1. Description
Practicum Musicae (PM) offers multi-talented university students the possibility to nourish and explore their musicality at the Royal Conservatoire (RC) in The Hague. You can use your EC, obtained at the KC, to fill in all your optional subjects at the UL.
In this program you’ll follow individual lessons with teachers from the Royal Conservatoire to improve your playing, singing or composing. Next to these individual lessons, you’ll follow a Music theory class and coaching’s to help you develop your repertoire-skills.
Via PM, you can develop yourself broadly, both academically as musically.
Practicum Musicae is a program of the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA). ACPA is the link between the University of Leiden and the University of the Arts The Hague, which consists of the Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Conservatoire. For more info about ACPA.
The departments in which you can study via PM are:
Classical Music (all instruments including conducting)
Vocal (Classical singing and choirconducting)
Jazz (all instruments including jazz-singing)
Early Music (all instruments including singing)
Composition
If you would like to study at a department which is not in the list, please contact the PM-coördinator.
2. Structure
The entire PM-program takes three years, carries 30 EC and consists of three levels: PM1 (10 EC), PM2 (10EC) and PM3 (10EC). You can also choose to participate in the program for only one, or two years.
Practicum Musicae has the following elements:
- Individual main subject lessons: 50 minutes per week (32 weeks a year), by a teacher from the Royal Conservatoire. Which will be tested in the end of the year in an exam (7 EC, PM1 and PM2. 10 EC, PM3).
- Coach pianist/ Duo class: 12,5 min per week for students of the Classical and for Jazz-singers. Singers in the Vocal department get 25 min per week. The Coach Pianist helps you to master your repertoire-skills and to improve your playing/singing with accompaniment. Duo class teaches pianists how to accompany a singer. The student and teacher can agree to have either a session once every two weeks (25 minutes), or once a month (50 minutes).
- Elementary Music Theory (EMT): 100 minutes per week (3EC). A group lesson for the basics of music theory. PM strives to improve the theoretical level of all students and looks for a tailor-made solution for all participants. The more advanced students follow a different program.
After successfully participating in the PM program, you’ll receive a certificate from the Royal Conservatoire.
3. Admission requirements
In order to be admitted to PM, students will be required to audition in front of a small committee of Royal Conservatoire tutors. During the audition the committee determines whether the student displays satisfactory levels of motivation, musical skill and innate ability.
The committee is responsible for deciding whether or not the student can be admitted to the programme.
Auditions for the following academic year take place during the previous academic year. Auditions for academic year 2018-2019 will take place in April 2018.
The deadline for application is 1 March 2018. In order to avoid any unnecessary disappoint, preselection applies.
Students who have applied, will be requested to upload a motivation letter and musical resume.
In some cases students may be requested to send a recording, or to participate in a trial lesson.
Students who have applied to either Jazz singing or Classical singing, will be requested to upload a motivation letter, resume and video recording as means of preselection.
The Classical, Early Music, Classical Singing, Composition and Jazz departments apply different entrance requirements and procedures during preselection as well as during the audition. For more information on these, please contact the Practicum Musicae co-ordinator at PM@Koncon.nl.
The entrance level is comparable to the Royal Conservatoire's Preparatory Course, although many PM students perform at a higher level when auditioning.
4. Mode of instruction
Main subject: private lessons
Coach pianist/ Duo class: individual/duo
Music theory (EMT): seminar
5. Timetable
PM lessons and seminars take place throughout the first as well as the second semester. The individual lessons, including the coach pianist or duo lessons, are scheduled in consultation between student and tutor.
Music theory seminars (EMT) are offered multiple times throughout the week. Students can apply for the lesson time that best works within their Leiden University study schedule. All instruction takes place at the Royal Conservatoire (Juliana van Stolberglaan 1, Den Haag; at walking distance from Den Haag Central Station).
6. Assessment method
A single year of PM is concluded with an main subject exam in front of a small committee of tutors. The exam takes approximately 20 minutes and takes place in May or June. The musical programme is compiled in consultation with the student's main subject tutor.
Musical theory 1 (EMT 1) is concluded with a written exam in May of June.
7. Honours trajectory
It is possible to take a PM Honours Trajectory. This entails the full PM programme as well as a research project. The research project is based upon a research question, which is formulated in consultation with the student's research coach. The students concludes the research with a research paper.
For more information, please visit Practicum Musicae Honours College.
8. Registration and information
In case you wish to apply to the PM programma, please send an email including your motivation and musical resume to:
The PM co-ordinator PM@Koncon.nl
Applications can be sent until 1 March 2018, applying after this date is not possible (outside of exceptional cases).
9. Remarks
Only Leiden University students can participate in the Practicum Musicae programme.
For all other elective courses on music, fine arts and design, please visit: Keuzevakken muziek en beeldende kunsten