Study programme

In order to present our exceptionally versatile offering in a clear way, we have divided the Master of Music into 3 profiles. These are Performance (for the performing musician), Creative Performer (for the performing musician who also composes or creates) and Composer (for composers). Regardless of the profile or genre (or combination of genres) you have chosen, the study programme is the same for all students and looks as follows.

The main subject is the key component of the Master of Music. You conclude the first year with a progress exam. For musicians this will be in the form of a concert, while composers will present their new work. At the end of the second year, you demonstrate your artistic and technical development in a public performance. Composers do this via a public performance at the composition festival.

In the Master of Music, doing research is closely linked to your main subject. We call this form of research in the arts Artistic Research. By this we mean that you formulate a research question that emerges from your artistic practice and that the results of your research will in turn enrich that practice. In the first semester, you follow a research group in which you create a research design. In the following semesters, you attend monthly meetings, guided by a research coach. You will receive extensive feedback from this coach and regularly present the progress of your research, including to your main subject teacher. Finally, you present the final results of your research to a panel. Your results will be substantiated with video recordings and a written report with research findings.
 

Important tip: although many students successfully combine the Master of Music programme with professional activities, it is important to ensure sufficient time to be present at the various (research) classes, especially during the 1st semester of the programme. This way, you create the best conditions for a successful study programme.

We also pay a lot of attention to ensemble playing in the Master of Music. You will be part of one of the conservatoire ensembles. Depending on the genre you have chosen, this could be, for instance, a jazz ensemble, the tango orchestra, the symphony orchestra or one of the chamber music ensembles. If you are already working in a professional ensemble outside Codarts, we offer you the opportunity to include these ensemble hours in your Master of Music portfolio.

We believe that you yourself know best what you need to take the next step in your artistic and personal development. That is why you are given the space to compile part of your curriculum yourself. At the end of each year, you present a portfolio in which you pay attention to the various electives we offer and other activities you have undertaken as part of your studies and what you have learned from them. Think, for example, of a concert tour or an album recording.