This programme is for musicians who want to engage deeply with diverse musical lineages and contemporary practices from across interconnected cultural worlds. From the modal traditions of the Silk Roads to the rhythmic languages of the Caribbean and South America, you explore rich artistic heritages while developing your own distinctive musical voice. 

Global Musics has been carefully redesigned to reflect the complexity and plurality of today’s musical landscapes. The programme foregrounds collaboration with tradition-bearers, critical reflection on heritage and migration, and a flexible study structure that allows you to shape your own artistic pathway. Whether you identify primarily as a performer, creator, or researcher, you gain the artistic, contextual, and professional tools to grow and connect across cultures.  

Objectives 
Our objective is simple yet ambitious: to provide a transformative educational experience that not only hones your technical and creative abilities but also deepens your understanding of music’s broader social and cultural impact. This approach prepares you to thrive in a global music landscape, whether on stage, in the studio, or within collaborative projects that bridge communities and disciplines. 
 
What sets this programme apart? 
Global Musics is more than a traditional conservatoire pathway. It is a space where artistic practice, cultural knowledge and professional formation are interwoven from the very beginning. Rather than confining you to a single genre or fixed stylistic identity, the programme offers a flexible and interdisciplinary structure. You deepen your expertise within your chosen tradition while learning to move thoughtfully across musical worlds, developing the capacity to adapt, collaborate and innovate. 

What truly distinguishes this programme is its location. Based in Rotterdam, one of Europe’s most culturally dynamic port cities — your education unfolds within a living environment shaped by migration, exchange and artistic experimentation. The city itself becomes part of the curriculum. Through partnerships with venues, community organisations and initiatives such as Cultuur & Campus Putselaan, you work in direct dialogue with the communities that inform the musics you study. Learning takes place not only in studios and rehearsal rooms, but also in neighbourhoods, cultural institutions and performance spaces across the city. 

From your first year, you engage with the professional field: performing, collaborating and contributing to artistic and social contexts that extend beyond the conservatoire walls. This embeddedness ensures that your development is not abstract, but situated, connected to real audiences, real communities and real artistic ecosystems. 

This is not simply an education; it is a formative experience rooted in place, responsibility and artistic curiosity. You graduate not only as a skilled musician, but as a reflective practitioner capable of shaping meaningful artistic work within a rapidly evolving musical landscape. 

Ready to be part of this musical journey? Join us and bring your sound to the world!