Music Education

B.Mus.Ed. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)
4 Years Full-Time
12 Places
CAO Points 531 (2023)
CAO Code TR009

Overview

What is Music Education?

The Bachelor in Music Education provides for the academic, artistic and professional requirements of those wishing to become music teachers at post-primary level (including Northern Ireland). Not all graduates choose to teach however. Some, on graduation, pursue further study at Master's and doctoral levels in performance, conducting, and composition and quite a few pursue postgraduate courses in the media and in the music business.

The degree is taught in partnership with the Technical University of Dublin Conservatoire of Music and Drama (TU Dublin Conservatoire) and, on alternate years, with the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM). The degree is an integrated course of study designed to equip students with a high standard of performance in their principal instrument (including voice) and a competence in related musical skills, such as conducting, keyboard skills, and performance in choral, orchestral and chamber music groups. The course also provides for a solid grounding in harmony, counterpoint, composition, orchestration, analysis, history of music, and Irish traditional music.

Do you enjoy…

  • Performing, composing and sharing music?
  • Learning how to inspire others with your musicianship?
  • Exploring how to influence the next generation of musicians?

Music Education: Is this the course for you?

If you love sharing music, already have a competent standard of music performance, and wish to combine these qualities with a teaching career, then this course is ideally suited to you. Whether your interests are primarily academic or practical, your experience of this vast and rich discipline will be greatly advanced. As an academic study, music fosters independence of thought, creativity and critical and analytical skills. This course offers opportunities to perform music, to share music with others via teaching and performing, and to conduct a number of different ensembles.

    Music Education at Trinity

    Trinity College Dublin is the only university in Ireland which offers the Bachelor in Music Education degree. Students study both music and education to Honours degree level leading to a professional qualification in post-primary teaching which is accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland. One of the strengths of the Music Education course at Trinity is the commitment to individual and small group teaching. The facilities in the Associated Colleges include recital rooms, practice rooms with pianos, music studios, excellent listening equipment, and a substantial lending collection of print and audio resources.

    The staff at TU Dublin and RIAM has a wide range of experience in vocal and instrumental music, composition, music technology and musicology. The staff at Trinity’s School of Education has a wide range of expertise in all aspects of education including educational research, the psychology of education, philosophy of education, sociology of education and music pedagogy. Students also have access to the largest research library in Ireland.

    Graduate skills and career opportunities

    Music Education is a professional degree accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland. Graduates have excellent employment records. Most graduates choose post-primary teaching, many garnering reputations as inspirational music teachers; others choose instrumental teaching both privately and in conservatoires. Graduates also go on to work in areas such as professional development, instrumental and vocal performance, academia, agencies associated with the arts, and in fields such as music therapy and music technology. Many students take postgraduate courses majoring in areas such as music education, musicology, performance, and composition. Occasionally graduates pursue disciplines such as accountancy, law and medicine!

    Recent graduates are working in primary, post-primary and third-level teaching posts in Ireland, in countries throughout Europe, the US, UAE, China and Singapore as well as with international companies in Ireland such as Google.

    Your degree and what you’ll study

    A basic feature of the programme is personal development in music, supporting the ability to awaken the interest and enthusiasm of pupils. Students are encouraged to engage in ensemble work at a level appropriate to their ability. Opportunities to perform are provided, offering realistic individual goals for all, including the exceptionally gifted. Structured school placement in all aspects of classroom practice both at primary and post-primary levels is provided, as well as instrumental/vocal practice.

    In addition to individual instrumental / vocal tuition, there are approximately 15 hours of lectures per week, comprising music and theoretical education.

    First and second years

    Modules studied in your first year include: Instrumental Performance; Musicianship; Compositional Techniques; Music History; Music Education, including Co-teaching; and Curricular Development. In Year Two, modules include: Instrumental Performance; Musicianship; Compositional Techniques; Music History; Music Education; Irish Educational History and Policy; and School Placement.

    Third and fourth years

    At this point, students cover: Instrumental Performance; Musicianship; Compositional Techniques; Music Education; Research Methods; Philosophy of Education; School Placement; and the Sociology of Education. In your final year, you will work on an intensive Capstone Research Project specialised in music education research, composition or performance. You will also study modules in: Aural Perception; Compositional Techniques; Applied Psychology in Education; Introduction to Assessment and Examinations in Post Primary Education; School Placement; Inclusive Education; and Digital Learning.

    Click here for further information on modules/subject.

    Study abroad and internship opportunities

    The programme has strong links abroad, including active participation in the Erasmus exchange system with universities in Scotland, France and Hungary. It allows second year students the option of spending one semester studying abroad. Further information on study abroad can be found at: www.tcd.ie/ study/study-abroad/outbound

      Study Music Education in Trinity

      This short video from the School of Education at Trinity College, presented by course coordinator Dr. Marita Kerin offers you an overview of the Bachelor in Music Education (TR009).

      Course Details

      Awards

      B.Mus.Ed. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)

      CAO Information

      CAO Points 531 (2023) CAO Code TR009

      Number of Places

      12 Places
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      Admission Requirements

      This is a restricted entry course; applications must be submitted to CAO by 1st February. You will be required to sit an entrance test in March.

      Students will be required to undergo Garda Vetting, for further details see: https://www.tcd.ie/students/orientation/undergraduates/garda-vetting.php

       

      Course Fees

      Click here for a full list of undergraduate fees.

      Apply

      To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below

      EU Applicants

      Read the information about how to apply, then apply directly to CAO.

        Non-EU Applicants

        Advanced Entry Applications

        Read the information about how to apply for Advanced Entry, then select the link below to apply.

          Get in Touch

          gallagd7@tcd.ie

          Website

          http://www.tcd.ie/education/undergraduate/b-mus-ed

          Register Your Interest

          Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.

          Register Your Interest

          After graduating from B.Mus.Ed. I studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. I have now taken a position with the Defence Forces School of Music. This position holds the rank of Captain, and my tasks include administrative duties as well as conducting the Army No.1 Band when required. I am absolutely delighted with this position, and it is the ideal job for me. Getting to conduct a professional ensemble on a regular basis is a dream come true.

          Captain Thomas Kelly

          Graduate and member of the Defence Forces' School of Music

          I loved the B.Mus.Ed. and I was proud to be on the course. I didn’t fully understand how amazing the course is until now. It is so comprehensive and afforded me so many diverse experiences. I believe it is an all-encompassing music degree which produces musician-teachers, with both identities developed in tandem, something that I am only now beginning to fully appreciate. How amazingly lucky we all were to have been a part of this course.

          Lynsey Callaghan

          Graduate