Master of Arts in Music Education for Voice and Instruments (IGP) – Guitar
Curriculum information at: https://www.mdw.ac.at/1327

Programme objective:
Training of highly qualified instrumental and vocal music teachers for both institutional and freelance teaching careers. Graduates should be in a position to do justice to the changing demands entailed by the everyday practice of this profession. The objective of training in this second phase of study is therefore further development of students’ technical and interpretive abilities along with cultivation of their ability to work independently in scholarly and/or instructional capacities related to their chosen artistic fields.

Teaching activities may include:
Instrumental and/or vocal teaching both at educational institutions and freelance at all levels of training.

This master’s degree programme is recommended only to those students who can be expected to have mastered their instruments at the highest level (close to that of performance degree-holders) upon graduation.

Entrance Examination:

1. 2 contrasting movements of a cyclical work by Bach or one of his fugues or the Ciaccona from the Second Partita (BWV 1004) for violin

2. 1 work or multiple works from the 19th century lasting a total of at least 5 min.

3. 1 work from the Spanish and/or Latin American tradition or written in a fairly traditional musical language (Barrios, Turina, Torroba, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, or similar) lasting at least 5 min.

4. One post-1945 work from the realm of contemporary music that differs markedly in style from works that are part of the traditional repertoire. Duration: at least 5 min.

Exam duration: ca. 15 min.

The candidate chooses the piece that should come first, after which the commission will ask to hear other works until the time limit has been reached.

 

Master’s Degree Examination:

  1. 1 work or group of works from the 16th or 17th centuries (played either from the candidate’s own transcription or from tabulature)
  2. 1 cyclical work or individual movements (with a total duration of at least 15 min.) by J. S. Bach—e.g., transcriptions of lute suites or of solo works for different instruments
  3. 1 work from the classical or romantic period lasting at least 15 min.
  4. 1 work or a group of works from the 20th or 21st century lasting at least 15 min. whose musical language differs markedly from that of the 19th century.
    It is possible to additionally include a Spanish or Latin American work of max. 8 min. in duration
  5. 2 etudes at a level of difficulty equivalent to that of such works by composers such as Villa-Lobos, Barrios, Sagreras, and Coste (op. 38)

Exam performance duration:

Internal: ca. 30 min.
Public: ca. 40 min.

It is possible to choose a challenging chamber music work to cover programme item 3) or 4). Eligible in this regard are works that do not include further guitar parts. It is also possible to perform a movement from a solo concerto with piano.

One’s chosen artistic programme must be made available in printed form at the examination.

Didactics Examination:
Explanatory discussion of 3 works (from differing eras) chosen by the candidate covering didactic, technical, stylistic, and formal aspects. These works must not be part of the artistic programme.

 

 

NEW Master’s Degree Examination (mandatory from the 2023/24 academic year onward)

One’s programme must include at least the following points:

  1. 1 work or group of works from the 16th or 17th centuries (played either from the candidate’s own transcription or from tabulature)
  2. 1 complete cyclical work by J. S. Bach (instrument-appropriate transcriptions of Lute Suites, of solo works for other instruments, or of the Ciaccona from the Second Partita (BWV 1004) for violin. The Suite BWV 997 must be performed including the Fugue and the Double.
  3. 1 or several classical or romantic works lasting at least 15 min. in total
  4. 2 or more works from the 20th/21st centuries lasting a total of at least 20 minutes that must include the following:
    • 1 work from the Spanish and/or Latin American tradition or written in a fairly traditional musical language (Barrios, Turina, Torroba, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, or similar)
    • One post-1945 work from the realm of contemporary music that differs markedly in style from works that are part of the traditional repertoire
  5. 2 etudes at a level of difficulty equivalent to that of such works by composers such as Villa-Lobos, Barrios, Sagreras, and Coste (op. 38)

 

It is possible to choose a challenging chamber music work to cover programme item 3) or 4). Eligible in this regard are works that do not include further guitar parts. It is also possible to perform a movement from a solo concerto with piano.

Examination playing time, internal: ca. 30 min.; public: ca. 40 min.

The candidate chooses the piece that should come first, after which the commission will determine the further works to be played until the time limit has been reached.

Didactics Examination (NEW):

This examination consists of two parts:

1) List of works

 The list of works to be submitted at one’s examination must contain 2 works from different stylistic eras; these must include 1 instructional work and may also include 1 work from one’s artistic examination programme.

 The expectation is for the candidate to have dealt in a deep-reaching manner with the chosen works including consideration of their historico-cultural contexts. In presenting this list, the emphasis must be on all those aspects that are of practical relevance to these works’ performance and interpretation (style, harmony, melody, structure, etc.).

2) Teaching demonstration

 The candidate must demonstrate their teaching in the form of a demonstration lesson lasting ca. 20 minutes. In doing so, the candidate should adapt to the participating pupil and their present skill level as well as make a theme of instrumental technique-related, musical, and stylistic aspects in a suitable manner, thereby effecting clearly recognisable improvements in the pupil’s playing.

The demonstration pupil is selected by the examination committee (representing the Joseph Hellmesberger Department) and should play at a level approximately equivalent to that of learners who fulfil the requirements for admission to the IGP bachelor’s degree programme.

Examination Structure:

 The candidate is permitted to begin the examination by discussing a topic of their own choosing that relates to the provided work list, speaking spontaneously (not reading!).

The examination committee will then ask questions pertaining to further works on the candidate’s list; the answers to these must likewise be sponanteous.

One’s chosen artistic programme must be made available in printed form at the examination.