The Master of Music (Performance Teaching) prepares you to become a leader in music education as a performer-teacher. You will participate in a range of learning opportunities, connected to the study of Western classical and contemporary music, which are underpinned by the latest research and taught by internationally renowned experts.

The course acknowledges the changing landscape of the music professional and will prepare you to work in schools, studios, community programs, private providers, and further education settings, both locally, nationally and internationally. Our graduates are highly sought after as instrumental, vocal and ensemble teachers.

The course has two specialisations:

• The Instrumental Specialisation prepares students for school-based instrumental/vocal teaching, developing approaches, strategies and specific instrumental music pedagogy appropriate for individual and group instruction. This specialisation is underpinned by the latest research into curriculum, assessment, and teaching practice to provide the most relevant preparation for Instrumental-Vocal teachers. It includes three professional placements, which contribute partially to VIT registration and also provide the opportunity to develop a specific focus on conducting and orchestration.
• The Studio Specialisation prepares students for private studio-based instrumental/vocal teaching, with a focus on the development of the one-on-one setting, or small group lessons. This specialisation includes two professional placements and a focus on instrumental approaches and pedagogy. It is accompanied by a range of electives, allowing specialisation into areas related such as instrumental pedagogy, performance, conducting and research.

In addition to professional placements, you will have access to advanced music performance tuition combined with the chance to observe a range of expert teachers and musicians across a range of learning experiences. All students have the opportunity to participate in second instrument studies, which explores group teaching and related pedagogy, combined with the exploration of ensemble participation throughout the degree – all while developing a personalised awareness of pedagogy specific to performance teaching within the learning process.

Professional practice is an important component of the program and is completed in a variety of settings including community organisations, schools, studios and Suzuki classes. This area of study relates to a range of elective subjects that keep you abreast of the latest practical, theoretical and research areas in music performance and music education.

Specialist pedagogical subjects, combined with individual lessons, enable you to acquire a deeper understanding of teaching issues that are specific to music performance through the use of both face-to-face, and virtual-online modes of delivery, to ensure you are prepared to teach in many settings. We encourage you to continuously think about and reflect on your learning, as you are encouraged to develop your own philosophy which will shape your teaching practice.  Importantly the skills and knowledge covered in this course provide a range of approaches to use with confidence as you teach music performance at all levels, across a range of learning environments.

In the final semester you can select a Capstone from:

• Music performance
• Music performance research
• Conducting or
• Suzuki music education (includes Primary Level Suzuki Teacher accreditation)

Specialist electives include areas such as: Teaching Aural Musicianship, Band Direction, Orchestral Conducting, Choral Direction, Music Learning and Technology, Piano Pedagogy and Piano Repertoire.

Who is this course for?

This course is for practising musicians who are looking to broaden their career opportunities to include evidence-based teaching.

If you'd like to further develop your teaching skills, explore new teaching frameworks and methodologies and graduate with an internationally recognised qualification, this course is for you.

This course is offered as a 1.5 year full-time, 3-year part-time program.

Learning outcomes

• Advanced technical development on your selected instrument or voice as required of a teacher of music performance.
• Professional level of expertise and competence as an instrumental or vocal music teacher.
• Develop a range of teaching approaches for the delivery of instrumental or vocal lessons that foster independent, reflective, motivated and cooperative learning.

Workload

This course has been designed to complement the workload and expectations of teaching musicians, who may have a range of commitments each week. There is the opportunity to be flexible in your choice of subjects and mode of delivery. The course continues to integrate more flexible online approaches to suitable subjects in the Master of Music (Performance Teaching) degree.

Classes are usually delivered in the late afternoon or early evening to accommodate your teaching commitments and enable you to travel to evening performances after class.

For a student enrolled full-time (50 credit points), the estimated hours of work required for satisfactory completion of the coursework (attendance, readings, assignments, lessons) could range between 15-20 hours per week. This would vary for each student and depends on your task management and planning, familiarity with the material, combined with reading and writing capacity. Where required, additional support may be available for students who need assistance in the completion of tasks.

Connection to industry

The course is strongly connected to the major examination providers: the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority for music curriculum (VCAA), and the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB). The course provides deep knowledge and skills for contemporary teacher practice, enhanced by highly experienced teaching staff and broad connection to schools, music studios, leading organisations, and the wider music industry.

The course values the importance of music education and advocacy, working closely with key professional associations, such as the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME), and Association of Music Educators Victoria (AMUSE), VMTA while also engaging a range of organisations such as the Melbourne Youth Orchestra (MYO) who work closely with Conservatorium staff.

Importantly, many of the teaching staff in the course are currently involved in collaboration, leadership and research across a range of national and international music associations, which ensures that students in the program are always aware of key and emerging research and initiatives.

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed: A Bachelor of Music with a weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%) in the final year or equivalent; or A Bachelor of

IELTS (academic English Only): 6.5 (no band less than 6.0)
TOEFL Internet-based test: 79 + ; Writing 21; Speaking 18; Reading 13; Listening 13;
Pearson Test of English Academic: 58 + no communicative skill below 50
Cambridge English: Advanced/ Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): 176 + no skill below 169.