The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major offers students the possibility to specialise in one of three fields:
realisation/performance of electroacoustic music
recording/production
hardware and software development.
Each of these specialist fields provide students with the requisite skills to pursue a career which requires them to mediate between musicians and electronic media.
The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major also affords students the space for their own extensive work within large-scale projects, both on and off campus. In doing so, they engage to a significant degree in the overarching and transdisciplinary discourse between different classes. Consequently, the programme opens up a broad spectrum of career prospects that range from teaching music theory as a principal subject at university level to music journalism and research in music practice or theory.
This study programme is geared as closely as possible to practice and dovetails with the production and research activities of the Electronic Studio. From the outset, students are involved in projects of the Electronic Studio in cooperation with other faculties of the Basel Academy of Music (Performance, Composition, Improvisation) and external partners. In this environment, the audio design students configure and realize their own projects.
Holders of a FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major should be able to carry out the following activities to the highest professional standard:
realise electroacoustic music and deliver live electronic music;
perform electronic music, in particular deliver live performances of electronic music in the context of concerts, installations etc.;
devise, design and develop sound installations, electronic game interfaces and interactive environments;
record and produce both serious and light music in a professional recording studio;
devise and develop music software to generate, transform and analyse sound.
The FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory with an Audio Design Major is aimed at holders of a Bachelor degree with an Audio Design Major from the Basel School of Music, or an equivalent qualification.
Future fields of work are wide-ranging and include the independent arts scene, theatre (drama, dance theatre, physical theatre), radio and TV (layout/advertising), software development, teaching and further education.
Admission criteria In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Composition/Music Theory programme with an Audio Design Major, applicants must be awarded a Bachelor in Audio Design or equivalent as well as they must have passed the entrance exam and were offered a free place at the Academy (limited places). Applicants who have submitted all the necessary registration documents in time will be invited to the online entrance exam by mail and online meeting. For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Studienreglement of the Master of Arts FHNW in Composition/Music Theory.
Required skills
Good skills in recording, producing and sound technology
Good in handling diverse editing software (ProTools, Logic, Nuendo etc.)
Basic knowledge about an audio programming environment (PD, Max/MSP, Supercollider or Csound)
Language skills We expect students to have very good German language skills at the beginning of the studies. Students who are not German native speakers must present a B1 German language certificate according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) at the beginning of the studies.
Entrance exam The entrance exam consists of several parts.
Procedure Practical exam 1 (arrange a given assignment) On the day before the entrance exam, the candidates receive an assignment by mail which they complete at their studio/ at work and return the results after four hours (e.g. by Google drive, Dropbox, one drive, etc.). Practical exam 2 The next day: Live meeting on-site with the candidate and the jury. In addition, the candidates prepare a presentation of approx. ten minutes of a finalized project.
Dates The entrance exam by mail and on-site will take place at the end of April. The exact dates may be seen here.
Registration You may apply between 15th December and 15th February. Along with the registration, it is mandatory to submit the following documents:
A curriculum vitae, a motivational letter, the school leaving qualification, the Bachelor Diploma.
In case that the applicant already holds a Master Diploma, we also need a copy of that. Please add a description to the registration about two projects which you want to acquire during the study course.
Record a video of a prepared piece and upload it onto Youtube and add the link to your motivational letter/personal statement.
Please upload the video onto YouTube and add the link in the registration tool.
Announcement of the results The results will be communicated by mail in May.
At Hochschule für Musik Basel, students have the opportunity to participate in various project and ensemble programmes. To the overview of the recurring offers.
