Teacher of Keyboard Skills
Teacher Training for Music Education - Innsbruck
Overview
The bachelor's degree programme in music education provides basic training across the broad spectrum of subjects and skills required for classroom music teaching. In addition to completing courses in didactics, pedagogy and education sciences, students will receive an all-round musical education in practical musicianship, music theory and musicology. They will also complete practical teaching placements as they prepare to enter the teaching profession; this programme qualifies students to teach in grades 5-8 of the Austrian education system and to embark upon the MA programme required to become a fully qualified secondary school teacher.
Length of course
8 semesters / 240 ECTS-AP
Language
German
Application period
1.2.–28.3.2025
Admission examinations
Summer semester of each year
to the dates
Career paths
The teacher training programme for secondary education consists of a Bachelor's and a Master's programme and trains students to become teachers in their chosen subjects.
The Bachelor's degree programme in Secondary Education is designed to be completed within 8 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 subject Music Education can be combined with any other teaching subject.
Students receive individual tuition from first-class teachers on their chosen instruments and can develop both artistically and in terms of music education. Alongside artistic and music theory training, a focus is placed on the subject of music in school from the very beginning. The courses in didactics introduce methods and concepts for teaching music and also cover such areas as listening education, digital media and practical music making in the classroom.
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.
General course information
The teacher training programme at secondary level is carried out in cooperation with the following partner institutions (Western Region Partnership):
- Edith Stein University of Teacher Training
- Tyrol University of Teacher Training
- Vorarlberg University of Teacher Training
- University of Innsbruck
- Mozarteum University (Innsbruck campus)
Applicants should ...
- enjoy making music
- want to develop musically and be diligent in practising
- enjoy musical work with children and young people
- be enthusiastic in their involvement with music
The aim of the Bachelor's degree programme is to prepare students for a career in secondary school teaching. A full teaching qualification can be obtained by consecutive enrolment in the corresponding Master's programme. However, the Bachelor's programme alone also opens up further professional fields, such as extracurricular youth education, adult education, cultural and media work, etc.
The study programme should also contribute to students' personality development and the development of social competences. After completing the BA teaching degree in the subject Music Education, students should:
- experience and recognise music as a sound phenomenon subject to certain laws and as a medium of expression anchored in a historical and socio-cultural context
- have at their disposal a variety of artistic means of expression (instrumental, vocal, using movement)
- possess knowledge and skills in the fields of music education, musicology, music theory and musical practice and be able to make connections between the different sub-disciplines
- be able to work on academic questions concerning music education and music-related disciplines within the framework of scholarly work under appropriate guidance using the corresponding research methods
- be able to present music in its wide range of applications, at least in outline (as a soloist and in an ensemble), and to make it usable for teaching purposes
- be able to guide others to express themselves musically.
The breadth of the curriculum should enable future teachers to make music accessible to a wide ranger of learners in both production and reception. The degree programme qualifies students to teach at:
- Middle schools
- Grammar schools (lower school, grades 5-8)
The following instruments can be chosen in the artistic main subject (KHF):
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Students have the choice of the following instruments as their artistic major:
- Bassoon
- Clarinet
- Diatonic accordion
- Double bass
- Dulcimer
- Flute
- Folk Harp
- Guitar (classical)
- Guitar (pop/jazz)
- Harp
- Horn
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion instruments
- Piano
- Recorder
- Saxophone
- Trombone
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Violoncello
- Zither
Alternatively, one of the following artistic majors can be chosen:
- Voice (classical)
- Voice (jazz/pop)
- Conducting
In order to be admitted to the Bachelor's programme, various certificates and examinations are required:
- general university entrance qualification (e.g. Matura, Abitur, high school diploma)
- command of the German language (at least level B2 - Common European Framework of Reference CEFR 2001)
- positive participation in the general admission procedure for the teacher training programme in the Western Region
- passing an entrance examination to determine artistic and pedagogical competence
Within the framework of the Bachelor's degree programme Music Education, piano and voice as well as an artistic major (see above) must be studied. All instruments offered at the location as well as voice (classical), voice (jazz/pop) and conducting can be chosen as artistic majors. If piano or voice is chosen as an artistic major, a third instrument is not required. Candidates must indicate their choice of artistic major when registering for the entrance examination.
The teaching subject Music Education is to be combined with a second subject. The combination with the teaching subject Instrumental Music Education at the Mozarteum University (Innsbruck campus) is possible; for admission to the Instrumental Music Education programme, a separate audition proving artistic aptitude in two instruments must be passed.
The General Admissions Procedure for all teaching degress (regardless of subject) consists of several steps:
- Registration and pre-registration (usually early March to mid-May).
- Participation in the self-assessment procedure
- Payment of the fee
- Registration for the Electronic Admissions Test (several dates to choose from)
- Participation in the Electronic Admissions Test
Please check the Western Region Partnership website for exact dates and procedures.
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
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.
When registering in the Central Region, candidates must specify their preferred location (Salzburg or Linz) in the application in the above-mentioned registration portal.
Documents required for online registration
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form with photo
- Letter of motivation (approx. one DIN A4 page)
- School leaving certificate (e.g. Matura, Abitur, A Levels...) or last school report
- (final) certificates as well as examinations and transcripts of records of all previous artistic and/or pedagogical studies
- Proof of German language proficiency, if applicable
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.
The artistic entrance examination
The entrance examination
Partial examinations must be taken in the following areas:
- Artistic major
- Compulsory subject piano (unless artistic major is classical or jazz/pop piano)
- Singing for music teachers (unless artistic major is classical or jazz/pop singing)
- Practical piano skills and rhythmic skills
- Aural skills (sight singing)
- General musical ability (music theory and aural skills)
- Participation in a musical-communicative project
- Mastery of the German language (at least level B2) for all students whose first language is not German.
The examination requirements are regulated in the guidelines; information on the German language certificates accepted can be found HERE.
Material to prepare for the Music Theory and Aural Skills examination can be found HERE.
For reasons of equal treatment and comparability, all applicants must pass all parts of the entrance examination. Exceptions are regulated in the guidelines.
Any questions?
You can find more information about starting your studies here: