Teacher of Keyboard Skills
Teacher Training for Instrumental Music Education - Innsbruck
Overview
The master's degree programme serves to provide specialised training in academic, didactic and practical aspects of instrumental teaching in the secondary school setting, and can only be chosen in combination with the master's degree programme in music education. The focus is on further artistic development in the two chosen instruments.
Length of course
4 semesters / 120 ECTS-AP
Language
German
Application period
1.2.–28.3.2025
Admission examinations
Summer semester of each year
to the dates
Career paths
The planned duration of the Master's degree programme in Secondary Education is 4 semesters. Two teaching subjects must be chosen, in addition to which students are required to complete free elective subjects, a general grounding in educational science, and integrated teaching placements. The teaching subject Instrumental Music Education can only be studied in combination with the subject Music Education.
Teacher employment law stipulates that new teachers must complete a Master's degree within five years of obtaining their Bachelor's degree in order to be able to enter into permanent employment. In addition, students must also complete a one-year induction phase in which they teach regularly and receive mentoring. The induction phase can be completed directly after the Bachelor's programme and recognised as a practical placement within the Master's programme in accordance with the respective curricular requirements and the current legislation (University Act and Higher Education Act).
In the Master's programme, the academic courses offerd at the university are complemented by practical projects in cooperation with schools. The courses in Music Pedagogy play a key role helping students to develop their individual teacher profile: On the one hand, these challenge future teachers to reflect on fundamental aspects of the discipline (preparing the way for a doctorate in this area, if they wish). On the other hand, these projects also build bridges to important cultural institutions, thereby underlining the essential role played by teachers in encouraging both productive and receptive participation in public musical life.
This degree course is orientated around current developments and performance practice in the arts, as well as the latest, most up-to-date research in the academic disciplines involved. It refers to the curricula of secondary schools and the general and holistic educational goals contained therein. Within the framework of the study programme, principles such as learner-centred orientation, questions of performance assessment, flipped classrom, flexible differentiation, competence orientation, diversity as well as teacher leadership are also taken into account.
The Master's degree programme in Secondary Education (General Education) entitles the holder to full employment as a teacher for the 5th to 13th school level at:
The Master's degree programme in Secondary Education entitles the holder to full employment as a teacher of grades 5 - 13 in:
- Special needs schools
- Middle schools
- Polytechnic schools (PTS)
- Grammar schools (AHS)
- Vocational schools and colleges (BMHS)
General course information
The teacher training programme at secondary level is carried out in cooperation with the following partner institutions (Western Region Partnership):
- University College of Teacher Education - Edith Stein
- University College of Teacher Education Tyrol
- University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg
- University of Innsbruck
- Mozarteum University, Innsbruck campus
Applicants to this course should...
- enjoy making music
- be keen to develop as musicians and be diligent in their practice habits
- enjoy working musically with children and young people
- be able to enthuse others about engaging with music
- meet the admission requirements
Graduates of the Master's programme in Instrumental Music Education:
- are able to reflect on central academic content, theories, development perspectives and areas of application, modify these and apply them to teaching practice.
- are able, based on their own experiences as musicians, to classify and analyse musical performances from an artistic point of view, to express themselves adequately in different artistic forms of expression and to critically assess their own performances
- can recognise differences and similarities between the sub-disciplines of the subject and establish connections between essential findings in the different areas
- are able to apply subject-specific procedures and methods, especially in the field of instrumental music pedagogy, in a situation-appropriate manner
- are able to develop, communicate and document subject-specific content and findings in a form which corresponds to the conventions of the subject, or to express them artistically
- are able to recognise and work on subject-specific questions and problems independently and in cooperation with others
- are able to present ways of learning processes in the artistic and scientific elaboration of subject content and align them to the requirements of teaching practice
- are able to establish cross-connections between subject content, subject didactic concerns and school practice and document this on the basis of concrete tasks.
Applicants to the degree programme must specify their intended majors at the time of registration. The principal and secondary artistic majors must be from different areas: Keyboard instruments, string instruments, plucked instruments, wind instruments, classical singing, jazz/pop singing, music direction and percussion instruments.
Artistic majors (1st and 2nd KHF) can be chosen from the following list:
-
Students have the choice of the following instruments as their artistic majors (principal and secondary study):
- Bassoon
- Clarinet
- Conducting
- Diatonic harmonica
- Double Bass
- Dulcimer
- Flute
- Guitar
- Harp
- Folk harp
- Horn
- Jazz/pop guitar
- Jazz/pop singing
- Jazz/pop piano
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion instruments
- Piano
- Recorder
- Saxophone
- Trombone
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Violoncello
- Voice
- Zither
The prerequisite for admission to the Master's degree programme Teacher Training at Secondary Level is the completion of the relevant Bachelor's degree programme Teacher Training (General Education) in the Central Region Partnership (e.g. BA Teaching Training in Music Education from the Mozarteum University) or another relevant Bachelor's degree programme or another equivalent degree programme at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution.
If the undergraduate qualification is deemed in essence to be equivalent with the BA Teacher Training for Music Education, with the exception of only individual elements, the Mozarteum University is entitled to admit the candidate to the MA programme on the basis that they work towards fulfilling additional requirements prescribed by the university in order to achieve full equivalence; proof that these requirements have been fulfilled must be provided in the course of the Master's degree programme.
Applicants whose undergraduate degree was not awarded by an institution in the Central Region Partnership are required to pass an entrance examination to determine their artistic and pedagogical aptitude.
Applicants whose first language is not German must also provide proof of German language skills.
The teaching subject Instrumental Music Education must be combined with the teaching subject Music Education. If the Bachelor's degree was not awarded by the Mozarteum University, the candidate must demonstrate that they meet the artistic requirements of the study programme by passing an additional entrance examination.
1. Create a basic account in MOZonline
2. in MOZonline: fill in the mandatory statistics UHstat1 (pre-registration for studies) and note the application number that you will receive by email afterwards
3. create an application account in Muvac
4. fill out your own profile in Muvac (in any case necessary: personal data, information on expertise matching the desired degree programme, in the CV: current employment and information on previous training)
During the application period:
5. selection of the desired degree programme in Muvac (Browse -> Studies)
6. Fill out the application form in Muvac ("Apply now") - in the form, the application number (see step 2) or the Austrian matriculation number must be entered in the appropriate place
- during the registration period fpr the general admission procedure to teaching degrees: registration and completion of the general admission procedure (if applying for the BA programme)
- during the application period for the artistic entrance examination: online registration via the application portal Muvac (Please note: Registration is only possible if all information is complete!)
- after processing your online application: invitation to the on-site audition (the invitation is sent via Muvac)
- in Muvac: acceptance or rejection of participation in the admission exam; if necessary: information on the examination programme for the audition in the main subject(s) (KHF)
- participation in the on-site audition
- upon passing the audition and obtaining a place: invitation to enrolment to the degree programme
- personal enrolment during the general admission period upon presentation of all necessary evidence/test results
Demonstrating the requisite artistic skills for this study programme is only a requirement for candidates who completed their undergraduate studies at an institution other than the Mozarteum University.
Registration for the entrance examination takes place via the application portal Muvac - information see 'Registration for the entrance examination'.
Link to the registration deadlines
Link to the examination dates
Registration may only be made for one location, either Central Region (for Salzburg and Linz) or Western Region (for Innsbruck). Multiple registrations at different locations are not permitted and will be cancelled.
Documents required for online registration
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form with photo
- Letter of motivation (approx. one DIN A4 page)
- (final) certificates as well as examinations and transcripts of records of all previous artistic and/or pedagogical studies
- Proof of German language proficiency
Form of the documents
- The documents can be uploaded as PDF in the application form.
- If the documents mentioned are not available in German or English, an official translation must also be submitted.
Audition requirements
Partial examinations must be passed in the following areas:
- Audition in the principal artisic major
- Audition in the secondary artistic major
- Mastery of the German language (at least level B2) for all those whose first language is not German (further information HERE).
The requirements in the auditions are based on the requirements of the final examination of the BA Teacher Training for Instrumental Music Education at the Mozarteum University (Innsbruck location). An artistic programme must be performed that corresponds to the examination requirements in the artistic major.
Any questions?
You can find more information about starting your studies here: