• Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Timon Vandroux and I’m from eastern France, more specifically from the town of Lyon. After a few years of music school (classical violin) and at Conservatoire de Chambéry (guitar), in 2019 I started a bachelor’s in musicology at Université Lumière Lyon 2. For my third year I decided to join the world exchange program, which allowed me to do the end of my degree in the Faculty of Music at Université de Montréal.

• Why did you choose to do your exchange at the Faculty of Music?

For me, the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music was an obvious choice. With the programs in musicology there being among the best in the French-speaking world, I was eager to discover for myself the quality of the teaching as well as the research structures (EPMM and OICRM, for example). Moreover, I saw that this trans-Atlantic exchange would be the opportunity to discover Québec culture.

• What gives the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music its special “color,” in your view?

The special feature of the UdeM Faculty of Music is really the involvement of the teaching staff in the success of their students. The teachers will listen to any and all questions, and they care very much about providing personalized, advanced and complete learning for every student. They also involve their students in their research processes, and more than that, even help them develop projects of their own.

• In what way is your time at the Faculty of Music influencing your life?

The visit made possible through the exchange program has opened my eyes to other disciplines in musicology that I was unfamiliar with to that point. In addition, I could go further in the harmony courses thanks to the teaching of Matthew Lane. So I made the decision, after that exchange year, to stay at the Faculty of Music and do another year more focused on music writing, since I’ve done the minor in music writing offered by the faculty.

Fall 2022