MA MUSIC EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE

Course Details

This is a two-year full-time level 7 programme with an option for a four year part-time schedule. It equips graduates to work in a variety of professional settings with a broad range of pedagogical strategies coupled with a firm instrumental/vocal technique and high-quality musicianship. On completion of the award students will have established a secure interpretative and technical fluency and developed a range of teaching, leadership and performance skills. As an emerging teacher-artist they will have led music-making with others in a variety of settings, with a range of participants of different abilities and in relation to a range of audiences; they will also have gained a comprehensive insight into the role of the musician in the contemporary education infrastructure. Through their practices in music teaching and performance they will develop collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial skills in support of a professional career.

Programme Content

This programme comprises compulsory ‘core’ modules designed to develop students’ theoretical knowledge and its application to a variety of teaching practices and contexts, critical engagement with ethical considerations in music education, and an opportunity to experience in depth a new educational context. Students will learn research methodologies and undertake a personal project into an aspect of educational practice; they will also participate each year in CoLab, the college’s two-week festival of cross-faculty collaborative learning. A suite of elective specialist options permits further opportunities to develop depth in theory and practice alongside further contextual subject areas. All students will take professional studies modules at minimum level 6 with one-to-one lessons and a suite of practical assessments and will be hosted by departments with their associated classes, masterclasses and ensemble opportunities.

• A wide range of modules exploring music pedagogy from a variety of stances, including instrumental/vocal teaching, creative leadership and classroom electives.
• Core 40-credit module each year designed to develop your individual technical and interpretative skills in your principal study discipline through one-to-one tuition with our expert performance teaching staff.
• A wide range of departmental and cross-department solo, chamber, and large ensemble activities, to develop a range of artistic and related skills relevant to your professional aspirations.
• An intensive research project in music pedagogy which evidences masters level critical thinking in a subject area of the student’s own choosing.
• A range of electives taught either in-person or online, including Mentor Scheme, Technology in Music Education, Contemporary Theorists in Music Education, and The Social Impact of Music Making.

For detailed information about the course structure please see the Programme Specification

Learning and Teaching

Learning within a community of practice

The MA MEP offers the opportunity to become part of, and learn within, a diverse cohort of musicians and educators, and some modules are shared with the MMus, the MA Music Education and the MEd Music Education (Online), permitting students to form communities across the institution with those training as performers and with experienced music educators seeking to refine and contextualize their practice. You will network and share learning with other practitioners and employers working across a variety of settings. This includes opportunities to engage with Trinity Laban’s Learning and Participation programme which offers a range of innovative projects with children, young people and adults in formal education and the community, subject to availability. Teaching staff for the MA MEP are highly experienced practitioners, teachers and researchers from across the UK. A number of the team teach at other leading Higher Education Institutions and join Trinity Laban specifically to teach in the Music Education Department.

Performance teaching and opportunities

All students will take a professional studies module at minimum level 6 (graduate/LTCL/LRAM level) with one-to-one lessons and an assessed recital, and will be hosted by performance departments (voice, strings, wind brass & percussion, jazz, piano, composition) with their associated classes and ensemble opportunities; additionally, students will have the option of second study lessons. The programme accepts students from the disciplines of composition and classical and jazz performance. The college has a rich and diverse performance programme, and students are welcome to join the various orchestras, choirs and ensembles, subject to audition.

Performance Opportunities

Teaching Staff

Music Education Department Teaching staff are all highly experienced practitioners, teachers and researchers from across the globe. A number of the team teach at other leading higher education institutions and join Trinity Laban specifically to teach on this programme. Guest lecturers are also invited who are leading specialists in specific areas. Click below to read biographies of our core teaching team:

• Tim Palmer (Programme Leader)
• Dr Robert Wells
• Janet Munro
• Dr Dave Camlin
• Dr David Baker (Guest Lecturer)
• Dr Jo Gibson (Guest Lecturer)

Recent guest lecturers have included: Mary Stakelum, Graham Welch, Adam Ockelford, Anna Bull, Phil Mullen, Chris Philpott, Gary Spruce, Susan Young, John Finney, Kathryn Deane, Karin Greenhead, Daniel Leech-Wilkinson, Lee Higgins.

How you will learn

Learning takes place online through a blend of formal tuition, experiential learning and personal study. Academic teaching and supervisions, personal self-study and research, and observation of and participation in professional practice are the central elements of the provision. Students will develop and contextualize their learning with placements, observations and reflective practice tasks. Practical experiences are blended with theoretical knowledge to develop students’ pedagogical skills and understanding, and their creative responses to challenges. Visiting lecturers expose the students to a variety of views and approaches current within the profession.

The programme aims to enable students to develop independent learning strategies for lifelong learning. Tutors will regularly encourage reflection on learning and support the personalisation of study to each student’s professional setting.

All modules have a substantial portfolio of asynchronous learning materials, including curated and recommended reading. Modules also have a variety of forms of student-teacher and student-student interactions, including class discussions, online forums, interactive discussion boards, and through formative assessment portfolios. All written submissions are able to receive draft feedback from staff.

Placements and Exchanges

The Education Placement and Learning Mentor modules will involve observation in new work contexts and the chance to get to know well one or more contexts of music education in the UK.

Career Opportunities

The programme enables graduates to pursue a portfolio professional career in music education and performance as teachers, community musicians, instrumentalists, vocalists and/or composers. It seeks to prepare students to work in a variety of educational settings with a broad range of pedagogical approaches coupled with a firm instrumental/vocal technique and high quality musicianship. On completion of the award you will have developed a secure artistic personality and consolidated a range of performance, teaching and leadership skills. As an emerging teacher-artist you will have created music in a variety of settings, with a range of participants of different abilities, and in relation to a range of audiences. You will also have gained an understanding of the role of the musician in the contemporary cultural education infrastructure. Through your practice in music performance and teaching you will develop collaborative and entrepreneurial skills in support of a professional career.

To find out more about alumni destinations from this programme please see the ‘Graduates’ tab on our Department Homepage.

Visit our Careers area to find out more about Careers in Music.

Assessment

Assessment methods as far as possible mirror professional requirements. There are a wide range of assessment tasks in the programme, from a video of teaching to case studies and essays. Most assessments are dependent on professional practice as an educator, adaptable to a student’s specific professional role and are centred on connecting reflective practice with theoretical knowledge. Students will be supported in gaining the appropriate teaching experience.

In the assessment for the ‘Principal Study’ (1) and (2) modules performance/composition activities include a student-selected combination of solo, chamber/small ensemble, performance production and lecture-recital.

What do I have to do to pass?
In order to pass the programme, you must achieve the credit for each module. You must pass each module with an overall mark of 50% (except where compensation applies). There may also be a requirement for you to achieve a minimum mark in each assessment. Where this is the case, it will be stated in the module specification.

Certain modules may be compensated at the discretion of the Assessment Board. Compensation is the award of credit for a failed module on the basis of good performance in other modules.

Entry Requirements

Admission to the programme is assessed through application, audition and interview. This programme accepts any instrument or voice normally taught at Trinity Laban.

Academic Entry Requirements

• A degree, or equivalent training and/or professional experience is normally required. For entry, applicants are normally expected to hold a good pass in a BA, BMus (Hons) or equivalent qualification. The programme welcomes applicants who do not hold an undergraduate degree, but can demonstrate equivalent previous study and/or experience. Applicants without a degree will be required to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning to demonstrate suitability for postgraduate study;
• Considerable professional experience in music education and/or participatory settings, which should normally be current or recent.
• Fluent musical skills on a principal instrument/voice (normally grade 8 or equivalent professional experience);
• (for International Students) IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all 4 areas / Trinity College London – Integrated Skills in English III (ISEIII).

All students will have to successfully complete a DBS check on commencing the programme.

Application Process

Applications are made online through UCAS Conservatoires. Applicants are required to include two references (one practical and one academic) and a personal statement..

Personal statements should address:

• the applicant’s background and relevant experience;
• the reasons for applying to Trinity Laban;
• the relevance of the programme to the applicant’s current practice and their future professional aspirations;
• why the applicant is interested in the programme at this point in his/her career/education/personal and professional development.

A successful applicant to the programme will need to demonstrate the following through personal statement and interview:

• The capacity for independent, critical and reflective judgement;
• Intellectual curiosity and the potential for innovative pedagogical and musical development;
• A critical understanding of the diversity of learners and the complexities of the education process;
• The ability to organise and articulate opinions and arguments in writing using relevant specialist vocabulary.
• High levels of technical fluency and convincing interpretative skills on their instrument.

The RPL process, if required, will be conducted by a follow-up interview.

For more information on the application process please see our step-by-step application guide.

Fees and Finance

Fees for 2024/25

Fees are reviewed annually. Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases based on RPI-X.

The following fees are confirmed:

2024/2025 Entrants 

Mode of Study	Home	International
Full Time Year 1 (taken in 2024/25)	£11,950	£23,600
Full Time  Year 2 (taken in 2025/26)	£12,420	£24,540
Part Time  Year 1 (taken in 2024/25)	£7440	£14,750

2024/2025 Entrants – vocal students

Mode of Study	Home	International
Full Time Year 1 (taken in 2024/25)	£13,310	£24,960
Full Time  Year 2 (taken in 2025/26)	£13,820	£25,940
Part Time  Year 1 (taken in 2024/25)	£8200	£15,510

 

 You can also see our current and past fees.

Accommodation and Living Costs

This information can be found on our Costs of Living page.

Financial Support

Read about financial awards and external funding opportunities in the Fees and Finance section