College decisions

[Dantesstudio]

I dont know if anyone can put any input in on this but i would love some help on make a decision about what music school to attend.

I have audtioned at the University of Tennessee knoxville (Jerry Cokers school)
and the University of Belmont (Nashville TN).

UTK was founded by one of the ABCs of Jazz, Jerry Coker. But they have a small staff and they teach jazz and only jazz.

Belmont has a long list of country graduates including brad paisley and Keith Urban. They have a large staff of guitarists but most ar adjunt professors. The guitar coordinator is John Pell, a famous classical guitarist and arranger, formerly of Dolly Parton's band.

Where do yall think I should go? Anyone and alum?

[jallen]

Hmmm- looks like from your post you're maybe not to keen on "jazz and only jazz"? I may be wrong, but if that's the case your choice would be pretty clear...

[Dantesstudio]

I love jazz. It is sorta my life. But should it be? I feel like to be a well rounded musician I should study both jazz and classical becuase those two are basicly your roots of all that is guitar music. "If you can play jazz you can play anything" they say, but I dont know. I would like to learn everything. It worked for Pat Metheny.

[jallen]

Well, I guess there are no rules about learning a different style on your own, even if your schoolwork is focused in another direction.

[Dantesstudio]

This is true.

[DEADTUNES666]

I would look into the surrounding areas, and see what attracts you to them as well...

Are there opportunities for gigs...What are the after effects of a degree from these schools? Which degree will seem more prestigious to prospective employers and most importantly what are your plans after graduation?

My very dear friend graduated Berklee with a degree in music performance, and with that he has as much chance as I, a college dropout has...

Which school places more graduates in better positions musically.

A bigger school is likely to have more alumnus looking out for each other too.

[Dantesstudio]

I never thought of the bigger school having more alums to help. That seems obvious. Good insite thank you.

I used to want to go to Burklee more than anything in life until I saw what it really was. They take a couple hundred guitarists who dont get any attention from their big time teachers unless they are at the top of their class. That and when i started seeing them advertising online classes on sites like ulitimate-guitar I realized it couldnt be to special. I know a few grads myself and they gig as much as me. That and Boston seems to be crawling with people struggling to scrape by after graduating from Burklee.

If I could go anywhere i would go to North Texas, but you have to be real. I dont think i could get in there. It is very difficult.

I am starting to really like VCU, I applied and have an audition January 30th. Any opinions on Virginia Commonwealth University?

[DEADTUNES666]

My buddy was the last accepted year where they put you through serious admission testing. They had him sight reading the most insanely difficult crap, playing practiced pieces, and busted his nuts during the whole process...The next year they relaxed the rules and started accepting like everybody with cash...

[Clonetool]

Can't bag on adjuncts. Harvard is 70 percent. Pretty sobering.

[jaxadam]

Originally Posted by Dantesstudio

Any opinions on Virginia Commonwealth University?

Yes! I went there for 5 years, but I majored in Mechanical Engineering and Physics!

I went to Berklee for a summer session, and I also entertained the thought of joining the music department at VCU, but I had a change of heart when I realized I was good in math and science, and I wanted to play what I wanted to play, so I figured I'd get a good degree and a good job so that I could afford to buy nice stuff and play whatever I wanted whenever I wanted (if that makes any sense...)

VCU is a great school. Super awesome atmosphere, and they've got a lot of funding (or used to at least). There are a ton of really cool people who go there, and even though I never pursued music there, I've heard nothing but really good things. They have a kick-ass art school there (I think one of the top rated in the country) and it's definitely not struggling in the development department. The medical college has a big influence on the school, and they are building and doing new things in what I think are really great, fresh, new ways. They just built a brand new engineering and business building, combining the schools to give the engineering students a 5 year track with an MBA. A lot of thinking out of the box goes on there.

[waylay00]

I've heard Belmont's music program is really good. The other I haven't really heard of.

[Dantesstudio]

Originally Posted by waylay00

I've heard Belmont's music program is really good. The other I haven't really heard of.

Ya but you could be confusing their performance and their music buiness programs. NYU and Belmont have the best recording industry/music buisness in the world. I am not really interested in that. I think it would kill me to work for a musician rather than as a musician. So I want to do performance.