Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Master of Music
Tilburg, Netherlands
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
09 Apr 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
31 Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,601 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU applicants | 01.06 EU/Dutch applicants | Pop direction applicants: February 1st | Music Theatre direction applicants: May 1st
** statutory tuition fees Full-time| statutory tuition fees Part-time- € 2.395 | institutional tuition fee: € 8.570
Key Summary
The Fontys Master of Music is a truly unique programme designed to cater to your artistic and professional needs. Choose your direction in Classical, Jazz, Music-Theatre, Pop, or Creator Performer. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by your main professor, a personal career coach, and a research coach.
As a Master of Music student at Fontys, you receive a two-year personal budget, ranging from €3000 to €4000 per year, to tailor your curriculum. You may even use this budget to take lessons with artists outside Fontys, even internationally.
Our strong connections with local concert halls and venues provide ample performance opportunities in the region. With personalised support and a wealth of resources, you will be well-prepared for a successful career as a highly skilled and professional musician.
Why this study in the Netherlands
- Extensive personalization and bespoke study programmes.
- You will be guided by three coaches: a main professor, your personal career advisor, and a research coach.
- This study provides many network opportunities, as you can choose to be taught by educators and professionals from outside of the school.
- You will be part an international community of 600 music students and 1,500 art students.
What to expect from us
You will be supervised by your main professor, a personal career coach, and a research coach. As a Master of Music student at Fontys you receive a two-year personal budget. The personal budget amount depends on your specialisation. You can use your personal budget to personalize the curriculum in accordance with your artistic and professional needs. Students who wish to take lessons with artists who teach outside Fontys may use their scholarship to do so, even when the artist is based in another country. The school maintains strong connections with local concert halls and venues. Therefore, as a student, you will have ample performance opportunities in the region.
What can you expect
- Individual instrumental lessons, chamber music & ensemble.
- Coaching on research and your study career.
- Elective courses for your personal and professional development.
- Project weeks connected with other performing arts master students.
- Extended research programme, connected with other performing arts.
- Performance exam at the end of each academic year.
What do we expect from you
Before the entrance exam, it is important to think about your career goals. In your personal development plan, you outline your professional goals for the upcoming years of study. This plan supports your personal qualities and interests, and sketches where you see yourself as a professional in two years. Your plan will be evaluated by the exam commission and is part of the application procedure.
Year 1
In your first year, you will have individual and group lessons on your instrument, based on your personal development plan.
You can choose 3 electives, that will fit your need to become a complete professional.
6 Artistic research days are planned to teach and inspire you to research a topic that fits your artistic practice.
A performance exam is planned where you can show your achievements.
Year 2
In your second year, the work on your artistic plan continues.
There will be two projects to connect your plans to your professional future. Together with your research coach, you will finalize your research.
Eventually all three parts; artistic, research, and professionalism will show in your final performance.
What are you going to learn?
We aim to offer you courses that will not only help you in developing your musical skills but also educate you in abilities a contemporary artist needs in a rapidly evolving artistic landscape. As such, we have created research and personal and professional development programmes to facilitate this, and we hope that you will be able to connect these courses to your artistic plan. In this way, your performance exam will not only be a wonderful artifact but will also be supported by a strong contextual basis.
- High-level musical skills.
- Research skills to create context to your practice.
- Personal skills to communicate and work as a professional.
- Professional skills to build your practice.
The NL scholarship provides a partial scholarship for the first year of your studies at our University and is financed by Fontys University of Applied Sciences and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Scholarship
The scholarship amounts to € 5,000. You will receive this in the first year of your studies.
Some of the Fontys' programmes offer the NL Scholarship for non-EEA students. Visit the website to see which programmes offer this scholarship. You might also be eligible for other scholarships not provided by Fontys.
After your studies, the whole professional musical field is open to you. You can audition and join theatre companies, orchestras, and ensembles. You will have the ability to create your work, by starting collaborations, groups, and ensembles or doing free-lance work. You will be a professional musical entrepreneur, with a strong network, who knows how to arrange sustenance.
- Musical entrepreneur
- Orchestral musician
- Theatre performer
- Free lance musician