We invite (BA and MA) students with a dedication to the study of popular music (incl. jazz, EDM,…) at a university, university college or hogeschool in the Netherlands, Flanders or Luxemburg to apply for our one-year board membership program.
As a student board member, you will act as a representative for the popular music student population in the Benelux region. You will be able to fully participate in all board discussions (ca. monthly digital meetings) and have full voting rights on all board decisions. As such, you will gain an intimate understanding of the organizational and structural workings of IASPM, particularly the Benelux branch, and will be able to benefit from the global network of our organization. There may be a possibility of internship credits depending on your institution’s regulations.
Your tasks will include, among others, assisting with the organization of our annual student conference and other (digital or live) events such as our Pop Talks series. Also, you will support the board with external communication, both on social media and through e-mail, with our branch members and international colleagues.
To apply for this position, you need to submit a small dossier comprising a brief CV listing elements relevant to the position and a separate document with your response (ca. 100 words per question) to the following three questions:
What is your connection to IASPM and/or, more specifically, the Benelux branch?
In what way do you envision this board membership to help with your future endeavours as a popular music scholar?
What type of initiatives would you undertake in this role as a student board member, considering that you will represent the popular music student population in the Benelux region?
Please submit your dossier (CV + document with answers to questions) to our branch secretary, Joanna Zienkiewicz (j.z.zienkiewicz@rug.nl) before 31 December 2025. The board will decide on the awarding of this position in January 2026, with the newly-elected student board member starting at their earliest convenience.
Would you like to know more about the position? Read the account from our departing student board member, Fae Janssen, below!
Hi! I'm Fae and I was the student board member of IASPM Benelux for 2025. I learned a lot during my board year. Initially, I found the position daunting to take on. But once I took my first steps, it was extremely gratifying and stimulating to be in charge of something important. The ability to support popular music research and my fellow pop music scholars was an incredible motivator. Additionally, the board gave me excellent guidance and encouraged me to be creative; to come up with my own initiatives. Organising the student conference was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces coming together, like the budget, email correspondences with vendors/speakers and leading the student conference team.
I highly recommend applying for this position, especially if you plan to continue academia or are looking for a stepping stone to a future job. Good luck and I'm always here to lend you a hand!