Overview of the Bachelor Program

Arnhem is a vibrant city. Sessions are held almost every night where the many local musicians play together either in Arnhem itself or in nearby Nijmegen. Moreover, Jazz & Pop is a large department at the School of Music so there are always plenty of musicians around you, who you can form bands with whatever your musical style! Most of these bands play a form of jazz (bebop, fusion, modal and contemporary improvisation) or pop (rock, soul, hip-hop and dance), but there are also other groups that specialise in, for instance, Latin (salsa, Cuban and Brazilian). Many students opt for a broadly based training where they will master a variety of styles, while others prefer to study a specific style in great depth. All your teachers are recognised players covering an extensive musical range, and are always able to help you with the most diverse questions and styles. Moreover, they will ensure that you develop your skills to a high level; our alumni are excellent players, who not only have a superb technical mastery of their instrument but also are creative. In addition, at ArtEZ Jazz & Pop Arnhem you are able to make many choices yourself.

The program is taught in English.

The Program

At Arnhem you can personally determine a great deal of your course! This means that it will meticulously reflect your wishes, preferences and potential. The further you progress on your course, the more freedom you will be given.
During the first year, all the students from a particular department will attend the same range of classes. Hence, Jazz & Pop students will all be taught the same subjects, even if their backgrounds are completely different. We don’t consider styles at the entrance audition; if you play jazz, we assume that that’s what we are going to hear, because naturally you want to present yourself in the best possible light. If you play pop (or any other musical style, which can also include latin, fusion or free improvisation) then you will obviously perform a program of pop music during your audition. If you are musically eclectic, then you will opt to play a number of different styles.

Check out the main subject pages for details. Following you’ll find a short description.

Year One

Everyone follows the same program during the first year. This means that the pop guitarist will also learn about jazz, latin and other genres. As a result, many students are inspired to develop on a more eclectic basis, and to look beyond the musical styles that they already know. The first year subjects consist of: your main subject (50 minutes a week), band (three hours a week with five different styles, along with improvisation techniques and professional studio experience), piano lessons (according to your level), music production (computer programs), educational theory, theory of music (including general theory, aural training, harmony, rhythm lab) workshops and master classes. By the end of the first year, you will have gained a great deal of knowledge about the various aspects of the musical world. You will also be well able to choose what you will be doing during years two, three and four, along with your most suitable subjects and the style that you wish to pursue. And whatever style you select, there will also be lots of other students opting for the same direction so that there is plenty of potential for forming bands. This is the real advantage of a large department. Moreover, there are teachers for every area of jazz, latin and pop, all of whom have an excellent reputation in their own field. This means that there are always people who can help and guide you during your studies.

Years Two, Three and Four

During the second year, you will study the subjects that are the most appropriate for you. Approximately two-thirds of these subjects will be either selective or, although compulsory, will include a range of stylistic choices. For instance, everyone must play in a band during year two, but you will decide for yourself whether you will opt for a pop, jazz, latin, fusion or free improvisation band. Naturally, this freedom also applies to the main subject classes. If you want to concentrate on jazz saxophone, you will be given every opportunity; if you would like to be a pop guitarist, then you will select the related subjects and you will be supervised accordingly in your main subject classes. Moreover, everybody has the opportunity to choose a subsidiary subject. This can be whatever you like. You may opt for a related subsidiary, such as double bass for the bass guitar, percussion for drums or flute for the saxophone. Alternatively, you can select a completely different instrument that is suited to your professional practice. For instance, if you sing in a band where you’re actually the guitarist (and your main subject is the guitar), you may want to select singing or backing vocals as your subsidiary. There are also many other subjects that you can choose from, such as music technology, the ArtEZ Big Collective, writing for commercials and mental training. In addition, modules are not only available at the Classical Music and Music Theatre departments but also at the other faculties; this is possible because we are housed in the same building as the Faculties of Visual Arts and Theatre/Dance. Compulsory subjects in the second year consist of your main subject and band classes, piano lessons, aural training, advanced theory of harmony, jazz & pop analysis, entrepreneurship (the business aspects of the music world) and methodology. In the third and fourth year band coaching and research are compulsory subjects and students will be working towards their premiere concert, which we call a premiere because we see it as an imaginary beginning of the student’s professional world after university.

The Key Areas of the Curriculum

The of Jazz & Pop program consists of three Key Areas:

These Key Areas are all present in an approximately fixed ratio. The main subject pages provide detailed schemes of subjects which are part of the corresponding curriculum.

Jazz & Pop also offers a master program. Click here for more info.