PGCert Performance Teaching

The Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Performance Teaching is a Masters-level course designed to support professional musicians, actors, production artists and dancers who teach as part of their practice, either as their main employment or as part of a portfolio career.

About this programme

The Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Performance Teaching is a Masters-level course designed to support professional musicians, actors, production artists and dancers who teach as part of their practice, either as their main employment or as part of a portfolio career. It offers a unique opportunity to develop creative and reflective practice in teaching in performing arts contexts. You will be encouraged to identify a personal pathway for your development, focusing on the pedagogy of performance and creative practice in performing arts contexts that are most relevant to your career aspirations.

Who is it for?

The programme attracts applicants who are interested in creative, innovative and evidence-based teaching. You could be at any stage of your career as long as you’re willing to take a fresh look at your practice. Equally, you might teach in range of contexts, including schools, Higher Education, junior conservatoires, community and lifelong learning.

What you'll learn

The content is very holistic, and the workshop sessions touch on multiple aspects of teaching and learning. We cover areas such as:

Fundamental principles and values in education
Theories of learning and theories of motivation
Approaches to facilitation
Working with groups
Creativity and pedagogical improvisation
Partnership and collaborative working
Reflective practice
Inclusion and use of language
Curriculum and assessment issues
Giving and receiving feedback
Professionalism and codes of practice
Discipline-specific approaches

How you'll be assessed

You will be supported throughout the programme with ongoing formative feedback. The major summative assignments leading to the qualification cover a range of elements, including:

Individual presentation on your core values and principles in teaching
Practical group workshop and presentation
Written critical reflection relating to your own teaching practice and observations of other teachers
Case studies of your teaching practice, incorporating lesson planning, feedback on your own observed teaching practice and the evaluation of your own teaching through feedback from your students

Applicants should normally have obtained an undergraduate degree in music, acting, dance or production arts or equivalent qualification. If you have a degree in a different subject then appropriate professional experience in music, acting, dance or production arts may suffice. Please submit a professional CV in that case. An applicant without an undergraduate degree may be eligible for non-standard entry and will be required to supply additional documentation, for example a professional CV and an academic essay.