Music PGCE

This forward-thinking course will prepare you to teach music and music technology in an exciting and innovative way. We will develop your expertise in a variety of teaching situations by exploring and sharing different traditions, teaching styles and materials.

Our tutors are committed to the delivery of interactive and thought-provoking sessions and to promoting a strong collaborative ethos that allows you to learn with, and from, your peers by sharing materials, ideas and resources.

Music workshops are a key part of the programme and are led by professional musicians and music educators who specialise in areas such as conducting, improvisation, music technology and the teaching of composition. A number of activities are arranged in collaboration with learning and participation programmes such as the London Symphony Orchestra (Gamelan) and the Kingdom Choir (Gospel).

We draw on current research at the IOE and elsewhere to inform your music teaching and encourage you to engage with recent debate and literature in the field. The programme is underpinned by the foundation disciplines, psychology, philosophy and sociology in music education. Our underlying aim is to develop you as a reflective and highly skilled teacher.

In our partner schools you will work with pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4. You will also have opportunities to observe teaching or to teach at post-16 level, including A level music and music technology.

We provide excellent facilities, including a newly refurbished music technology suite and a range of classroom instruments from different traditions.

Features

This programme has been designed to enable all students to demonstrate that they have met the standards across Key Stages 3 and 4 (11–16 age range Qualified Teacher Status).

Wherever possible, we provide opportunities for trainees to gain experience at Key Stage 5 (post-16 age range), even where their qualification is for 11 to 16 teaching.

Attendance

In your placement schools or colleges, your responsibilities will be equivalent to those of a practising teacher, but on a reduced timetable. The working day starts at approximately 8.30am and ends at 5.00pm. Sometimes it is shorter, but you will need to plan your life to reflect the demands of the school day and the school term dates, which may not be the same as the published IOE term dates.

Days spent at the Institute include keynote lectures, subject lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and directed study days. In addition, time in the evenings and at weekends is needed for further study and planning.

Assessment

You will be assessed in two ways:

• on your practical teaching and your progress in achieving the standards for Qualified Teacher Status
• on assignments, portfolio tasks and, for some subjects, practical projects.

We will monitor your progress throughout the PGCE, and you will record this in a Career Entry and Development Profile statement. This will form part of a portfolio that links into the induction year (your first year of teaching) and your continuing professional development.

Subject entry requirements

You should either have a first degree in music or music technology, or ideally should have spent at least 50 per cent of your undergraduate studies in the study of music. We will consider different subjects providing music has been a significant part of your undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.

You should also be able to demonstrate some awareness of current issues in education, evidence of having worked with young people, a high level of practical musicianship and musical interests and an openness to expanding your personal musical knowledge and skills. You should be able to share your enthusiasm for music as a subject, be well organised, and have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, be receptive and work as part of a team.