Artistic Practice Development (APD) 1
Module code
M-JP-AP1-APD1
Curricular domain
Profile, extension and depth: Practical and Theoretical Classes
Credits
nvt
Group size
8
Number of course weeks
15
Class duration
90 minutes - dependent on group size
Total contact hours
22,5
Study load
89,5
Form / content / level
Prerequisites
Admitted to the first year of Jazz & Pop. This subject can only be followed on-campus.
Competencies
Aims
APD aims to:
1) develop artistic curiosity and the capacity to investigate artistic questions through practice,
2) build systematic habits of experimentation, documentation and reflection,
3) enable students to formulate and pursue their own artistic research questions,
4) develop the ability to contextualise and position artistic work within a broader musical and professional field,
5) cultivate the skills to articulate and share artistic development convincingly, culminating in a cohesive artistic
exposition in the final year.
Artistic questions may concern composition, sound, style, performance practice, ensemble interaction
or professional identity.
Relation to other modules
APD is part of the Artistic Practice Cluster and relates to all its subjects. In addition, it is closely related to Main Instrument and Ensemble lessons, as well as various elective courses.
Content
APD is structured as a four-year progression from Research Awareness (Year 1) through Artistic Questioning (Year 2) and Practice-as-Research (Year 3) to Exposition & Professional Articulation (Year 4).
Year 1 — Research Awareness (15 sessions)
Students discover that artistic making can already be a form of inquiry. Sessions are organised in three phases:
Discovering, Connecting and Collecting. Activities include artistic experimentation ('what if' exercises), listening
exercises to develop musical vocabulary, sharing own work with peers, identifying artistic influences, and
introduction to the process log.
Mode(s) of instruction
Group Classes with supervisor.
Material & Tools
Students use their own instruments, practice resources and recording devices. A phone is sufficient for process documentation.
Student activity
Active participation in all group sessions; carrying out artistic experiments and practice activities between sessions; maintaining a process log throughout the year; building a portfolio of your activity and artistic interests; presenting own work to peers.
Examination and assessment
Mode(s) of assessment
Portfolio assessment.
Criteria
1) Artistic Direction: does the student pursue a clear and developing artistic inquiry, emerging from their own
practice?
2) Experimentation & Process: does the student actively investigate artistic possibilities through variation,
iteration and risk-taking?
3) Reflective Awareness: does the student understand and articulate what is happening in their own work?
4) Contextual Awareness: does the student know where their work is situated within a broader artistic or
professional context?
5) Articulation & Sharing: is the student's work shared convincingly, with coherence between intention and
outcome?
Pass requirements
There is an 80% attendance rate for this module. The module is completed when the student has been awarded a 'pass.'
Examination procedure
The annual portfolio is assessed by a panel of three or four supervisors.
Resit options
Module summary
Artistic Practice Development is a four-year course in which students develop an enquiring artistic practice through experimentation, documentation, reflection and dialogue. Starting from curiosity and basic portfolio-building in Year 1, students progress through focused artistic questioning (Year 2) and practice-as-research (Year
3) to a professional artistic exposition in Year 4. Each year is assessed through a single portfolio covering all courses in the Artistic Practice cluster. The course treats research as an artistic attitude rather than a separate academic domain, and is designed to serve both makers and performing musicians equally.