Jazz

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Overview

This Jazz Music programme is an intensive, year-long course in which you will learn from one-to-one lessons, ensemble work, performance and musicianship classes. We aim to help you develop into the best musician possible and, one day a week, immerse you in conservatoire life.

You will also have a busy performance schedule, with Junior Conservatoire concerts taking place inside the Royal Conservatoire most weeks throughout the academic year.

You will benefit from learning within a conservatoire environment and have the opportunity to participate in Bridge Week, an interdisciplinary celebration where students from across the Junior Conservatoire come together to devise and perform new work within one of the Royal Conservatoire’s professional venues. As the National Conservatoire of Scotland, we have strong partnerships with the professional industry and you may benefit from performing opportunities or masterclasses with undergraduate and postgraduate students or visiting artists.

You will:

Learn from expert staff from the Royal Conservatoire
Work with students from other disciplines across the Junior Conservatoire
Develop your performance skills and have many opportunities to perform publicly on stage
Take part in prize competitions
Learn across a broad curriculum including world music, composition, conducting and jazz

The programme runs from September to June each year, and you can apply to join at any point in your secondary school education.

Entry to the programme is by audition only and we don’t have a minimum grade requirement – we look for the potential and dedication of every applicant. Please note, we can only accept applications from students currently receiving instrumental lessons in their chosen principal study.

The important details

Open Day:
27 January 2024

Application Deadline:
5 February 2024

Venue:
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3DB

Dates:
9 September 2023 - 8 June 2024

Time:
Saturdays, 9.00-17.00

Audition Fee:
£45

Cost
£2490 (subject to change)

The Junior Conservatoire of Music has been teaching young musicians for more than 50 years here in the centre of Glasgow. We now have more than 350 young people travel from across Scotland and the north of England every Saturday to access this renowned training programme and to work with our expert teachers.

Many of our graduates have progressed on to the BMus (Hons) Jazz Music degree programme at the Royal Conservatoire.

Benefits of studying at the Junior Conservatoire include:

One-to-one instrumental tuition for 45—60 minutes per week
The option to have a further 30—45 minute one-to-one lesson in a second study
Participate in a wide variety of ensembles and orchestras
Receive your own personalised timetable, allowing for individual needs across one-to-one tuition, group lessons, choir, ensemble work and performing opportunities
Compete in internal and external music prizes and competitions, such as, the Junior Conservatoire Gilbert Innes Prizes, Traditional Music Prize, BBC Young Musician of the Year, Inspire Young Composers’, Rotary Club and local Music Festivals

Attend weekly Practical Musicianship classes which support and develop subject areas, such as theory, musicianship, composition, history of music and analysis skills
Work towards ABRSM Grade 5 theory/NYCoS ‘Going for Gold’ qualifications
Have the opportunity to work towards and sit ABRSM Grade 8 theory exam (optional)
Receive support with preparation towards SQA instrumental music exams
Receive formative feedback reports twice a year, in addition to weekly feedback from one-to-one lessons, to ensure you are achieving the most out of your studies

As a Junior Conservatoire jazz musician you will learn from leading jazz musicians. You will study practical musicianship, repertoire class, ensemble training (forming part of the Big Band ensemble) and take part in specialist masterclasses with industry professionals.

RCS is renowned for producing world-class jazz musicians through its BMus Jazz degree programme — the only programme of its kind in Scotland. Studying jazz at the Junior Conservatoire will give you an insight into what it takes to become a full-time conservatoire student and a professional jazz musician as you’ll be introduced to the essentials of chord-scale harmony, ear training, improvisation and arrangement.

The Junior Conservatoire of Music has a wide and varied range of professional educators who work on a weekly basis with our students. The staff are all experts in their field.

Staff include:

Tom Gibbs (Piano)
Brodie Jarvie (Bass)
Peter Johnstone (Trumpet and Piano)
Doug Hough-Stewart (Kit)
Konrad Wiszniewski (Saxophone)

Entry Requirements

Entry to Junior Conservatoire is by audition only, and progression through the levels is not automatic — students will be assessed each year if they would like to continue with their studies.

We do not ask for any minimum grade — instead the panel will be looking for applicants of great potential who demonstrate they have the commitment and ability to work hard and become the best performer they can be.

Fees & Funding

Tuition fees

The Junior Conservatoire course fees for 2023/24 begins at £2490 for 30 weeks of tuition. In addition to weekly 45-minute principal study lessons, this course fee is inclusive of all timetabled classes: traditional musicianship, ensembles or performance coaching, composition, aural training and sang scuil. In addition to these classes, students may be able to opt into a number of elective courses, according to availability and in agreement with the Head of Junior Conservatoire.

Students can choose to enhance their study combinations by learning a subsidiary study instrument, or by increasing their weekly one-to-one lesson time at an additional cost.

Funding & Scholarships

We want to make the performing arts as accessible to everyone as possible. Anyone who faces financial barriers to participate in the Junior Conservatoire can apply for a bursary or scholarship. As soon as you have been made an offer, you will be sent a link to the bursary and scholarship application form.

These funds are currently supported by the generosity of individuals and charitable trusts and foundations including:

James McAvoy Drama Scholarship
Agnes Allan Bursary
ABRSM Junior Scholarship UK
Wolfson Foundation Scholarship
Stevenson Scholarship
Miss Nancy Williamson Bursary
William R MacFarlane Scholarship
Savoy Scholarship
John McIntyre Memorial Scholarship

How to Apply

We want to ensure everyone has an opportunity to apply for the Junior Conservatoire Music programme so we will audition everyone who applies ahead of the application deadline.

Please note, we are only able to accept applications from students who are currently receiving instrumental lessons in their chosen principal study.

When to apply

Our initial application period for session 2024/25 closed on 5 February 2024, however, depending on your instrument, age and stage, we may be in a position to consider a late application. To complete our late application form, please follow the link below:

Late Application Form

We will respond by email as soon as possible and, based on the information you provide, if we are able to accept your application, we will then invite you to pay a separate audition fee of £45.00. Please note, it may be a number of weeks before you receive an update.

If you have any queries regarding this process, please email us at juniorsmusic@rcs.ac.uk

Audition Dates

Initial auditions are due to be held at the RCS in February/March 2024.

Open Day

Please see our Junior Conservatoire Open Day page for more information on our upcoming open days.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Junior Conservatoire or the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at juniorsmusic@rcs.ac.uk

Audition Information

We want your audition to be an enjoyable experience and encourage you to take this opportunity to find out more about the Junior Conservatoire.

The audition will be split into two parts: a performance audition and an informal interview, both with a panel of teachers from the Junior Conservatoire.

The Audition:

The audition for principal study jazz musicians (not including jazz drums) will consist of the following areas:

The performance of a Jazz standard of your choice which includes improvisation, which you feel shows you to the best of your current ability.
An improvised performance of a 12 bar blues in concert F, or concert Bb. A backing track can be provided for this in advance if requested. Bass players should also demonstrate a walking bass line on the blues.
Jazz scales and Modes will be asked, appropriate to your current standard.
Sight-reading will be given, appropriate to your current standard (Chords/and or notation).
A selection of Interval and Chordal tests appropriate to the standard of the principal instrument, in order to ascertain current level of general musicianship.

The audition for principal study Jazz drummers will be asked to:

Demonstrate a medium tempo swing feel accompaniment to a 12 bar blues (accompaniment provided in audition).
Demonstrate a number of standard jazz related skills and grooves, including performing at different tempos in:
1) A swing rhythm in both 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures.
2) A basic bossa nova beat and basic funk beat.
Sight-reading may be given, appropriate to your current standard (Drum Kit and/or snare)
A selection of Interval and Chordal tests appropriate to the standard of the principal instrument, in order to ascertain current level of general musicianship.

The Interview:

The interview is a chance for you to ask us questions also, so please use the opportunity to ask anything that you’d like to know about the Junior Conservatoire. We’ll ask you questions around your musical experience, your practices and what you hope to get from being a part of the Junior Conservatoire.