Overview

The Jazz master's programme is based on the active connection between the Jazz Department of the Prins Claus Conservatorium and the international Jazz community. For example, during your studies in The Netherlands renowned musicians from New York, Berlin and London visit on a weekly basis to teach you. In addition, all students go tabroad to live and study during their third semester! Besides this you receive lessons taught by our own renowned teachers in Groningen.

About this programme

Your personal study plan is the starting point for your study. Using your study plan you work on developing your own voice by doing research and by practicing, composing and/or arranging music. To support this you can receive weekly lessons in improvisation, arranging, and composition. Together with your fellow students you form an ensemble where you work on your playing skills and your own repertoire. In this ensemble you are able to experiment with your research results. You are also guided by a coach every week and you take lessons from a different teacher from abroad every week. You will also have main instrument lessons from our Netherlands-based teachers. In addition, you will receive a personal lesson budget which you can use to take extra private lessons with the international guest teachers or with teachers from outside the conservatoire (including of course during your semester abroad).

About this programme

Your professional practice as an artist is our main focus, and that can be realised through our integrated learning system. An expert team of teachers/coaches will provide supervision and assessment throughout your study. Under our guidance you manage your personal study route, as worked out in your study plan.

The curriculum is built around the three main courses: 

• Performance
• Practice-based Research
• Entrepreneurship

These three courses together form your principle study, which is called Professional Practice. The development of your own professional practice will be the basis of your study within these courses. For Classical Music, Jazz and New Audiences & Innovative Practice there are specific subjects.

In addition, we offer Open Modules, which allow you to shape or broaden your principle study. These may be classes within your study route, classes from other study routes, projects of your own design, or extramural activities. Furthermore, there is a mentoring programme to guide you in the practical and philosophical aspects of reflecting on the progress and direction of your principle study.

General information Master of Music

A student's superior musical and performative competence is rooted on knowledge of technical and interpretative skills in music. These serve as a basis for their capacity to perform as an ensemble musician, soloist, artistic collaborator, creator or leader. Each student determines his or her own specific area of professional development, as a singer or an instrumentalist, as a composer, improviser, arranger, leader, or conductor.

The Master of Music programme promotes artistic performance within a spectrum of forms, contexts and media. Students develop a strong sense of artistic identity which reflects their awareness of past and current developments in music, other arts disciplines and society.

Curious about the courses you'll take each year?

Check out the full overview for the major New York Jazz here!

Teachers

Admission requirements

The Master of Music programme is the sequel to the Bachelor of Music, both nationally and internationally. Target groups for admission are recently graduated Dutch and international Bachelor of Music students. The Master of Music programme may also be interesting for candidates who have been working in the professional field for several years.

All candidates must have convincing musical and artistic capacities, a study attitude that is inquisitive and open-minded, investigative and innovative, independent and reflective, and professional and intellectual capacities on the level of higher education. Please check the general info application and entry requirements of Hanze UAS.

In addition, candidates want to make an active contribution to the further development of professional practice and want to delve into the meaning of music practice for society.

Admission process

To apply for the Master of Music, the following is required:

1. Apply via Studielink

Apply to do audition for Master of Music before the 1st of March 2026*. Go to www.studielink.nl and choose M Music. After this you will receive an e-mail from Hanze Apply/Osiris to finish your application for the audition. Hanze apply/Osiris is where you select your study course and instrument, and where you upload documents and YouTube-links (if required).
 

2. Curriculum vitae

Please upload a CV (max. 2 pages in PDF format) with everything you usually write down in such a document. Check out the accordion below for more information and content tips.
 

3. Study plan

Describe your ideal career as a musician and the way you want to approach it during your study. The study plan (max 2 pages in PDF format) is the thread that ties your plans to the requirements of our Master programme and to your future career. It makes your personal, flexible study path explicit and serves as a basis for a discussion of your learning objectives. Check out the accordion below for more information and content tips.

4. Pre-selection

For these instrument we have a pre-selection prior to the auditions:

• Classical Music: violin, vocals and piano 
• NAIP: all instruments
• New York Jazz: all instruments

For this pre-selection we ask that you upload 3 YouTube videos of you playing different pieces in different styles. This may be the same pieces you want to play at the audition. Next to these videos of you playing, you need to upload a video of you introducing yourself (max. 2 minutes). Note that all videos have to be recorded recently and we need you to be recognizable. Two weeks prior to the date of the auditions you will receive an e-mail informing you whether you have passed the pre-selection and will be invited for your audition.

5. English requirements

Please check the Hanze general application and entry requirements. 

*Did you miss the application deadline of March 1st, but do you want to start this study programme in September? Please contact [email protected], and we will look at the possibilities.

Information about the application deadline for study year 2027-2028 will follow.