Master of Arts Music and Scene in Transformation

The Music and Scene in Transformation (MuST) major enables you to forge a unique profile as a musician and creative performer. You will expand and deepen your existing knowledge and skills in relation to stage performance practices and the creation and realization of artistic projects for the stage. You will gain a greater understanding of performative discourse and aesthetics, and familiarize yourself with areas of expertise that are central to your artistic practice (directing, dramaturgy, set design, stagecraft and artistic self-curatorship/management). You will acquire experience of interdisciplinary work, network with partner institutions, and try out a variety of roles within different creative work processes (e.g. leading artistic projects and collective forms of work). Your choice of specialization – Historical Perspectives, Contemporary Approaches, Freestyle – will further develop and hone your expert knowledge and skills both in depth and width.

The MA in Music and Scene in Transformation (MuST) is an interinstitutional program (Institutes Klassik, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and Jazz) and is aimed at gifted musicians (instrumental/vocal) and composers working in any genre who, based on their musical expertise, wish to enlarge their performance, stage and conceptual skills. It is therefore ideally suited to creative musicians and composers with an interest in interdisciplinary work and a desire to make a career that centers chiefly on the realization of their own music/stage projects. MA MuST students are expected to show a high degree of independence and reflection.

Graduates of the MA MuST have the necessary knowledge and skills in musical and performative creation, as well as practical experience of fulfilling a wide range of artistic roles (member of an artistic collective, artistic director, performer in contexts with divided responsibilities). MuST graduates are highly flexible and can be employed in a variety of positions within their chosen area of expertise. Potential employment opportunities include theaters, opera houses, concert halls, orchestras, festivals, theater companies, ensembles and the independent arts scene.

The MuST curriculum focuses on the students' individual and practical development: In addition to the study mentor (main mentor), who accompanies the students for the entire duration of their studies, they receive specific content-related input from project mentors who change every semester. The 4-6 projects taking place in semesters II and III are carried out by choreographers, directors, theater companies and performers with a wide variety of artistic styles and thus give the students an insight into different aesthetic practices. In addition, projects conceived by students on their own initiative are supported. Together with a diverse range of courses in the areas of performance/movement, sound and stage/technology as well as discursive and reflective courses, this results in a curriculum that offers comprehensive preparation and support for students' own musical and scenic creations.

MA MuST
Core Curriculum A

Major module (64 CP):
Studien- und Projektmentorat
MuST Forum (Kolloquium)
Openlab
Projektarbeit (Solo-/Ensemble-Performances)
MA-Abschlussprojekt + Paper/Präsentation

Core Curriculum B

Module Körper, Sound und Szene (26 CP):
Körper- und Präsenztraining I-II
Workshops Körper- und Darstellungstechniken
Sound in Performance
Individuelle Erweiterungen

Module Bühne und Technik (4 CP):
Workshops Ausstattung
Szene/Raum/Licht

Core Curriculum C

Module Diskurse und Konzepte (26 CP):
Projektentwicklung
Artistic self-curatorship and Management
Kontext Performance: Entwicklungen und Diskurse
Individuelle Erweiterungen

Structure Specialisation Contemporary Approaches
Modulplan Specialisation Freestyle
Modulplan Specialisation Historical Perspectives

Admission criteria
The Master's program Music and Scene in Transformation (MuST) is open to students who have completed a Bachelor's degree (instrumental, vocal or composition) or equivalent, have passed the entrance exam and were offered a place at the Academy (limited places). Admission “sur dossier” is possible.
Applicants who have submitted all the necessary registration documents on time and have passed the first round of the entrance exam will be invited for a live audition/performance/workshop. For further admission criteria, see the Studienreglement Master of Arts FHNW in Musik und Szene in Transformation.

Required skills

• Excellence in the original artistic discipline
• Strong interest in and, depending on the profile, already clearly developed competencies in interdisciplinary, musical-scenic and/or physical-performative work

Language Skills
Applicants must have a good level of proficiency in English. A sound knowledge of German is recommended but not compulsory.

Entrance exam
The entrance exams are split into the first round, which is held “by video”, and a second round, in the form of a live audition/performance/workshop.

Procedure of the entrance exam
First round: Video recordings
Applicants must submit a performance-video when registering.
Video requirements
The length of the videos should be in total minimum 20 minutes to maximum 30 minutes. They should contain a representative selection of musical-scenic/music-theatrical performances (solo and/or ensemble) that demonstrate their current performative skills. When submitting a video file containing multiple performances, please insert split markers between each clip to facilitate the work of the admissions panel.
Microphone: We recommend using a suitable stereo microphone and place it conveniently. If necessary, you may also use the microphone of a camera, computer or mobile phone. Please upload the video onto Youtube and add the link to the registration tool.

Second round: Live audition/performance incl. interview and workshop
After reviewing the applications, the admissions panel will invite the selected applicants to attend the second round of the admissions process:

• audition (vocal/instrumental)/performance or presentation of artistic work (approx. 15 min. Please prepare a total of 30 minutes of which there is a direct connection to the desired specialization).
• meeting (approx. 20 min.)
• group workshop

Please reserve the whole day for the second round.

Dates
The entrance exam in Basel will take place in the middle 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 video about your motivation (1–3 min.)
• performance-video (20-30 min.)
• The draft of a project (length max. 20-25 minutes) which the candidates would like to realize during the MA MuST program. The description should elaborate the artistical goals, the execution, and the necessary resources (performers, acoustics, visuals, etc.) of the project
• portfolio about the individual, artistical level of the applicant´s skills: concerts, performances, improvisations (audio/video), scores, scoring, installations, documentations of past projects, etc.
• curriculum vitae
• diplomas (school leaving diploma, Bachelor, Master, etc.)

Upload your videos onto YouTube and add the link in the registration tool.

Mentors
You may state your desired mentor

Specialisation
You may chose between

• Historical Perspectives
• Contemporary Approaches
• Freestyle

Announcement of the results
The results of the first round will be announced by email at the middle of March.
The results of the second round will be announced by email 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.

The following information can be found on the Valuable information about your studies page:

• Study Regulations
• Scholarships and Living Costs
• Studying in Switzerland
• Tuition fees
• Study guide
• Semester dates