Pkells94
Member
Hey guys. I was just wondering how everyone in school or people who have went think about it. I was interested in learning more about other colleges and how drumming works there; music majors, non-music majors, whatever. Tell me the things I wouldn't know unless I was at your school. I'll show you what I mean from my perspective:
Where: Loyola University in New Orleans (Freshman)
Major: Music Industry Studies (Performance track)
Practice Area: 1 drum room with 5 other drummers who use it regularly. You need a key to get into the room. Some other studios have kits that are usable at certain times.
Details: My private instructor is great. We work out of his book doing chart reading, swing, latin etc. I get to play with an awesome big band, jazz combo, and concert band. I really like a lot of the kids that go here. I get to jam or play with kids almost every night playing standards or other stuff.
Pros: The scene. New Orleans is a great city for musicians. I can go downtown and sit in or find great jam sessions. For example every monday night there is this Funk "Super Jam" where they play second-line, funk, hip-hop whatever, and anyone can play. I don't really have a problem finding practice time (most of the time). Even though there is one drum room everyone pretty much gets in when they want. I get a lot of playing opportunities at school. I got to play with the piano player Jeff Gardner when he did a masterclass which was cool. I've seen Brian Blade, Herlin Riley, Johnny Vidacovich (who I can study with when I'm an upperclassman), and tons of other killin' drummers playing around town. And I've already had a few gig opportunities after being here for two months.
Cons: I don't have a kit, or car down here yet, which limits the gigs I can play. Being so far from home and what I know sucks more than I thought it would, traveling by plane every time I need to go home is a pain. I really don't know what I want to get a degree in. And a lot of times I feel like I'd be better of at school closer to home and then going for my graduate degree in New York or something.
Last Question: If you majored in music, do you regret it? If you didn't, are you happy with your current degree and situation?
Feel free to use your own template, that's just an example. I'm just trying to understand how you all feel about college and music, there's a lot of different opinions out there, let me know how it was/is for you.
Where: Loyola University in New Orleans (Freshman)
Major: Music Industry Studies (Performance track)
Practice Area: 1 drum room with 5 other drummers who use it regularly. You need a key to get into the room. Some other studios have kits that are usable at certain times.
Details: My private instructor is great. We work out of his book doing chart reading, swing, latin etc. I get to play with an awesome big band, jazz combo, and concert band. I really like a lot of the kids that go here. I get to jam or play with kids almost every night playing standards or other stuff.
Pros: The scene. New Orleans is a great city for musicians. I can go downtown and sit in or find great jam sessions. For example every monday night there is this Funk "Super Jam" where they play second-line, funk, hip-hop whatever, and anyone can play. I don't really have a problem finding practice time (most of the time). Even though there is one drum room everyone pretty much gets in when they want. I get a lot of playing opportunities at school. I got to play with the piano player Jeff Gardner when he did a masterclass which was cool. I've seen Brian Blade, Herlin Riley, Johnny Vidacovich (who I can study with when I'm an upperclassman), and tons of other killin' drummers playing around town. And I've already had a few gig opportunities after being here for two months.
Cons: I don't have a kit, or car down here yet, which limits the gigs I can play. Being so far from home and what I know sucks more than I thought it would, traveling by plane every time I need to go home is a pain. I really don't know what I want to get a degree in. And a lot of times I feel like I'd be better of at school closer to home and then going for my graduate degree in New York or something.
Last Question: If you majored in music, do you regret it? If you didn't, are you happy with your current degree and situation?
Feel free to use your own template, that's just an example. I'm just trying to understand how you all feel about college and music, there's a lot of different opinions out there, let me know how it was/is for you.