Thinking of choosing an artistic specialisation or Music Pedagogy as a second master’s degree? Why not both? Students who have already completed a master’s degree in Performance, instrument/voice, have the opportunity to combine their artistic training in Choral Conducting with their own instrument or singing as part of an MA in Music Pedagogy. Learn to conduct choirs and ensembles at various levels professionally and, at the same time, acquire the qualification to teach your instrument or singing at educational institutions or independently.
Factsheet
- Degree
- Master of Arts FHNW in Musikpädagogik, Studienrichtung instrumental/ vokal, Zweites künstlerisches Hauptfach Chorleitung
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Learning environment
- Onsite
- ECTS points
- 120
- Next start
- 14.9.2026
- 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
- Building up a broad repertoire taking into account historical performance practice and critical analysis of sources
- Specialisation in conducting, voice and instrument skills
- Development of an expressive conducting language with practical relevance to various choirs and ensembles
- In parallel, practical teaching qualification for your own instrument; graduate with an MA Music Pedagogy instrumental/voice required for employment at music schools
Why study this?
The Master's degree in Music Pedagogy instrument/voice (second artistic Major Choral Conducting) allows students to acquire a dual profile:
Graduates of this degree programme are qualified to lead choirs and other vocal ensembles, whether amateur, semi-professional or professional, and different line-ups.
Furthermore, graduates will acquire a Master's degree in instrumental and vocal pedagogy for their own instrument or voice and will then be qualified to teach this subject 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 instrument/voice (or an equivalent qualification).
This programme is aimed at students who have completed a Master's degree in vocal or instrumental performance and who wish to combine a specialisation in choral conducting with a Master's degree in pedagogy for their own instrument or voice. 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: Choral Conducting
Structure MA MP Klassik instrumental/vocal 2Major Choral Conducting 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 Choral Conducting Major, applicants must be awarded a Master in Music Performance or equivalent as well as they must 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 a live audition.
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
- as well as the scores for the choral pieces, the “Lied” and the piano pieces.
On-site
The artistic 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.
Artistic Major Choral Conducting
Please mind the procedure of entrance exam of the respective artistic specialised major.
A. Individual exam (approx. 45 minutes, not public)
Piano
Sight-reading of a chorale by Johann Sebastian Bach (with up to four systems and using modern clefs)
Playing a technically challenging solo piece
Playing an instrumental part in early clefs (soprano, alto, tenor clefs) or for voice transposition (clarinet, trumpet, horn)
Singing
Singing of a "Lied" either a cappella or accompanied
Interview
Score work
With regard to Part B (choir rehearsal) of the examination with a vocal ensemble:
Conducting two preprepared choral scores from different eras of the applicant’s choosing, e.g. madrigal, simple motet from the Baroque era or a Romantic choral Song, playing these on the piano, and singing the different parts thereof
B. Choir rehearsal (approx. 20 minutes, internal to the university)
Prerequisite
Passing part A
Choir rehearsal
Conducting a vocal ensemble (provided by the university) based on one or both scores presented during the technical exam.
Evaluation
The jury consists of the lecturers of the respective major and a member of the directional board and they will evaluate the major exam.
Pedagogical entrance exam
The pedagogical entrance exam refers to the instrument of the first Master’s major.
Candidates (external and internal) 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. 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. Beat Hofstetter
- Phone
- +41 61 264 57 36
- beat.hofstetter@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 | Choral Conducting
- Date
- 14.9.2026
- Duration
- 4 semesters
- Notes
- Mandatory events take place before the start of the semester. Details will be sent out by the student administration.