Master of Arts in Music Education for Voice and Instruments (IGP) – Violin
Curriculum information at: https://www.mdw.ac.at/1321
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) 1 slow movement (with double-stops) and 1 fast movement from a solo sonata or partita by J. S. Bach
2) 1 fast movement from a violin concerto incl. cadenza
3) 1 slow and 1 fast movement from a sonata or other cyclical work
4) 1 freely chosen work
Master’s Degree Examination:
1) 1 of the following options by J. S. Bach:
a) Adagio/Grave and Fugue from one of the 3 Solo Sonatas
b) Chaconne from the Partita in D Minor
c) 4 movements from the Partita in D Minor
c) 2 movements plus the Double from the Partita in B Minor
e) Preludio, Loure, and Gavotte from the Partita in E Major
2) 1 Caprice from Paganini’s 24 Caprices, or
1 Caprice from Wieniawski’s L’École moderne
3) Mozart: 1 entire concerto incl. cadenzas
4) 1 fast movement from a major concerto such as those of Bartók, Khachaturian, Lalo, Mendelssohn, or Wieniawski
5) 3 freely chosen works (in their entirety), among them at least 1 sonata and 1 chamber work
One’s programme must include all of the main genres (sonata, concerto, chamber music), 1 work by Mozart, and the following styles: baroque, classical, romantic, first half of the 20th century, and 1 work composed after 1945 (a modern or contemporary work that differs markedly in style from works that are part of the traditional repertoire), with baroque and classical being covered by the works of Bach and Mozart.
One’s programme must include 1 work relevant to the candidate’s personal emphases (can be explained at the examination).
The chamber work as well as 1 further work from one’s artistic programme must be played as part of a public concert (playing time: 45–50 min.).
A prerequisite for admission to the public part of one’s examination is passing the first (internal) part.
2 works should be played by memory.
Exam performance durations: ca. 35–40 min.(internal); ca. 45–50 min. (public)
One’s chosen artistic programme must be made available in printed form at the examination.
Didactics Examination:
General Examination Criteria:
The didactics examination is meant to reveal a candidate’s comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge and abilities as well as to facilitate recognition of their ability to think within broader contexts. The concern here is with a sound approach to pedagogical and didactic issues as well as with the ability to work with students as their teacher in a way that makes sense. The candidate should also be capable of demonstrating details of instrumental technique on an instrument and should therefore bring along their violin to this examination.
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 may include 1 instructional work (such as by Leopold Mozart, Francesco Geminiani, Carl Flesch, Leopold Auer, Simon Fischer, etc.), and 1 of the works may be from one’s artistic examination programme.
The expectation is for the candidate to have dealt in a deep-reaching scholarly 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. 15 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 and effect clearly recognisable change on the pupil’s part.
The demonstration pupil is selected by the examination committee (representing the 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 questions must likewise be spontaneous.
One’s chosen artistic programme must be made available in printed form at the examination.
Exam duration: ca. 45 minutes