So I'm just going to make bullets below, and anyone who has had college experience can chime in too, but most questions are directly related to North Texas.
Tell me about...
-Bruce Hall
*I never lived in Bruce Hall, but I "lived" in Bruce Hall. I practiced there every night from like 1AM - 4 AM (Brian ... with Clay and Hiro ... hehe). It is the "music" dorm, but I preferred to have some place to stay away from all the music. I needed an outlet (you may not need one). My roommate in Kerr Hall is one of my best friends now...
-The freshman jazz major schedule is posted to on the website, it requires you take four classes of summer school. Should I try to get one or more of those out of the way this summer?
*Trust me...there is NO rush to get through school in 4 years. I came here wanting to learn how to play the saxophone well...if that took me more than 4 years so be it (and it's still going...).
-Piano. I'm pretty poor at piano. I am trying to teach myself right now, would you recommend I get a teacher, or just wait for classes? What do I need to know for it?
*All the Piano classes here will teach you exactly what you need to know. It is nice to know some basics before you get here just to get through some of the classes quicker.
-Can you test out of any classes like…Jazz fundamentals, or Theory I?
*You can test out of pretty much any Jazz class there is, but you only get 1 chance at the test. If you don't pass it the first time, you have to take the class. You take a Theory placement test that either puts you in Theory I or in the remedial theory class.
-Any chance you get free music writing software or anything of the sort?
*Come find me when you get here
-How much emphasis do they put on woodwind doubles, Clarinet and Flute?
*Right when you get here, you'll start playing charts with Clarinet/Flute in it and you're just expected to know how to do it. It's a pretty big emphasis. It makes it harder for you to move up and stay up in the higher lab bands if you don't have your doubles down.
-There seems to be a lot of jazz saxophone majors? How many UNT teachers are there?
*Like Brian said, you'll go through grad students your first couple of years studying classical saxophone. Classical saxophone is stressed pretty highly here just to make sure that everyone gets all of their fundamentals of the saxophone down. There are normally like 8-12 saxophone teaching fellows. There are two main saxophone professors. Jim Riggs (Jazz) and Dr. Eric Nestler (Classical).
-Have/did you ever have trouble finding a practice room? or time to practice for the matter?
*Never had trouble finding a practice room. There's hundreds. Time to practice...I made time to practice. I.E. 1 AM - 4 AM Bruce Hall practice sessions.
-What is the drug scene/drinking scene like in denton/unt. I'm not into either of those things and will not take part in it...I'm wondering what I'm up against...I heard Denton was a dry county, is that still true?
*Denton is a "dry" county in the sense that you cannot purchase liquor in the county...only beer/wine. Although, you can purchase liquor in the next county over (about 5 min down the road). There are tons of parties...all...the...time.
-do you take jazz lessons AND classical lessons?
*You must pass your Classical Saxophone Proficiency exam before you are admitted to taking jazz lessons (your 4th semester is when you take the exam). Now, that doesn't mean that you won't be taking jazz lessons...my first teacher here was a guy who played in the One O'Clock (Oscar Garza) and he taught me jazz lessons b/c I asked him to. He just told me to make sure I learned my classical stuff on my own (which I mostly did lol)
-i didn't have to do the classical part of the audition...do i need to go there with basic classical knowledge? a classical mouthpiece/horn?
*Yes. You'll need all that stuff.
-what exactly is the emphasis on classical sax for a jazz sax major?
*Like I said, two years (4 semesters) at least. If you don't pass your classical barrier, you have to keep taking classical lessons until you pass the barrier.
-is there a class for jazz combo(s)? or do combos take place outside of the university?
*Yes there is a class for Jazz Small Groups; however, you must have passed a bunch of proficiency classes before you are admitted into the class. There are like 3 Jazz Fundamental Classes and two improvisation classes before you can get into the class. To lead a group, you must pass an improvisation test after your 2nd improvisation class. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to play outside of school though. Make a lot of friends, and you'll land a combo pretty easily.
That's enough for now...
answer what you feel like...haha
thanks!
