Additional Subjects
Step into the virbrant world of our Music and Performing Arts Jazz department, where you'll find a close-knit community of students and teachers, passionate about making music that resonates. Here, you'll get the hands-on guidance and real-world opportunities you need to grow as a musician and find your own sound.
Theory, History & Research
Jazz History & Research has a focus on both the past and present of jazz and the historical connections between them. In the lessons, jazz is considered as nowadays music. Of course students will learn about important musicians and styles of the past, but equally important is 'the here and now', as Miles Davis once described jazz. The main goal is to broaden the musical horizon of the students and help them create their own aesthetical views by listening, analysing and learning from music.Of course there will be a lot of listening, watching, and talking about music in class, but student will also have to do research themselves and visit concerts in order to develop their own views on music and musical skills.
Teachers
Maino Remmers
Maino Remmers studied musicology, mass communication, choral conducting, and organ, and finally specialized in big band writing, arranging, and conducting. Maino worked with various famous artists such as Cubop City Big Band, Benjamin Herman's New Cool Collective, Denise Jannah, and Bob Brookmeyer, but also with the 'Fanfarekorps Koninklijke Landmacht' and the European Youth Orchestra. Since 1997, he teaches arranging classes at Fontys Music and Performing Arts and furthermore he is a consultant for the International Composition Contest in Helmond.
Koen Graat
Koen Graat teaches Jazz History & Research at MPA. Furthermore, he is involved as a promoter / programmer in two important Dutch festivals: November Music and Jazz in Duketown. He also works as a promoter for Paradox, a renowned Dutch jazz venue in Tilburg that collaborates often with MPA. Apart from that Koen is a writer for the printed magazine Jazzism. Koen graduated from MPA as well as from the Academy of Journalism and Tilburg University (Cultural Science). Together with saxophonist Kika Sprangers, he hosts the podcast Jazz Changers for the national broadcasting companies VPRO Vrije Geluiden and NPO Soul & Jazz.
Entrepreneurship
Music and entrepreneurship are closely intertwined in this rapidly changing time. Being a musician means being also an entrepreneur which should be pro-active, development-oriented, make things happen and grasp for opportunities. With creativity and innovation an entrepreneur is able to turn ideas into reality and with entrepreneur skills the student has more tools to develop artistic freedom and to sell his or her own projects.
Teachers
Robert van der Padt
Robert van der Padt is the founder of Bird Call Bookings. Since 2015 Robert has been supporting, booking and managing jazz artists in the Netherlands. He is graduated as a jazz pianist, but has become an expert in working with fellow artists to create opportunities in booking tours and fundraising.
Jonathan Szegedi
Jonathan Szegedi is a dynamic cultural professional based in the Netherlands. A drummer by trade, he channels his expertise into fostering sustainable and equitable mechanisms of value creation in the cultural NGO and higher arts education sector. With a dedicated balance between research and practice, he draws from his extensive background in jazz and classical contemporary performing arts to deliver value, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Electives
All 3rd& 4th year students can choose from different electives to specialize in certain aspects of the musical field.
These are the possible electives:
- Studio engineering
- Teaching music
- (Jazz) conducting
- (Jazz) arranging
- (Jazz) composition
Interdisciplinarity
Lessons in interdisciplinarity are taught by: Peerke Malschaert, Sanne Nagtzaam, and Monique Zijp (coordinator).