Become an AEC member
Association Européene des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhockschulen is a membership association of Higher Music Education institutions all across Europe and beyond.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a member institution of AEC. One of the great strengths of AEC is the active engagement and support of its member institutions (almost 300) to the association.
Become a member institution!
Fill in this form to apply for AEC membership on behalf of your institution.
This form is for INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP REQUESTS ONLY, not for individual enquiries. If you have individual enquiries, please do not use this form, but contact us instead!
Membership information
AEC distinguishes two types of membership categories: Active Membership and Associate Membership. Active and Associate members are defined by criteria listed below. There is no difference in the status of the two types of AEC members, except for the right to vote during the AEC Annual General Assembly. The AEC Statutes state that these voting rights are confined to Active Members, although Associate Members are welcome to attend, and participate in, the discussions of the Assembly. Associate Members pay the lowest level of annual membership fee and have all other rights and privileges of membership in common with Active Members.
Active membership
Any conservatoire, academy or university of music, Musikhochschule or other equivalent institution in Europe aiming at educating students for the music profession, are designed, administered and delivered.
- The institutions included are the ones that are engaged in the delivery of programmes, some of which are above Level 4 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) or its equivalent, and meet the broad description of such programmes contained in the AEC/Tuning Handbook: ‘Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Music’
- Europe refers to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) plus those countries identified for increased cooperation under the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Associate membership*
This membership is described in the AEC Statutes as:
- Institutions outside Europe that provide the same level of education as indicated in article 4.2 above.
- Organisations both within and outside of Europe, other than the ones indicated in article 4.2, which are active in, or have a connection to, wider aspects of training for the music profession. These associate members are perceived as critical friends, whom we want to engage in the debate about how to further develop the higher music education landscape.
Examples of associate members:
- Higher education institutions in which music is taught, but not with the particular professional emphasis found in conservatoires and their equivalents;
- Institutions active in the training for the music profession, but only at the levels below higher education;
- Institutions and organisations dealing with the music profession in any or all of its facets, part of whose work has clear connections with higher music education and its institutions.
(*) Please note that the AEC Council, our governing body, ultimately decides on membership applications. Applicants that are eligible to become Active members are required to apply to do so .
