MA Music Pedagogy | instrument / voice | Open Creation

Basel Academy of Music

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Thinking of choosing a specialisation or Music Pedagogy as a second master’s degree? Why not both? Students who already have a master’s degree in Performance, instrument/voice have the opportunity to combine creative work beyond the limits of conventional artistic disciplines with a teaching qualification for their own instrument as part of an MA in Music Pedagogy.

Factsheet

Degree: Master of Arts FHNW in Musikpädagogik, Studienrichtung instrumental/vokal, Zweites künstlerisches Hauptfach Open Creation
Study mode: Full-time
Learning mode: Onsite
ECTS credits: 120
Next start: 14.9.2026
Duration: 4 semesters
Teaching language: B1 level in German required
Stay abroad: Possible
Application fee: 200 CHF
Semester fee: 750 CHF (CH) | 1000 CHF (EU/EFTA) | 1250 CHF (Not-EU/Not-EFTA)

At a glance

The combined master’s degree requires completion of an MA in Performance, instrument/voice
Interdisciplinary creative work and performances
Supports own focus in Improvisation, Composition, Contemporary Performance and/or Open Art Formats
In parallel, practical teaching qualification for your own instrument; graduate with an MA Music Pedagogy instrument/voice required for employment at music schools

Why study this?

The programme pursues two objectives:

Set your own artistic and creative priorities

Students are prepared for a career in analogue, digital and media music creation and performance. It equips them with the design, technical and logistical skills to pursue, reflect on, market and professionally document their own artistic projects. One-to-one lectures with our globally connected teaching staff from a wide range of artistic disciplines offer students a broad-based learning experience which is free from aesthetic bias and centred around collaboration. Graduates leave with a ready-made network of contacts, including sonic space basel's national and international project partners. This will give them a valuable head start in their transition from student life to the professional world.

Teaching music

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

In addition to the relevant artistic skills, an interest in teaching and the appropriate aptitude are expected.

The Master's degree in Music Pedagogy instrument/voice (second artistic Major Open Creation) allows students to acquire a dual profile:
The second artistic Major Open Creation prepares students for a career in analogue/digital and media music creation and performance which transcend geographical, stylistic and aesthetic boundaries. It equips them with the skills and knowledge they need to carve out a distinctive place within the analogue and/or digital music industry as highly professional and original creative performers, transnational artists, curators or festival organisers.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 (or an equivalent qualification).

The Open Creation Major in the FHNW Master of Arts in Specialised Musical Performance is aimed at student creatives who hold at least a Bachelor's degree (or similar qualification) in instrumental or vocal performance, composition, improvisation, audio design (or related electronic music studies), performance art, or another related field. 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.

Structures

Module descriptions

Study Regulations

Lecturers

Requirements, admission, entrance exam

In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy programme with a Open Creation 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). 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 study regulations of 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.

General Registration Procedure All about Studying in Basel