Jazz piano
The Jazz Piano main subject at Codarts offers students a rich learning environment that combines tradition and innovation. Our curriculum encourages artistic growth and prepares students for a diverse and rapidly changing music world.
Jazz piano
We train you not only to become a skilled jazz pianist, but also give the skills to become an autonomous musician with the tools to continuously develop yourself. Broaden your musical horizons at Codarts and get ready for a career in the music world. Rotterdam, with its vibrant music scene, offers the perfect setting for this!
Why study jazz piano at Codarts?
Codarts believes in developing your unique musical voice and equipping you with the skills to continuously improve yourself.
Our jazz piano teachers are an experienced team of musicians and seasoned educators. Teachers Miguel Rodriguez and Marc van Roon are experts in the jazz piano tradition, with Miguel adding intriguing influences of Spanish flamenco and Marc incorporating modern styles. Brazilian musician Louis Rabello is a classical pianist who teaches techniques for timbre, touché keyboard skills, interpretation and virtuosity.
Programme
The jazz piano curriculum offers a comprehensive musical education. We encourage you to think about your artistic vision and guide you in achieving your musical dreams. We prepare you for a versatile career in the music world and show you that the jazz music goes far beyond concert stages and jazz clubs. Musicians enjoy a wide range of opportunities, such as creating music for new media platforms or setting up music programmes for a variety of different domains.
To hone your technical skills and musicality, we integrate practical and theoretical learning with live performance and improvisation, encouraging you to apply your skills creatively and learn how to make professional artistic choices as you gain experience in various performing contexts.
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: Hans Vroomans, Jasper Soffers, Rob and Sebastiaan van Bavel, Ana Elis de Jong, Sven Figee, Kris Goessens, Miguel Rodriguez, Ronald Kool, Miran Noh, Robert Koemans, Aseo Friesacher and Daniel Bulatkin.
Masterclasses and workshops
In addition to regular classes, we organise inspiring workshops and masterclasses that enable you to learn first-hand from experts in the field. Some of our recent masterclasses have been presented by seasoned musicians such as Chris Fishman, Louis Cole, Larry Goldings, Tamir Hendelman en Vijay Ijer.
Other collaborations, such as a visit to a piano tuner's studio and participating in local jam sessions, contribute to a broad and practice-based learning experience.
What more do we offer?
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!
Marc van Roon, section representative of the Jazz Piano department: “At the Codarts Jazz Piano main subject we connect the art, heart & vibrancy of jazz with the joy of inspiring performances."
