Institutions National Overviews

Two

400 +

State-funded, through the Ministry of Education.

Curricula for professional music training are controlled by the State.

Classical and Jazz

1st cycle: 4 years
2nd cycle: 2 years

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Diploma with honour and knowledge of one foreign language.

Third cycle programmes are offered in professional music training.
Academy of Music offers Artistic Research in field of Music Theory and Music pedagogy.

Institutions make use of a credit point system, compatible with ECTS.

Higher education institutions in Slovenia are not subject to any formal external quality assurance processes.

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Start October 1st with two semesters.

Slovenia knows a state funded system of music education which takes place parallel to the general education system. Elementary Music Schools and Secondary Music Schools together provide a complete trajectory of pre-college education that leads up to the entrance level of higher music education.
To be able to enter an Elementary Music School, students have to take an entrance test. Most students are accepted, provided the school has enough places. Students enter the school between the ages of 5 and 7, finishing when they are 15 years of age.
Elementary Music Schools use a (national) curriculum; for woodwind, brass and singing it takes 5 years, for all other instruments it takes 8 years. Students receive individual instrumental tuition for 30 minutes twice a week, theory subjects for one and a half hours a week, and orchestra or ensemble lessons. There are no jazz combo’s, only big bands, and there are no improvisation lessons provided.
After each year, except for after the first year, students are required to take an exam. When they fail an exam, they are allowed to repeat it once. Failing twice means that students have to leave the school.
Elementary Music Schools are state funded, but students pay a small monthly fee.

Music Gymnasia offer music education at an advanced level in combination with some general education subjects.

Students are accepted after serious entrance examinations. They enter at the age of 15. Music Gymnasia offer a 4 year (national) curriculum, which directly leads up to the entrance level of higher music education institutions.

All Music Gymnasia only have a Classical Music Department, except for one Music Gymnasium in Ljubljana that also has a Jazz Department.

Contrary to Elementary Music Schools, education at Music Gymnasia is free.

Private Music Schools are very popular, and many exist: 4 Private Music Schools are acknowledged by the state, meaning that they receive some financial support. There are around 10 other schools that do not receive state funding. Even though some Private Music Schools receive state funding, their tuition fees are still much higher than for Elementary Music Schools.

The popularity of Private Music Schools may be explained by different factors. Private Music Schools do not have entrance examinations. Some schools use special music educational systems (e.g. Edgar Williams) and are specialised in teaching very young children (from the age of 3 onwards). Private Music Schools also provide pop and jazz lessons and teach improvisation. Because of their private status, schools can be much more flexible, for example in adapting to special demands or needs a student might have.

Qualified teachers provide instrumental and vocal tuition outside of any institutes or general education systems. Over the last years, the popularity of private teaching has increased. It is not considered to be very expensive. There are also private teachers providing theory lessons.

Children receive music and general arts regularly at the begging of primary school.

Most students come from Secondary Music Schools (Music Gymnasia). Additionally, a relatively small number of students come from private lessons, Private Music Schools, or from abroad (Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia).

Talented students studying in Elementary Music Schools can receive longer, individual lessons (45 instead of 30 minute private lessons, twice a week).

Music schools have their own orchestras and ensembles. On a national level, there are no youth orchestras that work year-round. However, there are orchestras for talented students organised during summer courses. Students are selected through auditions.

Slovenia hosts music competitions for young musicians on a national level. Most other facilities are not organised on a national base, but are often financially supported by private foundations.

The undergraduate programme is four years (eight semesters, 3000 taught hours, 240 ECTS). This can be complemented with a Masters/specialization programme (two years) and in some cases a doctoral programme (two years). Under specific circumstances it is possible to start directly with the doctoral course, which in this case lasts up to four years.

Classical and jazz

Erasmus+ exchange programmes for teaching mobility, bilateral agreement for teachers exchanges.

Instrument-specific professors (e.g. piano professor) have a wide spectrum of musical abilities, skills and knowledge as well as demanded instrumental music didactics, general pedagogical and psychological knowledge. The table below specifies the qualifications required per level of education.

Level	Qualification
Pre-school	Music professor
Music School (primary level)	Instrument specific professor
Art grammar school (secondary level)	Music theory professor, Specialist (instrument)

The University of Ljubljana, Academy of Music, and University of Maribor, Faculty of Education both offer programmes for (in the Department of Music Pedagogy):

The University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, and University of Primorska, Faculty of Education, all offer (in the (Department of Pre-school Teaching, Department of Classroom Teaching):

Class teaching programmes last four years (eight semesters, 3045-3285 hours, 240 ECTS). In each of the four years, students must acquire 60 credit points.
Candidates for the Music teacher training must pass an entrance exam. At the Academy of Music (University of Ljubljana) it includes:

Candidates who are successful at secondary music schools (music theory programmes) must do just the third and fourth part of the entrance exam. Candidates who successfully finish general secondary schools (gymnasium) and additional music education from the music schools must pass all parts of the entrance exam.
Students study progress is assessed in all four years mainly through examinations. The form of the exam and the assessing time differ in relation to the nature, aims and tasks within the subject (written exam, aural exam, practical exam, combined exam, teaching portfolio, diary, observed teaching).
Teaching competence is assessed by university teachers (moderators of teaching practice), school teachers – mentors (partly) and peers (partly). The criteria for assessment are developed inside the course separately for students in years 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The final examination at the end of the study consists of:

At the beginning of their time in school, the music teacher has the status of a trainee. Traineeship lasts for ten months. A teacher-mentor, an experienced music teacher, monitors the trainee and assesses him/her at the end of the traineeship. The report on trainees’ work is sent to the commission for professional examination. Once the traineeship has been successfully concluded the future music teacher takes a professional examination in front of the commission. After that examination the trainee is considered to be fully competent to work in the field of education and training.
At the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, it is only class teachers who have to pass the entrance exam to check their musical abilities. The absence of an entrance exam at the other two Slovenian Faculties of Education is a problem because some students have a low level of musical abilities. Further examinations through all four years of the study are carried out in similar ways as those mentioned in music teacher training at Ljubljana. The final thesis can be also written on the musical area and defend on final graduate exam. The next stage is ten months of traineeship at a primary school and a professional examination. After that the class teacher is deemed fully competent for work with pupils.

The class teacher curriculum consists of a range of pedagogic subjects and technical-theoretical subjects including special didactics. At the Faculty of Education (University of Ljubljana) teaching training includes the basic principles of the following subject areas: Slovene language and Literature, Natural Science and Craft, Social Studies, Mathematics, Music, Art and Sports. A classroom teacher must also possess knowledge of philosophy, pedagogy, psychology and sociology, as well as basic methods of research work. Musical subjects include vocal/instrumental subjects, music contents and didactics of music education.

In total the undergraduate programme consists of 3165 core hours (240 ECTS) there are 240 core hours of musical subjects which means 7,6% of the total hours (45 ECTS) or 18,7% of the total ECTS. In total, the undergraduate programme consists of 3225 core and optional hours (240 ECTS) there are 480 core and optional hours of musical subjects which means 14.9% of the total hours (45 ECTS) or 18,7% of the total ECTS. Those students who finish the choral-conducting course (an additional 60 hours among optional subjects) obtain a certificate of qualification for conducting choirs at the initial level of primary school.

The following tables show other example of curricula of teachers training for general education, taken from the curriculum offered by the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.

The class teacher curriculum consists of a range of pedagogic subjects and technical-theoretical subjects including special didactics. At the Faculty of Education (University of Ljubljana) teaching training includes the basic principles of the following subject areas: Slovene language and Literature, Natural Science and Craft, Social Studies, Mathematics, Music, Art and Sports. A classroom teacher must also possess knowledge of philosophy, pedagogy, psychology and sociology, as well as basic methods of research work. Musical subjects include vocal/instrumental subjects, music contents and didactics of music education.

In total the undergraduate programme consists of 3165 core hours (240 ECTS) there are 240 core hours of musical subjects which means 7,6% of the total hours (45 ECTS) or 18,7% of the total ECTS. In total, the undergraduate programme consists of 3225 core and optional hours (240 ECTS) there are 480 core and optional hours of musical subjects which means 14.9% of the total hours (45 ECTS) or 18,7% of the total ECTS. Those students who finish the choral-conducting course (an additional 60 hours among optional subjects) obtain a certificate of qualification for conducting choirs at the initial level of primary school.

The following tables show other example of curricula of teachers training for general education, taken from the curriculum offered by the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.

The Music teacher training course at the Academy of Music (University of Ljubljana) includes different teaching and learning approaches: lectures, seminars, workshops, smaller group work, individual work, music-pedagogy practise, self-directed study, portfolio and e-learning.

Teaching skills are process developed throughout the four years. The theory and the first practical exercises for teaching music is the main domain of the subject special music didactics. The first year students learn how to teach music to pre-school children and primary school pupils in the first three years of schooling. The second year is oriented towards the higher classes of the primary school: from the 4th class (9 year old pupils) to the 9th class (14 year old pupils). In the third year the focus is on music schools, preparing teachers for teaching music theory and solfeggio. The final year is oriented towards teaching and learning music in secondary schools (gymnasium). Students have connected pedagogical practice through all four years. They can develop their teaching skills through classroom observations, independent lesson execution and continuous practice.

In the class teacher educational programme (Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana) there are approximately a quarter of all the hours of lectures, practical classes and seminars allocated to pedagogical subjects and the other part for specialist theoretical subjects with their teaching methodologies. Students come into direct contact with pupils during classroom observations, by student-teaching and during teaching practice. Practical training is carried out continuously through all four years of the course, introducing students gradually to independent pedagogic work (from observing to assisting, guided and independent experience). In addition to this each student must carry out one hour of observing the teaching process and one hour of teaching within each special (including music) didactics class.

Music professors have a wide spectrum of music abilities, skills and knowledge as well as the appropriate music didactics, pedagogical and psychological knowledge. Class teachers and pre-school teachers have a range of pedagogic and technical-theoretical knowledge as well as the appropriate music didactics, music contents, and vocal/instrumental knowledge according to their work field. The table below specifies the qualifications required per level of general education.

Level	Qualification
Pre-school	Pre-school teacher
Primary school	Class 1-3: class teacher Class 4-6: music professor or class teacher Class 7-9: music professor
Secondary School	Music professor

Continuing professional development happens through programmes of knowledge improvement of professionals working in the field of education. In-service music teachers have the right to spend at least five working days per year attending improvement courses and to salary compensation due to their absence from work. Ljubljana Academy of Music is one of the institutions that offer such programmes, although these are not on an annual basis.