Research at the Royal Conservatoire

The world is changing and the demands being made on musicians and music students are growing all the time. They are not only expected to deliver excellent artistic products, they must also be capable of reflecting and innovating. In addition to education and production, therefore, the third pillar of the Royal Conservatoire’s activities is research. The research component in the educational programmes focuses on the student’s artistic and intellectual development. In the Bachelor’s curriculum the students are taught the basic research skills they will need later in their practice as professional musicians. In the Master’s programme students carry out their own research project with a view to their further artistic and intellectual development. The subject of the research is often closely related to their main subject.

At the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, the following research definition has been agreed upon: ‘Research is a systematic investigation of some aspect of thought, experience or reality which leads to transferable knowledge. Research at the Royal Conservatoire is motivated through artistic practice and carried out by students and staff. It leads to knowledge that is possibly embedded in compositional, performative or educational work, and may be expressed through diverse media, including but not confined to written text.’