Netherlands+ +Professional+Music+Training+System

8/13/2019 Netherlands+ +Professional+Music+Training+System

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Overview of Professional Music Training System in

The Netherlands

In general Higher music education in the Netherlands is offered in 9 conservatoires

(since the conservatoire of Arnhem, Enschede and Zwolle were merged into

one institution, ArtEZ). Conservatoires are not embedded in ‘traditional’

universities (aimed at scientific knowledge and research), but in Universities

of Professional Education (UPEs). Conservatoires are mostly named (or

seen as) ‘Faculty of Music’ or ‘Department of Music’ within the UPE. About

half of the UPEs offering conservatoire education are so-called mono-

sectoral UPEs. Those UPEs offer education only in the sector of Arts (one

or more of the artistic disciplines music, dance, drama, fine arts, audio-

visual arts). The other halves of the UPEs offering conservatoire education

are multi-sectoral UPEs. Those UPEs also offer education in other sectors

than the Arts, such as Economics, Technology, Health etc.Conservatoire programmes are offered on undergraduate (4 years) and

post-graduate (1-2 years) level. Formally only two types of undergraduate-

programmes are offered: ‘Music’ and ‘Classroom Music Teacher’. The

‘Music’-programme hosts a variety of different curricula, such as

performance (classical music, jazz, pop music, non-western music),

conducting, composition and music technology. The undergraduate

programmes are recognised as Bachelor’s degrees in the new

Bachelor/Master system that is implemented in 2002-2003 as a result of the

Bologna Declaration. Recognition of the post-graduate programmes as

Master’s degrees is discussed at present.

Concern A major concern at present for the conservatoires is, as probably anywherein Europe, the relation between on the one hand the ever increasing

demands in the professional practice of the skills and artistic qualities of

conservatoire graduates and on the other hand the shrinking budgets of the

conservatoires. Other important points under discussion are entrance levels

and the quality of pre-conservatoire training, and the development of a

quality assurance system that takes into account the specific character of

professional music education.

Total number

of institutions 9 (of which 6 offer a 2nd cycle)

Total number

of music students App. 5000 Bachelor students

App. 1000 Master students

Funding State funding through Ministry of Education.

Curricula Curricula are not directly controlled by the State. There is a nationwide

description of training profiles (the profiles are described as competencies



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for the music profession), based on professional profiles described earlier

by the music profession. All Dutch conservatoires have to take into

consideration these profiles as a minimum outcome requirement for their

study programmes.

For music teachers in schools, a separate training profile is currently

being made.

For performing musicians wanting to teach, the institutions have to

construct their study programmes according to an addendum for

pedagogical competencies, which is made in addition to the general

training profiles. Also here, the addendum for pedagogical

competencies is nation-wide; implementation is up to the individual

institutions. Without taking the courses developed in the framework of

this addendum, the students do not have a degree to teach.

In terms of content of the study programmes, the institutions are allowed to

develop the content in their own way, but within the framework of the

training profiles.

2-cycle system 1st cycle: 4 years

2nd cycle: 2 years

Qualifications Bachelor of Music (in Education)- Musician, composer, music technologists,

music teacher. Within these strands there can be specialisations (church

music, jazz, etc.).

Master – Currently different per institution, but Master of Music will be

everywhere. Amsterdam: MM, Master in Opera, Master of Arts in Music

Theory (with Amsterdam University), Master of Music in Education, Master

in Jazz Performance (with University of Miami).

Entry requirements

2nd cycle Finished 1st cycle and a study plan for the 2nd cycle.

% of students who

continue with

2nd cycle App 50%

3rd cycle Dutch conservatoires are not allowed to give out Doctorates on their own;

this can only be done in collaboration with universities (see collaboration

between Royal Conservatory The Hague, the conservatoire of Amsterdam

and the Leiden University).

Credit point system Institutions make use of a credit point system, compatible with ECTS (1,5

national credit point equals 1 ECTS point).

Quality assurance The Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie (NVAO) (seehttp://www.nvao.net) is responsible for the accreditation process. The newsystem in place in the Netherlands is geared toward a go/no-go decision byNVAO which operates independently from both the institutions and theMinistry of Education, although its members are appointed by the Ministry



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of Education. NVAO was founded by a Treaty (2003) between thegovernments of the Netherlands and Flanders and is responsible for theaccreditation of higher education programmes in both countries.Programmes have to be accredited once every six years by NVAO on the

basis of the NVAO Accreditation Framework. If they do not gainaccreditation, they loose degree-awarding power and government funding,and therefore must close. The steps in this process include:

• institution chooses a Visiting and Validating Institution (VVI),

• institution sends the VVI a self evaluation report,

• VVI sends a visitation committee (musicians and educationalists) tothe institution,

• VVI writes a report, which is sent to the institution. The institutionoffers the report to NVAO with a request for accreditation, and

• if positive, NVAO grants the accreditationThe process makes use of a self-evaluation report by the institution, avisitation by peers, and a visitation by a panel of independent experts.Some training is given to the experts according to the policy of the VVIchosen. Accreditation is compulsory and public, as both the NVAO accreditationdecisions and the quality assessment reports are published by NVAO on itswebsite. Accreditation is the final statement in the process of external qualityassurance and may lead to a decision by the Ministry to withhold funding.The Accreditation Framework also leads to a further fine-tuning of thesystems for internal quality assurance by the various institutions.NVAO formulates general standards focusing on six aspects: objectives,programme, staff, facilities, internal quality assurance and outcomes (seehttp://www.nvao.net). Dutch institutions of higher music education base thelayout of their objectives and programmes on (rather global) national

specifications regarding the expected level of proficiency of professionalmusicians, formulated by institutions and music organizations (to beobtained via HBO-Raad, Sectoraal Advies College Kunstonderwijs – seehttp://www.hbo-raad.nl).The NVAO asks the VVIs to compare the institution which is visited with

other (inter)national institutions. There are no further formal requirements

concerning this benchmark.

Employability It is hard to give the percentages of graduates finding a job within the music

profession, since most foreign students are going back to their home

countries. An estimation of the percentage of students finding a job is 80%.

Academic year Start academic year: September 1

st

End academic year: August 31st

Organisation academic year in semesters

Pre-college

Music Schools offer music education outside of the general educationsystem, to students of all ages and stages. Schools are mainly focused onamateur training, but provide preparation for professional music training aswell and mainly provide instrumental/vocal training. There is no nationalcurriculum being used. Few students proceed to higher music education.



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In some parts of The Netherlands, there is a tradition of Harmony, Fanfareand Brass (HaFaBra) bands. Some of the Hafabra-unions have their ownteachers; others have students who follow music lessons at Music Schools.

Private tuition forms an important part of the pre-college education system

in The Netherlands. Some teachers have strong informal connections toConservatoires, providing many students.

Secondary school with a specialisation in music education. There are anumber of secondary schools that have a strong emphasis on culture(which can be split up in different disciplines, music being one of them).These schools do not provide instrumental/vocal training but do often givetheory lessons and undertake many music related activities.

Secondary school with music education on an advanced level (Havo voorMuziek en Dans, School voor Jong Talent). The conservatoire in Rotterdamhas a secondary school that provides Higher Secondary Education incombination with music education at an advanced level (Havo voor Muzieken Dans). The conservatoire in The Hague has established a ‘School voorJong Talent’ (school for young talent) which provides general education

including high levelled music education at primary level (grade 7/8) andsecondary school Havo/VWO/gymnasium (Higher Secondary Educationand Pre-university Education). The school is open to students between 10and 18 years of age. Both schools are integrated in the building of theconservatoire.

All state-funded conservatoires have Junior Departments, except for theinstitutes in Alkmaar and Utrecht. These so-called ‘Jong Talent Klassen’(Young Talent Classes) have the means to educate musically giftedchildren to the highest possible level, and cater for students between 7 and17. The conservatoires in The Hague and Groningen also have a Pre-Junior Class for very young children.

Preparatory Courses are offered by all state-funded conservatoires,consisting of one or two preparatory years of study leading directly to the

entrance exam of the first cycle or Bachelor study. The course caters formusically talented youngsters who intend to begin professional musictraining after finishing high school, but who first have to improve theirinstrumental level and knowledge about music and music theory.

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