Jazz
Welcome to the jazz department!
Founded in 1988, this department is the only school for jazz within the Federation Wallonia-Brussels which offers Bachelor (3 years) and Masters (2 year) qualifications in jazz. Over the years, the faculty has included eminent figures in the Belgian and international jazz world, such as Bruno Castellucci, Steve Houben, Paolo Radoni, Charles Loos, Guy Cabay or Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and the department continues to be proud of the remarkable personalities who make up the team.
The twenty-one teachers who work in the department are all active in different artistic projects in Belgium and abroad, where they are active as soloists as well as accompanists, arrangers, composers or producers. They are able to draw on this experience in the field in their teaching, placing the essential aspects of their experience at the heart of what they convey to their students.
What is jazz?
The term jazz incorporates a range of different types of music and practices, spread through time and different places. It begins with the styles at the start of the 20th century, and continues to evolve thanks to current developments in the scene. Along the way, jazz has absorbed influences from related music styles, which have contributed to extending its field of expression.
Still today, it is evolving in different directions, along with the musicians who continue to bring the style to life.
This is the jazz which is taught at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles.
Method
Practice, practice, practice! Above all, it is practical experience of music which will allow the student to improve. Even in so-called "theoretical" subjects, practice and application are always at the heart of the work.
All the subjects on offer are designed to help student develop tools - auditory, conceptual, technical and aesthetic - guiding them to gain skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill their potential as artists. Teachers also guide students so they cover a range of diverse repertoire and the different musical 'vocabularies' which go with these. There is a focus on swing and groove, as well as listening to each other. Students' creativity is encouraged in all situations. Musical experience is essential, and this is mostly provided through genuine performance experience, whether in student concerts, seminars, or the masterclasses organised regularly within the Conservatoire or elsewhere.
The teaching aims
- enrich and refine students' musical abilities,
- develop their ability to play individually and in groups,
- help students, advise them, and guide them to realise personal projects so that they can develop and fulfill their creative potential,
- train artists who have the skills and knowledge which allow them meet the demands of a career as an active musician, preparing students to deal with diverse professional situations ranging from improvisation, accompaniment, ensemble work, stage performance, writing, or work in the studio.