Programmes

Innovative Choir Leading

Master (2 years) of Music (MMus), 120 ECTS
Music and performing arts

Institution The Royal Academy of Music - Aarhus/Aalborg
Campus Aalborg Departement
Duration 2 years
Tuition per term (Non-EU/EAA/CH) 6600 EUR
Tuition per term (EU/EAA/CH) 0 EUR
Website https://musikkons.dk/en/programmes/jazz-pop/innovative-choir-leading/innovative-choir-leading-ma/
The Innovative Choir Leading programme is focusing on contemporary forms of expression and methodology, and on developing the student’s personal and professional competences as a choir leader in regard to styles such as pop, rock, jazz, gospel, world, improvisation, and vocal painting.

The Innovative Choir Leading studies provides the student with skills to make vocal music sound just ‘right’ when it comes to these musical styles with choirs and a cappella groups, in rehearsals as well as in performances.

Tuition includes the minor subjects ear training, theory of improvisation, rhythm and coordination, vocal studies, piano, voice theory, arranging, entrepreneurship, pedagogy, ensemble singing, RAMA Voices (vocal group, as a singer), and an elective flex subject.

The program is associated with the RAMA Vocal Center at the Academy’s Aalborg campus; an internationally recognized center of ‘Innovative Choir Leading’ created by Professor Jim Daus Hjernøe.

The teacher team has references to Bobby McFerrin, The Real Group, Touché, and Vocal Line, assisted by top guest teachers on e.g., beatboxing by RoxorLoops and concert design by Astrid Vang-Pedersen.

For several years choir directors from all over the world attend as students to be educated by this renowned team of world-class teachers, ensuring the highest pedagogical and artistic level.

In some cases, students from abroad will be able to participate in the weekly classes through digital high-speed video conferencing and have a choir available locally. This option adds to the modern and international quality of the program.

For all students, 8 boot camps per academic year are mandatory to join in person on Campus Aalborg (Monday to Friday). That will be 3 boot camps in the fall semester and 5 in the spring semester. These are supplemented by weekly classes, which in some cases can be joined via video conference.

In addition, live coaching sessions via video conferencing in “music mode”, 4 times per academic year per student, where students bring their teacher and fellow students to watch and supervise a choir rehearsal “live”, no matter where in the world you are.

This programme is offered at the Aalborg campus. Visit the programmes website. 

Career Opportunities  
This master’s program makes the student prepared for a career as a musician, and music teacher, specialized in leading and conducting choirs and vocal groups at the highest level in all jazz/pop-related styles.
 

Admission
To be admitted to this programme, students must take an entrance exam that is described in admission requirements. At the Academy’s homepage the applicant can find detailed information about admission requirements for the bachelor’s, master’s, and soloist programmes as well as examples of entry exams.

The applicant must apply online via kum.studieoptag.dk, which is the application system for all education institutes under the Ministry of Culture.

At the Academy’s homepage the student can find out more about admission e.g., application deadline, schedule for entry exams, application fee etc.

Tuition
There is a tuition fee for all full­time degree students with a citizenship from outside of EU/EAA/Switzerland. Students within an exchange programme are not required to pay tuition.

For Further Information
Information from the Danish Agency for Higher Education can be located here.

You will find information about the Danish assessment of foreign qualifications in Guide to diploma recognition.

About the Educational System in general visit the section The Danish Higher Education System.


Aalborg Departement

Description

The Academy’s department in Aalborg is situated in The House of Music (Musikkens Hus) from 2013. The Academy has several modern and inviting classrooms, rehearsal rooms, sound studios and two concert halls for acoustic and for amplified music.  

The classrooms are equipped with accessible instruments and other relevant gear. At the rehearsal rooms students have opportunities for practicing 24/7. The sound studio consists of three rooms in order to separate the instruments.

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