MA Music Education

This is a one-year full-time level 7 course with an option for a two-year part-time schedule.  

Some modules are shared with the MMus, MA Music Education and Performance, and MEd Music Education (Online), allowing you to collaborate and network with performers and practising music educators. 

If you’d like to blend your studies of music education with performance, you can apply for the MA Music Education and Performance. Alternatively, if you want to study music education remotely, you can apply for the MEd Music Education (Online). 

Module breakdown 

Taught modules 

• Music’s Pedagogies  
• Contexts of Musical Learning 
• Education Placement 
• Rediscover & Repurpose  
• Research Lab 
• CoLab 
• Electives (see below) 

Project / Dissertation Module 

• Research Project  

Electives 

You can choose one elective from list A, which will be graded. You can then choose another elective from either list A or B, which will be pass/fail. 

LIST A 

• Instrumental / Vocal Teaching 
• Creative Leadership 
• Theorising Classroom Music 
• Contemporary Theorists in Music Education 
• Technology in Music Education 
• Learning Mentor 
• The Social Impact of Music Making 
• Expanding Horizons: Exploring UK Music Education 

LIST B 

• Current MMus Elective List (all pass / fail) 
• 1-1 Instrumental / Vocal Learning & Ensemble (p / f) 

Performance opportunities

Trinity Laban has a rich and diverse performance programme, and you are welcome to audition for the various orchestras, choirs, and ensembles. You can also choose the 1-1 Instrumental / Vocal Learning & Ensemble.  

Learning, teaching, and assessment

All modules have a substantial portfolio of asynchronous learning materials, including curated and recommended reading. Modules also have a variety of forms of student-teacher and student-student interactions, including class discussions, online forums, interactive discussion boards, and through formative assessment portfolios. All written submissions can receive draft feedback from staff. The Education Placement and Learning Mentor modules will involve observation in new work contexts and the chance to get to know one or more professional music education environments in the UK.

Assessment methods mirror professional requirements as much as possible. The course offers a wide range of assessment tasks, from a video of teaching to case studies and essays. There is a blend of written and practical assessment methods (including composition, teaching resources, reflective journals, action research etc.) and a variety of modes of submission, including multi-media submissions (e.g. narrated PowerPoint, Sway file or podcast). Most assessments are dependent on professional practice as an educator, adaptable to your specific professional role and are centred on connecting reflective practice with theoretical knowledge. You will be supported in gaining the appropriate teaching experience. 

Modules such as the ‘Research Lab’ and ‘Research Project’ will feature a blend of written and practical assessment methods arrived at through negotiation between the student and tutor depending on the material under consideration. The course assessment strategy involves a trajectory of increasingly personalised options of increasing weight, with peer-to-peer support through forums and occasional team-working and staff support through supervisions. 

For more information, please see the programme specification or contact our Admissions team (admissions@trinitylaban.ac.uk). 

• A degree, or equivalent training and / or professional experience is normally required. Applicants are usually expected to hold a good pass in a BA, BMus (Hons) or equivalent qualification.
• We welcome applicants who do not hold an undergraduate degree, but can demonstrate equivalent previous study and / or experience.
• Applicants without a degree will be required to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning to demonstrate suitability for postgraduate study.
• Considerable professional experience in music education and / or participatory settings, which should current or recent.
• Fluent musical skills on a principal instrument / voice (normally grade 8 or equivalent professional experience).
• (for International Students) IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all 4 areas / Trinity College London – Integrated Skills in English III (ISEIII).

You will have to successfully complete a DBS check on commencing the programme. 

Admission to the course is assessed through application and interview. 

Application process

Applications are made online through UCAS Conservatoires. You are required to include two references (one practical and one academic) and a personal statement. The personal statement should address your background and relevant experience, reasons for applying to Trinity Laban, the relevance of the course to your current practice and future professional aspirations, and why you are interested in it. 

A successful applicant to the programme will need to demonstrate the following through personal statement and interview: 

• the capacity for independent, critical and reflective judgement 
• intellectual curiosity and the potential for innovative pedagogical and musical development 
• a critical understanding of the diversity of learners and the complexities of the education process 
• the ability to organise and articulate opinions and arguments in writing using relevant specialist vocabulary 
• high levels of technical fluency and convincing interpretative skills on their instrument. 

The RPL process, if required, will be conducted by a follow-up interview. 

For more information on the application process, please see our step-by-step application guide.