ESTA Postgraduate certificate – Plucked Strings
About the course
The ESTA Education Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Practical Teaching is a master’s-level (Level 7) qualification designed for instrumental and vocal teachers who wish to deepen their understanding of how people learn music and to enhance their own professional practice.
Delivered in partnership with the University of Chichester, the course provides a structured, research-informed pathway for teachers seeking formal recognition of their skills and experience. Study takes place mainly online, supported by one-to-one mentoring, webinars, and collaborative discussion, with a compulsory one-week residential summer school at the University of Chichester.
Who is this course for?
This programme is ideal for teachers who:
- Already teach an instrument or voice and wish to reflect critically on their own practice.
- Seek a validated postgraduate qualification to support career progression or further study (e.g. ESTA MA in Practical Teaching)
- Wish to combine flexible online study with a vibrant community of peers and mentors.
- Are committed to developing an investigative, reflective, and research-informed approach to their teaching.
Applicants typically include studio teachers, peripatetic teachers, ensemble directors, and community musicians working across age groups and contexts.
Course content
The PG Cert comprises four core units (each 15 credits at Level 7, total 60 credits). All units are compulsory and are supported by an additional short, non-credit-bearing element covering safeguarding, equality & diversity, and promoting positive behaviour.
Study is part-time over 10 months (August – June). Most teaching takes place online, supported by individual tutorials and mentor-led study groups. The one-week residential provides intensive, practical training and peer exchange.
Course content by unit
Unit 1:
Teaching plucked stringed instruments technique to children and young people learning plucked stringed instruments
- Posture (tendon/muscle tension, points of contact, guitar support)
- Principles of right and left hand position
- Tone production (apoyando, tirando)
- Right hand technique (chord playing – arpeggiated, simultaneous, planting)
- Left hand technique (pivoting, barre, shifting, vibrato, slurs)
- Hand co-ordination
- Finger independence
- Fingernail shaping/care/repair
- Phrasing, voicing, musical awareness
- Fingering technique (technical, musical)
- Articulation (legato, staccato, damping)
- Ambidextral weight control
- Stretching, elasticity, dexterity
- Extended techniques (pizzicato, harmonics, tremolo, rasgueado, tambora)
Unit 2:
How children and young people learn to play plucked stringed instruments
- How learners learn
- Simultaneous Learning
- Learning spiral
- My learners now
- Understanding, assimilating and consolidating
- Skills, knowledge and understanding
- Learning music musically
- Developing aural awareness/perception and acuity
- Pupil/teacher relationships
- Learning scales and studies
- Starting a lesson
Unit 3:
Teaching strategies for plucked stringed instrument teachers working with children and young people
- Understanding my teaching now
- Preparation for teaching
- Expectation of teaching outcomes
- Diagnosis of learners’ needs
- Audio-Visual-Kinaesthetic learning
- Aptitude for learning
- Motivation for learning
- Simultaneous learning
- Assessment
- Exams/Festivals/Competitions
- Tutors/methods
- Teaching whole classes/small groups/individuals
- Proactive and reactive teaching
Unit 4:
Developing a plucked stringed instruments teaching curriculum for children and young people
- Understanding what is meant by a curriculum and a syllabus
- Preparing and implementing schemes of work
- Short/medium and long term planning
- Personalising learning
- Becoming a reflective practitioner
- Communicating as a musician
- Playing and performing
- Chamber music
- Special Needs
- School and styles and playing
- Alexander Technique
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of music teaching and learning processes.
- Apply reflective and research-based approaches to improve your teaching.
- Plan, deliver, and evaluate effective learning for students at different stages.
- Communicate clearly and professionally with learners, parents, and colleagues.
- Design curricula and materials that respond to individual learners’ needs.
- Act autonomously in planning and implementing teaching at a professional level.
Successful completion leads to the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Plucked Strings Teaching by the University of Chichester.
Who teaches the course
Head of Department – Plucked strings
Helen Sanderson
British guitarist, Helen Sanderson, studied guitar at the Royal College of Music with Charles Ramirez, and accompaniment with John Blakely, graduating with prizes including the Anthony Saltmarsh Prize and the Madeline Walton Prize for Guitar.
Her performing career reflects her passion for chamber music in partnerships with eminent counter-tenor James Bowman, tenor Mark Wilde and in guitar duo with Zoran Dukic. She was a founding member of the VIDA Guitar Quartet and her performances have included recitals at the Southbank Centre, Kings Place, St Georges-Bristol, and the Sage Gateshead. In 2010 Helen made her US debuts in Los Angeles and New York, and has subsequently toured extensively throughout USA and Europe.
In parallel to her role as Head of Guitar Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Helen is an entrepreneurial educator, committed to nurturing young guitarists throughout the UK. In 2006 she founded the music education charity, Guitar Circus, and Helen’s wider work in guitar education was recognised in 2017 with the award of a Churchill Fellowship following her research in the USA of whole-class guitar programmes.
Helen is a sought-after masterclass artist, adjudicator and international jury member for competitions such as BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist, the Ida Presti competition and the Sky Arts series, ‘Guitar Star’. She is Artistic Director for the National Youth Guitar Ensemble UK and directs the London Camerata and Fellowship ensembles. Helen’s compositions and arrangements regularly feature in the ABRSM and Trinity College and syllabi and she is a D’Addario Classical Artist.
Teaching and assessment
Learning takes place through:
- One-to-one mentoring and tutorials
- Online seminars and discussion forums
- Independent reading and reflective study
- Residential workshops and peer presentations
Assessment
Assessment is by written assignments, videoed lessons, presentations, and curriculum design projects – all focused on your own professional practice. There are no written exams.
Progression routes
PG Cert Graduates are eligible to advance to the MA ESTA MA in Practical Teaching. The PG Cert forms the first 60 credits of the full MA pathway.
Entry requirements
Applicants should normally hold:
- An undergraduate degree in music or a related subject OR
- Equivalent professional experience as a teacher or performer.
You must be currently teaching (or able to access learners for teaching observation and video assignments). Reliable internet access and the ability to record video are essential.
Course fees
- £3,250 ESTA UK member
- £4,250 UK resident
- £6,250 overseas resident
- £3,999 National Youth Guitar Alumni
- £3,999 Guitar Circus Alumni
- £3,999 Registry of Guitar Tutors (Full Members)
*Fees include full board and accommodation at the ESTA Summer School.
** Travel costs from the student’s location to Chichester are not included in the course fee.
*** The summer school is a mandatory element of the course.
Applications are open for the August 2026 intake. To apply, please complete the online application form and upload:
Applicants will be invited to an informal online interview.