Audition Requirements

Please see Filling In Your Application For UK Conservatoires via UCAS for further assistance with this process.

These details are for students applying to start their studies at the Academy in September 2025.

Until specified otherwise, these requirements also apply for auditions in future years. Some audition requirements may change: please check back here regularly. You are welcome to contact the Admissions Team [admissions@ram.ac.uk] or the department administrator [harp@ram.ac.uk] if you have any queries.

2 October deadline, 6pm UK time:
Deadline for all candidates for London or Video auditions to submit their UCAS Conservatoires application.

Then:

25 October, midday UK time:

• London in-person candidates: deadline for you to submit your application profile in the Acceptd portal, with your referee contact details, copies of your audition music for the panel, and any written requirements required for your course choice.
  London in-person auditions for your Principal Study are not pre-screened.
• Video candidates: deadline for you to submit your application profile in the Acceptd portal, details are on our video auditions page.
  You will need to create a profile in the Acceptd portal, into which you put your referee contact details and upload:
  - your audition recording
  - the list of all the works in your programme
  - copies of your audition music for the panel
  - any written requirements for your course choice (postgraduates only, see below) and
  - your spoken English introduction.
  Your audition pieces can be recorded separately.
  You may be asked to have an online interview with the Head of Harp.

Harps will be available for any auditions held at the Academy in London. A Lyon & Healy harp will be available in the audition room and a similar model in the warm-up room, though you are welcome to bring your own instrument if you prefer.

1 November, midday UK time:

• New York candidates: deadline for you to submit your UCAS Conservatoires application and also your application profile in the Acceptd portal, details are on our video auditions page.
  You will need to create a profile in the Acceptd portal, into which you put your referee contact details and upload:
  - your pre-screening audition recording (repertoire as listed below)
  - the list of all the works in your programme
  - copies of your audition music for the panel
  - any written requirements for your course choice (postgraduates only, see below) and
  - your spoken English introduction.
  
  Please see "International Auditions" on the Your Application page.

Harp audition requirements

• Two contrasting pieces of your own choice, one to have been written after 1950, and preferably in a contemporary style.
• For undergraduate and postgraduate candidates at live audition, a study (étude) which will be sent separately seven days before the interview.
• For candidates at live audition:
  - Scales in all major and minor keys, four octaves, to be played hands separately or hands together an octave apart, a sixth apart (right hand begins on tonic) or a tenth apart (left hand begins on tonic).
  - Arpeggios in all major and minor keys, four octaves, to be played hands separately, hands together or divided between the hands, in root position, first and second inversions. Dominant sevenths and diminished sevenths as above.
  For further information please see grade 8 requirements for Pedal Harp for ABRSM exams www.abrsm.org.
• For candidates doing a video audition, if you are selected to progress from Round 1, the scales and arpeggios detailed above will be asked for during your live online interview, and you will receive by email a piece of sight-reading the day before your interview. Please have a harp available for you to play during this interview.

Undergraduate applicants

You may be asked to have a subsequent interview with one of the undergraduate academic staff, during which you can discuss your study plans. As part of the interview you may be asked some questions about a short extract of music, and be asked to take some aural skills assessments consisting of a sight-singing test and some of the following:

• singing the middle notes in a chord
• identification of intervals
• sight reading of rhythms
• sight reading of two simultaneous different rhythms, to be sung and clapped.

Sorry, we cannot issue specimen tests.

Postgraduate applicants

You may be asked to have a subsequent interview with one of the postgraduate programme tutors where you can discuss your study plans.

Written requirements

MMus, ProfDip and Advanced Diploma (Performance) have written requirements - please see these on the entry requirements section of the website. There are no academic written requirements for MA or PGCert.

All Master of Music candidates are automatically considered for Master of Arts, so if you are also interested in MA study you should only apply for MMus because there will only be one audition.

You are not tied to the course choice in your application, the length and pathway can be discussed and adjusted as appropriate.

Application Fee

We assess everyone who applies on time and pays their application and assessment fee.

Information on the assessment fee and waivers can be found in the Your Application page of our website, please click on the link below.

Your Application web page

Your Audition web page