Let’s zoom in on students studying music in the conservatories. Can they continue? Is there a future in music?

Anne, a student from the Conservatory of Rotterdam, explained her worries and the opportunities she sees in the following audio interview:

As Anne explained, musicians are going through hard times. She said: “I sometimes am really worried. Musicians didn’t have income for the past six months, except for the bare minimum that the government is giving them. When you are constantly thinking whether or not you are going to get through financially in a month, does not stimulate creativity and musicality.”

Pim, teacher at the conservatories in Eindhoven, Arnhem and Zwolle is still positive: “Within the program, we of course see that the live music industry is different than before. There are no live performances at all, however all courses can continue. We understand the worries of our students but still see a lot of opportunities. For example, we focus for now on playing instruments instead of singing in a choir.”

The conservatories facilitated more locations in order to let the students physically record music and provide coaching from teachers. “We have a lot of international students who still join our programs, together they come up with many initiatives to make music. For example, they went to a elderly home and played acoustic music on the streets in the outside air. Also, we work with a technique in which our students can record and play music together but at different locations.”

Pim concludes by saying: “The new working method may sometimes feel a bit unnatural, but we have to be creative and innovative. Together with the students we will create a future perspective for their careers and seek the possibilities. In the end people will always stay connected to music anyway.”