ESTA Postgraduate certificate – 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 structure
The course is timetabled over a period of one calendar year with the next intake beginning in August 2026.
There are four units of study which must all be completed in chronological order. A further three additional units focus on: safeguarding children and young people in music education; equality, diversity and inclusion in music education, and promoting children and young people’s positive behaviour.
The course is delivered online plus 4 days summer residential study at University of Chichester, UK. The course is delivered in English.
*Travel costs from the student’s location to Chichester are not included in the course fee
Course content by unit
Unit 1:
Teaching bowed string technique to children and young people learning bowed stringed instruments
- Posture
- Position of, and with, the instrument
- Bow
- Musculature
- Making the sound
- Left hand-Right hand
- Vibrato
- Shifting
- Tension and how to avoid it
- Pizzicato
- Warm-ups
- Slurred and legato bowing
- String crossing and legato bowings
- String crossing and double stops
- Bowing: detache, portato; spiccato; martelle; sautille
- Harmonics
- Repairs
Unit 2:
How children and young people learn to play bowed 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 teachers of bowed stringed instruments 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 (P Harris)
- Assessment
- Exams/Festivals/Competitions
- Tutors/methods
- Teaching whole classes/small groups/individuals
- Proactive and reactive teaching
Unit 4:
Developing a bowed strings 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
- Rolland – Suzuki – Colourstrings
- 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 String Teaching by the University of Chichester.
Who teaches the course
Head of PG Cert
Helen Dromey is Course Leader for the ESTA PG Cert, having been involved with the course since its inception in 2017.
She is Principal Teaching Fellow in Music Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Southampton, supports UK Music Masters teachers through observations and consultancy, and continues to teach the violin and viola herself.
Previously, Helen was Lead Teacher for Strings for West Sussex Music, where she established String Start, a group violin-with-musicianship programme for children aged 4–7, and delivered a series of CPD programmes for instrumental teachers.
Helen is currently completing doctoral research at the University of York, examining pupils’ progression beyond whole-class instrumental learning, and designing new pedagogies to improve engagement. This research draws on Helen’s wealth of experience of teaching the violin and viola in individual, small- and large-group settings, including Whole-Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET).
A qualified primary school teacher, she has also worked as a Music Coordinator, delivering classroom Music across Key Stages 1–2.
Helen graduated from King’s College London in Music and, later, in Historical Musicology, gained her PGCE at the University of Chichester, and attained her LRAM at the Royal Academy of Music.
Head of Department – strings
Sarah is a widely experienced teacher of the violin and general musicianship, working with string players in a range of contexts. Her approach as a teacher is to guide rather than to prescribe learning, encouraging self-discovery through exploration.
At the RNCM she is Senior Tutor of Young Strings, a programme with an integrated approach which aims to engage the whole child in musical learning. The methods of Dalcroze and Kodály are central to the programme’s pedagogy. Pupils move, sing, play, improvise, collaborate, discuss and reflect. This holistic, creative approach to music education underpins Sarah’s teaching in all settings, inspired by her training as a Dalcroze Eurhythmics teacher.
Sarah also enjoys working with advanced musicians and teachers, helping them to develop their teaching, research and reflection skills. She leads CPD in many settings and works regularly with undergraduate and postgraduate students at the RNCM. She was delighted to be invited to join the Mentor panel on the ESTA PG Cert and relishes the opportunities to share practice with teachers from all over the world.
In other roles, Sarah is a mother of two young children, a Child Protection Officer at the RNCM and a student of the Alexander Technique. She hopes to train as an Alexander teacher in the near future, which will add new dimensions to her work with musicians.
Mentors
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 members
- £4,250 UK resident
- £6,250 overseas resident
*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.