college level mandolin?

[jaydee]

Anyone know about grad/undergrad mandolin programs anywhere? I'm striking out all over the place. I'd appreciate any leads anyone might have.
Thanks
Jeremy

[ironlionzion]

I will be graduating music school in two semesters and have been looking into PHD musicology programs and i still have yet to find anything bluegrass or mandolin oriented. im in the same boat.
Steve

[Eugene]

I doubt bluegrass is involved, but Joseph Mayes (http://www.rowan.edu/fpa/music/our_assets/bio/mayes.html) teaches some mandolin at Rowan U. in NJ as does Mikhail Litvin (http://www.wcmusic.org/faculty.html) at the Wisconsin Cons. of Music. I don't believe there is a degree program associated with either.

I thought I had heard of mandolin being the focus of at least a course somewhere in Tennessee, but I believe it did focus on bluegrass, which is a little out of my sphere so I don't remember details.

[Jefa432]

Doesn't Eastern Tennesse University have a bluegrass program?

[sunburst]

I don't know about bluegrass, but I just sold a mandolin to someone who is taking mandolin lessons at Berklee in Boston.
He's a bluegrass player, and the mandolin is an F5 style, so... maybe.

[Jefa432]

That should be East Tennesse State University (ETSU). I couldn't find anything about their bluegrass program, but I know I have heard that they have something along that line. If you can find the web site for the band "Reeltime Travelers", and geet in touch with them I think that is where they all met and came from.

[mandobando]

I recently heard that Berklee is now accepting Mandolin and Banjo players. Chris Pandolfi, a young banjo player here in Nashville, graduated from there with a concentration in banjo from what I understand. I know it is a pricey place but you may want to check it out. Then again I could be copmpletely wrong about all of this. Good Luck.

[John Craton]

I'd suggest getting in touch with Marilynn Mair (http://www.marilynnmair.com/), who conducts a summer school for mandolin and guitar each year at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. My guess is if anyone knows of any undergraduate programs for mandolin in the U.S., Marilynn would.

Also contact the Blair College of Music (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Blair/) (part of Vanderbilt University in Nashville). I heard through the grapevine that they are gearing up for a program in mandolin, though I don't know where that stands (or even if my information was true). Type in "mandolin" in their search area at their website and see what pops up.

Good luck! And please let the Café know of anything you might find. I'm sure there are plenty of young soon-to-be college-bound mandolinists who would be interested in such a program and don't want to have to go to Europe to find one.

[PhilGE]

Talk to John McGann (http://www.johnmcgann.com/). He's teaching at the Berklee School of Music. Can't get much better than that...

[jefflester]

I recently heard that Berklee is now accepting Mandolin and Banjo players.
Yeah, John McGann is the first professor of mandolin at Berklee:
John McGann Berklee Page (http://www.berklee.edu/faculty/detail.php?id=1052&type=department&value=SG&skip=)

It was discussed here on the Cafe:
Mandolin College (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=21960;hl=mcgann+and+be rklee)

[JEStanek]

Jeremy,
This is perhaps a little different tack... Look into programs on Appalachian Studies and anthropology (See East Tennessee State University (ETSU) or West Virginia University, or Virginia Tech) Do a google search on Appalchian Studies. This will give you a foundation in reseaching the history and culture of the Appalachians. This may also get you into close contact with the people who can, if you form relationships with them, teach you tunes and help you to improve your own playing. Understanding the economic, social and environmental factors that shaped life in Appalachia can help you understand the music that they made. A degree in Appalachian studies could lead you to a job as the next Alan Lomax recording, cataloging and preserving the music of this generation of traditional/neo-trad players. There are even scholarships for these programs.

If you're looking strictly for a degree related to performing on the mandolin the Berklee ciriculum with McGann can't be beat.

I was this close (imagine very low action) to pursuing a sociology/anthropology major and ended up in molecular biology - now I work with computers in big Pharmaceuticals! I guess my point is you never know where your life may take you but, be open to other ideas...

I prattled on long enough...
Jamie

[Tim333]

ETSU (http://bluegrass.etsu.edu/User/Home/home.php)

[MDW]

There is also a bluegrass program at South Plains College in Texas. Alan Munde and Joe Carr are the primary instructors. http://www.musicvideo.com/bluegras.html

[jaydee]

Wow!! Thanks!! You guys were able to find more material than I could have hoped. I'm two semesters away from a master's degree in music ed to back up my performance degree. With all of your great advice I may be able to be a student forever!!!
Thanks again to everyone who repsponed
Jeremy

[shiloh]

Hi guys,
I was thinking about this myself! Any "correspondence/online" courses available? (With maybe some brief in-residence?)
Thanks
Jill
San Diego

[John Ritchhart]

Check out Berea College in Kentucky.

[BigJoe]

The last I knew Butch Baldassari was teaching at Blair school of music in Nashville. Butch is a great teacher for sure. ETSU is a good school and South Plains is good but I think they are only undergraduate. I don't know about the others. Many music schools that offer graduate or post graduate degrees may allow a specialization in mandolin or a mandolin related field if you can convince them you have an area that is worth the effort.

[Bob A]

Alison Stephens teached classical mandolin at Trinity College in England. It ain't bluegrass, but you do get a performance degree. And it definitely falls under "anywhere".

[Eugene]

There are a number of places to study classical mandolin on degree programs in Europe.

[August Watters]

If you're looking strictly for a degree related to performing on the mandolin the Berklee ciriculum with McGann can't be beat.

Performance is only one of the majors offered by Berklee, and only a small percentage of the students are performance majors. Most students come to study composition, film scoring, music business, and engineering, among others. They may play any instrument (including mandolin) while focusing on these areas of study.

August Watters
Associate Professor of Ear Training
Berklee College of Music