The Department of Music Studies belongs to the School of Music Studies of the University of Ioannina and was established by Law 4559/2018 (Government Gazette A’ 142/03-08-2018). The staff and students of the Department of Traditional Music of the former TEI of Epirus, which was established by the Decree 200/6-9-1999, were integrated into the Department from 1.10.2018.
The aims and objectives of the Department of Music Studies focus on the musicological education of students based on an instrument-centred approach, including musical practice. Music is treated as an integral social phenomenon, framed not only by its theoretical background, but also by the corresponding historical, cultural and anthropological studies. Particularly with regard to the subject of oral music traditions, the external evaluators in 2014 described the relevant curriculum as exemplary for the teaching of traditional musicians internationally.
A constant goal for the Department of Music Studies, in coordination with the strategic policies of the University of Ioannina, is the continuous expansion and improvement of the curriculum, in order to adequately cover the universal subject matter, to deepen research and to maximize the dissemination of its artistic and academic work in general. These purposes are served by two established research laboratories: the Laboratory of Digital and Printed Documentation of Greek Music and the Laboratory of Balkan and Ottoman Music, History and Cultures.
Admission to the Department of Music Studies is based on a framework of special examinations, the terms of which are described in Ministerial Decision F.253/23170/A5 (Government Gazette B΄504/20.2.2019).
The structure of the curriculum is five years long and is organized on the basis of the ECTS system and the development of background and specialization courses, over the course of the semesters. The Department supports the logic of prerequisite and dependent courses, the offer of elective courses and the preparation of thesis and work placement. It also supports the operation of Labs, where the educational process on artistic practice is implemented, whether it concerns individual music instrument skills or music ensembles.
The Department of Music Studies supports doctoral studies, where its field of knowledge offers fertile ground for research, either independently or in collaboration with other disciplines.
Graduates of the Department of Music Studies meet the requirements of pedagogical competence and are classified under the code PE79.01 in order to be active in public education.
