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, instrument/voice, you have the opportunity to combine your artistic profiling in a chamber music ensemble with a teaching qualification for your own instrument as part of an MA in Music Pedagogy.
Factsheet
- Degree
- Master of Arts FHNW in Musikpädagogik, Studienrichtung instrumental/vokal, Zweites künstlerisches Hauptfach Kammermusik
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Learning environment
- Onsite
- ECTS points
- 120
- Next start
- 13.9.2026
- Duration
- 4 semesters
- Language
- B1 level in German required
- Staying abroad
- Possible
- Application fee
- 200 CHF
- Semester fee
- Second major 800 CHF
At a glance
- requires a degree in MA Performance, Instrument/voice
- Continuous ensemble work, preparation for a professional career & international concert activity in the field of chamber music
- In parallel, practical teaching qualification for your own instrument; graduate with an MA Music Pedagogy, instrument/voice, required for employment at music schools
- matriculation of at least one member of the ensemble at the Basel Academy of Music
Why study this?
Graduates of this degree programme are qualified to work as part of a professional chamber music ensemble and perform at specialist chamber music concerts. The pedagogical Master's qualification enables them to teach their instrument 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.
This degree programme is aimed at ensembles (with at least three performers) who already share a musical biography and have a clear professional focus as an Ensemble. At least one member of the ensemble must be matriculated at the Basel Academy of Music.
Matriculation in this Master's programme in Music Pedagogy instrument/voice requires a Master's degree in vocal or instrumental performance and enables students to combine their artistic profile with a Master's degree in pedagogy for their own instrument. The second artistic major replaces the artistic major instrumental/vocal.
Structure and programme contents
The BA and MA degree programmes 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.
Structure
Second Major: Chamber Music
Structure MA MP Klassik instrumental/vokal 2Major Chamber Music in German
Module descriptions
Below please find the link with all the information on the module descriptions of several FHNW universities.
- Switch the language settings to English.
- Filter by semester, Hochschule für Musik Basel FHNW, the desired degree programme or other criteria to display the relevant module information.
- Use the PDF button to call up a document from each overview and save it for yourself.
- Course registrations are made via the intranet.
Study Regulations
Lecturers
Requirements, admission, entrance exam
In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy programme with a Chamber Music 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).
Only fixed ensembles of at least 3 musicians will be considered. At least one member of the ensemble must be properly matriculated at Basel Academy of Music.
For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Studienreglement of the Master of Arts FHNW in Music Pedagogy.
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
The entrance exam is individual for each study programme direction.
Dates
Registration
You may apply between 15th December and 1st March.
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
- the Master Diploma
- video recordings (in detail in Procedure, First Round)
On-Site
The live auditions will take place at the end of April. The exact dates may be seen here.
Pedagogical Entrance Exam
Deadline for the informations/documents to be send is 10th April. Details below under Procedure, Pedagogical Entrance Exam.
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.
Procedure
The entrance exam is split into two parts: One Major exam and one pedagogic exam.
Procedure
Artistic Major Chamber Music
The artistic major examination corresponds to the entrance exam in the MA Specialised Musical Performance Lied Performance.
First round: Video recordings
Applicants must submit a video when registering. The length of the video should be minimum 20 minutes and should contain a representative selection of pieces (or only single movements) of at least three different stylistic areas.
Video requirements
- The single works/movements have to be recorded from a fixed point of view and without any cuts.
- The hands and the face of the musician must be visible.
- We recommend using a suitable stereo microphone and place it conveniently.
- The recording should not be older than 6 months.
- Publicly recorded concerts may be submitted as long as they correspond to the above-mentioned requirements.
Please upload the video onto YouTube and add the link in the registration tool. If one straight video with the whole programme is submitted, the applicant must set marks after every work/movement so that it is possible to purposely skip within the video.
Second round: Live audition
Only if necessary, candidates will be invited to a second round, an audition on site. The repertoire for this audition may be identical to that of the video.
As a rule, instead of a preliminary meeting on site, an online conversation takes place between the programme director and the prospective student, focusing on the planned study goals and content, previous education, career goals and any other questions that may arise.
Pedagogical entrance exam
The pedagogical entrance exam refers to the instrument of the first Master’s major.
Candidates 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. The lesson should be held in German. If this is not possible for organizational reasons for external candidates, 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
Organisational matters
More Study variations
Students are able to graduate the pedagogic education on their instrument/voice and choose the following alternative artistic Major
Projects / Ensembles
At Hochschule für Musik Basel, students have the opportunity to participate in various project and ensemble programmes.
To the overview of the recurring offers.
Quicklinks
Advising and information events
Contact
Student Administration Academy of Music, Klassik
- Phone
- +41 61 264 57 32 (Direct)
- klassik.hsm@fhnw.ch
Prof. Annekatrin Klein
- Phone
- +41 61 264 58 36
- annekatrin.klein@fhnw.ch
Prof. Carl Wolf
- Phone
- +41 79 718 81 37 (Direct)
- carl.wolf@fhnw.ch
Information events
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Registration
The registration window is open from 15th December to 1st March.
MA Music Pedagogy | instrument / voice | Chamber Music
- Date
- 13.9.2026
- Duration
- 4 semesters
- Notes
- Mandatory events take place before the start of the semester. Details will be sent out by the student administration.