Programme per year

The first year is the same for all Jazz & Pop students. You will be introduced to different styles and develop a broad range of skills. You will do this through a number of projects and the following subjects:

- your main subject;
- bands;
- improvisation;
- piano at your own level;
- music sequencing and home recording;
- education;
- music theory;
- workshops and masterclasses by nationally and internationally renowned musicians.

In addition to these courses, you also take part in several projects. Together with the second year, this first year provides a solid foundation for the rest of your studies.

You can also apply for the Honours Programme in your first year, as an addition to the theoretical component of your bachelor’s programme.

Your principal study subject is still central in the second year. Theoretical subjects also continue to play an important role. In addition, you now choose part of your courses yourself. As electives, you can choose, among other things: a secondary subject on another instrument or in Classical Music, music technology, mindfulness, backing vocals, session playing, arranging or songwriting. Every student is required to be part of two conservatoire bands, including at least World Jazz & Pop. Other fixed elements in the second year are Classical Music, principal-subject-related methodology and project weeks.

The first two years give you a strong foundation and enough insight to make a well-informed decision later in your studies about how you want to specialise.

From the third year onwards, the share of electives becomes even larger. You can also take electives in the Jazz & Pop programme at the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem. At the same time, there are still fixed components such as individual principal study lessons, band coaching, education, research skills, world music and entrepreneurship.

Band coaching takes place with your own band, which you form together with other students from the programme. These bands function exactly as they would in professional practice:
 

-you rehearse;

-you organise your own concerts;

-you take care of the business aspects such as finances, marketing and rights;

-you make a recording in a professional studio.
 

Having a band mainly means playing a lot. You perform in ArtEZ’s own concert halls, but also on stages of partner organisations and at festivals. In addition to making music, there is also plenty of focus on entrepreneurship, because you will inevitably have to deal with the business side of your profession after you graduate.

In the fourth year, you largely determine the content of your studies yourself. For example, as part of your elective space, you can choose to do an intensive internship in the professional field. You then look for an internship position that matches the content of the programme, for instance building on a minor you completed in your third year. In some cases, an audition or application will be required.

You give your final presentation once you have completed all other courses of the bachelor’s programme. This concluding concert or project is entirely designed by you. Instead of graduating with a concert, it is also possible to graduate by presenting an audio production. For every type of final project, jazz, pop or a combination of both can be central, but just as often you will hear heavy metal, Latin, cabaret, R&B, big band jazz or singer-songwriters in final presentations.

The final presentations can be found via ArtEZ finals. Visit the Jazz & Pop performances if you are considering this programme. This will give you a sense of what students are working on and what their final projects look like.