Pedagogy

It is no longer enough merely to be a good musician with good pedagogical instincts. Teaching music is a creative and enriching profession, and a rare craft, one that opens aesthetic and emotional doors through social connections. The teaching of pedagogy at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) aims to give students the skills and resources to practise their future profession in the best possible conditions. 

The four pillars of pedagogy at the HEM :

• Educational sciences, which are taught by musicians who also hold university degrees in education sciences.
• Didactics, which are covered by professors in instruments, singing or music theory, and who have been active at music schools for many years.
• Internships, with the collaboration of music school professors who allow the students to experiment and improve their professional habits and skills in their class.
• Autonomous management of a teaching project in a group and the production of a diploma thesis targeting personalized professional habits and skills.

Close collaborations with Geneva’s music schools and the mandatory school

The HEM's pedagogy department has formed close partnerships with Geneva's music schools, the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique Danse Théâtre and the accredited schools of the Confédération des Écoles Genevoises de Musique. It also collaborates with the Department of Public Education of the State of Geneva (DIP) in partnership with the University Institute for Teacher Training of the University of Geneva (IUFE-UNIGE).

The pedagogy department also wishes to develop a range of lifelong learning courses that meet the needs of the field. An initial module has been offered in February 2024 on how to handle orchestras in the classroom, in collaboration with the DIP's Service écoles et sport, art, citoyenneté (SESAC).