Composition

Overview

The Academy’s Professional Diploma (ProfDip) is a one-of-a-kind programme for students who are looking for a specially tailored extra year of study to provide a competitive edge in building a career. The course is for performance candidates who wish to follow a particular area of focus within or connected to their Principal Study. It is a one-year specialist and intensive Diploma at Level 7 within the UK Qualifications and Credit Framework (post-Masters).

Candidates should have the potential and aspiration to succeed at the highest international standard. Applicants must normally hold a postgraduate degree and put forward a project proposal outlining what they hope to achieve.

It is a highly focused combination of one-to-one tuition and professional development activity built around the needs of each individual student in consultation with the ProfDip Programme Tutor and the relevant Head of Department. Applicants will normally have completed a master’s degree but the programme is available to all applicants of the appropriate standard.

A note on assessments

The Professional Diploma and Advanced Professional Diploma are designed for musicians who already hold a Master's degree or equivalent professional experience. You will be asked within your Acceptd profile to state if you also wish to be considered for alternative postgraduate courses and your ultimate course placement remains flexible; the panel may discuss and recommend a different postgraduate pathway (such as the MMus or MA) during your assessment if they feel it better matches your academic needs.

Applying for both the Professional Diploma and Advanced Professional Diploma pathways

Students completing the Professional Diploma (ProfDip) in June will also be eligible to apply to the Advanced Professional Diploma (Adv ProfDip) as a nine-month enrolment starting the following September in Year 2 of the course.

The first year of the Adv ProfDip is identical to the ProfDip, meaning that the ProfDip will be a potential exit award for students unable to continue into, or complete, the second year of the Adv ProfDip.

If you want to apply for either of these courses alongside your main application, you do not need to create a second profile or submit a new application on UCAS Conservatoires. Instead, just:

Opt-in: When prompted in Acceptd, indicate that you would like to be considered.
Upload your documents: Add the required specialist proposal document (for the Prof Dip) or written requirements (for the Adv Prof Dip) directly to your existing Acceptd profile.

Examples of elective modules

Analysis and Aesthetics (Alex Hills)
Approaching the Great Luthiers (George Zacharias)
Attentive Listening (Roderick Chadwick)
Audio Recording Techniques (Andrew Lang)
Beyond the Score: Communicating With Audiences (Gerard Mcburney)
Composition Pathway (David Gorton)
Concert Workshop (Roderick Chadwick)
Creative Collaboration: Developing Your Identity as a Professional Artist (Jessica Walker)
Creative Programming and Research (Neil Heyde and Briony Cox-williams)
Enhanced Performance Techniques (Sophie Langdon)
Historically Informed Performance
Historical Performance Pathway
Advanced Historical Performance Pathway
The Interpreter’s Workshop (Daniel-ben Pienaar and Neil Heyde)
Leadership Skills for Artists (Gwendolyn Tietze)
Open Academy Pathway (Julian West)
Performing Experimental Music (Alex Hills)
Performing French Music (Roy Howat)
Practical Conducting Pathway (Dominic Grier)
Soundbox (Peter Sheppard Skærved)
Studio Performance (Amy Blier-carruthers)

Guides, Handbooks & Specifications

Entry Requirements

Academic: A Master’s qualification or equivalent (in a relevant subject), but the Academy welcomes applications from students who may not meet the usual academic requirements.
Performance: A performance (or compositional, where applicable) standard at least equivalent to recognised postgraduate degrees and a clear sense of a direction (specialism) for further study.

You must complete a proposal document if you wish to be considered for a Diploma pathway. Your proposal should be included in your Acceptd profile.

Using the template below, please provide a one-page proposal outlining your chosen particular specialism and your intended individual learning outcomes for the course.

Specialist proposal document (word document)
Specialist proposal document (PDF)

The aim of this course is to provide a platform for specialist professional development, which will allow you to follow a particular area of focus within or connected to your Principal Study.

There are several areas in which we recognise particular needs:

Historical Performance
Change of discipline (for example Piano to Piano Accompaniment)
Related instrument specialisms
Chamber Music (to be explored in detail at approval)
New Music
Compositional specialisms (e.g. working with other media)
Special repertoire projects
Collaborative Recording Production

This is not an exhaustive list and we could consider individual applications for other specialisms.

Auditions and Interviews

Auditions at this level are evaluated against a high professional benchmark. The panel is looking for artistic maturity, stylistic authority, and a clearly defined vision.

Portfolio Guidelines:

Score requirements: You should submit clear PDF scores of at least four substantial recent works that best represent your current creative direction and technical control.
Instrumentation: Your scores should demonstrate a variety of forces, showing your ability to write across different ensembles or acoustic settings.
Audio-visual Elements: A high-quality audio or video recording of the work should also be uploaded.
- Note: Live concert or professional studio recordings are highly preferred. However, if these are unavailable, high-quality computer-generated mock-ups are fully acceptable.
Programme Notes: You may optionally include a short descriptive programme note for the pieces in the portfolio, but this is not compulsory.
Style Boundaries: There are no style constraints or aesthetic restrictions; the panel evaluates all submissions purely on your creative individuality and technical accomplishment.
Curriculum Vitae (CV): A current copy of your CV detailing your education, masterclasses, commissions, performances, and list of works.
Spoken English Introduction: A short recorded video. You should use this to introduce yourself, briefly summarise the artistic concepts behind your portfolio, and explain how the Professional Diploma fits into your immediate professional ambitions.
Proposal Document as detailed above, in the section 'Entry Requirements'.

Please note that actual files must be uploaded directly; the panel does not accept external links to YouTube, Dropbox, or other external hosting sites.

What to Expect: Assessment & Recalls

Round One: Portfolio Review

The Composition department entry panel reviews all digital portfolios under a strict deadline framework. This serves as the direct equivalent of an instrumentalist's practical first-round audition. Candidates will be notified in early November if they have been shortlisted to advance to the next stage.

Round Two: Interview & Tasks

If you are selected for a Round Two recall interview, the process incorporates practical and conversational elements:

The Composition Exercise: Seven days before your scheduled interview date, you will receive a short composition exercise via email.
The Panel Discussion: A detailed discussion with members of the Composition faculty regarding your submitted scores, your structural choices, your notation methods, and your creative workflow, and exploring your broader musical background, your artistic influences, your professional experience, and your immediate career goals.

In your Acceptd application profile, you will be able to indicate whether you prefer this session to be in person in London or online.

Candidates may also participate in a structured conversation with a postgraduate programme tutor to discuss study plans, usually on the day of the panel interview.

For more information see auditions.