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An eye for art and a creative streak - the best prerequisites for a successful stint at an art or music college
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Paint a Picture or sing a Song
For those who dream of becoming an artist or musician in Germany, a degree from one of the 56 state-recognized art and music colleges is a must. These prestigious schools focus on preparing the young Beuys and Beethovens of the future and are only open to those talented few students who pass the difficult entrance exams.
Students interested in studying at an art college will need to submit a portfolio with their art work. Selected applicants will then be invited for an aptitude test, during which they will be asked to complete a series of practical, artistic and compositional tasks intended to show their overall ability. Sometimes it’s possible to gain entrance to one of the art colleges without having the German “Abitur” or the equivalent high school diploma. To find out more about the prerequisites as well as the type of portfolio required, contact the individual art college.
The art colleges focus primarily on courses of study in painting, graphic design, sculpture, and art education. Additional courses in architecture, stage design, ceramics, glass painting, restoration work, and art media round out the program offerings and differ from school to school. A few of the art colleges specialize on specific art topics. The College for Design and Book Art in Leipzig, for instance, was the first institution of higher education to offer a degree in photography (1983), and today the school represents an important stepping-stone to the Leipzig publishing industry. At Burg Giebichenstein, the College for Art and Design in Halle, the emphasis is placed on industrial design, interior design and environmental design.
Students studying applied arts receive a diploma or certificate at the end of their course of studies; those who study the ‘free’ arts often leave school without a formal degree or title.
The course of study at a music college includes a wide range of subjects: composition, directing, training on an instrument, voice, and at some schools even church music, jazz, music theater, stage dance, and music education. Before starting a course of study, applicants must pass a rigorous aptitude test, during which they will be asked to demonstrate their ability in pitch recognition and harmony by playing an instrument or singing. Those interested in studying music education must submit proof of the German “Abitur” or an equivalent high school diploma. For all other courses of study, entrance is based on talent and the aptitude test.
The denominational Colleges for Church Music (five Protestant and one Catholic) also require an aptitude test for all applicants. Sometimes these schools offer pre-study courses prior to the entrance exam. The Colleges for Church Music provide an all-round education for future church music directors. The studies include courses in musical interpretation of religious services, directing of church choirs, the organization of church concerts (organ and choir), the care and restoration of the church organ, and the training of youth.
A few Music Colleges, such as the Colleges for Music and Theater in Hamburg, Leipzig, Rostock and Saarbrücken, also offer courses in the performing arts.
Students interested in studying in the media fields will also find plenty of opportunities in Germany. The College for Television and Film in Munich and the Academy for Film and Television “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam-Babelsberg are two such schools offering courses for future directors and producers, as well as for lighting, sound and camera technicians. The Academy of Media Arts in Cologne is the only art college in Germany completely dedicated to audio-visual media forms. Since its establishment 10 years ago, the Cologne school has made an international name for itself in the fields of multimedia.
Because the media schools are so popular and the number of positions available is significantly lower than the number of applicants, interested students interested will be required to pass practical and oral entrance exams before entering the school.
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