Study

During the study you will not only go into depth, but breadth as well. There is a strong emphasis on the compositional and technical aspects of your subject. At the same time, you will discover which aspects of the profession work best for you personally during (online) projects and collaborations.

What will you learn at Composition for Film and Theatre?

After you have learned the practical and theoretical skills, you will choose the direction you want to take in the course. One way of doing this is by choosing any (online) elective you want, including electives from the Jazz & Pop or Music Theatre courses. If you like, though, you can also look beyond that and choose classes from the BEAR Fine Art or Dance courses (in Arnhem). If you take this course on campus, you could even go beyond the city limits and choose a year of guitar lessons with a teacher from the ArtEZ Academies of Music in Enschede or Zwolle. You choose your classes based on whatever professional practice that you individually aspire to.

You are surrounded by knowledgable, passionate and experienced teachers, who are keen to strengthen your skills and broaden your understanding of music.

Course structure

The first year is the same for all Composition for Film and Theatre students. In the first year, you will get to know various musical and composition techniques. Because we are a course with many offerings dealing with writing for film, you will learn more about how music is used throughout the years to enrich the storytelling and dramatic effect of the cinema experience. In addition to courses related to writing for film (f.i. Dramaturgy for Film), you will take a number of other exciting courses. Some of them are:
- Communication
- Production Lab
- Rhythm Lab
- Harmony at the piano
- Music Theory
- Ensembles and instruments
Aside from the subjects listed above, you will also participate in (online) projects. During the Start Project Week at the beginning of the year, for instance, you will get to know your fellow students. In the Composition Project Week, you will compose a work for the Matangi String Quartet) and work with student choreographers (known as as ChoCo). You will also work together with students in other disciplines in project weeks such as Pleasure Island.
In the second year,you will also take several composition and music classes as well as classes in the field of entrepreneurship and dramaturgy for theatre. You will compose music for short films and present them through a collaboration with the professional orchestra De Ereprijs. After the first year, you probably already have been getting a better idea of who you are and which directions you want to take as a composer. To be able to map out this path, in the second year you will choose a number of electives, which all together amount to 13 study points. You can fulfil this elective segment with classes from other courses of the ArtEZ Academy of Music, such as Jazz & Pop or Music Theatre. Or even classes from other Academies of ArtEZ, such as Theatre & Dance or Art & Design. We think it is important that you make a well-considered choice, so your lecturers and student counsellors will assist you in making your choice.
Not only are we allowed to make mistakes, but we are given permission to fail! It might sound strange but it's not. It has been empowering and very fruitful.
Gonza Zubillaga, student Composition for Film and Theatre
In the third year, you will still take a number of compulsory subjects, such as Production Lab, Music Theory, Film Music History and General Conducting. You will also begin your artistic research in the third year. For this, you will write a thesis based on a subject of your own choosing, or an essay or journalistic article with a subject related to your future profession.
Your third year of study contains more elective components than in the first half of your study. In the third year, you are increasingly aware of the direction you want to take as a composer, so you have more freedom to fill in your 24 free study credits with subjects and projects that are useful to you personally.
You will conclude the year with a portfolio presentation. This covers all relevant aspects of composition: writing, arranging and selecting pieces. It is also a perfect opportunity to demonstrate all the skills and knowledge you have acquired in the first three years of the course.
You will complete your fourth year with 32 elective credits. You will use these as a specialisation in the part of the composition course in which your ambitions and talents converge.
Your internship is an important part of this final year. During this internship, you will learn to reflect on your own production process and to professionalise your communication skills as a film and theatre composer. You will also discover the ins and outs of the market in which you will soon be working.
Most students do their internship in studios, and regularly travel abroad to do so. For example, you could do an internship at companies that specialise in film music and sound design (there is a large number of German and American companies to choose from). Many students have done an internship at Cinesamples in Los Angeles or Tom Salta in New York.
From your internship of your choice and your specialisation in the fourth year, you get a clear picture of professional practice. This will give you opportunities for future work and the direction you would like to take.
Like the third year, you will conclude the fourth year with a presentation. In this presentation, you will demonstrate who you are as a film and theatre composer.

Student's review

Gonzales Zubillaga is a student of this course from Kansas, USA. Starting at 1:30, Gonzales takes you through his ten reasons why you should choose the Composition for Film & Theatre course!

Facilities

Besides the classrooms where you have all the facilities to rehearse and take lessons, the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem also has its own concert hall which can be set up in many different ways. The conservatoire also has its own studio. This is equipped with the latest equipment. In addition, during the study you practise recording in Arnhem's professional studio Edgetip. Furthermore, to make it even easier to collaborate and play with each other online coming from different locations, ArtEZ developed the Fourth Location in the midst of the corona crisis in 2020. You can find more information about the Fourth Location here.

Student counseling

At ArtEZ, we have a student counsellor, to whom you can bring all your questions and issues. The counsellor is also there to help you with your selection process in your specialisation. Together, you will define what your strengths are and how you can build on them, and you may find challenges in your artistic, technical and business development.

Music & Health

Musicians face high standards, both physically and mentally. For this reason, at ArtEZ we aim to give necessary attention to the principles around healthy music making, especially during project days and weeks. Special attention is paid to aspects such as mental health, posture, healthy hearing and voice. It is also possible to take courses in this area, such as in Mensendieck, Speech Therapy, Mindfulness Mediation, and more.

Doing research outside of your regular class hours

When you study at ArtEZ, you also get acquainted with research. Think of theory classes, material research, and socially engaged research. Within your course, there is ample support and space to discover what kind of artistic researcher you are. But outside your regular class hours, there are also special initiatives, activities, and workshops where you can work on research. Especially for students who seek further depth. Curious? Then quickly read more about the (extracurricular) research activities.

Doing research outside of your regular class hours

Open day ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem

Open day ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem

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