Choosing The Right School, The Campus Visit and The Music Community - 5 Essential Parts of The Application Process: Part 2
Authors: George Garzone, Dr. David Schroeder and David Pope, Guest Contributors
This post is a follow-up to our post on The Ideal Candidate, which was posted on August 19, 2020. In this post we’ll talk with George Garzone, David Pope and Dr. David Schroeder about choosing the right school, the campus visit and the music community.
Choosing the right school is more than just the name of the institution on a certificate or degree. There are a number of factors one must consider, including receiving a good return on the investment you just made in your education. Today we’re going to focus on the importance of location of a school and how it can be beneficial in developing a career in music. It’s important to research all of the benefits a school can offer, including programs that offer global learning opportunities. You’ve likely heard the real estate mantra “location, location, location”, which also applies to choosing the right school.
Saxophonist and Jazz educator, George Garzone believes location can have a significant impact on a potential career in musical performance. “There are good teachers everywhere but I think the way you play can be influenced by the way you live. Additionally, having the opportunity to travel (abroad) can change your life and it has been influential for so many student musicians that have taken advantage of these programs. Look at the quality of the faculty and level of teaching. The facilities are very important and make sure there are a sufficient number of practice rooms as development revolves around practicing. You may want to find out what things the school is doing to develop its programs, facilities and infrastructure, as well as scholarship opportunities, etc.,” states Garzone.
Selecting a music school is a very important and time consuming process. “I recommend that high school students start visiting colleges in the junior year. When identifying potential schools, ask yourself what you want to accomplish with your education. Do you want to earn a license to teach at a public school? Are you looking to focus on jazz performance? Make sure that the schools you look at actually offer the degree or program that will meet your needs. Find out who you would be studying with and meet with that teacher to talk about their studio. If possible, get a private lesson with him/her and see if it feels like a good match,” suggests David Pope, Professor of Saxophone at James Madison University.
It’s also important to note the significance of a school’s music community and how it can influence the experience as a student and musician. “It is crucial that students feel comfortable as part of a school’s music community, as students must develop deep and long lasting relationships with their mentors and fellow students. These relationships are vital to bridging the gap between academic studies and professional careers in music,” acknowledges Dr. David Schroeder, Chair of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at NYU Steinhardt.
About The Authors
Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti, that performs regularly in the Boston area and has toured Portugal. A veteran jazzman, George Garzone has appeared on over 20 recordings. He began on the tenor when he was six, played in a family band and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition, George Garzone has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z and John Patitucci among others. Garzone is well-known as a sought-after jazz educator, currently teaching at the Berklee College of Music. He has pioneered the Triadic Chromatic Approach, an improvisation concept which has his own signature in the jazz improvisation vocabulary. In 2020 George Garzone is releasing the second part of the Triadic Chromatic Approach and other educational books related with his concept and his music. In his never ending teaching career, great musicians of the actual scene have been students of George Garzone, like Joshua Redman, Teadross Avery, Seamus Blake, Chris Cheek, Luciana Souza, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, Doug Yates, Danilo Perez and the Grammy-Winning Drummer Antonio Sanchez, to name a few.
www.georgegarzone.com
David Pope is Professor of Saxophone at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia (appointed 2000). He is an accomplished saxophonist, composer, and author with an international reputation for over one hundred published articles in Saxophone Journal and Saxophone Today. He is a twice-invited member of the faculty of the Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy, Bangkok, Thailand. In 2012, he was named Distinguished Teacher of the College of Visual & Performing Arts at JMU.
www.popesax.com
Dave Schroeder has mastered a broad range of instruments, adding to Combo Nuvo’s sound palate including the chromatic harmonica, alto clarinet, alto and bass flutes, sopranino saxophone, blues harp and penny whistle. For over a decade, his main musical focus has been dedicated to Combo Nuvo, but he has also has performed and/or recorded with such iconic jazz artists as Teo Macero, Toots Thielemans, Airto Moreira, Oscar Cartro-Neves, Kenny Werner, Don Friedman, Lee Konitz and Dave Liebman, to name a few. As Director of Jazz Studies at NYU Steinhardt since 2003, Dave has attracted a diversity of internationally acclaimed artist/faculty, many of whom have been featured with Combo Nuvo over the years. As a music producer, he created the NYU Jazz Masterclass Series, documenting legendary jazz artists including Hank Jones, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Jimmy and Percy Heath, Phil Woods, Barry Harris and Cecil Taylor, and is currently the creator and host of the NYU Steinhardt Jazz Interview Series, viewable on YouTube.