Curriculum

There are two main pathways in Norwegian Music teacher training, one aimed at classroom teaching and one with instrumental/vocal specialisation. There are several variants of training in each main pathway.

Training for Classroom Teachers

• A four-year general teacher programme (240 ECTS) where teachers specialise in music: Specialisations can be from 30 to 120 credits. This educational programme is offered by university colleges, many of them specialising in teacher education. A teacher certificate is awarded after four years, qualifying graduates to teach any subject at any level in primary and secondary education. Parallel to this, students receive a (academic) Bachelor’s degree after three years and may use their fourth year as part of a Master’s programme in music education. There is also an opportunity to take a one year teacher training programme for students who already have a Bachelor’s degree in music. This can be studied on part-time basis over two years. After five years a Masters degree is obtained.

• A four-year programme in practical and aesthetical education: This programme consists of compulsory subjects and electives. The compulsory subjects are music, art and craft, Norwegian and educational theory and practice; each of these is 30 credits. Additionally students must choose two 30-credits courses out of the following: drama, dance, physical education and domestics. Students can specialise in any of the above-mentioned subjects (both compulsory and elective) up to 90 credits. A teacher certificate is awarded after four years, qualifying graduates to teach any subject at any level in primary and secondary education. Even in this case, students receive a Bachelor degree and are allowed to continue on a Master’s programme in music education. Four university colleges offer this educational programme.

• Three-year programme for kindergarten (180 credits) where teachers receive foundation courses in music education (10 credits) and where they may specialise in music for an additional 30 credits. Programmes are offered by university colleges.

·         Four- and five-year subject based programmes which consist of three years of subject studies (Bachelor) and on top of that educational theory and practice for one to two years. This Master’s programme is offered by universities and the Norwegian Academy of music. University colleges are now also offering variants of the programme. Students receive certificates for lower secondary schools or (for Master programmes) upper secondary schools.

Training for Instrumental/Vocal Teaching

·         Three- or four-year Bachelor programmes offered by conservatories, in some cases also including dance and drama. Most students on these programmes will work in public culture (music) schools. Some also work in upper secondary or tertiary education.

·         Five-, six- or eight-year programmes at Master or PhD level in music performance and music education. These programmes are in some cases offered by universities (e.g. the Grieg Academy), in some cases by the Norwegian Academy of Music. Graduates work in all kinds of institutions, such as culture schools, tertiary education and upper secondary education.

The Norwegian Academy of Music

Below follows a description of the main contents for the Bachelor’s programme in music education at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Bachelor qualifies students for both classroom and instrumental teaching; the Masters course is more theoretically orientated and prepares for PhD studies.