← Back to homeMusica Mundi School
Waterloo, Belgium · est. 2018 · Private
Illustration · Waterloo
Musica Mundi School is a private boarding school for gifted young musicians in Waterloo, 20 km south of Brussels. It has operated since September 2018 in the former Fichermont Monastery, built in 1927 as a monument to peace; the building was offered to the school by the Mechelen-Brussels Archdiocese. The founders Leonid and Hagit Kerbel have run the Musica Mundi summer course and festival since 1999, and violinist Maxim Vengerov is the school's Goodwill Ambassador. The school takes children aged 10 to 18 and combines professional musical training with a full general education on Cambridge programmes: IGCSE in Years 10-11 and A Level in Years 12-13. Each week a student receives two hours of individual lessons on the main instrument and practises it at least three hours a day, alongside chamber music, choir, orchestra, conducting, theory and masterclasses. Teaching is in English; "Students whose first language is not English often become fluent in English quickly through language immersion". In the 2026-2027 academic year the school has 58 students from many countries, and eight students graduated in June 2026. Students can board or attend as day students, and may spend weekends at home.
Key facts
Programmes
Cambridge · IGCSE, A-Level
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
French, German
Registration fee
≈ $85
75 EUR
About the fees Annual fees (the page does not state the academic year): boarding with a Category A room 31000 euros, only for students without a school scholarship; boarding with a Category B room 29000 euros; day students without housing 27000 euros. Boarding fees cover all lessons, master classes and full board, day student fees cover lessons, master classes and lunch. Fees are payable at the beginning of each term or in ten monthly payments. Scholarships are available for families in need.
Admissions The school admits young musicians from all over the world on the basis of their talent and musical and human potential, irrespective of country of origin, religion and means. Admission takes two steps: an application dossier (a recommendation letter from the instrumental teacher, a motivation letter written by the applicant, a passport copy, photos, a video of two contrasting pieces recorded within six months and lasting up to 20 minutes, a signed application form and a non-refundable fee of 75 euros), then an audition with an interview of the applicant and parents in the presence of the founders. The official audition date is 15 February 2027, otherwise by appointment; applications are accepted all year in the order received. At the interview families can request a scholarship by providing income documents.
Stages and year groups The school describes itself as a primary and secondary boarding school for gifted musicians aged 10 to 18. General education follows Cambridge International programmes: IGCSE in Years 10-11 (typically seven subjects: Music, Mathematics, English as a first or second language, French or German, Science, Global Perspectives, History; optionally English Literature and a third language; most students take Music and core Maths one year early) and A Level in Years 12-13 (typically three subjects, always including Music; options include Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Psychology, History, English Literature, Global Perspectives, Thinking Skills, French and German). In the final year students also complete the school's own Musica Mundi School Diploma, with an 8-month research project and a full recital. The website does not describe how younger students below Year 10 are taught.
Address Fichermont, Waterloo
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
Cambridge · IGCSE, A-Level · authorised programmeThe Cambridge register names the school as a Cambridge centre. It is a music boarding school for ages 10 to 18: general education on the Cambridge curriculum alongside a professional music programme.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: IGCSE (ages 14-16), A-Level (ages 16-18). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate. A-Level is the senior years, and their results are what British and many other universities admit on.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Where leavers go: Juilliard School · Curtis Institute of Music · New England Conservatory · Royal College of Music · Royal Academy of Music · Royal Welsh College of Music · Mozarteum Salzburg · Barenboim Academy · UdK Berlin · Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin · Hochschule für Musik Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig · Hochschule für Musik Detmold
and others, 22 universities in the school's list in allGraduates continue at leading conservatories around the world; the alumni page names the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Barenboim Academy, UdK and Hanns Eisler in Berlin, the conservatories of Leipzig, Detmold, Hamburg, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Maastricht, the Reina Sofia School in Madrid, the Eastman School and ZHdK in Zurich. The eight graduates of June 2026 went on, among others, to the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, the New England Conservatory, the Royal College of Music, the Mozarteum and the Reina Sofia School.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
✓Boarding
Also on site: Sports ground or field
Clubs and activities: Choir · Orchestra · Chamber music · Conducting · Masterclasses
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
✓Number of teachers25
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
The teachers page lists 25 staff members: Academic Director Steffi Petch (Master's degree from Oxford), teachers of biology and chemistry (PhD), history, French, German, English, physics, science, music theory and history, composition, conducting, voice and sport, and administration. The core of the teaching team has been with the school since it opened in 2018. Individual instrumental lessons are given by internationally renowned professors, and masterclasses have been given by Maxim Vengerov, Midori, Pavel Gililov, Mischa Maisky and others.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
The school says nothing on its website about security, medical care or pupil support.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)85 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data73 Value for money (6%) scored at the median73 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 7 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country