Good evening everybody, as you already now, my name is Natalia Albaladejo and I’m a student, as

all of you, of Musicology. Today I’m here to talk about a subject that, in first instance, seems to be a
bit forgotten among the society in general. Because, let’s be honest, nobody not musician knows
how musicians are taught. First, I will start by telling how musical studies are structured in Spain and
some basic notions of the elementary course. After that, I will be talking about the instruments that
you can choose in your musical academic life. Then, I will move on to explain the higher stages after
the elementary course and to finish with, I will make some conclusions about this matter.

So the subject of this talk is the music and its education in Spain. I’d like to start by telling how
musical studies are structured in Spain. Music consists in an artistic discipline which, usually, starts
to be taught at an early age, in the students’ childhood. Music’s regulated education is imparted in
music conservatories and it is organized in different stages, being each of these stages different and
separated levels. As a student, you are allowed to apply to any of these stages no matter your age.
However, almost every student starts at the first stage of these musical studies, with the age of seven
and nine. First stage is called Elementary education and consists in four academic courses. It is at this
period when each student starts their studies from zero, learning the most basic concepts to be able
to read scores. At this stage too, the student chooses his or her main instrument.

Turning to instruments that students can choose to study at the conservatory, it will depend on the
offer and teachers available. This is something wich vary from one conservatory to another so
education will also do. In general, conservatories offen teach piano, violin, guitar, cello, viola,
trumpet, tuba, horn, trombone, clarinet, oboe, bass and percussion. At the bigger conservatories,
harpsichord, harp or lyrical singing will also be taught.

Then, when students finish the four years of the elementary education they will have to pass an
exam to be able to apply for the next stage, in other words, to professional education. Professional
education consists in six academic courses. In addition, at this stage, students will develop and
improve their skills with their instrument and their general musical knowledge. Moving on now to
the subjects that are imparted at this stage are: harmony, analysis, history of music, interpretation,
basic compositional tools, improvisation, musical language, choral singing or chamber music among
others.

Then, when you finish elementary and professional education, you have accumulated a total of ten
years of musical studies. But, as if that were not enough, there is still another stage, in other words,
you have to study another four years. This last stage is called higher education. This higher education
is when you perfect your musical knowledge and the performance with your instrument. At this stage
you choose the speciality which you want to study. Turning to the courses you can choose at this
stage, they are: performance, composition, musicology, choir conducting, orchestra conducting and
pedagogy, among others. For example, the performance course covers all instruments and their
disciplines, such as singing, piano, violin, etc., then, the teaching will focus on understanding and
interpreting the entire repertoire of your instrument and will prepare you to become a performer
and give concerts.

In conclusion, nowadays the music studies in Spain are, unfortunately, not recognised as university
studies and this cause a lot of problems. As I said in my introduction, musical studies are forgotten
and, at the day of today, universities have only implemented the most theorical discipline of all, the
musicology.

The goal for the future is that this artistic education could be more recognised among the society
and universities in Spain. Thank you..!