Making Music and Eating Too

Being a professional musician used to come with few guarantees other than an income was going to be a bit uncertain.

But by pursuing a teaching qualification following a music degree, graduates are ensuring they will eat regularly as well as being able pursue their musical passion while boosting numbers of badly needed music teachers.

At Edith Cowan University (ECU), enrolments in postgraduate music teacher education at have doubled, propelled by the introduction of a one-year Graduate Diploma in Teaching course.

Magda Lisek is a new student for the Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) with a major in music education, but she is no stranger to ECU.

“I completed my Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance) and Graduate Diploma (Opera) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and know the strong reputation of ECU’s School of Education,” she said.

Magdela currently works as a school music tutor and looks forward to gaining her formal teaching qualification.

“I want to share my passion for the art form and make music and musical knowledge more accessible,” she said.

ECU introduced the Graduate Diploma in Teaching in 2024 aiming to address the demand for Western Australian teachers by accelerating the number of teachers in the classroom.

The one-year ‘Grad Dip’ is available to aspiring school teachers who have already completed a three-year degree in another field.

ECU Coordinator of Secondary and Instrumental Music Education Dr Jason Goopy said the surge in enrolments was a clear indication of the strong appeal of the ‘Grad Dip’ for musicians aspiring to be school music teachers.

“This year the music education major and instrumental music education minor were the largest single subject areas in ECU’s postgraduate teacher education courses,” he said.
Dr Goopy said the Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) with a major in music suited students with significant previous tertiary study in music.

“It is perfect for our Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) Bachelor of Music graduates, and we also welcome students from other institutions locally and interstate,” he said.

“Our students range from graduates who have recently completed their bachelor degrees, to highly experienced instrumental tutors in schools now looking to gain a formal teaching qualification.”

ECU’S Executive Dean of Education Professor Caroline Mansfield said the number of new enrolments was good news for Western Australian schools.

“As the largest provider of graduates to public schools in WA, we are dedicated to ensuring that future teachers experience quality initial teacher education, developing knowledge and skills to support success in the future.

“It is exciting to see the appeal of the Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) for aspiring music teachers, and it doesn’t stop there,” she said.

“The number of students who have enrolled in postgraduate teacher education at ECU has increased across the board.”

ECU introduced the Graduate Diploma in Teaching in Semester One 2024, giving students the flexibility to graduate after one year and teach in Western Australia with provisional registration.

During that time, students can choose to complete a second year towards ECU’s nationally accredited Master of Teaching through online self-paced study.