New School’s jazz program—to give students score for a live theatrical production. Classical ways that we can collaborate.” what they need to be leading-edge musicians in and jazz instrumentalists might be improvising Coker’s varied experience as a professional the 21st century. together on a film score. Actors might be learn- musician gives him insight not only into the The jazz school that Coker inherited was ing how to move on stage in a drumming class. value of artistic collaborations, but also into appreciably different from the school that his And if CoPA students want to take classes out- how they might work. His academic creden- predecessor Martin Mueller helped to launch side of the performing arts—in science or busi- tials are impressive: He holds bachelor’s and under the auspices of the Parsons School of ness, say—they can do that, too, via any of The master’s degrees in jazz performance on the Design in 1986. Most notably, in 2015, while New School’s four other colleges. trombone and a doctorate in historical musi- 74 DOWNBEAT OCTOBER 2018 MATTHEW MATHEWS, COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL Musicians at The New School gain experience in composition and improvisation. Faculty member Jane Ira Bloom Scott Kettner (left) teaches drums and (center) confers with bassist Nick Dunston. percussion classes at The New School. MICHAEL KIRBY SMITH, COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL COURTESY OF THE NEW SCHOOL Students perform during the “Summer in the Square” series. By Suzanne Lorge Interdisciplinary Learning cology, and he has completed coursework for and 1980s according to conservative training especially valuable to young musicians. The another doctorate in historical performance, guidelines for classical musicians, prepared necessary shift in pedagogical thinking, Coker all from the University of Southern California’s jazz musicians for a performing world that explained, is to focus on learning outcomes, Thornton School of Music. Before moving to doesn’t exist anymore, Coker explained. Back rather than strict adherence to prescribed aca- The New School, he was a tenured music pro- then, it was hard enough to convince major demic content. So, if the learning outcome is to fessor at Western Oregon University. music institutions to develop curricula for jazz have students develop a deep understanding of Outside of academia, Coker has produced artists, and jazz educators made compromises how music works, why not let them study music recordings for various labels in different genres, just to get programs on their feet. that they already appreciate? including Sony Classical, and worked with Today, jazz musicians need training not By way of example, Coker draws on his manifold performing organizations in a wide only in music fundamentals, but in technology, experience in teaching music history. To array of capacities (the Los Angeles Master business, media, social justice—all of the fac- understand the medieval component of music Chorale as a producer, The Temptations and tors that artists must manage in a multicultur- history (a required class in most undergraduate The Four Tops as a player, and the American al, increasingly integrated professional world. music programs), students need to spend sever- Metropole Orchestra as founder and music Schools whose programs fall into silos—com- al weeks just learning to identify the era’s musi- director, for example). He has an informed, posers compose, players play, singers sing, pro- cal forms, sounds and composers. But if you insider’s view about what jazz students need in ducers produce and so on—are perhaps less able stop worrying about specific content, Coker order to have viable careers after graduation; to prepare students for the realities of a working argues, jazz students can build these same he knows it isn’t simply a specified number of musician’s life in 2018.

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