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Preparatory Courses Academy of Music Arnhem
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ArtEZ Connected

ArtEZ Connected

Are you still in school and love music? With ArtEZ Connected, you will have the unique opportunity to discover if a bachelor’s course in music is right for you. Over three years, or perhaps less, you will take lessons both at your own school and at ArtEZ.

 

Apply for admission before 1 May. Applications received after 1 May will only be considered if empty study places are still available.

Apply now

A preparatory course at your own school

ArtEZ Connected is a collaborative agreement between ArtEZ Academy of Music Arnhem and several schools, including some music schools. The preparation offers you a glimpse into life at the conservatory, where a love for making music drives everything. You can choose between the Jazz & Pop, Classical Music and Music Teacher tracks.

 For ArtEZ Connected, you do not need to be perfect at making music. What you really need is talent, passion for music and an open mind. Through participating in ArtEZ Connected, you will discover if studying at one of the ArtEZ conservatories in Arnhem, Enschede or Zwolle is right for you and increase your likelihood of admission.

Photo: Yuri Keukens

The programme involves:

  • 3 main subject lessons at the ArtEZ Academy of Music (after regular lessons taken through your own music school or private teacher)
  • Weekly music theory lessons given by a conservatory music teacher. These lessons prepare you for the admission level required for the ArtEZ Academy of Music
  • 3 Working Days with (interdisciplinary) workshops, rehearsals, and concerts at ArtEZ
  • Recital evening(s) at ArtEZ
  • Parent interviews (for secondary school students)
  • Transition audition (to change from preparatory level to bachelor’s level) at ArtEZ

 The programme may differ slightly between schools.

Want to make music even more often? Choose a DAMU-school!

If you are serious about learning and making music throughout all of your secondary education, then perhaps a DAMU school is the right thing for you. DAMU stands for Dance and Music. At a DAMU-school, there is a portion of the curriculum devoted to your musical (or dance) development. That means you don’t just play your instrument once the school day is over, but also during it. You get 30 main subject lessons on your instrument. In the Arnhem region, ArtEZ has a collaboration agreement with the Beekdal Lyceum.

Admission requirements Music Theory

  • The admissions exam for theory exists to establish if your aural listening skills are sufficient to be able to start the preparatory course. To determine this, you will be tested on the following simple exercises:

    • Sing a pitch
    • Sing a melody
    • Clap a rhythm
    • Analyse how many pitches are sounding at once
    • You will also be tested on notation. For example, you may be shown a melody and then hear a slightly different melody, after which you will be tested on where the discrepancy is.
    • You may also be asked to perform a simple rhythmic pattern from a piece of sheet music.

     

    In principle, you do not have to prepare anything for this test. Please note, however: you must be able to read a bit of music. If you can’t do that yet, you must learn how to do so yourself before the test, possibly with help from your teacher.

Admission requirements Audition

  • The audition lasts maximum of 30 minutes and will be conducted by a committee of at least 3 teachers.

     You should prepare 3 works from different styles and time periods, including at least 1 etude.

  • The Jazz & Pop audition lasts a half-day and consists of a group audition and a solo audition.

    The group audition

    Audition candidates will be divided into groups. For this component, you will be working with a pre-determined piece, which you will receive a minimum of 3 weeks before the entrance exam. Here, the focus is mostly on collaboration, creativity and musicality.

     

    Our expectations:

    • You know the piece very well (by memory)
    • You know the form of the piece
    • You have made a chord chart of the piece. This could have been made with assistance from a teacher or a chord progression found on the internet (double-checked for accuracy). For singers: make a chord progression in a key that suits your voice. You will be allowed to count the song in.
    • You have thought about an intro and outro
    • You may perform the work as it is in the original version, however consider in addition: What you would like to express with the piece yourself (different groove, time signature, improvisation, mood, tempo, etc.). During this portion of the exam, a coach is present to guide the group‘s creative process. Each group will perform the prepared piece for all audition candidates.

     

    The solo audition

    You should prepare 2 works of your choice, differing in mood and tempo. The committee may only ask you to play one of the two pieces. You are allowed to bring an accompanist. The solo audition will be performed for the committee and all audition candidates.

  • The audition is in two phases:

     

    You should submit 2 productions, that must be received least 3 weeks before the practical audition. When you submit your productions, clarify the following points about them:

     

    • Which software & hardware you used (microphones, sound table, etc.)
    • Which musical scores you played/sang
    • Which musical aspects were prepared another way (sample loop, notating something by hand, etc.)
    • Whether you used notation of some kind (i.e. chord chart)
    • How you did the mixing/mastering

     

    If the committee determines that all of the above are at a sufficient level, you will proceed onto the next phase of the audition:

     

    You should prepare 2 works on your main instrument, differing in mood and tempo. During the audition, you will also be tested on your skills on a keyboard instrument. It is preferable if you have some basic piano or keyboard instrument skills, but you will not be assessed on that!

Fees

Costs per location (in addition to the costs for your own music teacher):

  • Arnhem: € 400 per year
  • Doetinchem: € 400 per year
  • Ede: € 300 per year
  • Nijmegen: € 400 per year
  • Zutphen: € 325 per year

 

Singer-songwriters at every location: € 150 extra per year

 

Correpetition for classical musicians: € 50 extra per year

Participating Schools

Arnhem:

Apeldoorn:

 Doetinchem:

Ede:

Nijmegen:

Zutphen:

You can also participate in ArtEZ Connected in Enschede and Zwolle. The ArtEZ programme terms and conditions also apply to preparatory courses and other classes.

 

Apply for admission before 1 May. Applications received after 1 May will only be considered if empty study places are still available.

 

Apply now for ArtEZ Connected