Traditional Music

Introduction

This is the UK’s only Bachelor of Music degree dedicated to traditional and folk music. Aspiring performers on this course explore Scotland’s unique and dynamic musical traditions as a conceptual, critical and creative framework within which to achieve a distinctively personal voice as an artist. This is interwoven with a solid basis in contemporary and eclectic performance practice.

The programme offers the following Principal Studies:

Accordion
Cello
Fiddle
Flute/Whistle
Gaelic song
Guitar
Percussion (pipe band snare drum, drumkit, bodhran)
Piano
Scots song
Scottish Harp (normally gut-strung)

You will work closely with some of the world’s top solo and collaborative teachers and performers to consolidate your performance technique, repertoire and personal style as a traditional musician, interwoven with development as a critical, creative, entrepreneurial and/or teaching artist. This includes exploring both the established parameters of folk and traditional music and the shared technical vocabulary that links folk to classical and jazz worlds. External learning opportunities include an Isle of Skye residency, touring, teaching placements and work placements in Scotland and overseas, as well as appearances at high-profile events, including Glasgow’s renowned Celtic Connections festival, Piping Live!, international occasions of state and a range of UK, European and North American festivals.

The BMus with Honours (Traditional Music) places emphasis on the creative development of the individual and allows the curriculum to be relevant to aspiring musicians from anywhere in the world. We have welcomed students from as far afield as Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Programme structure

Year 1

In your first year, you will consolidate and enhance your performance technique, repertoire and personal style in your principal study instrument or voice, interwoven with development as a critical and creative artist, able to connect and engage critically with your own experience as a traditional musician. An introduction to music theory, digital literacy and website design features, as you not only begin to construct your identity as a musician, but interpret it to the world. At the same time, you will broaden your collaborative musical experience in both a discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary bedrock of practical supporting studies, including group singing, folk ensembles, studio recording and the consolidation of your skills in programming, performing and calling a ceilidh.

Year 2

In your second year, you will continue to nurture and extend your knowledge and practical skills as a soloist and collaborative traditional musician through a broadening exploration of technique, repertoire and style relative to your instrument or vocal tradition. You will expand outwards, exploring historic and social contexts and concepts, and draw relationships between practice, perception and context. You will further nurture your soloist and collaborative composition, arrangement and performance skills and expand your entrepreneurial skillset with reference to licencing issues, intellectual property, marketing and digital music distribution. You will also begin to tap into the wider array of elective opportunities to be found in the department, the Royal Conservatoire and beyond.

Year 3

Year three will see you develop a solid musical persona through fluent knowledge and expertise informed by your principal study and a consolidation of your critical artistry in research and reflection. You will do this whilst developing your skills in teaching traditional music in a range of environments. You will address essential vocational issues in greater detail, such as self-assessed taxation, contract negotiation, creative arts funding and administration and the option of a formal work placement, in addition to an ongoing array of elective opportunities to be found in the department, the Royal Conservatoire and beyond; thereby continuing to nurture your own distinct artistic specialisms in a traditional, folk, or broader arts context.

Year 4

Year four – the Honours year – occasions a synthesis of your critical, technical and creative development as a traditional musician or piper. In addition to engaging in your own substantial project work, deeply rooted in both tradition and innovation, toward an independent and original contribution to the field, you will continue to take advantage of the array of elective opportunities to be found in the department, the Royal Conservatoire and beyond. The Honours year is student-centred: working to achieve a distinct identity and musical voice within your own established parameters, culminating in a themed final public recital.

The piping degree follows the same structure and range of contextual curriculum as in the main Traditional Music department, though its range of performance tuition is specifically dedicated to the well-rounded and in-depth development of the contemporary exponent of the Scottish Highland Bagpipe – in both folk and competition contexts. This includes core elements dedicated to solo piping, piobaireachd, pipe band work and piping in a folk ensemble context, in addition to optional tuition in bellows-blown piping and other piping-specific electives, such as piping for dancing.

Why choose us?

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is in the World Top 10 for performing arts education 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 (QS World Rankings)

We are uniquely placed in the UK to deliver the BMus (Hons) Traditional Music programme, working alongside professionals partners such as the National Piping Centre to really ensure our students get the very best from their education.

In addition to our position as educators and our reputation for having expert staff renowned in the field of Scottish traditional music with formidable reputations in the traditional music field, this programme offers additional benefits you won’t get studying anywhere else.

Unparalleled one-to-one tuition

Students receive 90-minute principal study lessons.

Sang Scuil / Sgoil nan Òran

The title of this Performance Study translates as ‘Song School’ and is a singing group involving many students in the department regardless of their principal instrument. As such, it is your primary opportunity for encountering Scots and Scottish Gaelic language in the curriculum, as well as the song traditions of related cultures. Through Sang Scuil students will develop vocal musicianship and collaborative music-making, build a common canon of traditional Scottish song repertoire and develop language skills through performance. This study culminates in a major public performance in a city centre venue.

Technique and Healthy Practice

These workshops survey technical/postural/anatomical aspects to idiomatic performance practice and link them explicitly to physical and mental wellbeing (e.g. wrist issues among fiddlers, vocal control and development among singers, emotional well being and effective,safe practice strategies). This includes comparing and contrasting with technique in related genres such as jazz or classical music, where applicable and possible, in order to inform personal artistic development.

Performance Class

These weekly sessions focus on discipline-specific performance skills in a tutor- and peer-led context and are divided according to specific instrument.

Folk Ensemble

These sessions are the primary locus for developing contemporary folk and traditional repertoire and musicianship in a group context vis-à-vis a wide range of sub-genres: from the informal session, scratch band or pipe quartet to the professional ceilidh band or orchestrated and PA-supported ensemble.

‘InterPlay’ for Folk Musicians

These elective sessions build students’ creative musicianship through the construction of a community of practice in a secure, non-judgmental space in which to take risks and transgress ‘comfort zones’ without fear of penalty or disapproval. As such it is chiefly intended as a laboratory for the making sense of traditional/folk parameters of performance and the individual artist’s ultimate control over them. The nature of improvisatory and variational practices in Scottish traditional music are explored as a foundation but skills for unlocking creativity are drawn from a range of fields.

Teaching staff

Our staff are professional performers, composers, and scholars of traditional music with active careers. They understand the challenges that you’ll face in your own career, and can provide help and advice as you progress. As well as working with our expert staff, you’ll get the opportunity to learn from visiting artists and academics from all over the world.

Head of Traditional Music

Professor Joshua Dickson MA PhD

Artistic Director
Prof Phil Cunningham Hon DUniv Hon DLitt MBE

Lecturer in Practical Studies
Jenn Butterworth BA Hons PG Cert

Lecturer (Traditional Music)
Ailie Robertson PhD

Accordions
Ian Muir
John Somerville
Luke Daniels

Bagpipes
Finlay MacDonald BA (Head of Piping Studies, National Piping Centre)
Willie McCallum
Ross Ainslie

Frequent visiting tutors for piping include Barnaby Brown, Iain MacInnes, Fred Morrison, Hugh Cheape, Mike Katz and many more.

Cello
Wendy Weatherby

Folk Ensemble
Jenn Butterworth BA Hons PG Cert
Marc Duff
John Somerville

Fiddle
Alistair McCulloch
Marie Fielding
Greg Lawson

Flutes/Whistles
Anna Friel
Marc Duff

Gaelic Song
Iseabail T NicDhomhnaill
Màiri MacInnes

Guitar
Kevin MacKenzie
Innes Watson
Jenn Butterworth
Laura-Beth Salter MacCrimmon (mandolin)

Percussion
Steven Nelson
Fraser Stone
Martin O’Neill

Piano
Mary McCarthy
James Ross BA
Alistair Paterson

Scottish Harp
Corrina Hewat
Heather Downie
Karen Marshalsay

Scots Song
Fiona Hunter
Rod Patterson

Creative and Contextual Studies
Professor Margaret Bennett DCE BA MA PhD
David Milligan
Findlay Napier
Duncan Lyall

Visiting Professor
Dr Fred Freeman

Other teaching staff

Past visiting tutors in contextual studies include Mats Melin, Sheena Wellington, Ewan McVicar, Kat Davidson, Alison Kinnaird, Stuart Eydmann, Margaret Callan, Margaret Stewart and many more.

Masterclasses

The Traditional Music department offers masterclasses led by world-famous tradition-bearers, teachers and professional musicians from a broad range of traditional music. Masterclass artists of previous years include:

Fiddle
Chris Stout
Allan Henderson
Aidan O’Rourke
Douglas Lawrence
Aaron Lewis
Jamie Laval
Aonghas Grant Sr
Adam Sutherland
Liz Carroll
Nordic Fiddlers Bloc

Accordion
Angus Lyon
Sandy Brechin
Iain MacPhail
John Somerville
Kathleen Boyle
Luke Daniels

Clarsach
Mary MacMaster
Simon Chadwick
Corrina Hewat
Lily Neill
Maeve Gilchrist
Siobhán Armstrong
Bill Taylor
The Duplets (Freya Thompson and Gillian Fleetwood)

Piping
Roddy J MacLeod
Fraser Fifield
John Wilson
Rona Lightfoot
Fred Morrison

Scots song
Sheila Stewart
Elizabeth Stewart
Alison McMorland
Sara Grey
Tom Spiers
Mick West
Tom McCarthy
Alistair Roberts

Gaelic song
Anne Lorne Gillies
Griogor Labhraidh
Margaret Stewart
Rona Lightfoot

Other
Brendan Taaffe (American folksong)
Rannock (Danish fiddle and keyboard duet)
Fraser Fifield (whistles)
Findlay Napier (songwriting)
Violet Tulloch (Shetland piano accompaniment)
Nic Gareiss (traditional and extemporised dance)
Tigerstyle (Sikh dubstep)
Skip Gorman (American folksong and fiddling)
Pete Coe (Repertoire development, performance and presentation)
Dave Francis (Musical innovation)
Simon Thoumire
Dave Milligan
Anna Massie
Mairearad Green
Brian McAlpine
Ian Carr

Facilities

Traditional Music is based, appropriately enough, at the heart of the Royal Conservatoire, occupying its centrally-located Studio C recording, rehearsal and teaching area. The Royal Conservatoire’s Studio C is a large yet intimate space at the heart of the Renfrew Street campus, functioning as the living hub of BMus and MA/MMus Traditional Music activity at the Royal Conservatoire (including band studies, group projects, masterclasses and informal sessions) and providing rehearsal, recording, PA and storage facilities.

Practice accommodation in the Royal Conservatoire’s Renfrew Street campus has increased prodigiously in recent years, accommodating all types of musical activity, from solo to band, singing to piping. The National Piping Centre offers further purpose-designed practice space for Highland piping students. Areas within the building have been Wi-Fi-enabled and all students have access to the network using their own laptops and portable devices.

IT provision in the Whittaker Library has increased in recent years to accommodate 16 PC workstations, (incorporating Sibelius 7), bringing the total open access student PC provision to 52 machines (and counting). This is further enhanced by the Royal Conservatoire’s Digital Training Unit and Language Lab facilities.

Students have access to over 70 relevant e-journals and 14 electronic databases and online archives, including Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches, HOTBED, Oxford Music Online, IPA Source, JStor and Naxos. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Whittaker Library continues to support Scottish Music students via a dedicated full-time Music Librarian and a full-time Performance Librarian.

Just as the Traditional Music Department occupies the heart of RCS, so RCS occupies the heart of Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music. Students can take advantage of our central location to avail themselves of the National Piping Centre, the Scottish Music Centre at City Halls, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and a teeming network of folk music sessions at pubs throughout the city.

Graduate destinations

The Traditional Music programme has an excellent track record of graduate employment or self-employment within six months of graduation – upward of 90%. The programme prepares students for a wide and varied range of careers in traditional music; not all related to performance. Our graduates have gone on to establish their own recording labels, agencies or other entrepeneurial ventures; to tour extensively around the world; to become noted composers, producers and broadcasters; and to earn teaching qualifications to become classroom teachers; even to go on to further study in psychology and law.

Some noted alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Department of Traditional Music include:

Finlay MacDonald (Head of Piping Studies at the National Piping Centre; The Finlay MacDonald Band)
Findlay Napier (Back of the Moon; Findlay Napier and the Bar-Room Mountaineers)
Emily Smith
Paul McKenna and Ruairidh MacMillan (The Paul McKenna Band)
Daniel Thorpe (The Daniel Thorpe Trio)
Cameron Drummond (Highland Society of London Double Silver Medallist; Strathallan School)
Calum MacCrimmon (Man’s Ruin; Seudan; Breabach)
Siobhan Miller and Jean Leslie
Gillian Frame (Back of the Moon, Glasgow Fiddle Workshop)
Simon McKerrell (Lecturer, Newcastle University)
Angus MacPhail (Skippinish)
Jenna Reid
Stuart Cassells (Red Hot Chilli Pipers)
Kathleen MacInnes
Deirdre Graham
James Graham
Jack Smedley, David Foley and Steven Blake (Rura)
Robyn Stapleton (BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2014)
Ainsley Hamill (Barluath)
Gordon Bruce (Highland Society of London Double Silver Medallist)
Grant McFarlane (CherryGrove)

Fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for academic year 2020-21

Scottish/EU Students – £1,820
Rest of UK (RUK) Students – £9,250
International (Non EU) – £17,685

Scottish/EU students

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will pay tuition fees for all eligible full-time Scottish-based and other non-UK undergraduate EU students, who are studying in Scotland at degree level for the first time. Students should apply to SAAS for payment of tuition fees even if they are not applying for any other means of support. Eligible students can also apply for student loans through SAAS . For further advice and to check eligibility contact SAAS directly on 0300 555 0505 or visit their website .

Rest of UK students

Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland studying in Scotland will be eligible for the same funding/loan package that they would benefit from if they attended an institution in their home country. For further advice please visit student finance England , student finance Wales , or student finance Northern Ireland as appropriate.

International students

Students from outside the EU typically fund higher education by a variety of resources, depending on the home country. More specific information on funding options relevant to specific countries can be found on our International page.

Scholarships

Any potential student who auditions for a place at the Royal Conservatoire will automatically be considered for a scholarship. They are awarded on a combination of talent, potential and financial need. More information about Scholarships is available here

Sources of external funding

For more information about alternative funding sources, including external scholarships and bursaries, please visit here.

The Royal Conservatoire’s International and Student Experience team are available to advise and assist applicants and current students in respect of queries about funding your studies. Please email or telephone +44 (0)141 270 8281/ +44 (0)141 270 8223 for further information.

Entry requirements

Our admissions processes are designed to be fair, transparent and efficient. The audition/interview approach serves the dual nature of allowing the panel to assess first-hand an applicant’s suitability for their chosen programme and it also affords the applicant the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the nature of that programme and the opportunities offered by the RCS.

In arriving at its recommendation, the audition/interview panel will take account of all aspects of the applicant’s profile i.e.:

General Academic entrance requirements

Scottish Highers – 3 passes (grade C or above)
A Levels – 2 passes
International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24 with 3 subjects at Higher Level
Recognised equivalences (EU and International Entry Requirements)

We welcome the Scottish Baccalaureate and will accept combinations of Highers and Advanced Highers.

We offer a flexible approach to students taking Higher over more than one academic year and/or who achieve their qualifications in more than one sitting.

Subjects recommended

Within the minimum academic entrance requirements listed above, the subject recommended are:

History at Higher, Advanced Higher or Advanced Level or equivalent
English at Higher, Advanced Higher or Advanced Level or equivalent
The study of Gaelic and/or another European language at least to National 4/5 or Standard Grade/GCSE

Other Standards

A strong indication of potential is sought at the entrance audition for this programme. Successful applicants will normally be of a standard at least equivalent to Grade 8 with Distinction of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music in their Principal Study. You can apply and audition without having obtained Grade 8 with distinction, however as an indication only, applicants are normally expected to have reached this standard in their performance.

Language of Study

The language of study is English. Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. We accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component) is required of applicants to the School of Music.

Direct Entry

Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. If you wish to apply for direct entry, please mark the point of entry on UCAS Conservatoires application as 2 or 3.

Non-standard Entry

We welcome applications from individuals whose academic qualifications or English language qualifications do not match (in terms of equivalence) or fall short of the normal entrance requirements, where specified*. Having satisfied the Audition Panel that they meet the selection criteria and demonstrated that they have the capacity to pursue the proposed course of study, such applicants will be considered through examination of contextualised data provided in accordance with the Non-Standard Entry Policy. The appropriate Head of Department/ Programme will make a case in support of the applicant for consideration by the Directors of the Schools and Convener of the Quality and Standards Committee.

*Note that UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) imposes minimum English Language qualifications in respect of international (non-EU) applicants who require a Tier 4 Visa to study in the UK.

Mature Students

RCS welcomes applications from mature students, i.e. students over the age of 21 at entry to the programme. Whilst the selection procedures will still be applied, consideration will be given to appropriate artistic experience not normally expected in school leavers, which is deemed to compensate for any lack of traditional entrance qualifications. Successful mature applicants, as for all other applicants, must convince auditioning panels that they have the ability and potential to cope with the demands of the programme. Their progress, especially in the early stages of the programme, will be closely monitored and appropriate advice and support given.

Auditions

The audition day

Performance applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability in their Principal Study. It is important to choose music that will demonstrate present level of achievement and musical potential. The Audition Panel reserves the right to halt a performance when it has heard enough to form a judgment. Applicants will have 10 minutes (or more, dependent on their Principal Study) to warm up before the audition. RCS is not able to offer additional practice facilities before the allocated warm up time.

In addition to the performance, applicants may, at the discretion of the Audition Panel, be given a short sight-reading test. The audition will conclude with a short interview with the Audition Panel which will explore the applicant’s understanding of the demands of the programme, knowledge of repertoire, aspects of performance practice, performance experience and attitudes, and professional aspirations.

Accompanists

Those applying to the BMus (Traditional Music) pathway who require an accompanist at their audition, such as applicants for guitar or pipe band snare drum, must supply their own.

What to Perform

In your audition you must perform a programme of approximately 15 minutes on your Principal Study. The programme should demonstrate your present level of achievement and your musical potential, and must normally be performed from memory and unaccompanied, with the exception of guitar or pipe band snare drum, or in cases of self-accompanying for one or two items (e.g. clarsach player accompanying own singing, or singers accompanying themselves on another instrument).

Applicants are asked to give brief spoken introductions to each item performed and their own compositions may be included alongside traditional repertoire. Suggested repertoire is detailed below.

Highland Bagpipe

Three contrasting sets that should include a march, strathspey and reel and one piobaireachd (ground and 1st variation only).

Accordion/Bodhran/Cello/Fiddle/Flute/Guitar/Mondolin/Piano/Scottish Harp/Whistle

A contrasting programme featuring the applicant’s own choice of tunes: air, march, strathspey, reel, jig, hornpipe, and/or other forms or examples of folk and traditional repertoire, and self-accompaniment to singing if appropriate.

Pipe Band Snare Drum

A variety of pieces and exercises demonstrating skills on snare drum, and any other traditional percussion such as bodhran (contemporary drum kit is not offered as a Principal Study on this programme, but can be considered for Second or Related Study).

Scots Song

Varied programme of contrasting moods and tempi: featuring the broad range of Scots song, e.g. classic ballad, bothy ballad, Burns or other ‘art’ song, lullaby, contemporary Scots song, nonsense, bawdy or children’s song, dance song or diddling. Good source material for the repertoire appropriate to this programme can be found and studied in depth at www.tobarandualchais.co.uk

Gaelic Song

Varied programme of contrasting moods and tempi: puirt a beul, òrain luaidh, òrain bàsaidh, òran mór, contemporary Gaelic song, lullaby, lament. Good source material for the repertoire appropriate to this programme can be found and studied in depth at www.tobarandualchais.co.uk

Where we audition

Whilst most auditions take place at the Conservatoire in Glasgow, we do hold auditions internationally. If you wish to audition overseas, please visit our International site here for further information on that particular application process as well as details about the venue and date(s): https://international.rcs.ac.uk. Should you plan on auditioning overseas, we kindly ask that you submit your application at least one month in advance of the audition date. If you apply less than a month in advance, we cannot guarantee to audition you in person, and we may ask you to submit a recording instead.

If you select ‘RCS’ as the Audition Location on on your application, your audition will take place in Glasgow. We welcome recorded auditions from non-UK applicants. If you wish to audition by recording, please select ‘recording’. If you require further information about auditioning internationally, please email hello@rcs.ac.uk.

Recorded Auditions

If you are auditioning via video recording, please read the following information before sending us your material.

Prior to submitting a recorded audition, you must apply via UCAS Conservatoires. Recorded auditions can be easily submitted online using Acceptd. You will need to create an account, but then you can easily upload the recordings you wish to be considered. Recordings will not be considered until a UCAS Conservatoires application has been submitted.

Once you have completed the UCAS Conservatoires application, you should proceed to Acceptd to submit your video recording. Please check individual requirements above for what to prepare for your audition recording. Applicants who are offered a place at RCS following submission of a recording will be required to undertake a supplementary audition when they arrive to start their programme of study. This is to confirm the authenticity of their recording. This audition may affect their placing on the programme.

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.

Last decision by	Your reply date is
3 January 2020	31 January 2020
16 March 2020	14 April 2020
14 July 2020	30 July 2020
4 August 2020	8 September 2020
After 4 August 2020	22 September 2020

Introduction

Programme structure

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Why choose us?

Teaching staff

Head of Traditional Music

Facilities

Graduate destinations

Fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for academic year 2020-21

Entry requirements

Auditions

Accordion/Bodhran/Cello/Fiddle/Flute/Guitar/Mondolin/Piano/Scottish Harp/Whistle

Pipe Band Snare Drum

Scots Song

Gaelic Song

Recorded Auditions

How to Apply

Book a Traditional Music Graded Exam

Like Nowhere Else

BA Acting

Undergraduate Courses

Open Days

Junior Conservatoire

Short Courses

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Head of Traditional Music

Tuition fees for academic year 2020-21

Accordion/Bodhran/Cello/Fiddle/Flute/Guitar/Mondolin/Piano/Scottish Harp/Whistle

Pipe Band Snare Drum

Scots Song

Gaelic Song

Recorded Auditions

Application deadline date

Book an advice lesson with one of our Music tutors (faculty)

Audition fee

Highland Bagpipe

Accordion/Bodhran/Cello/Fiddle/Flute/Guitar/Mondolin/Piano/Scottish Harp/Whistle

Pipe Band Snare Drum

Scots Song

Gaelic Song

Accordion/Bodhran/Cello/Fiddle/Flute/Guitar/Mondolin/Piano/Scottish Harp/Whistle

Pipe Band Snare Drum

Scots Song

Gaelic Song