Thanks to its manageable size, Würzburg is characterised by a close-knit community spirit based on mutual respect. This, in particular, allows lecturers to devote more attention to their students, whilst the ample provision of study spaces also facilitates focused study. Furthermore, the relaxed atmosphere of the historic university city of Würzburg guarantees a high yet affordable standard of living, as well as a vibrant social life featuring clubs, theatres, pubs, jam sessions and parties.

The Würzburg campus thus offers jazz students the ideal conditions for personal development with maximum efficiency.

The jazz degree programmes at the HfM Würzburg, with their Bachelor’s, Master’s and masterclass qualifications, as well as the first state examination, guarantee a modern curriculum tailored to the professional field of jazz. The following degree programmes with jazz-specific content are available:

• Bachelor of Music in Jazz/Artistic
• Bachelor of Music in Jazz/Artistic and Pedagogical
• Bachelor of Music in EMP, Jazz specialisation
• Master of Music in Performance
• Masterclass
• Teacher Training for Secondary Schools
• Pre-College
• as well as the Certificate Programme in Jazz, which can be taken as a supplement to another degree programme.

The Bachelor’s programme centres on instrumental and vocal tuition provided by highly qualified principal subject lecturers. The focus is on the students’ individual musical and technical needs and their artistic development.

Closely linked to this are the combo, band and ensemble classes, which take into account the diversity and nuances of the most important jazz styles. In addition to big bands and jazz choirs, students benefit from a wide range of combo options covering a broad spectrum of styles, including straight-ahead, modern, contemporary, free, odd metre, Latin, fusion, vocal, pop and electronics.

In addition to developing their own improvisation and interpretation skills, the programme also focuses on arrangement and composition techniques, as well as songwriting.

As part of the so-called Professionalisation Module (PRF) of the Bachelor’s degree programme in the arts, students are taught how to work with digital media and music production. The aim is to encourage the use of modern, digital production processes and to integrate them into students’ own artistic practice. A comprehensive equipment hire scheme enables students to work independently with state-of-the-art equipment. Aspects of marketing, self-management and musicians’ health are also covered within this subject area. The PRF module responds dynamically to the ever-changing demands of the professional field.

The Bachelor’s degree programme in Art and Education also provides targeted preparation for all the requirements of a teaching career. The carefully tailored suite of educational modules includes, amongst other things, the jazz-specific course ‘Improvisation Pedagogy’.

Upon successful completion of the Bachelor’s degree, students may apply for the Master of Music in Performance. The programme’s core focus, known as the ‘Major’, centres on instrumental, vocal or composition/arrangement tuition. In addition to deepening and refining technical skills and musical expression, particular emphasis is placed on the further development of students’ individual artistic identities. This creative self-expression takes concrete form in the Master’s project. The specialisation defined in the major is complemented by additional modules (minor). By choosing from a range of minor options (e.g. Solo Minor, Ensemble Minor, Music Research Minor), the Master’s programme allows scope for students to develop diverse academic profiles.

After completing a Master’s degree, students have the opportunity to apply for a masterclass programme as a tertiary programme of excellence.

In a teacher training programme with a specialisation module in jazz, students not only receive instrumental and vocal tuition from the teaching staff of the Jazz Department, but also take part in numerous jazz-specific courses. This also applies to the Bachelor of Music EMP – Jazz Profile and the certificate programme.

Much of the course content is reinforced and supplemented by regular workshops with internationally renowned artists and guest lecturers.

Students can tailor their studies to their individual interests through the elective modules. The opportunity to take courses from all other departments of the HfM, in addition to the jazz-specific subjects, strengthens cross-genre connections within the university.

The in-house recording studio enables students to broaden their professional experience by recording their own projects.