Lyon National Conservatoire of Music and Dance (CNSMD Lyon)

Overview

The Lyon Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse is a state institution which comes under the responsibility of the minister in charge of culture.

The Lyon Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse educates the artists of tomorrow: it is a specialised school with the highest standards of excellence and innovation and a special reputation for its awareness of the needs of student musicians and dancers as they advance towards their artistic careers on stage.

The CNSMD is a state institution which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. The decree in current application is the decree n°2009-201 of 18th February 2009. The conservatory is managed by an administrative board whose chairman is appointed by the minister in charge.

It has the vocation as an institution of higher education to encourage ensemble activities and the cross-fertilisation of experience. Ever since it was established, the CNSMD has always been admired for its teaching methods, the new subject areas it embraces, as well as for its approach to graduate employment. Creativity and research are of paramount importance in both fields of music and dance.

Studies at the conservatory are organized in accordance with the recommendations of the Bologna Process of the European Higher Education Area. This facilitates links with other higher education institutions and universities. Many partnerships are currently being developed to further strengthen research; the CNSMD is in the process of joining the consortium of institutions usually known in English as the University of Lyon and in French as the Pôle de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur (PRES) (Higher Education Teaching and Research Cluster).

Graduate employment is a major concern and the conservatory ensures that students gain experience in professional situations (study projects, training courses, etc.) thanks to partnerships with recognized cultural establishments in the area. A regular monitoring process of recent graduates indicates the reality of their professional situations and the results of their search for employment

The conservatory also has an extremely active policy of international exchanges and partnerships. Both students and teachers are regularly able to benefit from different teaching approaches and learn about specific cultures. This is made possible by the sixty-strong network of European Erasmus exchange partner institutions and the conservatory’s membership of several other international networks.

In order to bring students into contact with the professional network, the conservatory organises an annual season of public events numbering over 450 which allow the students to perform in different configurations. In addition, there is a dynamic policy of partnerships with various public and private artistic organisations where our students can and do perform regularly throughout the year.

Please read before applying

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION ON PEDAGOGICAL OFFER FOR INCOMING STUDENTS

The Lyon CNSMD does not accept applications if the attached study plan does not include at least 4 disciplines.

The policy of our institution, concerning incoming mobilities, is to open most of the provided complementary discipline courses to all incoming students no matter their cycle of study or their curricula, even though they are here taught only in the frame of one specific cycle or specific curricula - as far as the home institution agrees to acknowledge the chosen course.

The number of ECTS corresponding to each complementary disciplines should be considered as an average. After acceptance, the number of ECTS will be adapted, according to the requested curriculum and the applied cycle in the learning agreement.

EXCEPTION : additional piano course is not open to incoming students - exception can be considered if the sending Erasmus+ coordinator informs the IRC office of the Lyon CNSMDL that this course is compulsory for the applicant.

Expenses

No fees required from incoming mobility students.

Housing

CNSMD residence: 224 € (per person / double room)
University residence: from €270 to €370
Private rented housing: between €350 and €500

CNSMD Restaurant (only week lunches)

meals cost €3.35

Public transport

monthly ‘TCL CAMPUS’  student bus/metro pass: €32
’Vélo’v’ bike hire card: annual subscription €16,50 (with 30 minutes of free use each time) if aged 14-25, otherwise €31 (with 30 minutes of free use each time)

Accommodation

CNSMDL dormitory : 4 beds a year are pre-booked for incoming students in mobility in our own dormitory (on the spot / double room). Criteria : age (youngest first and anyway under 28), finances (priority given to students facing big financial difficulties), gender (according to the fact that rooms have to be shared by 2 students).

Other public dormitories with which the CNSMDL has signed some agreements (individual rooms)

Incoming students should apply for it : international@cnsmd-lyon.fr.

Private offers

The international office can provide some private contacts who are regularly hosting some Erasmus+ students. Please contact international@cnsmd-lyon.fr.

For all matters concerning student life at the Lyon CNSMDL, a guide has been edited by the IRO staff. Guide online