This
school is a good place to go for music. It
is great for someone who loves music of all types
and wants to be involved in both classical and jazz
programs. Dr. James Carlson (jazz), although nearing retirement age, is
one of the best educators I have ever had the
pleasure of working with. Class sizes are always small
enough so you can have one on one contact with
professors, even in the larger lectures. (music classes are generally
always small)
However, the community does not provide much
opportunity for gigs and other outside playing experience. One gripe
that I have about the music department is that not
all of the instrumental lesson teachers are full-time professors, and
some of them are not so great. However, overall I
believe one can receive a very high quality training in
music at this institution.
Also, a cautionary note: I have
had three different band directors in the five years that
I have been at this university. People don't seem to
want to stick around in the band program. It is
getting better though and hopefully this new candidate that we
hired will be interested in sticking around for the long
haul.