Guitar schools
Andrew Harrison
I'm a student at the Berklee College of music in Boston, MA. I was
wondering if anybody knows of any other schools that are good for learning
guitar, preferably jazz guitar. Berklee is a wonderful place to learn about
jazz and other kinds of music, but I'm a little disappointed in the fact
that studying here doesn't allow me to also get involved in other areas of
study. It's basically music and not much else. I'm interested in finding
out about colleges and universities that have good jazz guitar programs as
well as solid all-around educational opportunities.
Can anyone give me some advice?
Thanks,
Andrew Harrison
Andrew Harrison
Thanks a lot for your advice. I have to keep in mind that I've only
been here about a month, so I still have a lot to experience at Berklee.
Whatever happens, I'm going to finish out this year here because I am having
a great time and learning a lot about music. I just fear that one day I'll
regret not studying a wider range of subjects. I'll just have to wait and
see what the future holds.
Thanks again,
-Andrew
World.std.com
I taught at Berklee for 25 years. I taught guitar, but I also taught
English. One of the reasons I left the school was because I felt that the
academics were not treated seriously enough. I'm still good friends with
many of the teachers there, and it makes me sad to hear that the overall
education is as weak as it is. My friends in the General Education
department are, as I was when I was there, treated like second-class
citizens. That treatment, all too often, comes from other teachers,
administration, and students, alike.
It sounds to me like you want a good college education, and a good jazz
guitar education at the same time. Frankly, I don't know where you can find
that. But you can make it for yourself. I'll pass on to you, for what it's
worth, what one of my college professors told me, way back in the 60's: "You
don't go to college for the classes; you go to college for the people."
Berklee has some great people: both faculty and students. If you can
stick it out, and learn how to take advantage of what is there, and learn to
teach yourself, it's a great place to be.
If I can be of any help, let me know.
Steve
Steve Carter
Travelin' Light/Frogstory Records
www.world.std.com/~swc/
"Andrew Harrison" <harr...@chorus.net> wrote in message
news:B5F3A5F4.1726%harr...@chorus.net...
Tom Lippincott
> I'm a student at the Berklee College of music in Boston, MA. I was
>wondering if anybody knows of any other schools that are good for learning
>guitar, preferably jazz guitar. Berklee is a wonderful place to learn about
>jazz and other kinds of music, but I'm a little disappointed in the fact
>that studying here doesn't allow me to also get involved in other areas of
>study. It's basically music and not much else. I'm interested in finding
>out about colleges and universities that have good jazz guitar programs as
>well as solid all-around educational opportunities.
>Can anyone give me some advice?
>Thanks,
>Andrew Harrison
University of Miami, Indiana University, and University of North Texas are all
well respected jazz schools, as well as "regular" universities. I went to both
North Texas and U of Miami, and I don't really think either is known as a first
rate "academic institution" (U of M in particular always had the reputation of
"Party U") but these schools would definitely give you a lot of different
choices as far as non-music classes and even other majors if that's your
interest.
I don't really know much about the way it works at Berklee but back when I was
choosing schools (about 12 years ago) I remember that they had some kind of
partnership with Boston University where students could get a full fledged
degree by taking their academic classes there.
Tom Lippincott
Guitarist, Composer, Teacher
audio samples, articles, CD's at:
http://www.tomlippincott.com
Luke B
college is about the people. Berklee has made a great difference in my life
and I consider myself lucky to have been able to attend and graduate ('80).
Berklee has a great rep all over the world, except naturally in Boston.
That little "Professional Music" degree saved my life once in that it was
from Berklee and it let me get work teaching at a state university. Most
people in these parts go to North Texas State (or whatever its called now)
for a truly serious college degree that includes music. I here U of Miami
is great too.
Luke B.
"Andrew Harrison" <harr...@chorus.net> wrote in message
news:B5F42C1B.1D5F%harr...@chorus.net...
Sam Smiley
though. I go to Western Michigan and with the regular classes, music
classes, and practice (about 4-5 hours a day) it gets insanely busy.
Sometimes I wish I could go to a school like Berklee or just shed for a
year. Just food for thought. Also, at IU, you need to study classical
guitar and you have to do a classical audition. Something about North Texas
is that it's so big. I've heard stories (all though I dont know if they're
true) that the bassists take group lessons with a grad student. And a note
about Miami. Everyone thinks Pat Metheny made that school great or
something. But he only stayed there for a semester or two before he decided
that he couldn't hang with the regular academics. These are just things to
keep in mind. I'm not trying to knock the schools suggested, but telling
you what I've heard.
Lawrence Wayte
programs, but I've gotten non-guitar degrees from four different
universities, both big and small, so I thought I'd chime in. I can
whole-heartedly recommend that if you're interested in getting a
well-rounded education that you consider supplementing your Berklee
education or transferring if that's what it comes to. I really believe that
people miss out on a lot of great things in a purely music-oriented school
at the undergraduate age. There's alot to learn in history, english,
philosophy, sociology, science, etc. classes that you're going to miss out
on. Not to mention being exposed to a broad range of people whose interest
is something other than music, be it dance, French literature or
mathematics. At a large university with a good music program you can still
major in guitar and learn the instrument, while also expanding your mind in
other directions that will likely only contribute to your music, not
distract from it.
As for universities with specific guitar programs, I don't know too much,
but one that comes to mind that you may not have heard of is University of
Southern California (USC) here in LA, which has a great music department and
a degree in what they call "Studio/Jazz Guitar," which encompasses
jazz/rock/classical etc. The link for the program is
http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/depts/studiojazzguitar.htm. USC is a very
good university that is not too big (voted "College of the Year" by Time
Magazine this year), and there are a lot of great musicians who teach there.
There is definitely a "Hollywood" studio-oriented focus on the music
program, but some people are into that, especially if you like to make money
:-) . By the way, I didn't go to USC, so I have no interest in plugging the
program. In fact, I'm currently getting my Ph.D. at UCLA, the rival school
to USC. But, I just thought you'd be interested to know this program exists.
Good luck,
--Larry
"Andrew Harrison" <harr...@chorus.net> wrote in message
news:B5F3A5F4.1726%harr...@chorus.net...
Lawrence Wayte
to put in a plug for my own school, UCLA, whose jazz faculty includes Kenny
Burrell, Billy Higgins, and Harold Land. It's not a big jazz program, but
certainly has some distinguished faculty. UCLA is also a great university
with a very nice campus. Just another to consider if you're interested in
moving west.
"Lawrence Wayte" <Lwa...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:OKMz5.17138$hl5.2...@typhoon.we.rr.com...
Stuart
http://www.unf.edu/coas/music/
--
Music and Laughter - two of life's greatest pleasures.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Thomas F Brown
Lawrence Wayte <Lwa...@mediaone.net> wrote:
>As for universities with specific guitar programs, I don't know too much,
>but one that comes to mind that you may not have heard of is University of
>Southern California (USC) here in LA, which has a great music department and
>a degree in what they call "Studio/Jazz Guitar," which encompasses
Also very expensive, full of spoiled rich white kids, and located
in a ghetto.
joefi...@my-deja.com
Andrew Harrison <harr...@chorus.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I'm a student at the Berklee College of music in Boston, MA. I
was
> wondering if anybody knows of any other schools that are good for
learning
> guitar, preferably jazz guitar. Berklee is a wonderful place to learn
about
> jazz and other kinds of music, but I'm a little disappointed in the
fact
> that studying here doesn't allow me to also get involved in other
areas of
> study. It's basically music and not much else. I'm interested in
finding
> out about colleges and universities that have good jazz guitar
programs as
> well as solid all-around educational opportunities.
> Can anyone give me some advice?
> Thanks,
> Andrew Harrison
>
>
anyway, check it out. I never met him but they say he's one of the best.
...joe
RWS880
of the other schools in Boston. Check out the Berklee website cause you know
it will be impossible to get any informatin out of the administration there.
Its called ProArts I think. I think Berklee has a lack of diversity in its own
music curriculum as well. I went there to get some core credits needed to
apply for an ethnomusicology masters. The resources for studying international
musical styles at Berklee are really limited and seemingly not a priority. A
couple teachers I had in the percussion department complained of the powers
that be and their lack of interest in classes outside of the Berklee Box. I
think this is an unfortunate oversight on berklee's part and would like to see
a diversification of their offerings.
Anyway, that said, I think Berklee is a great place if you want to be a jazz or
pop musician, and as mentioned earlier, the people it surrounds you with are by
far its greatest assets.
Rob
Andrew Harrison
Thanks for your reply. The Pro Arts Consortium, as I understand it, is an
opportunity for Berklee students to attend classes at a number of liberal
arts schools in Boston. I want to get more involved in things like the
sciences, so it's not really what I'm looking for.
Thanks also to everyone who's shared their ideas with me. A lot of
possiblities are surfacing.
Thanks again,
-Andrew
Nattapong Nithi-Uthai
experience with Cleveland Institute of Music. A lot of my friends (CIM
students) love the school so much and lot of them decide to go on for their
Master at the same institution. Check it out at www.cim.edu I am taking a
lesson with Don Better. He is a jazz guitarist. He is also a great teacher.
He also produced one of my favorite nylon-string jazz guitarist, Gene
Bertoncini. He also plan to produce another one next month for Gene too. :)
"Andrew Harrison" <harr...@chorus.net> wrote in message
news:B5F3A5F4.1726%harr...@chorus.net...
Jack A. Zucker
> Also very expensive, full of spoiled rich white kids, and located
> in a ghetto.
Also featuring Joe Diorio, one of the most amazing guitarists I've ever
heard!
Jaz
--
Jack A. Zucker
E-Mail: j...@jackzucker.com
Jazz Guitar Page: http://www.jackzucker.com
Clay Moore
>As for universities with specific guitar programs, I don't know too much,
>but one that comes to mind that you may not have heard of is University of
>Southern California (USC) here in LA, which has a great music department and
>a degree in what they call "Studio/Jazz Guitar," which encompasses
>jazz/rock/classical etc. The link for the program is
>http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/depts/studiojazzguitar.htm. USC is a very
>good university that is not too big (voted "College of the Year" by Time
>Magazine this year), and there are a lot of great musicians who teach there.
>There is definitely a "Hollywood" studio-oriented focus on the music
>program, but some people are into that, especially if you like to make money
>:-) .
Earlier this year I wrote a recommendation for a student I had who applied to
USC. This guy is a good musician, plays classical and jazz guitar, is a very
dedicated student and one of the nicest, most polite people I know. He went
out there to audition and interview, and he was turned down. I'm not sure why
that happened, but it didn't make much sense to me.
Clay Moore --
jazz guitarist
cl...@claymoore.com
http://www.claymoore.com/
To find out where I'm performing each week, sign up on my mailing list. Send a blank e-mail to cmgigs-s...@topica.com
Thomas F Brown
Jack A. Zucker <j...@gwis.com> wrote:
>"Thomas F Brown" <tomb...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> wrote in message news:8qq663
>> Also very expensive, full of spoiled rich white kids, and located
>> in a ghetto.
>
>Also featuring Joe Diorio, one of the most amazing guitarists I've ever
>heard!
Joe's not at GIT anymore? Joe is a great guy to hang around, just
for inspiration. As a teacher, he's more likely to give you
pseudo-philosophical instructions rather than say much
about the mechanics of playing music. He likes to encourage
people to break out of their habits, and would much rather
encourage your general creativity than teach you how to
play that cool run he just did.
Thomas F Brown
Clay Moore <cl...@claymoore.com> wrote:
>In article <OKMz5.17138$hl5.2...@typhoon.we.rr.com>, "Lawrence Wayte"
><Lwa...@mediaone.net> wrote:
>
>>As for universities with specific guitar programs, I don't know too much,
>>but one that comes to mind that you may not have heard of is University of
>>Southern California (USC) here in LA, which has a great music department and
>
>USC. This guy is a good musician, plays classical and jazz guitar, is a very
>dedicated student and one of the nicest, most polite people I know. He went
>out there to audition and interview, and he was turned down. I'm not sure why
>that happened, but it didn't make much sense to me.
It may have had to do with the funding. Scholarship money flows more
towards the academic departments. Arts students have to bring
more money with them.
Mark Cleary
This way of teaching may work for Diorio but it is the type of teaching I get
the least amount of information. Maybe it is just me but the idea creativity
sounds idealistic. Not everyone has Joe Diorio's creativity and much less his
chops. Players who want to give me the metaphysical side of playing and making
it the next step in my journey to greatness turn me off most of the time. I
think that many of them are just blessed with great talent and have trouble
explaining it to players like me with stupid fingers and slow ears.
I find it much more informative if the player can explain to me the harmonic
structure and what they were doing at the time. Maybe they just did it all by
ear and playing the tune a million times. This is experience and talent and that
is hard to beat. I guess I just see improvisation as a craft and as you do it
more and more you get better and less analytical. I have reach this point on
some tunes and in some situations but I really cannot give a person a road map
other than experience.
I guess my analogy is that I may run a marathon in 3:10 but I will never get to
the gold medal because I did not choose my parents and genes. This is not say
that Joe could not teach me because I would be first in line for tips.
Thomas F Brown wrote:
--
Mark Cleary makes music on the finest guitars available
Hollenbeck Guitars the finest in handmade jazz guitars
http://www.hollenbeckguitar.com/
Scot P. Gormley
> heard!
I second that, Jack! When I was 19, I spent a lot of time with Joe, and
his playing is other wordly. I just ordered some great CDs from his
website, too, and they arrived within just a few days.
JALSRV
>think that many of them are just blessed with great talent and have trouble
>explaining it to players like me with stupid fingers and slow ears.
haha, thats a great quote!!
Jonathan
Thomas F Brown
Mark Cleary <maj...@dave-world.net> wrote:
>This way of teaching may work for Diorio but it is the type of teaching I get
>the least amount of information. Maybe it is just me but the idea creativity
>sounds idealistic.
Yes, I agree, especially when you're paying $60/hour or whatever it is Joe
charges for a private lesson you don't want to waste much time on that
motivational stuff. However, although Joe likes to go off into space cadet
mode, he is also capable of teaching the real deal. I have many pages
of handwritten music in which he's drawn chord voicings, hip lines,
substitution concepts, or guitar arrangements of tunes. So he can
go both directions. Just being in the same room and hearing a
guy like that is all the motivation I need. He's a very inspiring
individual, and not just because of his guitar playing.
Not everyone has Joe Diorio's creativity and much less his
>chops. Players who want to give me the metaphysical side of playing and making
>it the next step in my journey to greatness turn me off most of the time. I
>think that many of them are just blessed with great talent and have trouble
>explaining it to players like me with stupid fingers and slow ears.
>
>I find it much more informative if the player can explain to me the harmonic
>structure and what they were doing at the time. Maybe they just did it all by
>ear and playing the tune a million times. This is experience and talent and that
>is hard to beat. I guess I just see improvisation as a craft and as you do it
>more and more you get better and less analytical. I have reach this point on
>some tunes and in some situations but I really cannot give a person a road map
>other than experience.
>I guess my analogy is that I may run a marathon in 3:10 but I will never get to
>the gold medal because I did not choose my parents and genes. This is not say
>that Joe could not teach me because I would be first in line for tips.
>Thomas F Brown wrote:
>
>> In article <BO8A5.30325$A4.8...@news1.giganews.com>,
>> Jack A. Zucker <j...@gwis.com> wrote:
>> >"Thomas F Brown" <tomb...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> wrote in message news:8qq663
>> >> Also very expensive, full of spoiled rich white kids, and located
>> >> in a ghetto.
>> >
>> >Also featuring Joe Diorio, one of the most amazing guitarists I've ever
>> >heard!
>>
glen...@my-deja.com
> It may have had to do with the funding. Scholarship money flows more
> towards the academic departments. Arts students have to bring
> more money with them.
>
audition for New England Conservatory last year but didn't get in for
my masters. I knew there were great players who auditioned, but knew
that there were a number of spots open. I always wondered how much of
a factor the financial played. (Whenever I get sour grapes, I would
tell people "I just didn't have the bread" :)
PS: Does anybody here know where Ralph Towner teaches? I'm applying
to Julliard, the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz Studies in USC,
coincedentally, and maybe NEC again.
Soapy10999
>out about colleges and universities that have good jazz guitar programs as
>well as solid all-around educational opportunities.
>Can anyone give me some advice?
William Patterson U. in Wayne, NJ
New School in NYC
Thomas F Brown
>
>> It may have had to do with the funding. Scholarship money flows more
>> towards the academic departments. Arts students have to bring
>> more money with them.
>>
>Thomas, how much do you know about this?
I only know how it works at my institution. Certain majors are much
easier to gain admission and scholarship money for than others.
WRT USC, I'm only hypothesizing that fine arts students usually
bring more money of their own, and that alumni make fewer
scholarships available for those departments.