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 First Master’s 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 at least a B1 German language certificate according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) at the beginning of the studies.
This certificate must be complete, i.e. all modules (reading, listening, writing, speaking) have been tested separately and passed at least at level B1 overall. Only certificates that have been certified with the ALTE-Q-Mark seal of approval (e.g. the B1 certificate of the Goethe-Institut or the telc certificate) are accepted. The required certificate B1 must be submitted with the confirmation of admission but not later than Mai 31.
Exceptions will be decided upon by the head of degree programme.
Entrance exam
The entrance exam is split into two parts: One Major exam and one pedagogic exam. Applicants who hold a Bachelor in Music and Movement must also pass an exam in Music Theory and Ear training.
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 registration.hsm@fhnw.ch until 15th February at the latest.
Only those applicants who will be considered for the second round will be invited for the live audition. Exceptions will be decided upon by the examination management.
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 (see Repertoire requirements) may be identical as the one of the video. However, changes of the programme for the live audition can only be made until 14 days prior to the audition date.
The candidate may choose the first piece. Then, the jury will decide which works to play and is allowed to interrupt the audition at any time. Afterwards, there will be a short conversation about the goals of the studies and the study course content as well as the applicant´s prior education, experience, the choice of the professor, etc.
In exceptional cases, an invitation to the live audition can be waived. In this case, an online interview with the examination board is mandatory.
Music Theory/Ear training (only for applicants with a Bachelor in Music and Movement)
In addition to the live audition, the applicant must pass an exam in Music Theory and Ear Training. If the applicant passes the exam and will be offered a free place, the head of programme is authorized to set special restrictions in order for the candidate to reach an equivalent educational level as the one of the Bachelor with an instrumental/vocal major.
Pedagogical aptitude assessment (external applicants)
Candidates who are invited to the second round (on-site audition) are asked to submit a video of a demonstration lesson of 20' duration with a student of their own instrument. The student can be beginner or advanced and there is no age limit. If possible, the lesson should be held in German. If this is not possible for organizational reasons, the lesson must either be held in English or the video must be subtitled accordingly. The recording must not be older than 6 months. Please upload the video onto Youtube and send the following information/documents by 10th April to registration.hsm@fhnw.ch by mail:
- the link
- information about the student (age and characteristics, since when)
- copies of the sheet music used (if applicable)
- a short written reflection of your lesson
Pedagogical aptitude assessment (internal applicants)
For internal applicants, the pedagogical aptitude test takes place on-site during the spring semester (after the head of degree programme has been able to check whether a place is available). The dates will be communicated individually.
The pedagogical aptitude test consists of a demonstration lesson of 20' duration (the allocation of students is taken on by the subject didactics teachers) in German language and a reflection talk following the lesson.
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.
