Master

One project, three perspectives

What makes the Master Project special is the way it brings together three essential aspects of your development as a musician. Instead of treating them as separate parts of your education, you explore how they can strengthen and inform one another.

1. Artistic Development – Deepen your artistic voice
Continue developing your craft at a high level while discovering what makes you distinctive as an artist. Through individual lessons, artistic exploration and collaboration, you work towards your own artistic goals and develop a clearer sense of your musical identity.

2. Research – Follow your curiosity
What questions fascinate you as a musician? Research gives you the opportunity to investigate ideas that matter to your artistic practice. You learn to question assumptions, experiment with different approaches and use your findings to inform your artistic decisions.

3. Professional Integration – Bring your ideas into the world
Your artistic ambitions don't stop at the conservatoire's doors. You develop and carry out your own professional activities, gaining experience in turning ideas into real projects. This helps you build the skills, connections and confidence to establish your place in the professional music world.

The strength of this approach lies in the connections between these three areas. Your research might inspire a new performance, your artistic experiments might lead to unexpected professional opportunities, or a project outside the conservatoire might raise questions that shape your artistic development.

Your ideas, supported by a network of expertise

Taking ownership of your studies doesn't mean working alone. Throughout your master's, you are supported by people who bring different perspectives and expertise to your development.

Your main subject teacher helps you refine your artistic vision, while your research supervisor guides you in exploring your questions. A professional integration coach supports you in developing your ideas for professional practice.

You also become part of a Master Circle, where you regularly exchange ideas, discuss challenges and reflect on your progress with fellow master's students and a facilitator. Learning from musicians with different experiences and perspectives can open up possibilities you might not have considered on your own.

You decide where you want to go, while your teachers, coaches and peers help you explore how to get there.

More than a master's degree

The music profession is constantly evolving, and there is no single route to a fulfilling artistic career. At the Royal Conservatoire, we encourage you to think critically about your work, explore your role in society and discover where your particular strengths and interests can make a difference.

By the time you graduate, you will have done more than advance your musical abilities. You will have gained experience in developing your own ideas, making artistic decisions, conducting research and creating professional opportunities.

Your Master Project is not simply something you complete to graduate. It is a chance to start building the artistic future you want to pursue.

The Master Project puts you at the centre of your studies. It brings together three essential aspects of your development as a musician: artistic development, research and professional integration. By connecting these areas, you can shape your master's degree around your own interests, ambitions and artistic goals.

At the Royal Conservatoire, we encourage you to develop your individual artistic voice, deepen your musical and technical skills, and explore new ideas. You'll learn to question, experiment and make independent decisions, while developing the creativity, curiosity and entrepreneurial mindset needed to build your own professional practice.

The music profession offers many possibilities, but there is no single path to follow. Throughout your two-year master's programme, you'll be encouraged to make your own choices, develop your ideas and put them into practice.

Your Master Project brings all these elements together. It challenges you to explore the connections between your artistic work, research and professional ambitions in a way that is meaningful to you. In doing so, you'll discover where your strengths and interests can take you and start shaping your own place in the professional music world.

Testimonial: Alum Gianmarco Moneti
Read this interview with alum Gianmarco Moneti,
'From Master Project to National Stage'.

Testimonial: Alum Mieke Glasbergen

"It began as a school assignment, evolved into a dream, and has now become a reality. Before you lies the programme booklet for the first edition of PianoFestival Gouda.” With the above words, I began my “opening words” in the programme booklet for my own piano festival. To be honest, if it hadn't been for the Master Project, this festival probably wouldn't have existed. After my first grant application to the municipality of Gouda was rejected, I might have thrown in the towel if it hadn't been for a school assignment. But from October onwards, when the financial lights started to turn green, most of the time I forgot that this project was actually an assignment. It became a dream project, and the longer I worked on it, the more passionate I became about it, and the more I enjoyed working on it.”

Designing your master project: