Composition for Film and Theatre is a four-year bachelor’s programme. The curriculum for the first year is fixed. From the second year onwards you will have more options to choose from.
You will get to know different music and composition techniques. This programme focuses largely on composing for film. That is why, in the first year, you will learn how music is used to enrich the cinema experience. Besides subjects on composing for film, including Film Music History and Aesthetics, you will take subjects such as Production Lab, Harmony at the Piano and Music Theory.
Alongside composition and music subjects you will take subjects in entrepreneurship and theatre dramaturgy. You will compose music for short films and present this in collaboration with Orkest De Ereprijs.
After the first year you will already have a clearer view of who you are and where you want to go as a composer. You will therefore choose a number of electives in this second year, making up a total of thirteen credits. You can also choose electives from other ArtEZ music programmes, such as Jazz & Pop or Music Theatre. You can even take subjects from ArtEZ Academy of Theatre & Dance or ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Arnhem. We think it is important that you make well-considered choices, so our lecturers and study career counsellors will help you do so.
You will take a number of compulsory subjects, such as Production Lab, Music Theory, Media Scoring Techniques and General Conducting. You will also start your research this year, writing a thesis on a topic of your choice. Your thesis may also be an essay or article related to your current or future profession.
By now you will know more clearly which path you want to take as a composer. You will therefore have even more electives this year. You can freely spend twenty-four credits on subjects and projects that are valuable to you.
You will end the year with a portfolio presentation. This will cover all relevant aspects of composition − writing, arranging and selecting pieces − and allow you to show the skills and knowledge you have gained so far.
In your fourth year, you will fill 32 credits with electives, putting together a specialisation that fits your ambitions and talents.
A key element of this year is your internship. This will teach you to reflect on your own production process. You will professionalise your communication (and other) skills as a film and theatre composer. You will also learn the ins and outs of the market you are about to enter.
You will end the fourth year with another presentation, which shows who you are as a film and theatre composer.
“It is not only okay to make a mistake, we even have permission to fail. That really motivated me.”
You explore by creating, experimenting, and asking the questions that matter to you. This happens within your programme and beyond: in projects, collaborations, and larger research programmes. Along the way, you’ll work with teachers, researchers, and people outside ArtEZ. This way, you will learn firsthand how your work connects to important modern topics the world faces today, such as art, healthcare, education, technology, and sustainability.