Sparkl Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 (edited) Hey guys! I have a question for some of you guys with academic experience and knowledge. I hope I chose the right forum category, if not I deeply apologize. I have a bachelor degree I have finished in Austria for jazz and modern music, ebass, upright and piano as secondary. I am serching for a suitable institution that would allow me to finish my master studies. I have done a bit of research and kind of narrowed it down to these academies: Codarts, Rotterdam, NL Conservatoire Amsterdam, NL Royal academy of music London For my master degree, I am trying to focus on the very best academies in Europe (meaning professors, whose program would suit my needs best), while also thinking of geographical location and its importance (cities, countries which have a high musical activity and also offer a (unlikely, but) potential international breakthrough). Being a Slovenian, you have to understand, that, being such a small nation, the opportunities here are very slim at best. So mostly you end up being in bands that play mostly internationally commercial stuff or you end up playing in a folks music band, but there are basically almost zero to no options of finding talented musicians to work with in another type of genre. So I yearn to live through this experience of being in a large city where chances of finding a kickass band to play in is at least that 0.1% higher (in Slovenia this chance would be like 0.0001% lol and I am being dead serious here). Anyways, my priority is electric bass, but I do play upright bass as well and well enough to satisfy most professional needs (although I am honestly not too crazy about the thumb position) and I love composing and multi-instrumentalism. I am mostly trying to further endorse my modern music knowledge to further increase my competence and professionalism in these types of music. I would also like to keep in touch with jazz music though. As for modern music I am thinking about fusion, r’n’b, pop in general, reggae, basically anything that rhythmically grooves, grew up through rock (in a very broad sense, mostly sound wise) so that’s a plus anyways but I do not think this genre requires academic attention though. As for jazz, well, it’s jazz. Looking to further improve my bebop skills and such. I apologize for a wall of text, just wanted to inform you guys about it so it is easier for you to reccomend a specific institution. The options I listed above are of course not exclusive, please feel free to recommend other options as well. One thing to note is that I would like to finance my studies by working along the course, is this even a viable option? Actually, for some of these options, this is my only option for me to finance tuition and living costs etc. Thanks for your answers guys, appreciated! Edited March 14, 2018 by Sparkl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkl Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 No masters on this forum? I sincerely doubt it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 I've got no academic training in music whatsoever I'm afraid so I've no useful advice here other than I know the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester has a very good reputation. Personally, I'd like to leave the UK and live in Slovenia, one of my favourite countries. I currently have Lake Bled wallpaper on my computer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkl Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 (edited) Ha, we can do an exchange - you move to Slovenia, I move to UK, the population count stays the same, I don't pose such a direct immigrant threat then Jokes aside, I hope you find Slovenia to your taste, the nature sure is magical here. You chose a perfect destination and are also an hours drive away (in Slovenia you are almost always an hours drive away from everything haha) from the coast, make sure to jump there for a swim, or swim in the bled lake of course, that is magic on its own. OTOH I want to play in a serious project, not these wannabe commercial cover bands, playing stevie wonder to the rest of my life, entertaining guests at the front of the hotel. I mean, it's fun and all, but this isn't really the main goal I want to complete in my music career. I have motivation, have lots of will and time dedication, but no real people to work with and to rely on. I sincerely hope that moving to a bigger sphere would at least up the chances a bit (or by a lot). Who knows, maybe at the end I end up being the weak link. I need this experience! Edited March 15, 2018 by Sparkl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 (edited) I’m doing my masters at the university of Birmingham. I’m focusing on composition, I do know that the instrumental/performance course is excellent. A lot of the classes and tutors are at Birmingham conservatoire, which is housed in a fantastic brand new building, complete with its own jazz club. I was there for a workshop a few weeks ago. Edited March 15, 2018 by ambient 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 A friend of mine that I did my UG degree with is doing his masters at Leeds, he speaks very highly of it. Another one to check out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkl Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Thanks for info! Are you doing the master or bachelor course? How often do you find yourself at the college, is there any time left to organise a job to cover the expenses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 1 minute ago, Sparkl said: Thanks for info! Are you doing the master or bachelor course? How often do you find yourself at the college, is there any time left to organise a job to cover the expenses? Masters. My course is very time demanding, but I was warned about that at the interview. There’s still time to work yes, but at least on my course you need to be flexible as they do change things around at the last minute sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkl Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 42 minutes ago, ambient said: Masters. My course is very time demanding, but I was warned about that at the interview. There’s still time to work yes, but at least on my course you need to be flexible as they do change things around at the last minute sometimes. Thanks. Yeah I have to do some homework and educate myself about the course and its subjects, would love to dedicate whole days to the studies only but the tuition and living costs are going to kill me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 One thing to keep in mind is that the cost of living in London is a lot more expensive than elsewhere in the UK. I did my BMus in London and spent the 3 years commuting from Birmingham 3 or more times a week. Even allowing for the train fare I saved a fortune. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 7 minutes ago, ambient said: One thing to keep in mind is that the cost of living in London is a lot more expensive than elsewhere in the UK. I did my BMus in London and spent the 3 years commuting from Birmingham 3 or more times a week. Even allowing for the train fare I saved a fortune. Same goes for Amsterdam. If you chose the Netherlands then I'd advise Rotterdam. It is currently a more modern city with a more progressive population, and the cost of living there is much more affordable. Also access to Antwerp, Brussels, the Hague etc is a bit easier from Rotterdam. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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