Background/ Organisation
Belgium’s special (cultural) political situation with three different language communities that are clearly separated from each other means that the political framework is crucial to understanding the current situation, also with regard to the form and importance of general music education. Since 1993 Belgium has been a federal state, split on the one hand into three language communities and on the other into three regions (Flanders, with its capital Brussels, Wallonia with its capital Namur and the municipal region of Brussels). The population is divided into the three language communities as follows:
1 Flemish community – approx. 5.8 million inhabitants
2 French community – approx. 4.2 million inhabitants
3 German-speaking community – approx. 70,000 inhabitants
Since the end of the 1970s responsibility for culture and education policy has no longer lain with the national government but with the three individual language communities.
In the "communauté française", the French-speaking community, music education takes place at the following institutions:
- the three royal conservatoires
1 Conservatoire Royal in Brussels (www.conservatoire.be)
2 Conservatoire Royal in Liège (www.crlg.be)
3 Conservatoire Royal in Mons (www.conservatoire-mons.be)
- the "IMEP" music academy in Namur. (www.imep.be)
Note: since the academic year 2002/03 a sweeping structural reform of the music academies in the French community has been taking place that has chiefly affected the three royal conservatoires in Brussels, Liège and Mons. The entrance requirement has been changed to match that of the music academies, i.e. the school-leaving examination equivalent to A-levels in the UK. The range of additional compulsory subjects has been increased considerably to include music theory, philosophy, information technology, history of music etc.
In the Flemish community, the “Vlaamse Gemeenschap”, music education takes place at the following institutions:
- the three (royal) conservatoires
1 Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels (www.kcb.be)
2 Koninklijk Conservatorium in Antwerp (www.artesis.be/conservatorium)
3 Koninklijk Conservatorium in Gent (www.cons.hogent.be)
- the "Lemmensinstituut" music academy in Leuven (www.lemmens.wenk.be)
- In addition there are four other educational institutions offering a "Bachelor of Education" degree course with a special focus on music. At all four, students graduate as qualified teachers of two school subjects at secondary school level, e.g. music and mathematics, music and art etc.
1 Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg in Hasselt
2 Artesis Hogeschool in Antwerp
3 Arteveldehogeschool in Gent
4 Hogeschool Gent in Gent
No specialised music teacher training is offered for music teaching at kindergarten and elementary level because in those institutions music is taught by the class teacher. Kindergarten and primary school teachers receive their musical instruction and their training as teachers of music at teacher training college. However, the time devoted to this music-related training during the three-year (bachelor's) degree course is very limited, as is the content, so the course does not generally enable the future elementary school teacher to produce music lessons of any great quality.
For music education at secondary level either a degree from one of the two music academies (the IMEP or the Lemmensinstituut) or a master's degree from one of the six conservatoires is required. What presents problems here, however, is the fact that every didactic master's course in music (including instrumental studies, a course in music theory etc.) also qualifies graduates as teachers at secondary level.
Music teacher training consists of a single stage. A year of supervised practical training at a school (usual in other countries) is not required.
In the Flemish community, the newly founded Flemish Centre for Music Education is responsible for coordinating the various different educational institutions, some of which have representatives on the centre's board of directors.
Music Education as a Degree Subject
Music education is offered as a subject only at the two music academies.
In Namur:
- Bachelor in "éducation musicale" for music teaching at lower secondary level (ages 12-15)
- Master in "éducation musicale" for music teaching at upper secondary level (ages 16-18)
In Leuven:
After completion of the bachelor, a "Master's degree in Music" is then required to qualify the trainee as a music teacher at every school type.
In addition, the conservatoires in Antwerp and Gent recently introduced master's courses in music education (with a special focus on teaching at music schools). There are currently 55 students enrolled in the bachelor's course in "Music Education" in Namur and 15 enrolled in the master's course at the Lemmensinstituut.
“Agrégation” (Certificate of Aptitude for Teaching)
It is possible to qualify as a music teacher either after or during a master's degree course in a purely arts subject by taking an additional two-year course (30 ECTS credits), the so-called “agrégation pédagogique”.
This additional course leading to a certificate of aptitude for teaching is rendered redundant by graduation in any master of education course (e.g. even in the Educational Theory of Instrument Teaching for Violin).