Master of Music

My journey at Fontys helped me realise who I want to be as an artist

Ashley

Alumnus

I moved to the Netherlands (from South Africa) and it was daunting at first,because I wasn’t sure that I was “good enough” to be in an environment likeFontys; thankfully I had mentors who helped me discover more of my potential,which gave me the confidence that I needed to believe in my artistic capabilities.Now that I have completed my studies, that confidence remains with me both onand off stage.

As an artist - I believe that it’s important to have a sense of artistic freedom inthe work that I do; the Masters programme was structured in a way that allowedme the freedom and time that I needed to figure out who I want to be as anartist.

I was also inspired by the level of expertise of the musicians and mentors that Ihad the opportunity to work with during my time at Fontys; working with themmotivated me to be better at what I do.

During my training, I discovered the value of self-directed learning

Hedwig

Alumnus

During my Master of Music, I discovered the value of self-directed learning.

After several years in the field, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve in my musical development. This experience gave me the freedom to tailor my studies to personal interests and goals, despite the challenges of stepping off the beaten track of the curriculum. This allowed me to further develop my skills and set my own course, which not only increased my musical knowledge, but also boosted my self-confidence and creativity.

This period has had a lasting impact on my career and my approach as a teacher.

I combine music, the voice and inner and energetic work

Nicole

Alumnus

Even during my studies, I had two feet in the field: a versatile professional practice as an artist, teacher and coach. In my company, Nicole Catharina, I combine music, the voice, inner and energetic work. I do this as a professional vocal & artist coach from a holistic vision, and as a vocalist, songwriter and interdisciplinary maker.

I coach (semi-)professional vocalists and artists in my own teaching practice, at Rockacademie Audition Coaching, and as a guest teacher at Rockacademie, Master of Music and Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts, among others.

I also write life lessons in song form and share them with the world through intimate concerts, such as at Theatre Festival Boulevard. With my music, philosophical questioning, meditation and sound healing, I invite the listener to introspection.

The different approaches inspire me in my own composition process

Isabella

Student

I chose this master because I wanted to develop and shape my artistic project as an interdisciplinary composer and visual artist, and polish the areas in which I needed more work.The programme is versatile and flexible. The fact that you as a student have 100% control on how to build your own syllabus, and the possibility to use your budget with external teachers, is very interesting.Something I also like about Fontys and I think it's quite unique to how it works, is that a lot of trust is put in the student with the facilities, and the campus feels like a tool box with so many possibilities. I loved that even though I was in the music department, I was able to use the dance rooms, reserve the photography studios, etc. The atmosphere is free, independent and collaborative.

The flexibility and independence you get is the most challenging thing in this specific program. Because all the decisions are completely in your hands, and there is a lot of self work. You have to be the one who contacts the professors (Internal or external) if you are new to the country and don’t already have a list with possible teachers you want to learn from with their contact information, then it can be quite overwhelming.There are not many group classes, so sometimes it feels like a lonely ride, and you have to be your main driving force, deciding where to go and how to find people to collaborate with,. Even though I was a bit of a lonely wolf, I did get to collaborate in some projects with some Fontys students which I’m grateful for.

Another challenge I had while studying specifically in the first year, was discovering what I wanted to learn from my professors. Because it's not like in the bachelor that they teach you theory on how to compose and there is a syllabus to follow, here I had some amazing professors with so much information in them, and what I found the most difficult was finding what I wanted to ask them specifically, what I could learn from each one. Having total control of what you want to learn can be exhausting haha.

Inside Fontys I had classes with Anthony Fiumara, Celia Swart and Maino Remmers. Each one helped me differently with their own different approach to music and composition. But the combination of these three different approaches inspired me in my own composition process. Because each one gave me different tools, and where one tool didn’t work another one did. It was refreshing to be able to learn from the three of them.

(photo: Gerardo Segura)