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     Often in my travels I am asked by students “what’s a good music school to study at”? There are many good schools of music throughout America, such as Berklee in Boston, North Texas State U in Denton, Texas and Miami U, however there are a host of “bad” schools as well. Most of the “bad” schools I find to be “music vocational schools (although not all of them)”. These schools are somehow state certified and nationally accredited. There are ominous and dubious reasons for this. I find no value in divulging my predictions there of. You can usually discover such schools, advertising and soliciting in their entire splendor, throughout the Internet. One school I know of in particular costs approximately $10,000 per year and the criterion upon graduation is to play, note for note: Little Wing and Eruption. Most of the students graduate and are yet unable to sight-read Happy Birthday in any area away from 1st position. They have five standards poorly memorized (mostly in a minor key with teacher assurance that the dorian mode will safely get them through any set of chord changes), although they may be able to tap out any pattern from here to eternity. Tapping is cool, for some, but pay $10,000 a year for that? Come on! Give me a break. Many of the students take out a student loan for these baloney schools and when they often discover that “its not how its presented in the brochure” there is absolutely no possibility for reimbursements. I have witnessed students arriving in such a façade of an environment only to discover that the bulk of the pedagogue is no more than glorified students who never saw combat. Concentration is mostly spent on scales and more scales, yet no way to apply anything REALLY to music let alone the improvised line. And it is often FORBIDDEN to offer more than one scale per chord quality. Imagine that?!? Perhaps, $20,000 per year will yield a few more possibilities.

     Many of these schools, because they managed to muster up accreditation, also manage to permit any student at any level of musicality to enter the school and into any given classroom. The teacher is faced with a hard dilemma. Often the students are collectively serious about studying hard and being able to graduate with honors, however so many of them are ill prepared and have no business being clumped together with the few who are. One time, when I was teaching and faced with this dilemma, I gave each student a mark of 85. The President of the school considered that crazy. I gave the President a zero. Each and every student tried his or her very best. . Just because many of these students were thrown into deep waters with no chance of a life jacket, I refused to let them drown mercilessly. Such a set-up classroom environment and decoyed curriculum cannot be deemed the contrary of fraudulent. Unfortunately, only a chosen few students will see the light albeit too late. Those who do not readily see the light, will encounter the rude awakening in due time. “ You mean I can only gig in a blues bar or maybe on an ocean liner playing Little Wing, Eruption, and Proud Mary?”

     If you are seriously looking into the idea of studying at a school, proceed with caution. Check out several factors: Check out what the school really has to offer. Ask to sit in on some of the classes before making a commitment. Try to get as much information as possible about who will be teaching you and in what classes. Do you know anyone who has graduated from such a school? What seems to be the direction of the school? Is it to learn mostly the dorian mode, a few pentatonic scales and blues licks? After graduating, how many students actually got jobs that paid reasonably well and what sort of jobs were they? Remember that you won’t be able to get your money back once you discover that the school is bogus. They will try to snow you and lead you to think that it’s your entire fault or your lack of ability to adapt. Yes “adapt” to going along with a program of contributing more money into the pockets of the control people. The problem is that music and the music business remain two distinctly different and often contrary idioms. Those who are crafty and devious will exploit things, which are intangible. The average person or novice just simply does not know what is music and what is simply sophisticated noise. There are many good music vocational schools out there. I strongly suggest that you gather all the integral facts about a school before you spend $10,000 a year to dissect Jimi’s Little Wing.

A Note to Teachers:

     Although some Universities throughout the country are allowing teachers with life experience (without a college degree) to teach, there is much adjustment needed. The teachers, in numerous cases, are deathly afraid of such players who can teach in a classroom setting. Players who are articulate and have a working knowledge (have adapted) of the academic setting are a genuine asset to any University. The paradox seems to be created in knowing that the “theoretical purpose” is to produce players for the real world and all you have is 100% non-playing experienced professors who hold masters degrees in music. How about, at least, five percent experienced players on the scene? Often, those who hold a master’s degree are scared to death of the experienced professional operating under the same roof. On the other side of the fence, many non-degree holding “muthers” are paranoid because they do not hold any degrees. If all may be permitted under the same roof, would it not be wise to hold occasional round-table meetings in order to get everyone into a psychological sync? Certain schools have developed a bad reputation for hiring mostly alumni, a largely “incestuous” scenario. It is good to see that some of these schools are slowly adapting a more democratic philosophy. One solid piece of advice I have for life experienced player/teachers is to never give more than you are expected to. You will not be appreciated, in most cases. The power or powers that be may consider you a real threat. The more that you contribute, assuming that what you contribute is pertinent and a real asset, and the fact that you are not being paid any extra for your work, will create formidable enemies within the confines of any academic frontier. Offer private lessons outside of the school’s jurisdiction and keep silent about your conflicting views, if you have some.

Until we meet again….