Overview
Our four-year Bachelor of Music (BMus) undergraduate degree programme attracts talented young musicians from across the world to study with today’s finest musicians and teachers.
The BMus combines focused study in performance with supporting academic studies. Every aspect is designed to help you towards realising your full musical potential, and to prepare you for your career in music.
You will have at least one hour of one-to-one tuition per week in your Principal Study and numerous performance opportunities. We offer a wide range of activities, events, training sessions and modules for you to hone your skill in such things as studio recording and editing techniques, self-promotion and marketing, writing CVs, making funding applications, understanding the music business and working in arts management.
At the end of your third and fourth years, you submit a portfolio of materials to help prepare you for professional life after the Academy.
BMus Entry Requirements
- Performance/Composition: High standard of performing potential or composition, strong musicianship, and good aural skills.
- Music Exams: Formal exams are not required, but successful performers are typically at a Grade 8 Distinction level or higher.
- Music Theory: Grade 6 level knowledge is recommended before starting if you aren't taking school music exams.
- Keyboard Skills: No formal minimum required (unless it's your Principal Study), though Grade 5 piano is desirable to support general musicianship.
See Entry Requirements for full academic and international criteria.
Modules
Undergraduate students take weekly academic classes in addition to their principal study. The classes are designed to complement and add to every student’s creative development as performers.
Core Modules - Years 1 and 2
- Analytical Skills 1
- Analytical Skills 2
- Performing In Context 1
- Performing In Context 2
- Aural Skills 1
- Aural Skills 2
- Score Reading
- Artist Development
Elective Modules - Years 3 and 4
- Analysis of Post-Tonal Music
- Approaching the Great Luthiers
- Attentive Listening
- Aural Skills, Further
- Baroque Performance on Historical Instruments
- Baroque Performance on Historical Instruments, Advanced
- Compositional Techniques of the Germanic Traditions c.1780-c.1880
- Conducting, Advanced
- Conducting, Intermediate
- Contemporary Music Workshop
- Crossing Cultural Frontiers
- Free Composition for Performers
- Free Composition for Performers, Advanced
- Fugue
- Listening to Mozart, Thinking about Mozart, Playing Mozart
- Maestro: a History of Conducting through Film, Recordings and Marked Scores
- Messiaen in Context
- Methods in the Analysis of Tonal Music, Advanced
- Mozart’s Operas
- Musical Aesthetics and Criticism
- Open Academy
- Open Academy. Advanced
- Performing Baroque Music (with a focus on Handel)
- Performing Experimental Music
- Repertoire Studies
- Research Project
- Silent Film Improvisation
- Song Accompaniment
- Studio Performance
- Worldwide Repertoires
Classes and Activities
Individual Lessons
You will receive 30 minutes of lesson time per week on timpani (45 minutes per week for postgraduates) and 30 minutes per week on percussion (45 minutes per week for postgraduates).
Postgraduate students can choose to study only percussion or only timpani, in which case you will receive 90 minutes per week on your chosen instrument.
Assorted Percussion
As much tuition as possible is given on related percussion instruments (tambourine, cymbals, bass drum, triangle, glockenspiel, etc), encouraging you to experiment with the techniques needed to play them in a variety of different musical situations.
Chamber Music
Percussion Ensemble and mallet groups are coached and assessed; you will collaborate with a fantastic pool of talented peers and perform frequently.
Masterclasses
The Academy has an extensive provision for marimba and solo percussion. Regular masterclasses with many of the world's leading solo percussion specialists offer excellent opportunities for aspiring solo percussionists.
Orchestral Repertoire Classes
These classes deal with playing in the orchestra, within the section, studio /sight-reading techniques, and in an audition environment. The playing techniques for all timpani and orchestral percussion instruments will be discussed in detail during these classes and there is particular focus leading up to auditions for major music festivals such as EUYO, Pacific Music Festival, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the Verbier Festival, and when relevant positions become vacant within the profession.
Related Study areas
You will get experience in playing drum set, marimba, baroque timpani, vibraphone, Latin American/ethnic percussion, multi-setup and concerti. Having a wide range of skills is a necessity for the profession and we aim to prepare you to be able to perform in a variety of contexts.
If you show exceptional ability in a related study area, due consideration will be given to whether you would like to specialise in a particular area.
Auditions
We want you to view your audition as a showcase performance rather than a rigid test. Our expert panel is looking for your rhythmic integrity, sound production, technical foundation, and musical potential. Try to relax, enjoy the acoustics of the room, and show us your passion for percussion.
Your Audition Repertoire
For your undergraduate audition, you must prepare a balanced selection of pieces across three core areas: Snare Drum, Marimba/Xylophone, and Timpani.
1. Snare Drum
- One substantial solo piece or study of your own choice.
- A selection of standard orchestral excerpts.
2. Tuned Percussion (Marimba or Xylophone)
- One substantial solo piece or study of your own choice.
- Note: You may choose to perform your solo piece on either a two-mallet or a four-mallet instrument.
3. Timpani
- One solo piece or study of your own choice.
- A selection of standard orchestral excerpts.
Instrument Availability (Live Auditions in London)
The Academy provides all necessary heavy instruments and hardware for your audition. You do not need to bring your own large gear, but you must bring your own sticks and mallets suited to your chosen repertoire.
What to Expect on Audition Day
1. Delivery Options & Process
- In-Person (London): You will perform your prepared repertoire live for our audition panel. Live auditions also include a sight-reading component on snare drum, tuned percussion, and timpani to assess your real-time reading and adaptability.
- Video Auditions: If you are auditioning remotely, you must upload your performance videos to the Acceptd portal. For the digital submission, you may record individual pieces as separate video files, but each piece must be a single, unedited take.
2. Academic Interview & Aural Skills Assessment
All undergraduate candidates participate in a subsequent evaluation with a member of our academic staff. This is a relaxed, conversational session to discuss your future study plans, musical influences, and career goals.
During this session, you will explore a short extract of music and complete an Aural Skills Assessment consisting of:
- Sight-singing a short test melody.
- Singing the middle notes in a played chord.
- Identification of musical intervals.
- Sight-reading of rhythms.
- Simultaneous polyrhythms: Sight-reading two different rhythms at the same time (singing one rhythm while clapping the other simultaneously).
Please note: Specimen tests are not published or distributed in advance.
For more information see auditions.