Our approach includes a comprehensive exploration of the basics of jazz music and related styles, giving you a solid foundation to improvise and develop your own musical signature. This will make you stand out in the competitive world of jazz music.

The Codarts Jazz Guitar curriculum provides a comprehensive educational experience that develops your technical skills and musical expression. Learn to master the jazz guitar with our experienced team of nationally and internationally renowned teachers, who are all currently working in the contemporary music scene.  

Using a broad repertoire that ranges from early jazz standards to contemporary compositions, Ed Verhoeff will teach you harmonic insight. By studying solo play, you learn the necessary vocabulary and build a solid technical foundation. The knowledge and skills you acquire during this process are then applied in auditory and technical exercises on your instrument. 

Ronald Schmitz will teach you the endless possibilities of voicings, i.e. how to configure or distribute the notes of a chord across the entire instrument. He uses special chord/melody exercises to teach this.  

Nelson Veras is our regular guest lecturer. A prominent internationally renowned guitarist, Nelson has his own unique teaching approach and is a great source of inspiration to our students. He discusses the endless possibilities of the counterpoint and takes you through many rhythmic exercises to polish your timing. 

During your study you will explore a wide range of musical styles. Traditional jazz functions as an anchor to help you master harmony, melody and timing, which are essential to your musical development. However, we also focus on contemporary developments, crossovers or the integration of electronics and computer technology. Improvisation also plays a central role here. As a student you will also discover innovations in the guitar field, such as the Novax or the midi guitar. Our comprehensive programme prepares you for a career in the rapidly evolving music world.  
 
The Codarts curriculum includes intensive guitar technique training, such as using both your left and right hand, knowledge of the neck and sound awareness. We also equip you with the skills to play both an accompanying and solo role so you can pursue career opportunities on stage, in the studio or as a composer/arranger. In addition, we give you an in-depth understanding of how to communicate your musical vision to the audience.

 In the third year we encourage you to create your own musical project. This will strengthen your mastery of the jazz tradition and challenge you to experiment with contemporary jazz music. You also have the opportunity to perform at the annual Brand New Jazz Festival. 
 
Our goal is to help you become a self-sufficient musician who will thrive in the music world. As a musician, you are never finished learning. After four years at Codarts you will be able to continue to develop and perfect your skills without constant guidance. We want you to become your own 'teacher', capable of learning new music styles, improving yourself and being creative in your musical expressions. 
 
Some notable Codarts alumni include names like Jerome Hol, Tim Langedijk, Bert Cools, Jadi Peperzak and Andrew Moreno.

We value our masterclasses and collaborations with well-known artists and teachers. These hands-on sessions allow you to learn from the best and build your network in the music industry. 
 
Some of our recent masterclasses have been taught by Bill Frisell, Jonathan Kreisberg, Gilad Hekselman, Peter Bernstein and Scott Henderson.

Our holistic 'Team Around the Artist' approach at Codarts ensures broad support for our students, while our focus on the quality of professional working relationships creates an atmosphere of pride and community. 

The Jazz, Pop and World Music departments are all housed in the same building, so you can immerse yourself in a lively and stimulating musical learning environment with like-minded people We actively promote and encourage this cross-pollination between different musical disciplines to help you become a more versatile artist. Our modern facilities, including state-of-the-art recording and rehearsal studios, give you the tools to further explore and develop your musical creativity. 

Rotterdam's vibrant music scene offers you plenty of opportunity to discover and absorb the city's musical diversity. The annual North Sea Jazz Festival even has a stage that hosts several bands from Codarts!

We have also created opportunities for students to collaborate with other learning institutions, venues and major events, such as the Willem de Kooning Academy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Lantarenvenster, BIRD, Jazz International Rotterdam and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. At Codarts you will find many opportunities to expand your musical and artistic horizons!