Bachelor of Education (Music) with Honours

Applications are made through the UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. If you wish to apply to conservatoires and universities within UCAS, you will need to register for both services. There is a UCAS application fee of £26.50 to register to use UCAS Conservatoires.

To begin a new UCAS Conservatoires application, you will need to register. You can read the UCAS Conservatoires’ advice on completing the UCAS Conservatoires application. If you need assistance with your application, you can contact UCAS Conservatoires team by telephoning (Monday to Friday, 8.30 — 18.00). Phone 0371 468 0470 from within the UK or +44 330 3330 232 if you are calling from overseas.

Application deadline date

The deadline dates to apply and submit your audition recording can be found in the table below –

If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your application/audition recording will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis and may not be considered in the first round of scholarship allocation.

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2024, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58.

You will also require the following programme code to apply: Bachelor of Education (Music) with Honours: WX33

Book an advice lesson with one of our Music tutors

An advice lesson gives you the chance to experience having a lesson at the Conservatoire and provides a great opportunity for you to gain some expert advice and insight. Advice lessons normally take place from late August to early October and are dependent on staff availability. Book your advice lesson here or e-mail our team for further information at hello@rcs.ac.uk.

The deadline date for all applications is 1 December 2022. Once you have submitted your application, you will be required to upload a series of recordings to serve as your primary audition by 22 January 2023. Following the successful submission of your audition materials, you will be scheduled for an interview with the BEd panel in February.

If you submit your application and/or audition recordings after their due date, we cannot guarantee that your audition recording will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis.

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2024, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58.

You will also require the following programme code to apply: Bachelor of Education (Music) with Honours: WX33

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £26.50. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition assessment administration fee. For RCS, the audition assessment administration fee is £35 per programme applied for. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.

Audition Assessment Administration fee

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland charges an audition assessment administration fee of £35 per course.

We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.

We are committed to ensuring fair access to a conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants whom financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please see the audition fee waivers document for more information

It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.

The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.

UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.

Applicants are selected first and foremost on the basis of merit and potential. However, due attention is also paid to the range of Principal Studies accepted in order to ensure the optimum experience for each student and to sustain the critical mass required for curricular activities, such as the symphony orchestra and choral activities.

Please note that the Conservatoire is obliged to offer one audition date per application. If you are unable to submit your application/audition recording by the deadline date above, you must email us immediately stating the reason. We have a specific period allocation to audition and all on time applications will receive a decision before Christmas. If your audition recording is delayed, there is a risk that places will already have been taken and your application may not be considered in the first round of scholarship allocation.

While the application due date is 1 December, the audition recording submission due date is 3 February 2023.  If this date changes, the Conservatoire will be in touch with all applicants. If you believe that you will not be able to submit your audition on time, please be in touch with the admissions team as soon as possible to explain the delay and also provide a date by which the audition can be submitted.

The RCS recognises that, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many applicants to the BEd Programme will not have had face-to-face instrumental/vocal lessons since March 2020. Whilst we have not lowered our entry level for auditions, applicants should be aware that when assessing auditions, the selection panel will be taking into account the adverse conditions under which applicants have had to prepare this year.

The audition will take place in 2 parts:

Part 1 – Audition Recording

Please prepare the following for your audition recording and submit it to Acceptd:

• Play two contrasting pieces of your own choice on your chosen Performance Study. *Please note, there are special requirements if you are presenting Timpani and Percussion or Jazz as your Performance Study.
• Sing one song of your own choice in order to demonstrate the stage of development of your vocal skills. (If your Performance Study is Voice, this requirement will not apply.)
• Play a prescribed short piano piece of approximately Grade 6 standard in order to demonstrate your level of keyboard ability. The piece will be emailed to you at least three weeks in advance of your audition submission due date.
• Harmonise a short melody (c. four to eight bars) at the piano, in the major key of C, G or F, demonstrating an understanding of the use of chords I, IV and V(7) (at least) and functional harmonic progression. The melody should be heard in the top part throughout; credit will be given for inventive harmonisations. This test will emailed to at least three weeks in advance of your audition submission due date. An example test is available here:  BEd-SampleHarmonisation

*Timpani and Percussion Applicants

Timpani

Hindlemith: Sinfonissche Metamorphosen
Mozart: Overture to the Magic Flute

Xylophone

Britten: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Glockenspiel

Glazunov: Violin Concerto

Snare Drum

Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade fourth movement
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf

 All of the above stated excerpts are available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions Published by Schott

*Jazz Applicants

For your BEd jazz audition, you should submit your video performing with a live rhythm section or a play-a-long/minus-one backing track:

1. Billie’s Bounce by Charlie Parker (12 Bar Blues)

Key: F Major [Vocalists choose their key]

Tempo: Medium to Fast – anything above 160 bpm

Melody Form: (12 bars)

Improvisation Duration: Minimum 3 choruses (12 x 3 = 36 bars) or more.

Aims:

• Introduce your performance
• Play the melody once
• Improvise 3 choruses of original improvisation interacting musically with live musicians or with an Aebersold play-a long (Vol. 6 Charlie Parker)
• Or https://youtu.be/CI0sLGOEQg0
• Chordal player play melody, improvise 3 choruses and comp 1 chorus.

Avoid:

• Electronic play-a-longs like iRealPro
• Transcribed or pre-prepared solos
• Do not read a solo

Part 2 – Interview:

Interviews are planned to take place in February 2023, in-person at our campus in Glasgow – however an online interview can be arranged if required. During the interview you will be expected to display a good general knowledge of and interest in music, and a keen commitment to teaching; you should be able to demonstrate an awareness of recent curricular initiatives and of how these might impact on music education.

During the interview you will be asked to express your views on music education, and to describe and reflect upon your own experiences of learning and teaching. The interview will be conducted in an informal manner, and you will be assessed on your:

• ability to express yourself clearly and fluently
• perceived commitment to and enthusiasm for teaching
• level of preparation and reflection

The following questions are provided only as a guide; the actual questions you are asked may differ from the ones given here. 

• Why have you decided to apply to the BEd (Music) programme (why do you want to be a teacher)?
• What personal qualities and/or experiences do you have which you think would make you a good teacher
• What recent changes in Scottish education are you aware of and can you tell us what you know?
• Do you have any experience with Music Technology, if so, what software or hardware have you used?
• Apart from piano and your first-study instrument, what other instruments have you learned to play (including classroom instruments e.g. guitar/ukulele, bass, drum-kit, tuned percussion, etc)
• What aspects of music do you enjoy – are there any particular skills which you feel you need to develop?
• Panel members may also ask you questions about your personal statement

All decisions will be posted on UCAS Conservatoires following your audition via UCAS Conservatoires Track,  (you will need your username and password). You will also receive notification from UCAS Conservatoires when decisions on all your choices are available.

Please see below for an explanation of UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Guaranteed Unconditional (GU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry. Unless your application and/or qualification are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, a guaranteed unconditional offer is binding.

Guaranteed Conditional (GC) RCS has made the offer subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Unless your application and/or qualifications are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, the offer is binding if you accept the offer and meet the conditions. You must meet the conditions of the offer by 31 August 2021, unless an earlier date is specified. If your conditions include obtaining IELTS (English Language test), you must meet this condition by 31 May 2021.

Reserve Unconditional (VU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry and you have been offered a place on our reserve pool.

Reserve Conditional (VC) RCS has offered a place on its reserve pool subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track.

Unsuccessful (R) RCS does not wish to offer you any type of a place.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme

Due to the nature of the programme and specifically because you will come into contact with children, there is a requirement for students of the BEd (Music) programme to be members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. This means that checks are carried out for any unspent and spent convictions and cautions. The checks also include any non-conviction data held by the police that may be relevant to teaching.

Applications for the PVG Scheme membership are processed and assessed by Disclosure Scotland which provides this service as a means of enhancing security, public safety and protecting the vulnerable in society. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland will administer students applying to be members of the PVG Scheme. It is the student’s responsibility to pay for the check. If for any reason, the check reveals anything in your past which might impact on your suitability to be registered as a teacher, or as a student teacher, your offer of a place on the programme may be rescinded.

If you have received a ‘reserve’ outcome, it means that RCS is not able to offer you a guaranteed place at the time of making our decision. A ‘reserve’ outcome indicates that RCS would like the opportunity to review its outcome to you in the light of acceptances/declines to its guaranteed offers. You will become part of a ‘pool’ of ‘reserve’ candidates and RCS may choose to make you a guaranteed offer if a suitable place becomes available. Reserve does not mean that a place has been ‘reserved’ for you. If RCS chooses not to make you a guaranteed offer, you will not have a place to start at RCS.
If you have been given a ‘reserve’ outcome, in order to be considered for a guaranteed place (should one become available) you will need to accept the outcome (and meet any conditions if applicable).

Reserve outcomes remain active until the end of August. The decision to wait and see whether a guaranteed place becomes available, or to accept an offer at another conservatoire is entirely at your discretion. As soon as your situation changes, this is updated on UCAS Conservatoires.

As soon as a decision is made, UCAS Conservatoires will let you know. You must reply online via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Your reply date is displayed on Track. If you do not reply by the date given, your offers will be declined automatically. The reply date may be different to other applicants as it is based on when you receive your last decision.

Please see the UCAS Conservatoires website for more information on replying to offers. If you make an application through UCAS Conservatoires, UCAS or UCAS Teacher Training, you cannot hold more than one confirmed place. A confirmed place in UCAS Conservatoires is a guaranteed unconditional offer as your first choice (GU1) and in UCAS and UCAS Teacher Training it is an unconditional firm (UF) place. If you receive more than one confirmed place, UCAS will ask you to accept one offer and withdraw from any others.

We have a number of policies and statements which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire.

Please select the links below to read each policy.

• Feedback policy
• Equality and diversity
• Applicants with disabilities
• Guidance for applicants with criminal convictions
• Admissions policy