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Didactic concept
The vision is translated concretely into a two-track programme.
Track 1 focuses on the acquisition of traditional competencies and provides the necessary support to build in-depth expertise, artistic personality and well-founded performance practice. This track involves forming, elaborating and interpreting a grounded and personal musical vision.
Track 2 focuses on developing a broader, more flexible professional profile that prepares students for a hybrid career. In this track, we coach students in social engagement, (interdisciplinary) creative skills, digital skills, creativity, improvisation and artistic entrepreneurship.
Track 1: traditional competences
Excellence and founded expertise
Excellence and grounded expertise are strongly developed and guide the student towards mastering all technical aspects of the main discipline. This includes individual lessons, group lessons, master classes, ensemble work, choirs, orchestral projects and opera. Students work intensively to develop their own musical vision, not only learning craft skills, but also developing their artistic personality. There is a strong focus on group music-making within chamber music, music practice and project work. Specialisation in certain genres such as Baroque or contemporary repertoire is also possible. Instrument/Vocal Studies and Conducting students are supported and coached by the team of piano and harpsichord accompanists. Students receive additional specialised training: vocal students can choose, for example, training in baroque repertoire, contemporary singing techniques, opera, song or oratorio; composition students can take orchestration lessons, composition lessons with Max MSP, screen scoring or electronic composition; conducting students receive additional training in instrumentation, repertoire study, language coaching and internships. Instrumentalists take classes in related instruments and literature study or audition training. Students have the opportunity to expand their network through collaborations with external organisations and performances on class rooms and international stages.
Theory, critical self-reflection, research
The programme places great importance on sound theoretical grounding, critical reflection and artistic research. Students are encouraged to develop their natural curiosity as musicians, not only through performance practice, but also through basic musical and cultural training, research skills and academic writing skills. This is supported in specific courses such as Research, Music Writing, Analysis, Ear Training, General Music Practice Music History, Analysis, Cultural Currents, Literature Study, etc. The aim is that upon graduation, students will be able to enter independent, informed and lifelong professional development.
Physical and mental coaching
The programme offers physical and mental coaching to support students in their artistic development and prevent injuries. Courses such as Physical awareness and Alexander technique teach students how to make healthy music, focusing on posture, muscle training and injury prevention. There is also a programme focused on mental resilience, which helps develop the psychological resilience needed to be successful in the music world. Through phonographic voice analysis and vocological lectures, classical singing students receive additional academic support. An in-house kine practice offers physiotherapy.
Two working groups are active within the programme that focus specifically on certain aspects of performance practice, namely contemporary music and historically informed performance practice. These working groups organise master classes, coaching and productions for students and offer a more in-depth Minor for interested students.
Track 2 : developing a broader and more flexible professional profile
The Music programme aims to deliver alumni with a broad set of skills; artists open to a less traditional field of work. Therefore, we also emphasise social engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration with fellow students and external artists, digital skills, creative mastery, improvisation and artistic entrepreneurship. Students collaborate with other disciplines and are encouraged to play an active role in the broader cultural and social context.
Artist in Society
Through the course Artist in Society, undergraduate students learn about the wider social role of the artist. Field visits, lectures and reflection assignments support the view of a wide range of opportunities in the broad field of work.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship introduces master students to all relevant professional networks for arts entrepreneurs and provides a foundation of management skills for the arts field. Students learn the basic theory of strategic entrepreneurship and how to organise and promote themselves as professional artists. The course offers a pallet of info sessions by external experts and professional organisations.
Collaboration & co-creation
Students are encouraged to develop as creators, in dialogue with other artists. Central to this is the exploration of one's own artistic identity within a specific context or theme, often with interdisciplinarity as an important component. Collaboration and co-creation usually take place at extra muros venues and in cooperation with external organisations from the socio-artistic and art world. The learning process results in a festival of Creative Final Projects in which the master students develop their own fully-fledged artistic productions at external locations in or around the Antwerp metropolitan region. The programme of past academic years:
Spring Festival 2021(during Corona lockdown)
Spring Festival 2022
Spring Festival 2023
Spring Festival 2024
System-based improvisation and score-free music-making
System-based improvisation and score-free music-making occupy an important place within the Classical Music programmes. Looking at the history of our discipline, this practice was common until the middle of the last century. It enhances musical flexibility and gives students additional opportunities in the professional field. The compulsory learning pathway - which for chord instruments runs over five years - is complemented by optional subjects such as Sound in Time, Electronic Improvisation, Rhythm and Odd Meters Class and the Improvisation Joint Module (in collaboration with Guildhall School of Music in London and the Royal Conservatoire The Hague).
Interdisciplinarity
We are convinced that classical musicians today need to be able to co-create and collaborate with other disciplines in order to function in a number of aspects of the cultural and professional scene. Therefore, we offer a unique range of interdisciplinary components. The first steps are taken during the introduction week for new students, where newcomers from all programmes work together in interdisciplinary workshops. Every year we organise NextDoors, a project week in which the regular classes of all conservatoire programmes are suspended and students, teachers and researchers are given carte blanche to set up or follow - with or without accompaniment - interdisciplinary projects and workshops. We are currently working on integrating an interdisciplinary track into the regular curriculum of the bachelor programme.
digital and electronic skills
Students can choose from several optional subjects related to digital and electronic skills. As each student in our programme arrives with their own set of digital tools, we do not include these subjects in the compulsory curriculum; it is up to students who need certain additional skills to register for these subjects:
- Immersive storytelling (VR creation)
- Introduction to digital skills
- Electronic improvisation
- Electronic composition
- Screen scoring
- Recording techniques