Professional integration and opportunities
Musicians have to deal with big changes in the professional practice. New art forms, new audiences, technological developments and developments in society require flexibility from musicians. This offers opportunities in the rapidly changing cultural arena.

Setting up a project
At the Prince Claus Conservatoire a group of jazz students participated in a successful professional integration project, initiated by the research group Lifelong Learning in Music & the Arts: The Artistry of Dick Oatts and Young Groningen Musicians.
The students went through a selection procedure in which they presented their project proposal. A group of five jazz students was selected and given the opportunity to work with a well-known American jazz musician, saxophonist and composer Dick Oatts.

Integrated learning
The students composed new music, worked on it, gave concerts and made a CD together with Dick Oatts. They were engaged in the organisation and marketing of the project, coached by professionals throughout the whole project. This approach of integrated learning mirrors an artistic laboratory. Students flourish in this type of rich learning environments, where they work collaboratively and where their talents and capacities in diverse areas are addressed at the same time.