Majoring In Music

[Menaceboi]

Im a total fan of jazz. The conservatory of music in my local university is a place where people study classical stuff. There's is no jazz course over here. This is something which is bothering as well. My music goals in the future is to be a jazz artist. I do understand the fact that all(most) jazz artists are classical trained. This the reason why im even considering of entering the conservatory, do legit playing for 4 years, and move on from there. I guess it will be a good assistance to my jazz playing in the future. But here comes the problem, being such a great fan of jazz, i almost shut out totally on classical music. I read biographies of jazz artists, own many dvds of jazz, attends numerous jazz performances be it good or bad.My entire collection of music is all jazz. If i were to enter the conservatory, i will be forced to learn classical history,play classical stuff etc. I understand that it's a really good idea to do more legit playing but there's a serious clash of interests here. I do not believe in forcing someone to play a particular style of music if he's not interested in. You guys ever encounter such situations before? How do u deal with it? Please understand that going elsewhere to do a music degree is out of question for me. Its my only way to do music.

Next, most conservatory students are either pianists or violinists. They play classical since the day there were born. Many of them are dipolma holders. They have a really big headstart infront of me. My trumpet playing history only starts 6 years ago, playing in a school concert band(without proper guidance). I wish to know how is the situation like being in a conservatory. Im not afraid to work hard but i probably have too much to catch up on.

[marktrumpet]

I think with every style of music there is certain method for playing that certain instrument in that style and there is a certain musical vocabulary that must be learned. I learned this the hard way when I was putting a demo together, I recorded some original jazz tunes along with some pop stuff as well. I thought at the time that if someone can play good jazz then they should be able to cover some simple pop songs. This was not the case, the jazz sounded great and the pop stuff lacked the right feel and nuance especially within the rhythm section.

Is going to this conservatory going to help you? I don't know. Is your jazz playing going to get better by playing only classical music for four years? Probably not.

If I could do it all over again, I think I would have attended a junior college and got the required academic courses out of the way first. At the same time I should have taken lessons with someone who plays just like I want to play, a mentor if you will. At the same time I could have a put an audition package together for other schools and that way I would have had a much wider range of choices and I would have saved a lot of money. From reading your info. it says you mostly have a concert band background. Though there is nothing wrong with playing in a concert band, it probably didn't help your jazz playing that much. Think about how much better your jazz playing would be if you had studied with a great jazz player for six years.

If you have any doubt about going somewhere for an education you should probably look elsewhere, especially if it is for music. It is not like there are a lot of jobs just waiting for musicians. However, there are jobs for good musicians who are easy to work with, who show up on time, etc.. Good Luck!

[JackD]

Why not try to find somewhere with a course that's more applicable to you? Since you're obviously intrested in jazz, it seems a little silly to be applying to a place where there is no jazz faculty. Do you have to apply to your local conservatoire? If not, have a look around at what else is on offer. There are plenty of people here who I'm sure would give you great advice on that. (Check out the 'Schools' forum).

With regards to classical music and jazz - don't shut your ears to it just because it doesn't swing. A lot of great jazz musicians have been influenced by western classical music as well as by other jazz artists. There are more similarities than differences, and learning classical technique won't do your playing any harm.

Again, I don't know about conservatoires in the US, but it is my understanding of conservatoires here that you compete for places against other trumpet players, or if you are applying for jazz, against other jazz musicians. Don't worry about the violinists and pianists!
I'm interested in playing professionally as well, and I have been worried about whether I have to much to catch up on (I'm 17). I've managed to get lessons with a conservatoire teacher, and he tells me I shouldn't worry about that - there's plenty of time provided you use it well.

[Jon Arnold]

There is nothing wrong with concentrating on being a great trumpet player. If you are locked in on going to this school, you will have to become your own teacher. Listen and to and emulate the players you like. In the old days there were not any jazz programs. The old cats played with others and exchanged ideas. They also took records and transcribed solos they liked. If you can play some gigs outside of your school, you can learn that way. when I was in college I played in a professional big band, and had my own jazz combo. It was my out of school experiences that made me successful in school. Find some cats that want to play jazz and form a combo, if that is not possible, buy some Jamey Aebersold playalongs and get to work. I would also suggest going to a Jamey Aebersold jazz workshop, it will change your approach to playing. It you want to be a great jazz player go for it. Best wishes, Jon Arnold.

[trumpjosh]

[E.D.Lewis]

I have to agree with trumpjosh. Forcing yourself to attend a school that doesn't offer the coursework you desire can lead to a lot of frustration and wasted time. Most schools that offer jazz programs have some degree of classical-type study built into their curiculum. As a trumpet player in a jazz program you can count on playing at least a couple of Arban's characteristic studies. So don't worry about missing out on getting some classical chops under your belt.
Mr. Arnold also offers some good advice, most of the original jazzers didn't have schools to attend. However, in this business we all know it's not what you know but who you know. Colleges and Universities are great places for meeting like minded players, and professors usually have great connections for jobs within the city/community. That being said, when I was working on cruise ships I was one of the few (at times only!) in the band with a music degree. Others held degrees in business, or no degree at all. Perhaps finding yourself a private instructor and plowing ahead on your own would be more to your liking.

All the best,

_________________
Peace and Live Music, Eli Lewis

[ This Message was edited by: E.D.Lewis on 2004-01-05 07:22 ]

[Nonsense Eliminator]

If you want to play jazz, spending four years studying nothing but classical music is highly likely to be a waste of time and money. Nobody has ever become a great jazz musician without working with other jazz musicians, as peers or mentors or preferably both.

That said, be aware that the market for people who do nothing but play jazz is practically zero. Virtually every jazz musician is making a significant portion of their living playing shows or teaching or doing something other than playing jazz. So training in playing classical music may not help you play jazz, but it will help you eat if you end up relying on your horn to make a living. Also, regardless of what you want to do, you need to learn to play the trumpet, which sometimes is going to mean playing Arban and Clarke and Schlossberg and other "legit" studies and etudes.

If you want to be a professional musician, you need to find the best possible situation for you and make the most of it. If that means attending a school that doesn't offer you a lot, then you need to decide whether you honestly believe that you can overcome the disadvantage that will give you relative to other players who have gone to schools that afford them better opportunities.