Who Needs A Master's Degree in Jazz in 2024?

Turns out I do.

My native language isn't jazz. My native language is rock and roll. So why am I pursuing an advanced degree in a difficult genre whilst struggling to communicate?

Because it scares the sh*t out of me. And I don't swear.

Some (most) people would see this and think, "Why on earth is Amy, Little Miss Rocker, going back to music school?"

Again, because it scares me.

Jazz is one of the most challenging and demanding styles of music. It requires a strong theoretical and technical background. You have to know the history. You have to know your instrument forwards, backwards and inside out. You have to be able to read music (which, as a guitarist, isn't easy). You have to be able to improvise. You have to be able to really hear what's going on and respond to it in real time.

You have to keep up.

If you can play jazz well, then you can play just about anything. And everything about your playing will improve if you can get a grip on this intimidating genre.

"Alright," I thought, "I surrender."

I always want to get better.

I have never hit a point with my musicianship where I've thought, "I can stay here."

Something always needs attention.

I decided to go back to school to get my master's for many reasons, but above all, I want to get better. I want to get better at a genre that I was so turned off by due to a bad teacher in my youth because I know there's something there for me.

We've all had someone ruin something for us. My high school band teacher ruined jazz for me. I know it's a huge claim as jazz is a vast ocean of music. But it's like he peed in the part that I was swimming in.

I've spent more time playing and listening to jazz in the last 12 months than I did in the last 12 years. I feel like I'm flailing all over the place with it, and I am. But I know I've gotten better. Am I where I want to be? Hell no. Will I be after two years of intensive training? No. But I'll be closer.

I was hesitant to pursue a master's in music. I had every variation of the following thoughts:

Is it worth the money?

What am I going to do with this?

Why do I want to spend my time this way?

No musician NEEDS an advanced degree to pursue music.

So-and-so doesn't have a master's and look at how awesome their life is. Why can't I do this without a master's if they are?

And so many other thoughts like this.

But the thing is, I'm not so-and-so.

Is it worth the money? Yeah. I think it is. There are skills I want to acquire that I could, in theory, learn on my own. But I know myself well enough to recognize that I learn faster when I have a teacher.

This isn't about turning my back on previous ambitions. (Though as I audit my life, some of those ambitions aren't useful or true - shouts to Derek Sivers yet again.) It's about improving at my craft, deepening my knowledge and breadth and love of music, meeting new people, learning new stuff, and having a great time along the way.