Application and Admission Pop Music
Candidates will not only be selected on the basis of their skills as a musician, but also on the level of their original compositions.
To apply, complete the online application form and upload the following documents:
- copy of diploma(s) granted
- a recent passport photo
- copy of the page in your passport which contains the registration number
- a short biography/motivation
- three recordings of songs (at least two of the songs should be original compositions. Max. upload of mp3s is 10 Mb)
Candidates will be selected beforehand on the basis of the recordings submitted. If the candidate's playing on the recording matches the required level, the candidate will be invited to take the audition / entrance examination.
The examination consists of two parts:
- a practical aural skillsexam in which students are required to react to chords, to sing intervals, to clap rhythms, to set words to music and to improvise to chords.
- the live performance of three pieces, two of which at least are original compositions, with or without a band. Candidates should bring their own accompaniment; the Pop Department does not provide accompaniment.
FAQ
Don not wait until you are invited to the audition/entrance exam before starting to rehearse with your band; ensure that you are well-prepared to perform. Try to present yourself in a manner that feels comfortable and best suits you as an artist/musician.
Applicants from abroad can audition online if they are unable to attend in person. However, it is very important that your internet connection and audio quality meet the standards necessary for the committee to properly assess your audition. Therefore, we hold auditions through Zoom.
Make sure you have checked your audio and video settings beforehand and that you are ready to start. It is possible to do a test audition with our technical staff in preparation, so that we can check together whether the audio and video settings are working optimally.
If your principal subject is Vocals, you don’t need to be able to play another instrument. However, if you do play another instrument, we would like to hear about it during the audition.
Yes. The theoretical component of the audition is entirely oral. Therefore, you will only need to attend or appear online once.
Ensure that you can identify, repeat, and name all twelve intervals in both ascending and descending orders, including consonant intervals. Additionally, learn to recognise and identify major and minor chords and sing the corresponding scales. Recognising additions in chords is an advantage but not a must. However, we will test your hearing and ability to adapt by means of additions and stacks of sounds. Try to sing as much as possible leading up to your audition and practice copying melodies. The purpose of these assignments are solely to test your ear and musicality. Always be prepared for questions arising from the audition and related tests, and make sure you have thought carefully about your motivation for wanting to study music, especially pop.
If there are non-Dutch speaking students in the class, the classes will be taught in English. Some subjects include both Dutch and English groups.
In principle, this could be arranged, but due to the large number of applications, we need to make a selection. Therefore, we request a brief motivation statement. Feel free to visit our open day for more information!
Admission to the master's degree programme
To be admitted to the master programme, the candidate must have a bachelor's degree in music (Bmus).
Further requirements
- Candidates have an excellent basic knowledge of the national and/or international music industry and perform regularly.
- Candidates have experience with releasing their own music.
- Candidates have a clear artistic vision with excellent compositional, production and conceptual skills and want to develop this further.
- Candidates have the organizational, communication and social skills to market their project in the music industry at the highest possible level.
- Candidates are interested in and have ideas about doing research during the master programme. Prior research experience is not required.
Songwriters / performers / producers with a laptop as an instrument can also participate in the selection procedure if they have sufficient theoretical and practical musical knowledge and skills.
For the registration procedure see above.