On a quest for preschool music qualifications?
Searching for preschool music qualifications can be confusing, especially with the wide range of providers offering different levels. From professors in formal institutions to respected elders who teach through oral traditions, here’s an overview of seven types of preschool music qualifications providers. I hope it to helps you decide which path suits your goals.
After years of investigating the field, I found that there are six types of providers of what we might call a qualification, and a seventh type that have a significant and valuable offering that may not necessarily be called a ‘qualification’. In my opinion, we need to take note of this seventh category and its set of wild cards. Make sure you read about them. You could be pleasantly surprised.

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)
RTOs offer practical, hands-on qualifications like certificates and diplomas. Certificate courses are significantly shorter than diploma courses. Sometimes you need a level of certificate before you can enrol in a diploma.
RTO’s are ideal for those wanting quick, industry-relevant credentials. For example, in Australia, multi-state organizations like the Gowrie Centres offer programs and day sessions aimed at people entering or already working in early childhood music education. RTO’s are regulated by with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
RTO’s may also show up under the category ‘college’.
The following link about ‘What is an RTO’ was accessed 21 October 2024. Please check again for current information.
Type 2: Technical and Further Education Centres (TAFEs)
Similar to RTOs, TAFE is an Australian government-run system providing vocational education, including diplomas in fields like early childhood education. These institutions are often more accessible and flexible than universities. Sometimes fees are subsidised.
Organisations like TAFEs that grant diplomas are regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TESQA).
Here is a statement from the TESQA website accessed 21 October, 2024
https://www.teqsa.gov.au/about-us/teqsa-overview/our-role
“What is higher education?
Also known as tertiary education, higher education consists of awards spanning Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels 5-10, which include: diplomas; advanced diplomas; associate degrees; bachelor degrees (including honours); graduate certificates; graduate diplomas; masters degrees; doctoral degrees; and higher doctoral degrees.
For more information about higher education AQF levels, visit our Australian Qualifications Framework page.”
For example, TAFE SA offers a Diploma of Early Childhood Education — One Year. The course admission requirements are that you already have a
- Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care CHC30113 or CHC30121 AND
- Completion of the Core Skills Profile for Adults (CSPA)
accessed 15/10/2024
https://www.tafesa.edu.au/xml/course/aw/aw_TP01333.aspx
Type 3: College
The term ‘college’ is not so easy to pin down. Sometimes secondary schools use the word college in their name. Many universities in Australia have a college attached. I suggest that if you find a qualification that interests you and it’s offered by a college, you check with your national accreditation body, e.g. in Australia, if a college offers a diploma it would have to be registered with TESQA
https://www.teqsa.gov.au/about-us/teqsa-overview/our-role
The Trinity College London, a registered charity have expanded across many countries in the world. If you are in the UK, you can do a course, a national qualification in early childhood music, validated by Trinity College, London. The CREC in Birmingham teaches the course and it gives you a certificate. it’s flexible, part time, distance learning.
Find out more on this link.
The Trinity College London (https://www.trinitycollege.com/)
They have a presence in Australia. If you want ask if they offer the certificate for ‘Music Educators Early Childhood’, I suggest you contact their Sydney-based Special Projects Officer.
I found this Australian Early Childhood College which is an RTO. They offer a diploma in early childhood studies to people who are in the education and care workplace.
Here is the link I accessed on 22 October 2024
https://www.aecc.edu.au/qualifications/diploma-of-early-childhood-and-care.html
Type 4: Universities
Universities offer more comprehensive qualifications with program over three or four years full-time study. The most obvious choice of degrees would be in Early Childhood Teaching or in Music. However, alternatives such as a Double Degree, Bachelor of Arts combined with a Master of Teaching provide a deep dive into both arts and early childhood development. While these programs can be lengthy, they are ideal for those seeking to become experts or pursue leadership roles.
Special Case — Music Therapist
Note that to claim the title of music therapist you have to obtain a degree in Music Therapy from a university. You need to search for your country’s Registered Music Therapist Association Here is a link to find out more about becoming a registered music therapist in Australia.
https://www.austmta.org.au/about-us/how-to-become-an-rmt/
Type 5: Music Societies and Associations
For those focused on specific methodologies, music societies like Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Suzuki and Gordon may offer certifications that specialize in teaching children through music. These organizations often provide tiered levels of certification and are recognized internationally. Check with each one to see if they are currently offering certificate in early childhood music.
Other music organisations may offer certification such as the US-based Early Childhood Music and Movement Association (ECMMA), Musica Viva in Australia, or for a global perspective, the International Society for Music Education has a Commission called Early Childhood Music Education (ECME).
Type 6: Business Franchisors and Licensors
Programs like the International School of Music, (ISM); Music Together; or Mini Maestros offer structured curricula under their brand. They provide support and training for educators who want to start teaching music to children but may not have formal qualifications.
There are plenty of these providers out there. So please discover for yourself the difference between a licensor and a franchisor. Ask directly what is required of you if you join them and find out the cost of their training to learn their method and use their system.
Type 7: Ancients, Traditionalists, and Independents
This final group consists of those who learn and teach music through ancient cultural practices, family or master-apprentice traditions (oral and written), and independent expertise that sits outside of formal systems. These are the ‘wild cards’. Some of them have been around since the very first human societies, and others are arising to address new ways of being musical in this interconnected world.
For example, First Nations elders pass down ancient cultural artefacts, including songs, through storytelling and performance without the bestowing of written credentials. It is clear to the community who has been chosen to learn the deep and sometimes secret knowledge and in turn, pass it on to the young.
Next, there are experts recognized within their communities and experts who have achieved status through deep personal experience. Either way, they have spent years honing their craft. Whether part of a cultural tradition or a family line of performers, or a line of masters and apprentices, these teachers arise all over the world and often operate outside of formal education systems.
The third section of this group includes independent music teachers, performing arts coaches, experts in community and cultural development or mavens of arts business and administration. Their precise insider information pertaining to your situation may result in the negotiation of a formal contract of teaching and learning where you learn fast what you need to attain your goals.
In Conclusion
By understanding these seven types of providers, you can choose the path that best fits your professional goals, whether you prioritize formal education with certificates, diplomas or degrees, informal but structured with an organisation, claiming rightful community recognition, or a flexible, independent approach.
Despite my efforts to research the accuracy of these categories and examples at the time of publishing, there may be errors on my part. Please check every avenue that interest you and gather fresh information from the parties involved.
If you find any inaccuracies, new developments, or if regulations have changed, please let me know and I will make the necessary changes.