Teacher Training for Music Education

The teacher training programme at secondary level is carried out in cooperation with the following partner institutions (Central Region Partnership):

Salzburg location

• Paris Lodron University Salzburg (PLUS)
• Salzburg University of Teacher Training (PHS)
• Edith Stein University of Teacher Training (KPH)
• Mozarteum University Salzburg (MOZ)

Location Linz

• Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU)
• University College of Teacher Education Upper Austria (PH OÖ)
• Private University College of Education of the Diocese of Linz (PHDL)
• Linz University of Arts (UFG)
• Anton Bruckner Private University (ABPU)
• Catholic Private University Linz (KU Linz)

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 the 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 full teaching degree programme (BA + MA) qualifies students to teach at:

• Middle schools
• Grammar schools (grades 5-12)

Students have the choice of the following instruments as their artistic major:

• Bassoon
• Clarinet
• Diatonic accordion
• Double bass
• Dulcimer
• Flute
• Guitar
• 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:

• Choral Conducting
• Ensemble Conducting Vocal/Instrumental (Linz only)
• Ensemble Performance and Ensemble Conducting (Salzburg only)
• Voice
• Popular Music
• Dance

For admission 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 Central Region
• passing an entrance examination to determine artistic and pedagogical competence

As part of the Bachelor's degree programme in 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, dance and choral 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 is possible; for admission to the Instrumental Music Education programme, a separate audition proving artistic aptitude in two instruments must be passed.

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 entrance examination

Partial examinations must be taken in the following areas:

1. Artistic major
2. Compulsory subject piano (if not artistic major)
3. Singing for music teachers (if not artistic major)
4. Aural skills (sight singing)
5. General musical ability (music theory and aural skills)
6. Participation in a musical-communicative project 
7. 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.

The various partial examinations listed above all take place within the entrance examination period for teaching degrees in music and instrumental music, with the exception of some auditions in the Artistic Major, which are held during the same session as the auditions for performance studies, depending on the instrument. Candidates are advised to check the examination dates to establish whether this applies to them.