MA Music Pedagogy | instrument / voice | Lied Performance

Thinking of choosing an artistic specialisation or Music Pedagogy as a second master’s degree? Why not both? If you already have a master’s degree in Performance with a major in singing or piano, you have the opportunity to combine your artistic specialisation in Lied Performance with a teaching qualification for your instrument (singing or piano) as part of an MA in Music Pedagogy.

The programme pursues two objectives:

Specialisation in the art form Lied

This study course offers lied duos, singers and pianists the opportunity to prepare themselves intensively for an artistic career in this field during the two-year graduate programme. The focussed Lied interpretations make equally high demands on both partners.
The core competencies acquired in the vocal or instrumental performance Master's programme in piano or singing are here pursued to a level that matches the highest international levels so that exceptional standards may be achieved on the national and international concert stage and at competitions.

Teaching music

In addition to the artistic specialisation in Lied Performance, the practice-oriented, concentrated pedagogical training enables the students to teach the instrument studied in the first master's programme (voice or piano) professionally in individual and group lessons at musical educational institutions or independently at all levels.

Career prospects

The Master's degree in Music Pedagogy instrument/voice with artistic Major Lied performance allows students to acquire a dual profile:
The degree programme provides students with the necessary qualifications to work as professional lied singers/accompanists and to perform at specialist lied concerts and Recitals or in chamber music concerts. The pedagogical Master's qualification enables them to teach their instrument or voice in music education institutions as well as independently.
Nearly all music schools in Switzerland now require prospective teaching staff to have a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy.

Target audience

This programme is aimed at lied duos, singers and pianists wishing to receive intensive and specialised training in this discipline.
Enrolment in the Master's programme in Music Pedagogy instrument/voice with a second artistic Major in Lied performance requires a Master's degree in vocal or instrumental performance (voice or piano) and enables students to combine their artistic specialisation with a Master's degree in pedagogy for their own instrument. The second artistic major replaces the artistic major instrumental/vocal.

The BA and MA degree programs at the Basel Academy of Music are based on modules.

The legally binding structure provides an initial guide to the content and weighting of the subjects on the degree programme.
The detailed content and modalities of the individual subjects can be found in the module descriptions.
The study regulations come into force together with the study and examination regulations of the Basel Academy of Music FHNW and form the legal framework.

In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy programme with a Lied Performance major, applicants must be awarded with a Master in Music Performance with an instrumental/vocal major or equivalent as well as they must have passed the entrance exam and were offered a free place at the Academy (limited places).
For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Studienreglement of the Studienreglement of the Master of Arts FHNW in Music Pedagogy.

Required skills

• Master’s-level instrumental/vocal proficiency.
• Mastery of a broad repertoire and practical experience in lied performance.
• Particular aptitude for interdisciplinary work (literature, philosophy, historical-sociological context) and for the literary dimension of the lied genre.
• Ample empowerment of the pianists of sight-reading, accompaniment and transposition and correpitation skills.
• Ability to meet the highest musical standards as a duo (intuition, communications skills and outstanding instrumental resp. vocal proficiency).Instrumental/vocal level at Master's level
• Pedagogical interest and appropriate aptitude

We expect students to have very good German language skills.
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).* This certificate must be complete, i.e. all modules (reading, listening, writing, speaking) have been tested separately and passed at a minimum level of B1 overall.
Only certificates that have been certified with the ALTE-Q-Mark seal of approval (e.g. the B1 certificate of the Goethe Institute or the telc certificate) are accepted. The required certificate B1 must be submitted with the confirmation of admission but not later than 31 May.

*For Swiss citizens whose native language is not German, the Matura is considered equivalent to the required language certificate, provided that the subject German was completed with at least a ‘sufficient/genügend’ grade.

Entrance exam

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