Music lessons in The Hague

Home to the Royal Conservatoire, there is no lack of qualified music teachers in The Hague although you do have to know where to look.

Notice boards

A good place to start would be the Royal Conservatoire itself. On any given day, there can be a least a dozen teaching offers hanging on the notice boards. These are usually well priced and a source of excellent and enthusiastic instruction, especially if the person offering them is studying to be a teacher. You can also put up your own ad if you’re looking for lessons for a more unusual instrument, say the marimba or djembe.

It's also an idea to check out the notice boards at violin makers like Willem Bouwman & Zoon, the sheet music shop Albersen Muziekhandel (look on the website under 'Vraag en Aanbod') and some of the expat shops and neighbourhood supermarkets.

Private teachers

The internet also yields a good selection of qualified private teachers. The website Kies Je Instrument is one of the more reliable places to look. Typing in your postcode at the bottom right-hand corner of the opening page and selecting an instrument will yield a list of teachers, starting with the one closest to where you live.

Some international schools offer students private music lessons. For example, you can find a list of private music teachers on the website of the American School of The Hague. There is also a list of English-speaking teachers on the website Music Teachers.

Music schools

Among music schools, the Koorenhuis is the best-known. While its website is in Dutch, music lessons in English are easily arranged. The Koorenhuis has an Open Day each year when children can try out a variety of instruments before deciding whether/which one to sign up for. The more recently set up Virtuosi School of Music offers lessons by a group of almost graduates/graduates from the conservatory and has a good reputation.

The Centre For Young Musicians at the BSN offers private lessons and a wide range of other musical opportunities by highly qualified and experienced teachers for students aged 6-18 with a special interest in music.

There are also a growing number of private music studios like Grace Music, which offers clarinet lessons, and Issima Piano Salon.

Music workshops

Besides individual lessons, there are also music workshops and courses on offer. The Kamermuziek Atelier in nearby Delft offers a five-day summer course in chamber music. For young children studying the violin, there is the Gypsy Academie, which offers short courses and performance opportunities at various times of the year. More serious students should take a look at the 11-day international Peter de Grote Festival held each summer at Groningen’s Prins Claus Conservatorium. 

Youth orchestras

Once you’ve secured a teacher and started lessons, it might also be interesting to check out the amateur orchestras based in the city. Viotta and The Hague Symphonic Youth Orchestra (Vereniging Hofstads Jeugdorkest) are two of the more popular ones, taking in children from about 8 years of age. They each have several orchestras, separated along age/ability lines, and the children perform several times a year at various venues, ending the season with a concert in a professional concert hall.

Music competitions

Amateur competitions and festivals offer further performance opportunities. Some of the more popular ones include:

• Maassluise Muziekweek
  
• Florence Concours
  
• Selecties Nationaal Concours
  
• Prinses Christina Concours (for the serious musician)