Testimonials

Moira Garee works as a Project Manager (Events) at Boiler Room

"Overall, the second semester of the programme was my favourite component. I chose to move to Berlin for my internship and to write my thesis abroad. The infrastructure for the thesis and internship component are flexible, and the teachers are open to new ideas on how each individual student best caters to molding their own education. I really enjoyed the freedom to move into a music scene that best prepared me for a career in the music industry."

"While I was still studying, I reached out to different magazines and publishing companies to work as a freelance writer. Within the writing about music course I learned the realistic expectations of the industry. I can now write about music in a professional capacity and understand the timeline and deadlines for editorial writing.

I am currently a Project Manager for Events, and Event Producer for the Boiler Room, an online music and media platform that showcases underground music culture. I travel around the world producing events and live broadcasts from Taipei to St. Petersburg, or Kampala to Miami, and many spots in-between.

I started as a studio assistant in their Berlin office to fulfill the internship component of the Applied Musicology programme. Over the internship period, this evolved into a more hands on role with transportation coordination, scheduling, and event management. The programme facilitated a purpose to sit within the organization, by supplying an internal report on my findings within the company. This helped build my understanding of the Boiler Room within the music industry."

Samuel Alencar Rodrigues did an internship at a music and video broadcast company

"The international character of the programme was also a big plus for me, as it enabled and encouraged students to step out of their comfort zone and see how their skills could be of use in various instances of the music industry. Apart from the more academically inclined courses of the programme, there was space for critical evaluations of the state of the music business and how to provide professional solutions with a business mindset."

"During the Master's programme I was able to further develop skills that I had gained during my Bachelor and apply them in real-world situations of professional value involving music. What drew me was that I had the chance to prepare for the current/future musical landscape, with the development of research and reflective skills relevant to everyday challenges.

The internship allowed me to continue my development in the digital marketing area. I followed an internship at Stingray, a music and video broadcast company on television, IPTV, Internet, mobile devices, and game consoles. I was responsible for B2B and B2C promotions on the NA, EMEA, and LATAM markets and for developing digital marketing strategies based on data analysis and critical thinking to guide research into action on promotions performed on social media.

Currently, I am looking for a new professional opportunity to enhance my digital skills further. As a musicologist, digital marketing and services was not an obvious career choice. However, the Applied Musicology Master's degree led me to fascinating encounters with professionals in the digital field of business, which eventually opened new doors to the data-centric work I do today."

Kirsten Pennings wants to work backstage in the pop music industry

"The prospect of applied courses in the Applied Musicology Master was why I chose for this programme. I did not know whether I would want to follow an entire Master on cultural journalism. So, this Master with applied courses in journalism, producing and knowledge on the Dutch and international music infrastructure was wide enough for me to discover what subjects I like and would want to make a career out of eventually."

"Some knowledge of the applied courses I can use in everyday life. I use basic knowledge on copyright, streaming services and deals with labels in interpreting news articles on acts, when I listen to music industry podcasts or when I hear music being played in a shopping mall or restaurant.

Through my production and events internship at GRAP Amsterdam, I learned how to combine gained knowledge with practical skills. In addition, I saw the pop infrastructure and network mapped out in front of me. You can learn how managers, stages, agencies, and media work together in class, but it is different if you see the faces behind each of these institutions and functions.

My internship was my first step into the Dutch pop music industry. I know I need to develop more skills and extend my network. That is why I take a gap year with a student job to pay the rent and I will volunteer at different festivals (Into the Great Wide Open) and stages. I want to work somewhere backstage in the pop music industry, but what and where I don’t know yet."

Amber Volman works as a part-time concert programmer for Luxor Live, a music venue

"After completing the bachelor Musicology at Utrecht University, I felt the desire to learn how to apply academic musicological skills in the day-to-day challenges of musical life. With the ambition to work either at a music venue, festival, record label or magazine this Master’s programme would be the ideal fit for me to get acquainted with the (Dutch) music industry and figure out the career path that would suit my interest. "

"What specifically appealed to me is how this programme focusses on developing analytic and reflexive musicological skills, as well as practical skills (e.g. writing about music, organize events, write a business plan). Moreover, the programme offers a lot of freedom to choose your own subjects of interest and explore these within the given assignments and (elective) courses. In doing so, I was able to explore and develop my specialization in the field of popular music and media.

This Master’s prepared me for a job in the music industry through hands-on practical writing assignments and (group)projects, for example creating a magazine filled with reviews, interviews, columns and other types of articles; write a business plan for a musical event and organize a musical event from scratch. Moreover, guest lectures and an online music conference gave me the opportunity to get directly in contact with people that work in the field. This made it able for me to explore different career paths and get an insight in how the music industry operates.

The internship was also a big plus for me. It allowed me to put the various skills I gained during the courses in the first semester in practice. I followed my internship at Music Meeting festival in Nijmegen, where I was mainly responsible for their online music channel Music Meeting All Ears. During this internship I got acquainted with the different roles within and challenges of a festival organization. This is when I found out that besides writing about music, the profession of a music programmer would be an interesting job. Finally, during my internship I met inspiring people that kickstarted my career.

Currently I am working as a part-time concert programmer for Luxor Live, a music venue in Arnhem. I mainly book music artists and bands for the venue, but also for other (musical) events in Arnhem such as Hoogte80 festival, Popronde, Arnhem Proeft! and more.

Moreover, I have worked as volunteer editor for 3voor12 Gelderland and currently I am still writing articles about various cultural topics for online platform IntoNijmegen. Something I am presently working on is the ambition to become a freelance editor/writer or music journalist besides my job as a concert programmer."

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