Michigan State is a great college. My dad studied music there, and my sister graduated from Michigan State. Ohio State, and Purdue are all great schools for music.

Actually Shenandoah Conservatory is in Winchester, VA not WVA (although it is about 10miles from WV) and as an alumni of SU it is an extradordinary school for Saxophone and Jazz studies. I also found that it had a great balance of country and city living. D.C. is only a 45 minute drive (blues alley anybody?) The biggest reason to attend however is Joeseph Eckert the saxophone instructor. He is recently retired from the Lead Alto position of the Airmen of Note, the militiaries premier big band and has traded fours with every imaginable big name cat out there. The reason why he is the best is how he teaches, and he's as good on classical as he is on Jazz. I owe everything I can do on the Saxophone to this man. Please PM or email me if you would like to know anything else about Joe, or the School.

If you're a saxophonist, the question isn't what the best music school in the country is (much too general--ethnomusicology? organ pedagogy?), but rather who the best teachers and performers are that you would wish to study with. Obvious ones include Hemke, Rousseau, Richtmeyer, Luloff, etc. Of course, it depends on whether you wish to pursue classical performance, jazz, or an even combination of both. Those I've mentioned are among the most renowned classical performers and teachers (there are many others well worth considering!), but a jazz perspective might direct you more towards Manhattan School (Dick Oatts), North Texas (Jim Riggs, who plays and teaches both "sides" of the horn terrifically), or Northern Colorado, to name but a few. Once you answer a few of those questions for yourself, set up a time to audition in person and get a sample lesson. It's very important to find out what their teaching style is like, and if it's a good "fit" for your desires and goals. Best- JR

In my state of Pennsylvania, Mansfield University is a wonderful music college. But I'd so love to go to Berklee...maybe, we shall see. You'd be playing with some real cats out at Berklee.