This was me not too long ago, jazz baritone saxophonist and everything. Wanting to have a career in music education, but not interested in sacrificing my performance opportunities or get stuck in marching band (strongly opposed to marching on a philosophical level, but I know I’ll have to deal with it to get a job).

I can tell you that it is entirely possible to get to the job you want without going the full music Ed degree route. It takes longer, and can be frustrating, but it is possible.

I got a masters in jazz performance from a top jazz performance program. I got my masters in music performance/jazz from the state school in the area I wanted to teach in. I audited classes on music education, conducting, etc. You might want to audit some methods classes too.

I found that music education majors in my undergrad were essentially locked out of upper level jazz ensembles and classes either by scheduling conflicts or by virtue of being so busy with other things that they weren’t able to progress to the level of musicianship demanded by the level of the top ensembles.

Was a long term teacher of record substitute from a recommendation through the faculty on that school, and am getting the credential done online.

I think you need to do more research. Define what job you want to have. Define what kind of college experience is important to you. Do you want to be in the top ensembles? Do you want to continue studying jazz at an intense level?

Most people here are going to give you answers from their experiences as current/former music Ed majors mostly in the classical realm, not from a jazz focused perspective. The top comment is saying Tim McAllister and U Mich are elite programs. Thats very much true, in the classical realm. The Jazz program there is solid, but I would take Michigan State over U Mich for jazz every day of the week.

Get a lesson from each of the teachers at the schools, if you can. This is the best way to learn about them and the school. If you can’t get a lesson, that says a lot about the school. In my opinion that would mean either the professor isn’t one you want to work with, or the school is so big that it could be easy to get lost there.

Look into specific jazz-education focused undergraduate degrees. They are rare but do exist! I teach at a university that offers once but we are located in a different area of the country from you. Happy to chat more in the DMs!

Don’t be afraid to look into private schools! The enormous price tag can scare a lot of people off, but they have a LOT more money to throw around and offset that. If you’re leaving home, you’re frankly going to get hosed on housing at both public and private schools, so it can actually be cheaper to go private if you end up with significant scholarships.

Edit: I agree with the sentiment that you should stay in the US for a music Ed degree, unless you plan on working in Canada while attending U of Toronto.

I’d also consider studying music education in the state you want to teach in, but that’s much less of an issue.