This page contains information on how to prepare your recording

Your video application should include:

  1. An introduction, spoken in English
  2. Your performance

Recordings uploaded without the spoken English introduction will not be processed.

Don't forget also to include your written items if you are applying for MMus, Professional Diploma or Advanced Diploma, and remember to check the Audition Requirements section for your Department to see if any other items are needed.

You should upload the actual video files, we do not accept links to YouTube, Dropbox or other external sites. If you are making a long recording, mp4 format will have a smaller file size so it is easier to upload, or you can use a compression software like HandBrake.

SPOKEN Introduction

This applies to most candidates. Please see different requirements for Musical Theatre and Historical Performance.

Your spoken introduction must be presented in English.

Please tell us:

  • Your name
  • Something about your musical background and the training you’ve had
  • Your musical ambitions
  • Your reasons for applying for your chosen course at the Academy

This video should be 3 to 5 minutes long. and should be separate to your audition performance or, for Composition candidates, the recording of your scores.

Performance CANDIDATES

Please find your chosen department here and refer to its specific audition requirements. The page will tell you if you must submit a single, continuous take of your audition pieces, or if you can submit a separate recording of each piece.

Please follow the published repertoire requirements for your department and remember that sight-reading, scales and arpeggios are not needed in the recording. A 'piece' can be a movement rather than a complete work (for example, one movement from a sonata).

Accompanied pieces should be performed with an accompaniment, this can be a 'minus-one' track if you are unable to get an accompanist.

Please read through our advice below for preparing and uploading your video recordings. The spoken introduction should be recorded separately.

Please also refer to the additional notes for your department below, where relevant.

Please point the camera at your side so the assessment panel can see you play at the console, and (if possible) place the microphone some distance away from the instrument.

Undergraduates should upload a separate unedited video for each piece.

Postgraduates should upload a single unedited video of their complete programme.

Please perform every item on the relevant repertoire list. This applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate candidates.

For the 2025 repertoire items, please refer to the Jazz Audition Requirements.

Technical advice and troubleshooting

Please find technical information on how to maximise the quality of your video audition below.

All submissions must have been recorded in the past few months.

The performance element of your video submission must be in one take (unedited, with no breaks between items). Individual pieces or movements can be recorded separately if the opportunity to record continuously is affected by circumstances beyond your control (such as availability of an accompanist). Please check the 'audition requirements' page on your relevant department for full details.

  1. Decide where you will make your recording – somewhere with natural light, where we will be able to see you clearly. Use a neutral backdrop – a blank wall works best.
  2. Use your iPhone, iPad, laptop or similar device to record. Make sure that the device is placed at an appropriate distance from you - around two to three metres is ideal.
  3. Ensure that the working parts of the instrument or person (e.g. lips and fingers for a brass player or both hands for a string player) are visible for the duration of the video. For sung auditions, the frame should be from the chest up and the camera should be at eye level. Be still and keep it simple – too much movement is distracting.
  4. Ensure that the lighting is sufficient.
  5. Produce a steady image with minimal shake. Have someone you know with a steady hand film you if they have the time. If not, prop your device up on a music stand or book, or use a cheap tripod and phone clip.
  6. Always record with the device in a horizontal/landscape format.
  7. Audio quality is more important than the video quality.
  8. If possible, try to record in a quiet environment and use a room without too much reverberation/echo.
  9. Turn off televisions, computer notifications, silence your phone (ideally using airplane mode), close all the apps that are running at the background, and shut the windows.
  10. Record test footage to begin. This way you can review the footage and decide if it's better to place the phone in a different part of the room.
  11. Make sure you have plenty of space on your recording device before you start. You may need to transfer photos and videos onto a computer or into cloud storage to make sure you have enough space to fit your recording.
  12. Consider creating two or three takes of each piece and pick the best one.
  13. Review your full recording before submitting to make sure you haven't missed any visual or audio issues. If you have used a backing track or a live accompanist, please ensure we can hear you clearly above the accompaniment and that the audio balance is in your favour.
  14. Though not essential, an external microphone will help improve the audio quality of your recording.
  15. Do not use any added reverb or pitch correction software.
  16. Relax and have fun! The wonderful thing about self-taping is you can do it until you get it right. The audition panel will not be assessing the quality of your recording, only the quality of your performance!

Acceptd (our online application provider) supports a majority of file types, shown below:

  • Video: MPEG, MPG, MP4, OGG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, VOB, FLV
  • Audio: MP3, OGG, M4A, WMA, WAV, AAC, FLAC
  • Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF
  • Documents: PDF, PS, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPS, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, OPT, SXW, ODP, SXI, ODS, SXC, RTF

Below are the size limitations on each type of file:

  • Video: up to 4.8 GB
  • Audio: 750 MB
  • Images: 500 MB
  • Documents: 250 MB

Here are a few helpful troubleshooting tips when uploading media:

  • If possible, try switching to a wired Internet connection by connecting your device to a router via ethernet cable.
  • We suggest using Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser as they work well with our website.
  • Do not navigate away from the page when you are uploading as this may prevent files from being fully transferred.
  • Once your media is uploaded and has begun processing you can navigate away from the page.

How to submit your video application

  1. When you complete your UCAS Conservatoires application, select Recording as the audition method. Application details can be found on the How to Apply page.
  2. We use Acceptd as our portal for uploading media and documents. There is useful guidance on the Acceptd help page including maximum file sizes. Here is our Candidate Guide to Acceptd, this is a PDF file.
  3. Registration for an Acceptd account is free. Please use the same email address as the one used for your UCAS Conservatoires application.
  4. Please make sure you input your name in exactly the same format as your UCAS Conservatoires application, using Roman letters (please do not use other alphabets such as Greek, Cyrillic, Mandarin etc), and include your UCAS Conservatoires Personal ID number.
  5. In 'Select Program Group', choose Undergraduate Applications or Postgraduate Applications for our main auditions. Research candidates should select Doctoral Studies.
  6. Remember to check the department audition requirements page for your specialism, to ensure you have included all the necessary items. You should upload actual video files, we do not accept links to YouTube, Dropbox or other external sites. If you are making a long recording, mp4 format will have a smaller file size so it is easier to upload, or you can use a compression software like HandBrake.
  7. We recommend uploading before the Acceptd site gets busy which is usually during the afternoon UK time. When your file upload is shown as 'processing', it's in the Acceptd system and you can exit the page or add another file. It is not usually necessary to wait until the processing is complete.
  8. In Acceptd, do not press 'Submit' until you have uploaded all your files and previewed the application, to make sure you have included everything.
    Postgraduate candidates - remember the items of written work if those are required for your course.

We may use the Acceptd message service to contact you, so please remember to add getacceptd.com as a safe sender in your email settings, and look in your junk mailbox regularly in case messages are caught by your spam filter.

You will receive the decision through your UCAS Conservatoires Hub as soon as possible after your application assessment has been completed, this normally will be no later than Christmas for most studies.

Late submissions

Recordings uploaded after the deadline stated above will be processed at the discretion of the relevant Head of Department.

Scholarships

Candidates auditioning by video are considered for an entrance scholarship in the same way as a candidate auditioning in person.

Other important information

The deadline for you to submit your UCAS Conservatoires application is detailed in the 'Deadlines' section on our Apply to the Academy page, where you can also see the date when your audition items must be uploaded in Acceptd.

Here is our Candidate Guide to Acceptd, this is a PDF file.

Please see our guidance above for preparing and uploading your recordings, including your Spoken English introduction.

You should upload the actual video files, we do not accept links to YouTube, Dropbox or other external sites. If you are making a long recording, mp4 format will have a smaller file size so it is easier to upload, or you can use a compression software like HandBrake.

  • Master of Music, Professional Diploma performance and Advanced Diploma Performance candidates should include their written work with the uploaded recordings (see the Written Requirements section on our Entry Requirements webpage).
  • Exchange and Study Abroad candidates have separate guidance on our Exchanges page.
  • Musical Theatre and Musical Direction have specific recording requirements, please see the Musical Theatre department pages.
  • Advanced Diploma Opera candidates have specific items to upload, these are detailed on the Opera Audition page.

The video recordings are the equivalent of the first-round live performance given by an instrumental or vocal candidate to a panel at the Academy, so they are treated as Round 1 of the assessment process.

After your Acceptd profile has been assessed, we will let you know if you have been selected for further interview. which can include the opportunity to talk to academic staff, the Head of Department or senior staff at the Academy about your plans and ambitions, and to ask questions. The interviews allow us to get to know you and discover how best you can thrive and flourish as a fulfilled and successful professional musician in modern times. All applicants will be considered for a scholarship award, irrespective of whether they select a video or live audition.

Applicants will also be able to take virtual tours of the building, view presentations from Heads of Department, and attend webinars with our Admissions and Financial Awards Team, current students and other staff at the Academy.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us at admissions@ram.ac.uk.