12 Best Music in Germany for 2024

The bachelor’s degree programme in Pop Music Design is focussed on creating and developing the original artistic profile of each individual participant. Talent is fostered through individual and group lessons, coaching formats and project work - through both artistic skills and business skills.

The aim of the program is to enable students to develop as independent composers. The starting point is therefore to teach them basic composition techniques and introduce them to the issues associated with composing music. Both involve not only traditional techniques and questions of musical context but are influenced to a great extent by the current situation, for example by the use of technology, such as electronics, to compose music. The program provides an overview of historical and contemporary compositional techniques and methods and delves into the aesthetic approaches associated with these. Students analyze a broad variety of works to get a feel for diverse styles and to understand stylistic criteria. This provides them with examples they can use for orientation when composing their own works. The degree program offers opportunities for the intensive practical study of instrumental, vocal, and electronic sound production. The curriculum also provides space for projects in which students learn through examples to compose for modern contexts such as radio plays, internet-based music, musical installations, and performance-oriented projects. The project part of the program also offers opportunities to work creatively with other disciplines, such as theater, film, dance, visual arts, etc. Basic experience in teaching music is also part of the program. While students acquire the basic knowledge they require to work as composers, the program also allows them the space for an individual focus, a prerequisite for developing an independent artistic personality. Composition students have access to the Studio for Electronic Music and Acoustics comprising a laboratory and several studio rooms at the Eschersheimer Landstraße and Schwedlerstraße sites where they can gain practical experience in using technical media. In addition, events featuring students' work will be regularly staged in the two concert halls of the HfMDK, at the Frankfurt LAB, and at theaters and concert halls throughout the Rhine-Main area. Cooperation will also take place with the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA), the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main and various other colleges and universities in the Rhine/Main area. In close cooperation with the Institute for Contemporary Music (IzM) concerts of contemporary music, regular excursions to other universities or contemporary music/art festivals as well as guest lectures/workshops given by external artists and composers are additional highlights of the study program.

Master of Music Church Music (Arp-Schnitger-Master for historical Church Music) Our church music programmes prepare students for the wide-ranging responsibilities of church musicians serving in both Protestant and Catholic parishes. Choral direction and organ music from the central areas of focus in these programmes. The University of the Arts has a long-standing tradition in the training of church musicians, and – with over 200 historical organs – northern Germany is home to the richest concentration of historical organs worldwide, including numerous creations from the workshop of Arp Schnittger – the Stradivarius of the organ world!

The first two semesters lay the foundation for the programme. The basics of traditional and western music are imparted in practice-oriented courses as well as in the areas of instrumental and project work (studio, ensemble, stage). Business basics are also taught.

Research, collaboration, professional development, experimentation, 1-2-1 guidance, and more. This is what our MA Popular Music Practice offers you. Over a full twelve-month period of study – or 24 months if you choose our part-time option – you’ll be pushed to expand upon everything you know, moving you away from the skills-based style of undergraduate learning and towards becoming an influential and unique voice in your industry.

The highly practical degree programme in Music Business will qualify you for the unique demands of the music industry in a digital age. The programme combines innovative approaches with foundational contents from business, economics and the social sciences as well as core competencies in music business.

The BA (Hons) Songwriting and Music Business will see you nurture your talents as a songwriter while making the most of our unparalleled music industry connections. You’ll graduate with an in-depth knowledge of your art as well as with invaluable experiences in the industry that supports it.

Nurture your creative flair and build core skills as a music business entrepreneur in this exciting and growing industry. With BA (Hons) Music Business, you’ll have opportunities to expand your knowledge of the industry across a wide range of subject areas. You will develop an understanding of a broader business context, too, focusing on planning and forecasting, financing, creativity and digital marketing.

Establish your own exciting route in the live music sector with BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance. This course is perfect if you’re a bassist, drummer, guitarist, keyboardist or vocalist looking to take your technical, performance and musicianship skills to a professional level.

Perform and compose music with our BMus Popular Music Performance and Songwriting degree. Throughout the course, you’ll learn the necessary skills to have a sustainable and successful career in the music industry of today – and tomorrow.

Explore your creativity and develop an in-depth knowledge of your art and the industry with our BMus (Hons) Songwriting course. You’ll learn all about this music industry cornerstone. You’ll focus on areas such as lyricism and aesthetics, creating music with technology, and music publishing.

Our BA (Hons) Music Production course gives you the chance to create music and sound in a variety of contexts. As well as addressing the ‘how?’ of music and sound production, the course also tackles the ‘why?’; providing students with a deeper understanding of philosophies, workflows, and future-proof technical approaches to music and sound production.