Music Education – Jazz (B.A.)
Bachelor of Arts
Shaping the jazz of tomorrow
The jazz program offers first-class training with internationally active jazz musicians from all over Germany as top-tier teachers. At its heart is a thorough training that builds on the rich tradition of jazz while also opening up to modern, cross-genre ways of playing. Improvisation is taught as a central, style-open musical practice to prepare students for creative and spontaneous interaction in a wide range of musical contexts.
The training is highly practice-oriented, with a particular focus on playing together and putting what has been learned directly into practice. In addition to mastering their instrument, students learn to express themselves freely and expressively in a wide variety of situations. We are convinced that only good musicians can also be excellent teachers. That is why we place particular emphasis on playing live, composing and recording, which together with teaching form a vibrant way of passing on music. Our goal is to train versatile artists who are convincing both musically and didactically and who can establish themselves in a wide range of professional fields.
The program at a glance
- Degree
Bachelor of Arts
- Type of program
Undergraduate full-time program
- Start of studies
Winter semester
- Requirement
Passed entrance examination (see Entrance examination/application)
- Standard period of study
8 semesters
- Language
German
- Numerus clausus
No
- Location
Osnabrück – Caprivi Campus
- Admission restriction
Yes
Career prospects
Graduates of the jazz profile work in a varied professional field that ranges from an active life as a musician to teaching at institutions and privately.
Thanks to their stylistic and instrumental versatility, they find their place in their own bands and ensembles, as sought-after fellow musicians, in project-based work for radio and television, as well as in theater and musical productions, big bands and many other formats.
As teachers, many paths are open to them: they can teach at music schools or universities, give workshops, lead instrumental or vocal groups at schools or build up a private student base. In recent years, music education has increasingly integrated pop, rock and jazz alongside classical training.
The focus is on improvisation in all its facets. Dealing freely with musical material, breaking away from fixed notation, learning music by ear and a physical sense of rhythm and groove are essential characteristics of jazz. They promote a contemporary, cross-genre approach in both musical practice and teaching.
What our former students say
Elsa Johanna Mohr
Music Education – Jazz (B.A.)
Studying jazz voice at the IfM in Osnabrück gave me a great deal of joy for four years. I was able to learn from truly great and renowned teachers and was strongly supported musically in my individuality and creativity. At the IfM I founded my band LUAH, which won the Deutscher Jazzpreis last year and will release its third album next year. The band essentially got its start in Efrat Alony's band coaching at the IfM.
Besides the artistic part, I also found the educational part very important, as it prepares you very well for real professional life as a musician. I learned a lot with regard to my pedagogical and subject-didactic work as a voice teacher and choir director. All in all, I always found the atmosphere on the IfM campus very warm and like a family.
Matthias Schwengler
Music Education – Jazz (B.A.)
Being accepted at the IfM Osnabrück was a formative experience in my musical career. Lessons with Frederik Köster were both inspiring and challenging — his artistic excellence and his ability to foster individual strengths had a decisive influence on my development as a jazz trumpeter.
I was particularly impressed by the openness and support at the university. Early on, I was encouraged to realize my own projects, supported by practical content such as band coaching, tour organization and the music business. The many workshops with renowned jazz greats and exciting topics broadened my artistic vision and shaped me lastingly.
The atmosphere among the students was always collegial and inspiring, both within the jazz department and in exchange with other departments.
Looking back, I am very grateful to the IfM Osnabrück and Frederik Köster. My time there not only gave me a deep understanding of my instrument but also decisively strengthened me on my path as a musician.
Jo Beyer
Music Education – Jazz (B.A.)
Being accepted at the IfM Osnabrück was the best thing that could have happened to me. Compared to many other music universities in Germany, there is a young, motivated team of teachers here who are still musically active themselves. As a result, in addition to instrument-specific content, you are taught completely different topics that have to do with life as a musician, such as band booking, tour organization, practice routines, marketing, etc.
I find it remarkable that you can develop your own ideas and projects very early on and that these are supported, for example, through individual band coaching. In general, I had the feeling that you are not pressed into a particular curriculum so much as it is about developing and working on your own strengths and visions.
The highlights for me were the incredible number of workshops and concerts through which you come into contact with absolute jazz greats, and which were always among the most inspiring experiences of my studies.