Year 1 - 2

The first year is a broad introductory year. The focus is on developing your technical skills and gaining knowledge of your specialisation.

• By playing in ensembles every week you build a repertoire, improve your technique and learn about styles and rhythms.
• You study music theory, in your own field and Western music. In this way you learn to communicate in both ‘languages’.
• You start taking classes about production and recording techniques.
• There are many opportunities to perform: with the Bollywood Orchestra or a sangat (Indian music), with OTRA (the Orchestra Típica of the Tango section), STRADOC (Anatolian music) or with a salsa, Brazilian or flamenco ensemble.

In the second year, your independence as a performing musician becomes more important.

• This year as well you gain much stage experience. You participate in performances organised by Codarts. For example: Tango or Flamenco Specials, concerts at the Doelen (Rotterdam’s concert hall) and the Open Day and Open Night at Codarts.
• You take the course ‘Music Worldwide’, which deals with the major music-cultural movements of the world.
• You learn how to pass on knowledge in an educational setting by coaching ensembles of fellow students and/or doing an internship in music education.
• You study a variety of musical styles and take part in cross-over projects.
• You take classes in entrepreneurship and learn how to pitch a project.

Year 3 - 4

The third year’s focus is on your own unique personality as a performer.

• You choose a number of minors that can help deepen or broaden your profile.
• In the main subject classes, the emphasis is on your technical skills and on developing your own style.
• Your teachers increasingly become ‘coaches’. It is up to you to express what you wish to learn.
• At the start of the second semester you pitch the subject for your graduation paper. This paper will be finished in the final year.

In the final year you concentrate on your graduation. You may also choose additional minors.

• At the end of the first semester you hand in your paper, which you present before an assessment committee and fellow students. The paper demonstrates that you can reflect on your discipline and a high level.
• In the fourth year as well you take minors to broaden or deepen your profile.
• In the second semester you present yourself as a performer at your graduation concert. In roughly an hour you show the jury and the audience what you have accomplished. You organise all this yourself: from decoration to PR/marketing.

Dual Degree

Do you have an artistic talent, as well as a hunger for academic knowledge? You can now mix arts and academia in metropolitan Rotterdam. Codarts and her partners from the Rotterdam Arts & Sciences Lab offer you the possibility to combine theory and practice in a five-year Dual Degree programme.

For more information, click here.

After graduation

After your graduation you will be a great musician with a high artistic and entrepreneurial level. You are able to create your own place in the music industry and are active across the entire musical practice. Often you combine different qualities: playing in a band or as a soloist, working on music productions or working as a music teacher. During you study you will get to know our extensive network in the music industry from which you can benefit after you graduation. Some of our students continued their studies with a Master of Music.

Ntjam Rosie (graduation year 2009, Vocals Brazilian)
‘My teachers prepared me for what was to come. The music industry is tough and critics are harsh. I deal with them like I did with my teachers. They are only doing their job, sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re not.’