Rick says that ArtEZ helped him to be creative and to consistently keep writing. “When you write a song you need a bit of creativity, but also a bit of theoretical knowledge. When I would receive that theoretical knowledge in class, I would immediately put it into practice once I got home. So, the lessons stimulated me to keep writing.” His graduation show consists entirely of his own music and is about his story of the past few years. Rick says that he wouldn’t be able to have done that without the course. “This course gave me the opportunity to get to know myself. Not only as a person but also as a musician.”
He explains that you get a lot of general musical and theoretical knowledge in your first year in Jazz & Pop. But that changes in the next couple of years during the course. “The further you go into this course, the more freedom you get when it comes to choosing into what direction you want to go. So, you get to choose from a huge variety of subjects. The course is created in a way that you wouldn’t get the same type of musician twice at the end of it. It really tackles things on an individual level.” Rick is currently collaborating with a few musicians and he’s planning to continue working with them as a band now he has graduated.
Practical and free
The Bachelor Jazz & Pop in Zwolle is a practical course with a lot of freedom where you build a network, explore your professional opportunities, and where you can go in various directions after you graduate. You’ll specialise in your instrument (your major) whilst finding your own sound. You get taught by teachers who are renowned musicians and you’re part of a tight community of students that help and encourage each other to keep enhancing. After you graduate, you can work in different areas within the music industry.
More information about the course
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