Instrumental/Vocal Major

The FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy with an Instrumental/Vocal Major focuses on nurturing the students’ artistic identity and providing them with the skills needed to share their musical expertise with different audiences. Students learn to engage with music at a deeper and more complex level and encouraged to develop their own unique ‘voice’. They also acquire the pedagogical-didactic skills needed to provide professional jazz tuition at all levels.

The FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy with an Instrumental/Vocal Major is aimed at musicians who:

• enjoy and are interested in sharing their musical expertise with people of all ages and in different settings;
• would like to add a teaching qualification to their existing professional music qualifications.

The FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy with an Instrumental/Vocal Major prepares students for a wide range of careers. In addition to private or institutional tuition at music schools, upper-secondary schools, music societies and the like, graduates are qualified to work in many other fields, such as music and cultural mediation in concert halls and opera houses. Nearly all music schools in Switzerland now require prospective teaching staff to have a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy (or an equivalent qualification).

Core Curriculum I

Major module (57 CP):
Individual and group tuition
Major-specific courses/regulations

Core curriculum II

Teacher training module (4 CP):
Teaching practice, with a real-life class
Music school placement

Introduction to music pedagogy module (2 CP):
Pedagogical and psychological basics

Music didactics module (24 CP):
Music pedagogy – one-week introductory course
Music didactics/methodology Music pedagogy, electives
Teaching practice, with video-based training

Complementary courses

Practical module (10 CP):
Improvisation
Chamber music, new chamber music
Orchestral projects/repertoire rehearsals

Context module (3 CP):
Music theory classes
Introduction to New Music
Music business

Elective courses

Personalised module (20 CP):

Minor or courses/activities chosen from the electives on offer

Detailed module description
Structure

Study variations

Students who already have been awarded a Master of Arts in Musical Performance with an instrumental/vocal major (or Specialized Performance with a Solo Performance major), are able to graduate the pedagogic education on their instrument/voice and chose an alternative artistic Major.

Module Description MA MP Chamber music
Module Description MA MP Choral conducting
Module Description MA MP Contemporary Music
Module Description MA MP Lied performance
Module Description MA MP Wind orchestra conducting

Admission criteria
In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy programme with the Major instrumental/vocal, applicants must be awarded a Bachelor in Music/Music and Movement or equivalent as well as they have to have passed the entrance exam and were offered a free place at the Academy (limited places). Applicants who have submitted all the necessary registration documents in time and have passed the first round of the entrance exam will be invited to play a live audition. For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Studienreglement of the Master of Arts FHNW in Music Pedagogy.

Admission criteria for internal Bachelor applicants
Internal Bachelor candidates absolve the entrance exam within their Bachelor qualification. Further requirements for internal Bachelor and Master students are:
- Having passed the Master preparation course
- The jury must unanimously recommend that the student continues in the Master study course
- The consent of the Major professor

Language skills
We expect students to have very good German language skills at the beginning of the studies. Students who are not German native speakers must present a B1 German language certificate according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) at the beginning of the studies.

Entrance exam
The entrance exam is split into two parts: One Major exam and one pedagogic exam.

Procedure instrument / voice
For a second Master degree in Switzerland: Please mind the procedure of entrance exam of the respective artistic specialized major.
First round: Video recordings
Applicants must submit a video when registering.
Video requirements
The length of the video should be minimum 20 minutes to maximum 30 minutes. It should contain a representative selection of the repertoire requirements. The single works/movements submitted must indispensably be recorded without any cuts. If applicants submit one straight video with the whole programme, the applicant must set marks after every work/movement so that it is possible for the jury to purposely skip within the video.
Microphone: We recommend using a suitable stereo microphone and place it conveniently. If necessary, you may also use the mi-crophone of a camera, computer, or smartphone. Please record the video from a fixed point of view. The hands and the face of the musician must be visible. Publicly recorded concerts may be submitted as long as they correspond to the above-mentioned requirements (no cuts) and as long as they are not older than 6 months.
Please upload the video onto YouTube and add the link in the registration tool.
Please add the list of works to your application or send it by mail to cmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uLmhzbUBmaG53LmNo until 15th February at the latest.
Only those applicants who will be considered for the second round will be invited for the live audition.

Second round: Live audition
Repertoire requirements
Please prepare a programme of minimum 20 to a maximum of 30 minutes with pieces from at least three different stylistic epochs and play them from memory according to the usual professional practice. The choice of the programme may be identical as the one of the video.
Pedagogical exam
The pedagogical exam can only be taken after successfully passing the artistical entrance exam (or, for enrolled students, after a previous evaluation by the head of programme). If the pedagogic exam is delayed due to organizational reasons, there will be some special restrictions. The trial lesson is held in German, followed by a self-reflection. (The pupils will be assigned by the didactical teaching staff.).

Dates
The live auditions will take place at the end of April. The exact dates may be seen here.

Registration
You may apply between 15th December and 15th February.
Along with the registration, it is mandatory to submit the following documents:
A curriculum vitae, a motivational letter, the school leaving qualification, the Bachelor Diploma. In case that the applicant already holds a Master Diploma, we also need a copy of that.

Announcement of the results
The results of the first round will be communicated by mail at the end of March.
The results of the second round will be communicated by mail in May.

At Hochschule für Musik Basel, students have the opportunity to participate in various project and ensemble programmes.
To the overview of the recurring offers.

The following information can be found on the Valuable information about your studies page:

• Study Regulations
• Scholarships and Living Costs
• Studying in Switzerland
• Tuition fees
• Study guide
• Semester dates