To bring that idea into everyday teaching, Global Musics redesigned the structure of the programme over the past year. The department, formerly known as World Music, still builds on strong instrumental training, but now links it to courses that explore musical context and cultural background. “The instrument is still central,” as Jan puts it, “but students now place their playing in a wider frame, learning how musical traditions influence and shape one another.”

“We want them to grow into the kind of musicians the professional field is increasingly looking for,” Jan says - flexible, curious and able to bring different traditions together in their work.

Exploring themes through focused blocks
The redesign of Global Musics has taken shape in different ways. One clear structural change in the programme is the introduction of five-week block courses. In these modules, students explore themes such as music and gender - for example how expectations around gender show up in different traditions. Another theme is music and migration - how music changes when people carry it to new places. The block courses give students the space to look at these themes in depth and to connect them to their own musical practice. “That’s something we hadn’t explored in this structured way before,” Jan says. The focus on wider themes fits the department itself, where students work within musical traditions ranging from the Caribbean to South America and the Silk Roads (the historic routes between Europe and Asia).

Opening conversations about gender
One of the first themes first-year students explored in the block courses is gender. They started with basic questions, such as: what is gender? How do ideas about gender develop? And what does it mean to them personally? From there, they looked at how gender appears in different musical traditions. “Some students ask why certain instruments carry gender expectations in certain traditions - something that still happens today, even in the Netherlands,” Jan says. Others feel tension between new perspectives and the traditions they study. “In Cuban music, for example, sexist lyrics raise questions: do we actually still sing them? And is it even up to us to say we should or shouldn’t do this?”

When themes like gender and religion meet, this can create tension. These experiences show Jan how important it is to have room for open conversations, especially when personal beliefs and new perspectives come together. The new curriculum creates space for that - space to ask difficult questions and to navigate the different backgrounds and experiences students bring. “It’s not only about gender; it’s also about equality, and about understanding what you’re doing in music and how you position yourself in the traditions you come from and work with.”

Exploring gender and identity in practice
During the same block period, Global Musics organised a project week in October, where students explored how gender and identity shape music in practice. They worked with partners such as Culture Connections, Women’s Voices and RASL, alongside several organisations supporting people with a refugee background. Through workshops, shared study materials, movement sessions and collective music-making, students met people from countries such as Eritrea, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Aruba and Spain. “This helped them see how people’s backgrounds, identities and experiences shape the way they approach music,” Jan explains.

A performance where everything came together
The week ended with a performance evening where everything came together. The room filled with people responding to the music they recognised from their own backgrounds - from Arabic songs to Azerbaijani pieces and Kurdish traditions. Women who had taken part in the community workshops stood on stage, singing and moving in ways that felt free to them. Master’s students played music from across the Silk Roads, creating a shared space where different traditions could meet.

“You could feel that everyone had a moment to express themselves,” Jan says. “It almost brought me to tears. The musical level was high, you could feel the impact in the room, and everyone felt part of something. It was clear: we’re on the right path.”

Finding your musical place
When asked what he would say to someone who is considering Global Musics but isn’t sure yet, Jan looks at the question a student brings. If they feel between musical worlds - rooted in one tradition but curious about others - that’s often a sign this is the right place for them. “Here, you can move towards jazz, but also stay connected to your own musical heritage,” he says.

Jan gives an example: during scouting visits, young musicians in countries with a strong traditional music scene often ask what Codarts can offer that programmes in their own country cannot. “At Codarts, students can deepen their own tradition while also being exposed to other styles - from jazz and pop to Caribbean and Arabic traditions,” Jan explains. “If you’re open to letting different styles influence your playing, then Codarts is your place.”

The road ahead
Looking ahead, Jan hopes the Global Musics department can continue building on the new structure and direction set this year - the block courses, the focus on context and the space for honest dialogue. In five years, he wants the full four-year curriculum to be running smoothly. He also hopes Global Musics will be more deeply connected to Rotterdam – as part of the city and its communities. And he hopes that the department’s way of looking at music will spread across Codarts as a whole. “I believe Global Musics can help the conservatoire open up its curriculum and look more critically at which musical traditions have been placed at the centre, and why,” Jan says. “That would make Codarts a truly unique place – a place that leads the way in how we look at music - globally, in balance and with inclusion.”