Background / Organisation

Teacher training in Germany is – like the education of children and youngsters in schools – organised by the Federal States and is, therefore, set up in different ways accordingly. Teacher training consists of three phases:

·      studying at a scientific university or “Hochschule” (institutions developed from conservatoires to establish academic training in the arts and equated to the scientific universities) – in Baden-Württemberg, this also includes the pedagogical universities;

·      a induction period of 18-24 months at a school together with university lectures and discussion of lesson observations in the “Fachseminar” and

·      a variety of insets, which music teachers may attend during their teaching career.

There is a specific course for training teachers to teach in secondary music classrooms which is different from other pedagogical studies of music like instrumental teaching or elementary music teaching. The following article only refers to teacher training in schools.

Students doing teacher training at university are entitled to teach in different types of schools and key stages – this depends on the Federal State and the type of schools found there. Usually, there is a special training for all the various types of “Sonderschulen” (schools for children with learning disabilities and mentally and physically handicapped children) as well as for Grammar Schools and Comprehensive Schools which are special types of “Sekundarstufe I” (up to age 14, grade 8) and “Sekundarstufe II” (age 14-18, grade 8-12 or sometimes age 19, grade 13). All remaining types of schools (from grade 1 to 10) offer a variety of options, for example one can focus on a certain type of school only. It is also possible for a university course to cover all the key stages, focussing on either primary schools, “Hauptschulen” or “Realschulen”. However, the overall structure of studies has the three-part school system in mind.

Usually, it is essential to study two different subjects during the course of teacher training. In some Federal States, however, it is possible to study Music only. The process of changing to Bachelor and Master degrees in Music is currently on its way and has made different progress in different Federal States. The new degrees will replace the previous “Staatsexamensprüfung” – here, all the major and final examinations used to be organised by a central Federal Examination Department.