MUS8022 - Instrumental & Vocal Pedagogy: Practice-based Teaching
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Larry Zazzo
- Owning School: School of Arts and Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: N/A
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
-
Semester 1 Credit Value: 20 Total Credits: 20.0
Aims
Instrumental and Vocal Pedagogy introduces students to the theories and practice of vocal and instrumental pedagogy, and strategies for incorporating this knowledge into their own teaching of both individuals and groups. It develops an awareness of the developmental needs of instrumental or vocal performers and applies theoretical and science-based approaches to one-to-one and group learning. Students observe and work in a lessons studio to develop their pedagogical skills, and to discover how teaching effects creative practice. In short, the module aims to facilitate learning in how teaching can enhance the practice of musicianship.
Outline Of Syllabus
Teaching involves a mixture of lectures, workshops and fieldtrips on specific topics concerning practical pedagogy from current teaching staff and from invited guest speakers, and might include:
- History of instrumental pedagogy
- Selecting appropriate repertoire for your student
- Anatomy of the voice
- Performer psychology
- Freelance practitioners: developing your studio
- Breathing and Performance
- Troubleshooting vocal and instrumental faults
- Working with neuro and gender diverse students
- Feutchtwanger technique for pianists and other performers
An important part of the module will consist of peer observation of teaching by professional tutors on staff, as well as supervised one to one or group teaching, leading to the preparation of the assessment
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching Activity | Lecture | 8 | 01:00 | 08:00 | Present in Person Lectures [some expert guest lecturers may need to deliver lectures remotely] |
| Teaching Activity | Small Group Teaching | 8 | 01:00 | 08:00 | Present in Person Seminars/Peer observation of teaching |
| Teaching Activity | Practical | 6 | 01:00 | 06:00 | Observation of mentor’s one to one teaching |
| Teaching Activity | Drop-in/Surgery | 2 | 01:00 | 02:00 | Tutorials with pedagogical ‘mentor’ |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective Learning Activity | 1 | 34:00 | 34:00 | Reflective journalling on teaching practice |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective Learning Activity | 4 | 02:00 | 08:00 | Attendance at visiting masterclasses/UG instrumental heads of studies workshops |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment Preparation | 1 | 70:00 | 70:00 | Preparation and completion of assessment |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent Study | 1 | 62:00 | 62:00 | Reading and other Research |
| Total | 200:00 | ||||
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures work together to convey theoretical and practical knowledge relevant to contextualising the practice of vocal and instrumental pedagogy (K1–4, S1–4) Present-in-person workshops provide an opportunity to implement knowledge from the lectures in hands-on peer observation and staff-guided teaching situations (K1–4, S1–4)
The one-to-one tutorial sessions provide opportunities for students to reflect on and ask questions about the teaching approaches of their chosen mentor, with a view to preparing their assessment (S1-4)
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams:
| Component | Length | When Set | Resit available off-campus? | % | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 15-20 minutes | A | Y | 50 | Submitted video of taught lesson |
Other Assessments:
| Description | Semester | When Set | % | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1 | A | 50 | 1500-word reflective commentary with supplementary materials (lesson plans, repertoire lists, other teaching materials) |
The two assessments allow students to demonstrate practical skills acquired, their ability to contextualise these with theoretical and practical approaches, and provide evidence of materials produced during the module that would be relevant for teaching their chosen instrument to an instrument or group (K1–4; S1–4)
Oral Presentation (50%)
Students will submit a video in which they teach a short musical lesson to a volunteer singer or instrumentalist, assessed on the following task specific criteria:
- Critical contextualisation of theoretical or practical knowledge into teaching methods (K1; S1)
- The ability to diagnose and correct vocal and instrumental faults (S2)
- An attuned teaching style responding to the specific needs/skill level of the student (S3)
- The effective and targeted use the time (S4)
Portfolio (50%)
The submitted portfolio will include a 1500-word reflective commentary on their teaching process, as well as supplementary materials (lesson plans, repertoire lists, other teaching materials) developed over the course of the module. Students are assessed on the following task specific assessment criteria:
- Engagement with current theoretical and practical research on musical pedagogy in their area of teaching (K1),
- Display of an awareness of more than one approach to aspects of instrumental pedagogy (K2)
- Production of teaching materials appropriate to more than one age group or skill level (K3; S1; S3)
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/