EN
MARTYN SMITS MANAGING DIRECTOR AMPA
AMPA ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS
PUTTING YOUR MUSICAL TALENT TO WORK The Academy of Music and Performing Arts offers a fouryear Bachelor of Music programme. It is a course with an
In our view, artistry is founded, besides of course high-
international focus that aims to bring students to the highest
level artisticity, on six main pillars – the key skills:
possible level of professionalism as music artists. To reach this goal we are opening the doors to our wonderful Fontys
1 Ensemble Playing is the central pillar in the curriculum; all other skills tie in to this primary skill.
University of the Arts building, working intensively with
INTRODUCTION
experts in music and ensemble playing, as well as with the
2 Self-Management is the ability to be master of your
other art schools that are part of FHK. And we have the
talents and make optimum use of the opportunities
support of a platform of Dutch and international Ensembles
offered by AMPA.
in Residence.
3 Interdisciplinarity is the ability to connect and collaborate with other art disciplines
As Head of Studies I am very proud of the beautiful concept
entrepreneurship trajectory and lots of projects and master-
AMPA offers two profiles, Classical and Jazz, and the main
we developed for the Academy of Music and Performing Art
classes. In addition, students can play multiple venues in and
focus is on the musical philosophies and vocabularies of the
4 Practice-based Research is the ability to perform an
(AMPA), Tilburg. Three years after the start of AMPA we can
outside our city to prepare themselves for future practice
19th century onwards. Special attention goes out to new
artistic research in musical and connective practices
clearly state that is an enormous success. Students from all
optimally.
contemporary approaches to performing and composing
Last, but not least, AMPA students have many possibilities
ensemble music. We work within an interdisciplinary context.
to connect with students from 15 other disciplines, like
Lessons in entrepreneurship, music education and research,
dance, theatre, circus, etc. Therefore, we facilitate a four-year
communication skills and concept development complete
interdisciplinary trajectory together with Fontys University
the core of our curriculum.
over the world participate at our exceptional curriculum. With our specific focus on the individual development of every individual student, we aim to educate unique top-musicians, who are capable of developing themselves, their artistic identity in a sustainable way.
of Applied Arts. The main focus in this trajectory is stage
Highlights of our program are 4 hours of instrumental coaching
presentation, theatrical awareness on stage and artistic
per week, individual, in group and in ensemble. We also have
concept development. In short, a program to be proud of!
an excellent research trajectory, a relevant music theory and reflection on history, culture and society program, a four-year
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5 Entrepreneurship is the students’ ability to market their musical talents and skills. 6 International Connectedness means students are able to establish an international network and work within international contexts. These skills together form the core of our curriculum.
Martyn Smits
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KEY SKILL 1
ENSEMBLE PLAYING AMPA aims to train its students to become top qualified music artists. In today’s networked societies, crucial skills for people, and therefore for artists, include being able to communicate and to create and maintain good networks. These are prerequisites for allowing students’ creativity to blossom. This is why ensemble playing is the basic educational form on which the AMPA course is based, both in traditional and contemporary form. All other skills are tied into this primary skill. From the day they start here, working from a collective teaches our students to be open and flexible and shows them what it means to be part of a group as an individual. They learn how they can share responsibility and which division of roles they feel comfortable with. Playing together every day refines their verbal and nonverbal communication skills, allows them to hold up a mirror to each other and inspire their fellow students. Their individual talents influence each other, ensuring they are used to their full potential. The musical links they learn to establish on a daily basis, in the different settings the course offers, will form them and allow them to build on a rich musical tradition and grow into the best possible artists they can become. So that they can become interesting frontrunners: introducing the musical innovation and new concert practices that a flourishing contemporary music sector needs.
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KEY SKILL 2
To help our students become independent, confident and responsible artists it is essential that we help them develop self-management skills, both on an individual level and on the level of the collective. We see self-management as the students’ ability to master their own talents and make optimum use of the opportunities offered by AMPA. It will help students grow from interested young people with a natural curiosity into productive, balanced individuals with a healthy work ethic. Of course, practical things such as time management and planning are among the aspects tackled as part of self-management, but other aspects of at least equal importance include taking care of yourself, considering life values and adopting an active attitude in your own learning process. AMPA students have the opportunity to co-compose their own study programme, based on their own interests and needs. Such a high level of control strengthens students’ focus and drive. Evaluations and self-reflection form part and parcel of the course; discussing the issues they encounter and reflecting on the way these are dealt with will help facilitate a conscious development. The new-style mentorship ensures there is always a teacher to help students determine their course.
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KEY SKILL 3
We have said it before: a flourishing music sector cannot exist independently. To maintain the high level of creative quality within the music world, we must find nourishment, in other disciplines as well. And within Fontys University of the Arts AMPA shares a wonderful building with a number of different FHK art schools: the Academy of Circus & Performance Art; the Academy of Art, Communication and Design; the Dance Academy; the Master of Music and the new Master: Performing Public Spaces. Interaction and communication with other disciplines and a deeper insight into them enrich a music artist. If the gates between the different courses are generously thrown open, students can learn a great deal from other disciplines. A musician can learn from the physical discipline a dancer must master, or from the way an actor learns to interact with an audience. Conversely, musicality can inform an actor’s or a dancer’s performance immensely. Students thus learn alongside and from each other, their thoughts about their profession stem from a joint framework, and we ensure strong bonds between the various art disciplines. This will result in a dynamic development of the arts and in artistic products that freely cross any dividing lines.
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KEY SKILL 4
Research is an important driving force in the development of any profession, and music is no exception. AMPA-students are encouraged to deepen their expertise in music through practice-based research. Students learn to be critical of their own assumptions, preferences, strengths and weaknesses, and of those of others. Students explore and recognise innovations in the profession, they experiment with them and are able to collect, analyse and interpret the relevant knowledge and expertise in structured ways. This artistic research is not just conducted individually, but in the collective form of the ensemble as well. This opens up opportunities to tackle bigger themes through group research.
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KEY SKILL 5
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
When students finish their course, they are faced with the tricky task of finding a place for themselves within the professional field. The aim is therefore to instil our students’ DNA with a strong sense of collective entrepreneurship. This will allow them to market their musical talents and skills with confidence and conviction. Standing your ground, learning to be independent and taking the road less travelled sometimes: in addition to mastering their technical and artistic skills AMPA teaches its students to be enterprising individuals. Driven by their intrinsic motivation they learn to spot opportunities and to create their own opportunities as well. They are able to anticipate the constant changes within their field. Their ample imagination and independence allow them to be flexible and participate, and put their musical artistry to use whenever it is called upon.
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KEY SKILL 6
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTEDNESS
Connections with the international music world, an open attitude and a will to work with musicians and institutes in other countries are vital elements for a living, constantly developing art form. An international context offers students as well as teachers opportunities and further nourishment. The artists trained here learn to be open to the unknown, to look beyond the beaten track to spot opportunities and to go out and grab them. AMPA collaborates with schools and ensembles from all over the world: from Finland to China and from the US to Belgium. During their time here, AMPA students learn how to work together respectfully with people from different cultures and backgrounds, both among their fellow students and their (guest) teachers.
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SOFT SKILLS
Related to the key skills there is a number of additional skills a musician needs to develop. We call them soft skills.
1 Cesar Therapy (Year 1) This teaches students to treat their bodies and minds with care, to avoid injuries during rehearsals or concerts,
3 Concept Development (Year 3)
to help them cope with stage fright and maintain a
As a member of an ensemble and in working with
good balance between emotion and ratio in their own
professionals AMPA students learn how to develop
(musical) lives. AMPA works with outside partners such
professional artistic concepts and to translate these into
as Sport Medisch Centrum Tilburg, Cesartherapie Tilburg.
concrete concert programmes. Translating ideas into a vision, and a vision into a product.
2 Communication Skills (Year 2) Students learn to express themselves professionally,
During our 4-year Bachelor course we involve every
in music, in writing and in speech, and within different
aspect of the profession in our curriculum. Teaching takes
contexts: with fellow musicians or with audiences, before,
place as much as possible in a professional environment so
during, or after rehearsals or concerts. Voicing an artistic
that our ensembles look to the professionals for guidance.
concept, musical interaction, reflection, offering feedback.
This module teaches ensembles to spot opportunities and
Other
challenges, so that they will not only find a place within the
examples
include
musical
communicating with audiences.
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4 Fields of Practice (Year 4)
persuasiveness
or
field, but help it innovate as well.
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ENSEMBLES IN RESIDENCE PHILIPPE LEMM TRIO (NL) “Winner of the International B-Jazz Competition and Winner of Best Solist Prize. The Philippe Lemm Trio is continually proving to be one of the most exciting and electrifying jazz trio’s around today. Led at the helm by drummer Philippe Lemm, the group met in New York in 2011, and after one session together, realized that their undeniable chemistry was one that needed to be taken and shared with the world.
RASCHÈR SAXOPHONE QUARTET (GER) From 1969, when the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet was founded, the quartet has performed at every major venue in the world. It is an ensemble without a director; soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax democratically plot the course together. From its inception the Raschèr has performed commissioned pieces by contemporary composers,
Comprised of three musicians with exceptional
Philip Glass, Steven Stucky, Iannis Xenakis
command of their instruments, the group’s
and Chen Yi among them. They also like
repertoire draws heavily from re-imaginations
to perform with orchestras, vocalists and
of jazz standards in a way that both defies
soloists from around the world.
genre and corresponds to any modern jazz fan. www.rsq-sax.com
onepagelink.com/philippelemmtrio
TEMKO (NL) With their approach and outlook resembling those of a pop or rock band, TEMKO ensemble has been taking the stages by storm since they made a flying start at November Music in 2013. With lead performances by guitar, bass, piano and percussion, the ensemble offers a mix of styles including minimal music, new complexity and heavy metal. Their ability to combine these with their own improvisations makes them a truly contemporary group. Craftsmanship and virtuosity go hand in hand with a joy of playing in their ‘mixed minimal chamber metal’. www.temkomusic.com
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SHIRANTHA BEDDAGE (CA) Two-time
JUNO-nominated
musician
Shirantha
Beddage is a baritone saxophonist, composer and educator from Toronto, Canada. His original music combines hard bop and modern jazz to create a sound that is both accessible and sophisticated. Shirantha currently serves as Head of Theory and Harmony in the Humber College Bachelor of Music program, where he teaches courses in Music Theory, Pedagogy, and Ensemble. He also adjudicates
www.harmenfraanje.com
regularly at festivals throughout the country including MusicFest Canada, where he serves as Vice-Chairman
HARMEN FRAANJE
of
teaching
As a teenager pianist and composer Harmen Fraanje
methods have earned him national recognition as an
Instrumental
Jazz.
His
innovative
(Roosendaal, 1976) had a piano teacher, Frank Jansen,
Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE)
who was an inspiration to him, as was blues guitarist
Bassist Udo Pannekeet was a member from the start, and since 2011 Hans van Oosterhout has been their drummer. Their albums, with contemporary jazz branching out to fusion and country, are praised by the critics. Over the past few years the trio has performed at major jazz venues and festivals, including North Sea Jazz.
Ralph de Jongh. As a student at the Tilburg and Utrecht conservatoires (piano, jazz and improvised music) he stood out, and was asked to perform with trumpet player Eric Vloeimans and saxophone great Mete Erker. Since then, Harmen has been on the road with various trios, quartets and projects. He is often asked as a guest performer. In addition, he teaches masterclasses and workshops at a number of conservatoires. Classical music, jazz and improvisation are major influences in Harmen’s compositions, but he has a great love of traditional music
www.shiranthabeddage.com
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from all over the world as well.
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FONTYS UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS
PARTNERS Below you see a short selection of our partners:
Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (FHK) in Tilburg
are coming to attend our high-quality classes for one or
houses several art schools under a single roof. Students
several semesters. And because the future for many of our
ADMISSION TIMEFRAME
from the various disciplines have the opportunity to
students lies within an international environment, a sound
Applicants can do an entrance exam at the Academy of
learn from each other, initiate joint projects and be an
preparation for such a future is essential.
Music and Performing Arts between April & August or by
inspiration to each other. There is plenty of opportunity
We also believe it is important to demonstrate that art
to meet and forge real connections. The development
makes a vital contribution to society. Art opens people’s
of each individual craft gains in versatility thanks to the
eyes, ears and hearts. It can fire a debate, bring people
constant exchange.
together, highlight a political or ideological layer. This is
This interdisciplinary collaboration is one of the three
why FHK encourages projects which can promote social
spearheads we have formulated: this is the direction we
cohesion.
intend to take with our wonderful school. This is why
At FHK, students enter a learning environment that offers
students choose us instead of other art schools in other
them the best possible preparation for their professional
cities. This is who we want to be.
future and every opportunity to hone their craft in a broad
International
education
is
another
spearhead.
Our
school has a strong international orientation and this is
website: www.fontys.edu/ampa
CONTACT Martyn Smits | managing director AMPA
WEBSITE
Anne Peters | project manager
Extensive information on our courses and preparatory courses, admission procedures, application and open days
GENERAL INQUIRIES
is available through our website www.fontys.edu/ampa.
Information Office Academy of Music and Performing Arts:
Or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ampatilburg
fhkampa@fontys.nl | +31 (0)8850 77744
OPEN DAYS
STUDENT ADMINISTRATION
Find more information about the open days and information
For questions about admissions procedures/application
sessions on our website www.fontys.edu/ampa
+31 (0)8850 78166 | FHKSA@fontys.nl
perspective. With others. With the outside world. With the world.
reflected in the curricula. Increasingly, foreign students
THAT IS FHK. AND THAT IS AMPA. WELCOME!
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sending video material. For more information check out
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COLOPHON This brochure was published by the Academy of Music & Performing Arts, Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Edited by Wendy Lubberding, Martyn Smits & Anne Peters. Photography: Frans Strous (o.a. omslag), Julie Verlinden, Noortje Palmers, Remke Spijkers, Felix Broede, Rene Dissel, Mark van Vugt, Bas Gijselhart en Niels Versteeghs. Graphics: Bakvorm ontwerp. Lay-out: Blend & Blink ontwerp en communicatie.