Teaching Certification in Music for Teaching at Secondary Schools (B. Ed. Music)

Overview of the degree program

Standard period of study 6 semesters (3 years)
Overall scope

65 credit points

58 semester hours in 8 compulsory modules

Admission requirements

University entrance qualification as per Art. 65 (1) of the University Act (HochSchG): General higher education entrance qualification

Successful completion of an aptitude test

Entrance into the program possible in both summer and winter semester
Degree Bachelor of Education in Music (B. Ed. Music)
Program objective The degree program for the Teaching Certification for Teaching at Secondary Schools provides students with the academic skills and (in the case of students studying Fine Arts and Music) with the artistic talents to qualify to teach in these examination subjects at college preparatory secondary schools.
Major and minor subjects Instrumental major in combination with minor in voice and school-relevant piano practice
or
major in voice in combination with instrumental minor and school-relevant piano practice
or
major in school-relevant piano practice with instrumental minor and minor in voice
Course structure and content

The course leading to a teacher certification in music at college preparatory secondary school level encompasses:

1. Practical artistic training,

2. Music education training, and

3. Musicology training.

Compulsory modules:

  • Artistic practice I, II
    • Major subject instruction, minor subject instruction
  • Practical music theory
    • Composition and ear training, school-relevant piano playing
  • Ensemble
    • Choir and ensemble conducting, string or wind instruments, composition, dance
  • Musicology
    • Introduction to musicology, music history in overview, undergraduate seminar in musicology
  • Music didactics
    • Introduction to music education, project seminar
  • Artistic practice for schools
    • Major subject instruction, minor subject instruction, school-relevant piano playing, ensemble incl. ensemble conducting
  • Theory and instruction
    • Music theory, Musicology: Popular music, Music didactics: Intercultural music education

Each module concludes with a module-specific examination

(For more information see the module handbook.)

Other academic qualifications In-school internships
Bachelor's examination See module-specific examinations

Requirements for the aptitude test

Effective: March 2019

Examination part (a) artistic major
(examination duration: approx. 15 minutes)

aa)
x
xx
Examination: instrumental major (classical music)

  • Presentation of three works from different stylistic periods
  • Sight-playing of an easy to moderately difficult unknown work

OR

ab)

x
x
x
x
x
x
x

x

Examination: instrumental major (jazz and popular music)

  • Presentation of two out of three prepared pieces with different rhythms and tempi (e.g. swing, latin, pop, ballad, fusion-groove; the examining board selects the pieces). The prepared pieces must contain improvised passages. A band will be provided
  • Presentation of a solo transcript without accompaniment or of a fully transcribed piece (classical pieces are optional)
  • Sight-playing of an easy to moderately difficult unknown work

OR

ac)

x
x
x

x

Examination: voice major (classical music)

  • Memorized presentation of three works from different stylistic periods
  • Sight-singing of an easy to moderately difficult unknown work
  • Memorized presentation of a prepared text

OR

ad)

x
x
x
x
x
x

x

Examination: voice major (jazz and popular music)

  • Memorized presentation of three prepared pieces with different stylistics (e.g. swing, latin, pop, ballad). One of the pieces should contain improvised passages. A band will be provided. One of the works may be a solo transcript or a fully transcribed piece. One of the pieces is to be sung without amplification
  • Sight-singing of an easy to moderately difficult unknown work
  • Memorized presentation of a prepared text

OR

ae)

x
x
x
x
x
x
x

Examination: school-relevant piano practice (major)

  • Memorized artistic presentation of songs with different stylistics. The songs have to be sung by the examinee
  • Improvisation and presentation of accompaniment patterns
  • Excercises on melody memorization and harmonization
  • Prima vista accompaniment (transcribed music or lead sheet)
  • Basic study of scores
  • Sight-playing piece

Examination part (b) artistic minor
(examination duration: approx. 15 minutes)

ba)

x

x

Examination: instrumental minor (classical music)

  • Presentation of two easy works from different stylistic periods

OR

bb)

x
x

x

Examination: instrumental minor (jazz and popular music)

  • Presentation of two easy jazz or pop pieces. Improvised passages are asked for but not mandatory

OR

bc)

x
x
x

x

Examination: voice minor (classical music)

  • Memorized presentation of two art songs or of one art song and one aria or of one art song and a song as verification of a healthy singing voice
  • Memorized presentation of a prepared text

OR

bd)

x
x
x

Examination: voice minor (jazz and popular music)

  • Memorized presentation of two works with different stylistics (e.g. swing, latin, pop, ballad) as verification of a healthy singing voice
  • Memorized presentation of a text

Examination part (c) school-relevant piano practice
(examination duration: approx. 10 minutes)

c)

x
x
x
x
x

School-relevant piano practice

  • Memorized artistic presentation of songs with different stylistics. The songs are sung by the examinee
  • Improvisation and presentation of accompaniment patterns
  • Excercises on melody memorization and harmonization
  • For applicants without piano as a major/minor: Sight-playing piece

further informationen - minor subject (in german)
example for an exam 

Examination part (d) group examination
(examination duration: approx. 15 minutes)

d)
x
x
x
Rehearsal with a vocal or instrumental music group (canon, polyphonic body percussion pieces, speaking pieces, group improvisations, dances or studies of movement). Alternatively, there is an option of an open task that is given directly before the examination (e.g. tonal transposition of a poem, a musical graphic or a rhythm)

Examination part (e) and (f) music theory and hearing training

e)

x
x

x

x
x
x

x
x

Examination: hearing training

Written exam: Music dictation (monodic and polyphonic tonal and atonale music dictations and rhythm examples). Examination duration: 1 hour

AND

Oral exam: Cognition and Singing of intervals and chords, sight-clapping of a moderately difficult rhythm, Playing or singing and complementation of presented melody phrases, sight-singing of a moderately difficult choral part. Examination duration: approx. 10 minutes

Note: If you chose an artistic major in jazz and popular music, a part of the tasks will be replaced with jazz-specific tasks (musical dictation, swing rhythms or easy jazz chords).

f)
x
x
x
x
x
Written exam: basic music theory: Composition tasks and questions on basic music theory (explaining musical terms and forms, writing out a moderately difficult contiuno, polyphonic composition of a given melody, questions on music history). Examintation duration: approx. 45 minutes

Note: If you chose an artistic major in jazz and popular music, a part of the tasks will be replaced with jazz-specific tasks (chord symbols, scales, scale steps).