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Bachelor of Music – Wind Band Conducting

University of the Arts The Hague (Royal Conservatoire) · The Hague, Netherlands

100% taught in EnglishNo CAO points neededSelectiveArts academyAuditionPre-selection video
Duration4 years
StartsSept 2027
EntrySelective
Deadline (EU)25 Feb 2027 (TBC)
EU fee 2026/27€2,694 / yr

About the course

A professional Bachelor of Music, taught in English, focused on conducting wind bands and wind orchestras, covering conducting technique, your main instrument, musicianship and repertoire. It is a practical, career-focused degree at an arts academy (conservatoire).

Entry requirements for Irish students

  • The institution assesses the Irish Leaving Certificate individually and does not publish a fixed Irish requirement. Contact admissions to confirm. In general, the conservatoire requires a secondary school qualification equivalent to Dutch HAVO (senior general secondary education) and a passed entrance exam.
  • Entrance exam: video pre-selection (conducting two contrasting pieces, 10-20 minutes in total, plus 3-10 minutes on your instrument), an online music theory test, then an audition conducting a wind orchestra (in 2026: 21 April, with the KLM Orchestra in Badhoevedorp).
  • No specific maths or science subjects are listed; entry is decided by the entrance exam.

How to apply

  1. Register on StudielinkFrom 1 October 2026, apply for the Bachelor Wind Band Conducting on Studielink (deadline 25 February in the current cycle) and complete the conservatoire’s online application.
  2. Upload videos and take theory testSubmit the conducting and instrument videos, motivation form and CV, and complete the online theory test by 26 February (23:59 CET). You hear by 1 April whether you are invited to the next round.
  3. AuditionIf you pass pre-selection, conduct a wind orchestra at the audition in April (21 April in 2026); repertoire is announced in advance.
  4. Result and enrolmentYou are told if you are accepted, eligible (good enough but no guaranteed place) or rejected; accepted students finish enrolment by 1 September.
Deadline for Irish/EU applicants: Applications open 1 October 2026 via Studielink. The programme’s application page gives a Studielink deadline of 25 February and a deadline of 26 February (23:59 CET) for the online music theory test; confirm the 2027 dates on the programme page..

Costs

  • Standard Dutch EU fee: €2,694 (2026/27). The 2027/28 fee is set by the Dutch government each year (expected to be close to €2,800).
  • EU students may be eligible for a Dutch tuition-fee loan (DUO).
Selective entry by audition: places depend on the result of your entrance exam.

At a glance

CountryNetherlands
CityThe Hague
LanguageEnglish
Apply viaStudielink
PlacesNot published (audition-based)
EntrySelective
Programme page ↗Entry requirements ↗How to apply ↗← Back to all European courses

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Checked against the official Royal Conservatoire The Hague website: September 2026 (2027 entry). The audition date and location are from the 2026 entry cycle and the conservatoire’s 2026-27 entrance exam information is still to be published; confirm the 2027 dates on the programme page. Always confirm details with the university before applying.