in 1923, miller entered the university of colorado at boulder, but he spent most of his time away from school. he played auditions and gigs. he did not do well in school. he dropped out of school, and decided to start a career as a professional musician. he later studied under joseph schillinger and composed "moonlight serenade". in 1926, miller toured with several groups, eventually landing a good spot in ben pollack's group in los angeles. while playing with this band, miller wrote several musical arrangements and also co-wrote his first composition, "room 1411", with benny goodman. in 1928, he married helen burger in new york city. at first, he was the main trombone soloist of the band. but when another trombone player joined, miller was given fewer solos. at this point, he decided he should mainly be a composer. in the late 1920s, he wrote and published a songbook.