NL
Musician 3.0The study

Musician 3.0

About the study

Study
Bachelor of Music
Mode of study
Full-time
School
Utrechts Conservatorium
Grade
Bachelor of Music
Duration
4 years
ECTS
240
Type
Bachelor
Language
English|Dutch
CROHO-code
34739
Location(s)
Mariaplaats
Email
sz@hku.nl
Phone
+31 (0)30-2091540

Musician 3.0 in brief

  • Train to be a authentic maker and/or performer, artistic leader and interdisciplinary artist - with music as starting point
  • Musician 3.0 is free of genre or style and goes beyond instrumental development
  • Education in groups - with use of reflection methods
  • Control over your own development as a maker; discover and develop your qualities
  • Can be taken in Dutch or English
  • Top-rated programme according to the Dutch 'Keuzegids' 2025


Young People Know Things
In honour of Musician 3.0's 12.5 years of existence, an anniversary book has been published containing interviews of teachers, photos, texts and visual work created by the Musician 3.0 community. A unique document about 12.5 years of innovative music education.

Read the jubilee book

How do you know if Musician 3.0 is for you?

You play one or more instruments and you’re looking for new, original musical avenues. And you have an artistic voice of your own that you want to explore and develop further. If you can identify with the points below, then we’d like to get to know you.
  • You don't think in boxes but always seek out and push the boundaries
  • You like to work with other artists
  • You're curious and inquisitive
  • You have a keen eye and ear for contemporary cultural and social trends

Why Musician 3.0 at HKU?

Musician 3.0 is the only conservatoire programme in the Netherlands that is not connected to an instrument, style or genre. You yourself have a big part in designing your education yourself, and you’re the one in charge of your own development. Do you not give up easily and can you find a solution to every problem? Would you like to develop your own style of music? You can really indulge yourself in this programme.
Musician 3.0What will you learn
Musician 3.0

What will you learn

During this study you’ll develop into an independent music professional, with creating music yourself (composing and improvising) at the source of your development. A sense of play, creating and communication are always connected. You’ll work in class on improvisation, technical skills, working contextually and conceptually and in acting from a reflective attitude, on different instruments, in different contexts and in the styles and genres you choose.

The first two years of the study are for you to develop your artistic and musical building blocks. From the third year, you’ll focus on applying your knowledge. You’ll design projects yourself, based on your own learning needs. You’ll develop an artistic philosophy, train your artistic leadership and profile yourself as an independent music professional.

Contextual courses

You will also have subjects that you take together with students from all departments. For example, there is the first-year choir and you will take subjects such as musician's health, music software, professional development and entrepreneurship classes.

Course Structure

Exploring and getting your bearings

You take group lessons such as vocal playground and musical embodiment and play together in LAB and Ensemble classes. You will have individual lessons on your preferred instrument.

Projects
During project weeks (HKU seminars) you will work together with students from other schools/disciplines.

LAB: Improvisation and exploration
LAB is all about improvisation and exploration. You’ll work in other disciplines like dance and theatre. The focus is on the experiment, for example when you work with students from the HKU Theatre School in ‘The week with no name’.

First-year performance assignment (integrale propedeuse opdracht or IPO)
In your second semester you’ll work on your comprehensive first-year performance (IPO). This is a performance that you design, produce and perform yourself, to conclude your first year. You’ll also make a ‘balance sheet’ using the three P's: your Personal and Professional development over the last year, and your Plan for the future.

Going into more depth

The second year is about deepening and working on your skills. You’ll take courses like composition and performance art. You’ll also learn to analyse, understand and apply music in the analysis/synthesis course. This year, you complete your individual lessons on your preferred instrument.

Projects
You’ll also gain experience working on projects like the 'work in progress'-week. You can participate again in HKU seminars or join a conservatoire-wide project.

Carving out a path

What do you want to study in more depth? From year 3, the focus is all on your development as an artist.

You get your own coach Artistic Development. Together with your coach, you will formulate your learning questions and set out a long line of action.

In MMP (making processes for music performance), you develop as a maker and design performances in which you explore and work through your creative making process. With your whole class, you organise a festival in which everyone shows and hears themselves.

You will be taught artistic leadership - here you will work on transferring your artistic concept and gain insight into group dynamics and creative processes.

Profiling space: you will have plenty of time this year to work independently on your own artistry - and you will earn credits for that too!

Professionalising and graduating

In your final year, you’ll work towards your proof of proficiency. This consists of three parts: internship, artistic research and your final performance. In addition, your artistic development coaching will continue. And just like in year three, you have plenty of time to fill your own profiling space with your own work.

Your internship will give you valuable work experience. You can do it just about anywhere: with a theatre company, concert venue, in the advertising world, at an autonomous work place or for a non-profit organisation.

You conduct artistic research on a topic that stems from your own artistic practice.

You conclude your studies with a final performance at a location of your choice. You will be supported by a performance coach.

Artistic Research
Using research, you’ll develop a story or an idea that you can share, in a form that you choose. It can be anything, from a thesis or website to a TED talk, performance or a workshop.

Performance
You’ll present a performance that you’ve designed and produced yourself. Working from your artistic philosophy, you’ll show that you can bring a performance into the world as an independent creator and player. A performance coach will help you, by having a dialogue about the performance and giving you space for critical reflection. A committee of internal and external professionals will assess whether you’re ready to enter the world of professional practice.

Subjects you can choose

From year 3, you take electives. Find out which subject suits you best.
  • Ableton Live on Stage
    Creative writing
    Marketing
    Studying without stress
  • Course leader
    Ivar Berix

    Analysis/synthesis
    Kristján Martinsson
    Ward van Woerkum

    Artistic development
    Gijs Batelaan
    Wiek Hijmans
    Tet Koffeman
    Esmée Olthuis
    Bart Soeters
    Eelco Topper
    a.o.

    Artistic leadership
    Esmée Olthuis

    Artistic research
    Ned McGowan
    Nina Glockner

    Composition
    Ned McGowan

    Creative production and performance
    Eelco Topper

    Dynamic artistry
    Myra Driessen

    Ensemble
    Wiek Hijmans
    Tobias Klein
    Roosmarijn Tuenter

    Exposure
    Tet Koffeman

    Harmonious development
    Ward van Woerkum

    Instrumental play
    Bass guitar
    Bart Soeters

    Drums
    Joost Kesselaar
    Mees Siderius

    Guitar
    Gijs Batelaan
    Wiek Hijmans

    Piano
    Nora Mulder

    Saxophone
    Tobias Klein
    Esmée Olthuis

    Violin
    George Dumitriu

    Vocals
    Kristina Fuchs
    Jeffrey Noordijk
    Marjet Spook

    Interdisciplinary collaboration
    Wiek Hijmans
    Francisca Rijken

    Integral instruction propaedeutic phase
    Esmée Olthuis

    Internship
    Myra Driessen

    Laboratory
    Jeffrey Noordijk
    Esmée Olthuis

    Making processes for music performance (MMP)
    Ard Kok
    Mees Siderius

    Musical Embodiment
    Francisca Rijken

    Music software
    Aart de Jong

    Performance art
    Nina Glockner

    Performance coaching
    Nina Glockner

    Performance coaching
    Monique Besten

    Study coaching
    Tet Koffeman

    Vocal Playground
    Jeffrey Noordijk

    Take a look at the complete list of lecturers at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium
Musician 3.0What will you make
Musician 3.0

What will you make on the course

Off to work!

On finishing the course, you’ll be a music professional with makership as specialty. You're a trained musical/artistic leader, improviser, interdisciplinary artist and dynamic entrepreneur. You’ll have a Bachelor of Music degree, so you can place BMus after your name. With this degree, you can do anything. As maker you can work as an artist with recognizable signature, performer, producer, workshop leader, composer, interdisciplinary maker, entrepreneur, or coach and educational innovator. Or you can create a new profession.

This practice-based course challenges you to keep pushing and shifting the boundaries of your comfort zone as a Musician 3.0. You’ll do that too in the professional world, since that’s what keeps you growing, learning and developing. You’ll always be looking for new musical paths, both because the world around you wants them from you, but most of all because that’s what you want yourself.

Workspaces

HKU provides great facilities for the music courses. Find out which facilities you can use.
WorkspacePerformance & TechnologyWorkspaceLending desksWorkspaceLibraries and Multimedia Libraries
Musician 3.0Application and admission
Musician 3.0

Application and admission

The study is really something for you if you want to develop as a music professional but do not only want to work genre or instrument oriented. You don't like boxes, are curious and like to experiment.

Prior Education

You can take the course if you have one of the following diplomas: pre-university (vwo), senior general secondary education (havo), or senior secondary vocational education level 4 (mbo) or equivalent.

If you do not meet the prior education requirement, you may be able to take an 18+/21+ test. Read more about the 18+/21+ test here.

Important Dates

All admissions for the academic year 2025-2026 will be scheduled from 31 March to 11 April 2025 and will be take place live at the conservatory.

Can you still apply?

You can apply for the academic year 2025-2026 from 1 October 2024 to 1 February 2025.

Entrance Examination

The entrance exam consists of three parts:

  • After you apply via Studielink, you will receive the home assingment within a few working days.

    The home assignment consists of four parts:

    1. Questionnaire
    2. Two of your own works/compositions/tracks
    3. Motivation letter (maximum 1 A4)
    4. Curriculum Vitae

  • The theory exam will be live at the conservatory on a Saturday in March. The theoretical part of the entrance exam consists of a written theory test and an ear training test.

    There are many ways to prepare yourself for these tests. For example with the use
    of online ear trainers. Search for music theory trainer, ear training online, solfege
    training online etc.

    These are the subjects you may find in those tests:

    Theory

    • Recognizing & writing intervals
    • Writing major and minor scales
    • Transposing a melodic fragment
    • Recognizing and writing triads by name and/or symbol; minor, major, augmented, diminished. In root position & inversions.
    • Recognizing & writing seventh chords; m7, 7, maj7, m7b5, dim7 in root position. These may be tested in a combination of G-clef and F-clef.


    Ear training test

    • Recognizing intervals that are played on piano.
    • Recognizing triads; minor, major (also in inversions), augmented & diminished (both in root position).
    • A short melody is played. Write down the melody in G-clef (the first note is given).
    • At the ear training test you will get the sheet music of a simple melody, in G-clef. The first note is played. You may sing the scale of the melody first so you get an idea of the right notes. Then you sing the melody, to the best of your abilities, in a calm tempo.
    • In the same way, you will get a rhythm to tick/clap or sing.
    • Apart from these exercises, you could be asked to tick/sing a played groove, repeat a melody that is played on the piano, or to improvise on a simple chord progression.

    Below an Example theory entrance exam Musician 3.0
    Example theory entrance exam

    Want practice some more? Then take the online nivotest: nivotest.hku.nl. Before you start, read the explanation of the test. The nivotest covers all the topics you may encounter during your theoretical exam. After completing the test, you can immediately see the correct answers.

  • The practice admissions will take place between 31 March to 11 April 2025 and will be take place live at the conservatory. The practical entrance exam consists of two rounds. If, on the first round of your admission, you convince the committee of your suitability for this program, you will receive an invitation for the second round.

    Admission assignment practical entrance examination
    For the practical entrance exam, you need to prepare an assignment in advance.

    Below the admission assignment.
    Admission Assignment BMuS Musician 3.0
Apply via Studielink for The Bachelor of Music. During the application process you can choose Musician 3.0.

Admission

The admission consists of uploading a questionnaire and home assignment, a theoretical and practical exam.

The practical entrance exam will be live at the conservatory, between 31 March and 11 April 2025. Make sure you're available during this period.

Results

After the practical admission you will receive a result/advice from the admission committee. You will receive the official, final result of your entrance exam by e-mail no later than 1 May.

Please note: there can be a difference between the advice and the final result. This is because sometimes more candidates are admissible than can admit.

There are three options:

  • You have been admitted to the bachelor's program
  • You have been admitted to the preparatory course
  • You have failed the exam

Study Costs

HKU has different rates for tuition fees. Depending on your situation, you pay either statutory or institutional tuition fees.

Calculate your tuition fee
  • The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science anually sets the statutory tuition fees. The statutory rate applies only to students from the Netherlands, another country in the European Economic Area (EEA*), Switzerland or Suriname, and students who meet the nationality criteria of the Dutch Student Finance Act (WSF 2000).

    (* EEA countries comprise the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein).

  • HKU sets the institutional tuition fees on the basis of the statutory rate. Students who have already completed a course in higher education and students from outside the EEA usually pay a higher rate.

    Partly as a result of legal changes, the rate for institutional tuition fees for non-EEA students may rise considerably in the coming years.

  • Read the information on the study costs page.

Find out more?

First, read the frequently asked questions. Haven't found your answer yet? Get in contact with the Student Affairs Service Desk. They will help you with questions about (almost) everything that has to do with studying at HKU.

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