PGCE Secondary Education with QTS: Music (11-16 years)

Whether you're a practising musician or an aficionado of music, would you love the chance to open up children’s ears to music and inspire a new generation of performers? You can as a secondary school music teacher.

We’ve designed our highly-rated PGCE Secondary Education in Music, so that you thoroughly learn the National Curriculum framework and learn to confidently devise and deliver lessons to young people - igniting their interest in music, inspiring them to take music to new levels.

The course has QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) built in and students will apply for a position as a secondary school teacher during the course of their studies and teaching practice.

Course summary

You will begin by understanding the needs of individual learners, learning to notice, understand and implement key teaching strategies. Working with individual groups of pupils in school, you'll gradually building up to the teaching of whole classes in the second phase. This will involve fostering the appropriate levels of learning in pupils, corresponding to the requirements of the Teachers' Standard.

Developing and making use of your music skills, you will explore teaching methods in all areas across Key Stages 3 and 4, which span ages 11 to 18. We will share good practice and professional values with you, and teach you how to nurture diverse musical talents and abilities.

By fostering an appreciation of music in young people, you will help create the performers and composers of tomorrow, so get started and enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling career as a secondary school music teacher.

Your professional development will include sessions in school and university, including music projects and performance with instrumental and vocal ensembles, as well as traditional teaching methods. We want to help you feel, see and hear new concepts and ideas, using your experiences to deconstruct classroom learning and rebuild it into a more effective teaching style.

A personal tutor will be assigned by the university to regularly meet and discuss your progress, and your subject mentor will support your development at your placement.

Your Career with a PGCE Teaching Qualification

Your QTS qualifies you to apply for a position as a secondary school music teacher directly after graduation. Credits for the masters level modules count towards a masters level qualification, should you choose to train further.

Even if you decide not to go into teaching, you'll still have skills highly valued by employers. The successful completion of a professional degree requires dedication, commitment, good interpersonal and organisational skills and the ability to maintain a positive attitude, all of which are qualities highly sought after in the employment market.