Mediapolis Campus in Tampere (picture taken from mediapolis.fi)

Time is running more than fast and today is your very last chance to apply for the Music Production, Fine Art and Interactive Media study paths in TAMK!

Re-Check from this list if you prepared everything:

  • Pre-Task
  • Photocopy of the original secondary school certificate
  • Photocopy of official English, Finnish or Swedish translation of the certificate, if the original certificate is not written in one of these languages. The translation must be done by authorised translator and it must have authorised translator's signature and stamp
  • Proof of English language skills
More information and details on how to get the appropriate certificates and language skill proofs can be found here.
Find the Pre-Tasks from here:

Interactive Media
Music Production 
Fine Arts

Apply through www.studyinfo.fi 7.1.-27.1.2015!
You are still not sure if you should apply???? Tuomo Joronen and Antti Haapio - both teachers at the TAMK Mediapolis campus - tell you who they are and WHY you should apply to TAMK! TUOMO JORONEN
Amazing self-portrait by Tuomo
Who are you and what do you teach in TAMK?
Tuomo: I am the lecturer mostly concerned with Motion Graphics, Animation and Visual Design, I have a visiting card to proof that I am Senior Lecturer of Animation.

What background do you have?
Tuomo:
 I graduated as Master of Arts year 2000 (after the long waited millennium-end-of-world did not occur). Already during my studies I worked as a freelancer, doing illustrations and animation. From 2001 to 2005 I worked as an art director in a new media company. Since 2005 my employee has been TAMK.

How did you start to work as a teacher in TAMK?
Tuomo:
 Fresh and eagerly.

What are you teaching the students?
Tuomo: 
I will take this down to two things: "It is all about the content", "The most important thing is the feeling", And even if those two things occasionally contradict one another I stand my ground.

How do you like TAMK / Mediapolis
Tuomo: TAMK is a good organisation and to some extend Mediapolis is still a "work in progress".

What differs TAMK from other similar universities?
Tuomo:
 Tamk has the best students!

What advice would you give for students applying to TAMK?
Tuomo:
 Just be your charming self. ANTTI HAAPIO (picture coming soon)
Who are you and what do you teach in TAMK Antti: I´m Antti Haapio, a senior lecturer of photography. Plus photography I teach professional practices and production of fine art. What background do you have? Antti: After graduating from Lahti I worked in several Finnish newspapers as a press photographer. More than 20 years I have been active in local photography association Photographic Centre Nykyaika (www.valokuvakeskusnykyaika.fi) and during that period develop strongly international Backlight Photo Festival (www.backlight.fi) How did you start to work as a teacher in TAMK? Antti: In autumn 1996 I kept my first photo course in TAMK. That was a short course for students of lightning. I was asked to continue as a teacher of photography quite soon after that and in 1999 I got on for a lecturer of photography. What are you teaching the students? Antti: The answer one or: Come as you are. Little by little - day by day - try to be better artist and human being. And in a school you can do mistakes, but not any more in a profession. So don´t be afraid to try and test different things and be open mind. How do you like TAMK / Mediapolis? Antti: Culture section is little part of huge TAMK (and society in generally). Mediapolis can be an effective "tool" for culture to do the work giving legitimacy for it´s existence. But we must first find out what we are looking for. I guess this is not yet clear. Transfer of school from centrum of the City of Tampere to Mediapolis campus was a contradictory process. Fine Art education and an education in Virrat has been in difficult situation during last few years. All these things have influence for a planning process of Mediapolis, so I didn´t wait any very much of it. I mean it was not a peaceful and creative process. But the whole work and student communities did their best and took the situation quite easy, so we did it! We are here! After all I´m surprised how well things are and what kind of developing possibilities we have. What differs TAMK from other similar universities? Antti: Tampere is a little big town in the edge of Europe. But all you need are here near you. Peoples are open mind, so it is easy to come and be here. But TAMK is top-rated university in Finland, so it is difficult to get in. These things have influence to the spirit of TAMK and students of it. And that is something special. Mediapolis is something very unique in Finland and whole Europe. It is interesting to see which direction we can develop it. What advice would you give for students applying to TAMK? Antti: Check out what is the future in the field of art, music and media. Think about it. Apply to the school and do your best, because a competition is hard. Remember, we are interested in, how you see the future.

After the pitching session of  Eurosonic Noorderslag: The European MusicPlatform, our TAMK team as planned divided up to attend different panels. Here are some accounts of our team of students and the talks they attended over the course of the conference.

Titta Nevala

Titta Nevala 
I participated in the “Collaborations in Europe” panel. The participants were Fabien Miclet from Liveurope (Brussels), Zsuzsanna Bende from Random Trip (Budapest), Tom Vangheluwe from Dibrocco (Kotrijk) and Marjan Dewulf from Tourope (Diksmuide). All the participants told in a nutshell what their organizations are doing. All of the organizations aim to create better circulation of European acts in Europe.


Liveurope is a live music platform which aims to gather concert venues and give them support, as well as opportunities for European artists. Random Trip is a weekly jam club in Hungary that gives a chance for musicians to come together and get to know each other by experimenting with music. Tourope on the other hand is concentrated in creating good co-operation between concert venues around Europe and calling the whole industry to action. Dibrocco is an online platform for live show videos. It also aims to give education for upcoming bands and eventually create a virtual music festival.


The downside to these projects was that none of them work in Finland. Only Liveurope worked in northern Europe at all. They were also the only ones who said to even be interested in co-operation with the Nordic countries when I asked about it. I guess Europe still doesn't always reach here, which is a real shame.

Mark Malyshev


Mark Malyshev

The panel that I attend was entitled “360º VIRTUAL REALITY MUSIC VIDEO/ STREAMWATCHR / KOLLEKT.FM". The panel consisted of Stephen O'Reilly (Shuffler.FM, GB), Chief marketing officer at curated internet radio service Shuffler.FM., and Ralph Simon (Mobilium, GB) CEO at Mobilium Global Limited.

This discussion was basically three presentations, which consisted of three new different products in music world. First was 360º music videos presentation about video clips that shot in new way for music industry and could be checked by Oculus Rift or *surround video* app. Next was a presentation about Streamwatchr. Streamwatchr is a service designed to monitor the world's music listening behavior. Data is based on Twitter, MusicBrainz, Youtube and Last.fm. The last presentation discussed Kollekt.fm. This service aims to help music listeners corral music from Facebook, SoundCloud, and YouTube, so they can keep it all in one tidy place.



Alvaro Moreno

 Alvaro Moreno

Ok the conference I will talk about a bit was the panel called "Global A&R - Developing Talent for the Int'l Stage". The panel had Bert Meyer (International manager at Grandmono), Kai Robøle (CEO at Waterfal music) and Sat Bisla (A&R, Mesexpo, GB). They discussed how important A&Rs are to the music world. A&R is the part of music business that has the responsibility of finding the talents. Nowadays one could find any artist in the internet but, like in the old times, nowadays the A&Rs prefer finding new talents in live events or inviting people to their premises in order to hear what they can do.
 
In the modern days is not just about finding a relevant artist for today but they need to find an artist that is worth at least 5-10 CDs in a period of time of 5 years. A&R is the purest part of the music business, is just about finding the right person at the right time and as they mentioned is 90% luck.


Kimberly Grice

Kimberly Grice

In 2009 when I first started traveling to Finland I would travel via Iceland to the mainland of Europe. Little did I know but it was the beginning of a love affair with Icelandic music.  Countless hours logged in the airport translated into countless hours of listening Icelandic music.
Needless, to say I was quite please to read the words, “Iceland Erupts at Eurosonic Noorderslag” when checking the conference schedule.  It goes without saying there were several discusses that I made note to attend!

One of which was…
Iceland Airwaves- Can a Small City Festival Transform an Entire Country?”
The panel consisted of Grímur Atlason (Iceland Airwaves, IS) Festival Manager and Booker of Iceland Airwaves/ Kevin Cole (KEXP, US) Program director-DJ at radio station KEXP in Seattle/ Dagur B. Eggertsson (Reykjavik City, IS) Mayor of Reykjavik City/ Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir (Industry and Commerce, IS) Minister of Industry and Commerce Iceland.



Now for a bit of back history and stats; Iceland Airwaves (I.A) is a music festival that takes place in November. It started in 1999 and has grown to an attendance of 60,000/ 50 venues/ 680 off-venues/ 220 artists. The festival spans five days (Wednesday – Sunday).
Given the fact that “1876 was the first time two or more people played an instrument in the same room, which amounted to a venue of sorts in Iceland and Iceland skipped the Industrial Revolution all together, the above numbers are quite impressive!

As the discussion started the question “What makes Iceland so different in the creative industry?” came up. The central focus of the discussion was Iceland’s unique approach to the creative industry; starting with these concepts.
1. Balance in all things - This concept can be seen in practices of “one must import to export Icelandic music”, the collaboration between Icelandic Airlines, the festival promotors, and government offices.
2. Festivals need a safety net - In this case this aspect is seen in the model of “the festival pays its dues via creating an economic avenue for the city, the country. In turn the government supports the festival in hard times.
3.  Be trustworthy - Make something trustworthy and people will come.
4. Just Do! - In short…”Life is a learning process. Think about what you want to say/ do…then say it, do it, be creative”.
5. Draw connections - Draw connections between emerging artists and established artists.

The last concept “draw connections” has found a strong support in the form of Kevin Cole who is the Program director-DJ at radio station KEXP in Seattle.  Kevin spotlights not only recognized Icelandic artists on KEXP Live but is also interested in championing new music!
To give you a taste of KEXP Live check out the link below.  In this particular live performance KEXP showcases the band Icelandic band Sólstafir, who also played a gig at the Vera during Eurosonic.

Last year I attended the “Music & Media Conference” in Tampere. During one of the discussions one of the director/manager of a major music label and record company announced that they would be developing a Nordic/Scandinavian stronghold of festivals in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland.  Noticing that he didn’t mention Iceland I questioned him after the discussion as to whether or not Iceland would be included in this Nordic/Scandinavian infer-structure of festivals/ artists.
His response was, “No…Iceland is too far away and not of importance!” 

Given the strong Icelandic presence in the world across different genres of music/ the overwhelming response of fans to Icelandic music, art, the very culture I can’t help but wonder if this director/manager has had a change of heart!



Recently, a group of six from TAMK consisting of Timo Kivikangas, Harri Karvinen, Alvaro Moreno, Mark Malyshev, Titta Nevala, and myself attended the Eurosonic Noorderslag: The European Music Platform Conference/Festival that took place from the 14th-17th of January in Groningen, Netherlands.

Eurosonic is Europe’s largest showcase festival, taking place over a four day period starting on Wednesday and ending on Saturday.  It is part of The European Music Conference and Showcase Festival Eurosonic Noorderslag. Panels consisting of some of the music industry’s top figures, innovators, and creative entities. Throughout the festival, over 300 bands and acts perform on 36 stages in the city center of Groningen.

Upon arriving in the Netherlands, we were greeted with bleak, rainy weather, that by the end turned into a mixture of rain and snow. After settling in, getting our bearings, we set about creating a game plan as to how to make the most of this brilliant opportunity! This consisted preparing ourselves for the next day’s pitching session, marking to schedule the discussions and performances that we wished to see together as a group or as individuals.

The first order of business on the first day of the conference comprised of the team in cooperation Dutch students pitched songs to audience. These songs were created via collaboration between the students at Leeuwarden University and TAMK. The cooperation involved one week of songwriting, every day producing a song from one genre, partnerships switched on a daily base. This resulted in 25 demo songs of good quality. Seven songs were then chosen to be produced by a team in Finland, which resulted five of the songs being produced. 

The songs received positive feedback!!

The start of the pitching session


No music, no dance, no powwow!”- Owl Dance Records

After the pitching for the songs, Titta Nevala spoke about the creation of the record company labeled, Owl Dance Records which an indie record label founded in Tampere 2014. It enables students to get a catch of the record company world hands on. Owl Dances first release, a split vinyl filled with good house music will be released this spring.

Titta Nevala

Tampere is situated north just two hours apart from the capital city, Helsinki. We have a population of 222,512 people, making us the third largest city in Finland. We are located between two lakes: Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi, and we really love our green parks and lake scenery. The whole city is divided into two parts by the Tammerkoski rapids: the eastern and western sides, making it easy to navigate in the city.


Studying in TAMK gives you the advantage of being in a big city with all the comforts of a small one. But don’t take our word for it, we asked some of the students already studying in TAMK why they feel Tampere is the best place to study in. And here are their answers!



1. Why is it so cool to study in Tampere?
2. Why did you choose Tampere?
3. Which places are the ones everyone needs to have seen in Tampere?
4. Any cool bars/clubs/pubs in Tampere you would recommend?


ANDREAS (GER, 11IMP)

1. Tampere is relatively small, therefore everything is pretty easy to be reached, and the majority of the people here speak English.
2. I chose Tampere mostly because it is easy to get to, they have good connections to other countries, and people don’t mind if I don’t know enough Finnish.
3. Pyynikintori, Megazone, Kauppahalli, Rauhaniemi Sauna(especially during winter) and The Pispala Sauna.
4. I am not a big bar goer, but I recommend the OMA tea house not far from the train station, Bar K, Haralds Restaurant, and Space Bowling & Billiards on Hämeenkatu 23.


DYLAN (WALES, 12IMP)

1. You get to meet lots of people from many different countries at an international school.  Collaborating with them gives you a new perspective on ideas and valuable experience as well as making new friends.
2. It was the nicest city I had visited so far in Finland having also seen Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Kuopio. It's pretty, easy to get around and feels like home away from home.
3. Näsinneula, Särkänniemi and Pispala.
4. Jack the Rooster, Aussie bar, O'Connell's and Cafe Europa.


KIMBERLY (USA, 13IMP)

1. My core reason for applying to TAMK is because it was one of two ways that I would be able to move to Finland.  And, from there work towards making the move permanent! It was only by fate that TAMK in 2013 created a program that I was interested in..."the combination of music and media...MAINLY THE MUSIC!" So this year I love learning about music, music business, all the technical things!
2. This is an easy question! I fell in love with Finland as a country and Tampere became my first love when it came to cities. Good culture background, VERY STRONG music scene, not far from other cities (Turku, Helsinki, or Espoo), the majority of my personal friends live in or very near Tampere.
3. This question I really couldn't answer, reason being because much of what I cherish is wrapped around moments spent with my close personal friends. They are the ones that make a place memorable

4. The answer for the previous question for sure fits this question.




Any doubts on why Tampere isn’t the greatest city to study in? We didn’t think so! Apply now!
Application period: 7–27 January 2015. 



Application through www.studyinfo.fi
More information about TAMK Media and Arts study paths:
http://www.tamk.fi/web/tamk/media-and-arts
For more information on Tampere, check out Visit Tampere!

All pictures were taken by Carolin Büttner, a 2012 International Media student.

Creativity is your passion and you want to explore and experiment with visual medium? Then TAMK’s study path Fine Arts is the perfect choice for you! In the studies of Fine Art you will gain the BA-level knowledge of fine art photography, drawing and painting, moving image and applied fine art. Depending on your interest, you will create your very own study plan with your teachers.

Isaura Hedez is student of the Fine Arts study path and interested in photography and moving image. In this video she explains how she feels about studying in TAMK.


Check out Isaura’s portfolio: http://isahedez.portfoliobox.me/

APPLY NOW FOR TAMK!
Application period: 7–27 January 2015.

Application through www.studyinfo.fi
► The pre-task for Study path of Fine Arts: http://www.tamk.fi/documents/10181/21787/FineArtsPreTask2015.pdf/0a53beea-876c-4c1c-bbbf-ba0393b5f976

More information about TAMK Media and Arts study paths:
http://www.tamk.fi/web/tamk/media-and-arts


Video and music by Sami Lindfors, TAMK / Interactive Media.
Portfolio: http://www.samilindfors.com

Finding yourself wanting to learn more about graphic design, get into the field of game design and/or gain knowledge of web design? Then apply to TAMKs Degree Programme in Interactive Media!

These studies will give you the basics of design, learn to use illustrative programs, give you more experience in whichever field you choose. You will make your own study programme together with guiding teachers, depending on what you are interested in.

Chrystal Giam is a talented second year International Media student. She has worked as a graphic designer on a number of companies with great success. On this video she explains about her study path and future plans in TAMK.



Check out Chrystal’s portfolio: http://chrystalgiam.tumblr.com/


APPLY NOW FOR TAMK!
Application period: 7–27 January 2015.

Application through www.studyinfo.fi
► The pre-task for Study path of Interactive Media: http://www.tamk.fi/documents/10181/21787/MediaPreTask2015.pdf/6ba72f33-4391-4e7d-bfd3-ca2d57382468

More information about TAMK Media and Arts study paths:
http://www.tamk.fi/web/tamk/media-and-arts

Video and music by Sami Lindfors, TAMK / Interactive Media.
Portfolio: http://www.samilindfors.com