The specialised teaching of music within the Spanish Education system implies training which is both longer and more specific than that which is available within the general schooling system. These types of study programmes demand complete dedication and a great deal of psychological effort on the part of the student over a long period of time, as well as a substantial economic investment. Moreover, students must successfully complete numerous aptitude tests which require a high degree of motivation and the extensive development of auditory and artistic skills. As such, the specialist teaching of music supposes an education system that is both elitist and hierarchical, and which filters out large numbers of students who start their training but fail to reach the superior levels. The higher grade in music, which corresponds to the final stage of the educational system of this specialist teaching of music, confers upon the student a responsibility that culminates in the obtainment of a qualification equivalent to a university degree. This qualification in turn offers students work prospects that will allow them to achieve both economic and social independence. Aim of the Research To give an approach to the teaching offered at higher music education centres in Spain, from the specific point of view of job opportunities. The main objective of higher music training is to provide students with a practical, theoretical and methodological training for becoming competent music professionals in the future. Higher music education culminates in the award of a degree that will give the student the means to achieve certain job expectations, and we try to understand the relationship existing between the music training and the academic training given to higher music education students, according to their real job opportunities and their own job expectations. Research Development We pursue to present the results of a review on the quality of the teaching being currently offered at Spanish higher music conservatoires, relying for that purpose on the information provided by both teachers and students interviewed. The first goal would be to become aware of and then interpret the way in which such centres generally carry out their activities. On the other hand, the second goal would be to achieve a more in-depth knowledge of the current higher music training and the students´ learning process. We intend to develop valid knowledge that will be helpful to know: - Whether the training given in higher music education is appropriate or not. - To what extent the training qualifies students as future professional musicians. - Whether the training takes into account the demands students will have to meet whenever they enter the music professional market. - Whether the new Spanish legislation reforming the general educational system will deal properly and effectively with the real educational situation at the conservatoires.

Opting for a naturalistic view of reality, this research project does not aim to generalise the results obtained, but rather to offer an in-depth account of the cases that were studied. Due to the qualitative methodological approach that we adopted, we expect many of the students and teachers that were involved in this study to identify with the opinions that are expressed.

In this paper, we will present a summary of the research carried out in a higher grade music conservatory in the South of Europe, and we will comment on the training and preparation of the students with respect to the labour market. We will also attempt to analyse the relationship that exists between the musical training and the academic preparation of higher grade music students with regard to job prospects and the work expectations that they themselves hold.