Study Guide

Description

The degree title of the bachelor´s degree programme is Bachelor of Culture and Arts. The extent of the degree is 240 credits and it takes four years to complete the degree.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Degree Programme has four study paths:
- instrumental pedagogy
- music theory pedagogy, wide music pedagogue
- music theory pedagogy, composing
- choir conductori or orchestral conductor
The Music Pedagogy study path includes 60 cr of pedagogical studies. This part of the programme is implemented in co-operation with TAMK School of Vocational Teacher Education and provides the graduate with the basic qualification required in working as a vocational teacher and music educator.

Core study modules cover pedagogical skills, skills in playing a musical instrument, conducting a choir or an orchestra, music theory, and history of music. Other areas covered are music pedagogy, musicians' physical and psychological well-being, learning skills, communication skills, entrepreneurship for professional musicians, skills in working with others, innovation skills, international competence, and ethics.

Students will develop their skills from year to year according to the following scheme:
Year 1: Basic studies; orientation to professional studies
Year 2: Establishing the foundations of professional competence
Year 3: Developing a professional profile; advanced studies
Year 4: Establishing an individual professional identity and ability to research and further develop professional skills

Graduates can work with learners of all ages as teachers, trainers and facilitators in institutions providing basic education in music, such as music and art institutes and colleges of art and culture. A graduate may also work in the general education sector, the vocational secondary education sector, the non-vocational adult education sector, or as a self-employed entrepreneur.

Music Pedagogy graduates typically work as conductors of choirs and orchestras, or as teachers of singing, playing a musical instrument, or music theory or composing. Students usually specialise in one of these areas, but those specialising in the pedogogy of music theory can choose to include teaching an instrument in their personal study programme. The Music Pedagogy study path also prepares students to work as professional musicians or composers in a wide range of roles.

Core study modules for the Music Pedagogy study path cover pedagogical skills, skills in playing a musical instrument, conducting a choir and orchestra, composing, music theory, and history of music. The pedagogical studies cover both general principles of learning and the application of these principles to the specific subject area concerned, through, for example, a period of teaching practice.

BASIC VALUES

Our values are:
Musical, pedagogical and cultural competence
Competence and working life development through artistic activities and applied research
Dynamism in changing working life
Individualism and communality in professional growth
Internationality and cultural education

THE STRUCTURE OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME

Core studies and professional studies 180 cr
Practical training 30 cr
Elective studies 15 cr
Bachelor´s thesis 15 cr
In total 240 cr

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching methodology of the Degree Programme in Music emphasises practical work and individual cultivation of professional skills based on solid theoretical knowledge. Some courses are taught on a one-to-one basis and others are group-based. The group-based methodology takes different forms: working in small groups, lecture-style teaching for large groups, and learning by performing in musical ensembles of different kinds, from trios to symphony orchestras.

Cultivating musical skills calls for long-term application on the part of the student. Teaching must therefore be arranged at regular, widely spaced intervals, in order to allow sufficient time for the independent practice necessary for the skills to develop. Studies of this nature are built up from a number of themes, each lasting several years. These studies are organised in periods of one academic year. There is also a place in the programme for topics suitable for intensive study over a short time; studies of this kind are run within single study periods. In addition, students participate in productions and projects, and undertake periods of practical training; these activities involve active engagement with working life and are an essential part of the learning process. Students also undertake project studies with a total credit value of 30 cr; these studies are incorporated into the student’s study schedule alongside other on-going studies at different times throughout the programme.

Curriculum development and working life cooperation

The curriculum for the Degree Programme in Music follows the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for university degrees, level 6.

The TAMK programme of Music and Tampere Conservatoire together form the Tampere Music Academy. Under the name of Tampere Music Academy, productions and concerts are put on, and co-operation is developed at both national and international level. The Tampere Music Academy has an advisory board whose function is to act as a bridge between the Academy and the professional music world.

The curriculum development process has taken into account input from representatives of working life and from current TAMK students.

Further information

The currriculum has been accepted in the Higher Education Council of the Tampere University of Applied Sciences.