[vette6600]

so, here's my situation;

in april i'm supposed to go to GIT. I'm psyched, but could do without the move from NY to LA, and also the cost of living in LA.
in another thread, i saw a mention of AIM. i checked it out and am considering this school instead (how did i not check before?!!)

how does this school compare in terms of teachers, quality of lessons, coverage of jazz and sight reading (i really want to master that stuff, or atleast try ) and anything alse in general. also, how does the cost of living in atlanta compare to that of LA. thanks for your help. hopefully some alumni are on this site

 

[j.arledge]

i dont know anything about the school but i'll bet you that living in atlanta is a hell of a lot cheap then LA.

I'd also like to know a little more about AIM .

 

[vette6600]

i'll bet you that living in atlanta is a hell of a lot cheap then LA.

thats what i was hoping. plus i could drive my car there instead selling and buying another one.

back to research

 

[Praetorian]

How much is GIT per semester by the way? I can't find anything on tuition on the site. I'm hoping very much that it's not a lot because I'd really like to go there after I get out of the Navy. I mean, do you think the GI bill would cover some of it or are we talking the whole $90 grand per semester like Berklee? I just wanna go somewhere that has a good guitar program and won't bankrupt me till I'm 50.

 

[vette6600]

GIT is about 16 grand for a year, AIM about 12 for the year. i was checking costs of apartments (no dorms or anything at either school) and the atlanta area was considerably cheaper than LA.

also, hows the music scene in atlanta?

 

[pawel]

Jimmy Herring teaches at AIM as far as I know, and I think Atlanta has a pretty strong jamband scene. It's not LA, NYC, or Boston, but it's not a bad city to be a musician in, I would think.

Of course I'm not saying this from experience, you should definately try contacting someone who is/was at AIM.

 

[vette6600]

I'd also like to know a little more about AIM .

www.aim-music dot com

 

[surfdog777]

also, hows the music scene in atlanta?

Actually not too bad.....there are many venues that showcase original bands, plus tons of clubs that cater to cover bands. Philips Arena, Gwinnett Centre Arena, Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre handle the large-draw national touring bands. Just about every national touring act books a gig here on their tour.

The local radio kinda sucks......but do like I did and get XM and you'll be fine.

The cost of living here is MUCH cheaper than L.A. I've never lived there but have relatives that do, and that's I hear from them.

 

[vette6600]

cool, do you know anyone that studied at AIM?

 

[surfdog777]

^^^ No, I don't know anyone that attended there personally......
You might check this site www.atlantamusician.com

 

[eelblack2]

I went to AIM and loved the experience. The cost of living is very inexpensive in the Norcross area as opposed to the insanity of LA. If you are looking for excellent Jazz lessions to diversify yout chops I strongly recommend private lessions with Bill Hart on the side in addition to AIM curriculum. He was my favorite teacher there over 10 years ago. Nite is also a monster player and a really nice guy. The only teachers that are gone since I attended years ago are Shane, Steve, and Sid. Shane is a monster rock/jazz guy and playing with the Neville Brothers last I heard. Randy taught music theory when I was there. Be warned of one minor thing. They teach music theory from a slighty Jazz point of view as opposed to Classical nomenclature. (I came from 4 years in a hard core Classical guitar Fine Arts highschool so I had to adjust to terms like "tri-tone sub" and similar. Its all the same ideas and concepts, just different ways of looking at it and more importantly naming it. Very "Lydian Dominant" if you catch my drift from Jazz guy perspective.


All in all I would highly recommend it based on my experience. Very very cool place. I will always be thankful for the experience I had there. I still have my private lessons with Bill on cassete and I whip them out once every year or two to refresh.

 

[vette6600]

I went to AIM and loved the experience. The cost of living is very inexpensive in the Norcross area as opposed to the insanity of LA. If you are looking for excellent Jazz lessions to diversify yout chops I strongly recommend private lessions with Bill Hart on the side in addition to AIM curriculum. He was my favorite teacher there over 10 years ago. Nite is also a monster player and a really nice guy. The only teachers that are gone since I attended years ago are Shane, Steve, and Sid. Shane is a monster rock/jazz guy and playing with the Neville Brothers last I heard. Randy taught music theory when I was there. Be warned of one minor thing. They teach music theory from a slighty Jazz point of view as opposed to Classical nomenclature. (I came from 4 years in a hard core Classical guitar Fine Arts highschool so I had to adjust to terms like "tri-tone sub" and similar. Its all the same ideas and concepts, just different ways of looking at it and more importantly naming it. Very "Lydian Dominant" if you catch my drift from Jazz guy perspective.

All in all I would highly recommend it based on my experience. Very very cool place. I will always be thankful for the experience I had there. I still have my private lessons with Bill on cassete and I whip them out once every year or two to refresh.

looking back, is there anything you think the school lacked, or something you were disappointed with? i've contacted bill hart so i'm trying to pick his brain for some opinions as well. if you were in my situation, what would your choice be?

thanks for your help

 

[vette6600]

^^^ No, I don't know anyone that attended there personally......
You might check this site www.atlantamusician.com

thats quite a resource. thanks

 

[eelblack2]

I would say about the only thing it lacked the "Top Gun" type of atmosphere that GIT had at that time. (Remember this was early 90's when I was there - before the fall of modern rock guitar to that Seattle/Urban/counterwhatever-culture music that became dominant) That kind of competition can lead to some pretty insane and entertaining Live performance classes. I also think AIM was younger school back then. I would be tempted to see how its grown up over the last 15 years - from what I remember I think it could only have gotten better with Nite taking over the helm and Bill stepping up.

Biggest thing I can tell you regardless of weather you choose GIT, AIM, or something else: You will only take from those schools what you put in. Go there when your head is on straight and you are ready to absorb guitar like a dry sponge. Practice, Practice, Practice and learn all styles of music, not just the type you are most confortable with - Push yourself.

 

[vette6600]

i got an email back from Bill Hart (super quick response, too!) and he said he was in the same situation as me. he said he went to AIM first, and then GIT because he was searching for something to bring it all together for him. he continued that GIT implemented the same idea; simply more and more practice. in summary, he wrote that both schools are great choices and offer the tools you need and then some, and wished me good luck in my decision.......invaluable insight from someone that was in my predicament.
i've emailed my teacher that moved to florida (attended GIT) to get his opinions, and also another GIT alumnist. im expecting some bias in their responses, but i'm interested to know what they think.

* eelblack, thanks for your responses and mentioning bill's name. very helpful.

 

[vette6600]

i got another email back from a student currently studying at AIM. he echoed the same idea that you get out what you put in. i asked about the level of reading students are expected to be at by the time they're done; he replied that charlie parker's "confirmation" is part of the sight reading final exam. he couldn't comment on GIT, but didn't have any complaints about AIM.

just thought i'd share in case anyone is interested in these schools

 

[fishhead785]

did you ever consider berkley in boston? I have 2 friends that both attended GIT. one of them was there when paul gilbert was teaching and the other went 10 years later... both are giving guitar lessons in music stores to my knowlege. I think at berkley you can actually get a BA degree which is useful in the outside world. I could be wrong about the whole degree thing, but both my friends were better musicians when they got home from git...when i was out in LA last year i stopped by the campus and it is a dirty area surrounding the school....reminded me of a dirty smaller version of NYC

ron

 

[pawel]

Berklee, Berkley is a university in CA ;-)

The problem with Berklee is that it requires a lot of $$$ on your part, unless you have a scholarship...

 

[vette6600]

did you ever consider berkley in boston? I have 2 friends that both attended GIT. one of them was there when paul gilbert was teaching and the other went 10 years later... both are giving guitar lessons in music stores to my knowlege. I think at berkley you can actually get a BA degree which is useful in the outside world

ron

well, every school, is what you make of it. i know an incredible bass player that went to berklee in the 80's and he has not used his degree in "the real world." he teaches out of his home and plays out a few times a week (which sounds like a good life to me, if you're doing well financially). my teacher went to GIT and is doing the same thing as the guy mentioned above.

plus, i don't sh*t money out of my ass, so berklee is out of the question

 

[vette6600]

i emailed rusty cooley for the hell of it. he said when he moved to atlanta he was going to teach at AIM but thought it was very lame. thats the only person i've heard say that. maybe because LA had more of a shred scene at the time? (btw, i'm not after the whole shred thing. don't need school to learn/do that)