PGCert Performance Teaching
One year part-time or two years part-time
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 either in person, or online. 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.
There are two pathways: PGCert and PGCert (HE). If you already have appropriate experience of teaching at HE level you may have the option of taking the PGCert (HE) pathway which will lead to additional professional recognition – Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. In order to be eligible for the PGCert (HE) pathway, you need to be able to draw on at least 50-60 hours of authentic HE Learning & Teaching practice whilst doing the course.
‘I am getting so much inspiration from the course. It's boosted my confidence a lot and given me so much to think about.’
– Gail Macleod, Module Leader, Barbican-Guildhall Creative Learning
Podcast
Listen to Vanessa Lingham and Sue Dent, Guildhall staff and also students on the PGCert Performance teaching, discuss the programme and the pedagogy of performance in our podcast.
Ethos
We take your existing experience and expertise as a starting point, enabling you to bring practice and theory together, through engaging with cutting-edge pedagogy. You will be part of a community of artist-educators, learning from each other and building practical skills. Transformational learning involves trust and rapport with your students, openness to change, supporting independence, resourcefulness and resilience. You will embrace diverse perspectives and different learning styles.
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.
*Please note if you require a Student visa to study in the UK, this is not an eligible programme. Home/EU students will not be eligible for a UK government postgraduate loan on this programme.
How you'll learn
The PGCert is part-time (over one or two years). Approximately 13 days of face-to-face workshops (primarily at weekends) are combined with online learning and support from a 121 tutor. Supported by a team of world-renowned educators, you will develop skills and knowledge in a range of areas such as
- How to teach online and remotely
- 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
The course is 60 credits, which equates to 600 nominal learning hours. In practice, given that the bulk of this is your own self-directed study time, there is a lot of variation from student to student, but this should give you a reasonable idea of the overall commitment involved.
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
See the full programme specification, including module specifications and assessment criteria.
Where can this lead?
Participants in the programme have been promoted in their existing working contexts as well as branching out into new teaching areas. Others have gone on to further study including PhDs and our coaching-mentoring programme.
Highlights
- A strong focus on critically reflective practice, framed by professional guidelines such as the Higher Education Academy Professional Standards Framework
- Interdisciplinary perspectives – bringing together teachers from performing arts disciplines, for a rich exchange of ideas
- Robust formative feedback on practical work
- Teaching delivered by an experienced team of educators, performers and researchers
- An educational philosophy that celebrates professionalism, international perspectives, creativity, and innovation
Workshop Schedule
Download the workshop schedule for this course (PDF)
Programme Leader
The PGCert Programme Leader is Carlos Lopez-Real.
You will be taught by a wide range of highly experienced tutors, encompassing Guildhall staff from across departments, Barbican associates and external specialists. Meet our tutors.
Open Evening
Find out when our next PGCert Open Evening is on the Open Day page.
Find out more
Find further information on how to apply, fees & funding, and contact us if you have any questions.
Please note that we will assess all applications following the application deadline.
There are no cash scholarships available for this programme. There are a limited number of partial tuition fee waivers, with priority given to Guildhall School staff (including CYM and partnership Hubs) and those who are assessed as overseas fee level.
‘The programme helped me shape my teaching practice on my own terms by exposing me to different theories and experiences. The workshops pushed me to the edge of my boundaries and am a better teacher because of them.’
– Chloe Vanns
‘This course has brought a new dimension to my teaching, which has benefitted both myself and my students. I would highly recommend it to aspiring teachers, or to the most experienced educators.’
– Lori Norriss
