Music is a serious business
Ludgeriplatz is one of the busiest places in Münster. Some 200 metres from the main train station, hundreds of cars, pedestrians and cyclists converge here every day and try their best to avoid colliding with each other. Building number 1 on the corner of Schorlemerstrasse is just as lively in the days after Whitsun, a centre full of dynamism and sounds. It is then that almost 500 talented musicians flock to the music academy to demonstrate their artistic skills. These are special, challenging and stressful days for them – it is the time of the aptitude tests. The applicants are united in a mission – to study music at the University of Münster in the coming semester.
Until then, the applicants have to overcome several hurdles to land one of the 80 to 100 available study places. For those applying for a bachelor’s degree in classical music, the day begins in the morning in the concert hall. Around 60 people, mainly from the instrumental subjects of piano and violin, gather in the hall to take the exam in music theory. For three quarters of an hour, they transcribe and edit notes and clefs, determine and form intervals, analyse chords and keys. Everything happens on paper, not a single note is heard.
It gets livelier and noisier after a short break. The aural training test is about to begin. Tim Sandkämper guides the candidates, playing melodies and chords from a tape or grand piano. “The exam ensures that we can begin working at a high level later on,” explains the aural training and music theory lecturer. The candidates are required to write down what they have heard in musical notation on paper, complete rhythms or recognise melodies and chord types. The candidates sway, nod and conduct with their hands with each new sequence of notes, physically expressing what they hear. They jot some notes, then erase, jot again – closing in on the solution.
While the classical music candidates sit together in the concert hall, the pop department candidates enter another room one at a time. Inside await Krystoffer Dreps, lecturer in aural training and music theory, and Rob Maas, professor of keyboards and music production. Each candidate is tested in music theory and aural training in individual examinations. “We want to see that the candidates have studied the basics of music theory,” Krystoffer Dreps explains. One candidate listens to a sequence of the pop song “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the film “A Star is Born” and then has to answer questions about it. In the examination room, Krystoffer Dreps sits down at the piano, plays individual passages again, asks what chord it is, how the melody or rhythm is structured. The examinee answers confidently and ultimately shines at the end. In the “Creating” part, she accompanies Lady Gaga in harmony. Passed! The candidate is now admitted to the singing exam. She thanks them, also for the nice atmosphere. And it is truly special: the applicants and lecturers are on a first-name basis and are very relaxed, supportive and polite with each other.
Shortly before eleven o'clock, things get even livelier as the main event of the day arrives: the major subject examinations. The applicants have to demonstrate their skills on the instrument of their choice – or vocally. The candidates wander down the corridors of the University of Music, many carrying an instrument case, looking for their examination room. The faculty’s international character is suddenly on display; in addition to German, one hears Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Spanish. Many applicants have travelled far from their home countries just to take these exams.
The day is still young, the first exams have been completed. It will be a long day, especially for the examiners. Several dozen applicants want to be examined in each major subject. As friendly as the atmosphere may be, it is a stressful business. Only around one in ten of those who apply for a place are accepted. It stays busy until 10 pm when the last practical exams are heard. The next day, it’s back to business as usual.