Viola

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

Solo Study

This aspect of our playing is prioritised in order for you to develop as far as possible as an individual artist during your study at the Academy. The following are the ways we provide support and encouragement at every stage:

allocating the right professor for you
performance experience
annual solo performance assessment
familiarity with a range of genres and styles
help, if needed with the use of a fine instrument or bow from our Instrument Collection
careful monitoring and guidance from the Head of Strings as you progress through the degree programmes
pastoral support and administrative assistance to make sure you remain involved and engaged
As well as regular 1:1 tuition, both undergraduate and postgraduate strings students participate in the following activities:

Masterclasses

All string students play in a masterclass during their time at the Academy. These are performance and learning opportunities, for you to receive objective feedback on your solo playing and to observe the way an artist can guide a student in enhancing their performance. Public and private masterclasses given by distinguished artists take place throughout the year.

Performance Classes

Regular performance classes are taken by both invited guest string players and faculty members. They give students opportunities to experiment and explore communication skills in solo repertoire and to receive direct feedback about all aspects of their performance.

Chamber Music

Chamber music is a fundamental component of both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. It sits at the heart of the Strings Department. By playing chamber music, you can discover how your musical personality functions, how you might combine it with that of others, how to share a concept of sound and how to communicate a shared vision to an audience.

ASSET is a special fast-track training programme for serious quartets supported by the Frost Trust. Ensembles from the second year of study upwards audition early in the academic year for the small number of coveted places, and the successful groups each enjoy benefits such as:

• Regular, intensive coaching and mentoring with a dedicated assigned mentor
• Funding for the development of the quartet
• A project with an esteemed living composer
• Study days with specialists in the industry and professional string quartets
• Fast track allocation to prestigious chamber music series performances

Orchestral Performance

All string players participate in orchestral activity without exception. Students audition twice annually for Academy orchestral chairs: in September for all except incoming undergraduates, and for everyone in January. The January auditions are screened in accordance with normal professional practice. We have several orchestras and ensembles which present multiple performances every year, giving everyone a chance to participate fully: First Year String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestras, Concert Orchestras, Manson Ensemble (new music), Opera orchestras, Musical Theatre orchestras and bands, Commercial Music Ensemble.

Audition Preparation and Excerpt Classes

Students in the 3rd and 4th years and postgraduate students are scheduled to participate in excerpts classes. These are small seminars and an opportunity to receive guidance on orchestral excerpt and audition material performance. Led by internationally known concertmasters and eminent orchestral principal players, these sessions help students to understand what standard and styles of performance professional audition panels are looking for, and form useful career introductions for your future.

Auditions

We focus on cultivating your unique artistic voice while providing immersive training across solo performance, diverse chamber music, and exceptional orchestral playing to prepare you for a global career.

We want you to view your audition as a performance rather than a strict test. Our expert panel is eager to see your musical potential, individual artistry, and stylistic curiosity. The department highly welcomes and encourages innovative programming, including pieces by under-represented composers. Try to relax, enjoy the space, and show us who you are as a musician.

Your Audition Repertoire

For your undergraduate audition, your repertoire requirements are determined by your specific instrument:

For Violin, Viola, and Cello Applicants:

1. Classical Concerto: The first movement (including the cadenza) of a Classical concerto. Suggested composers include Haydn, Mozart, Hoffmeister, and Stamitz. If you choose another composer, the work must be firmly from this historical period.
2. Contrasting Piece: A contrasting piece of your own choice.

For Double Bass Applicants:

1. Solo Work: One solo piece of your own choice.
2. Orchestral Excerpts: Two orchestral excerpts of your own choice.

Performance & Memory Guidelines

• Memorisation: There is no requirement to perform your pieces from memory.
• Music Stand Placement: If you choose to read from sheet music, please ensure your music stand is positioned carefully so it does not block the panel's view of your physical playing and posture.

What to Expect on Audition Day

1. Delivery & Recording Options

• In-Person (London): You will perform your repertoire live for the audition panel. Accompanied works will be performed alongside a professional Academy accompanist.
• Video & International Centres (Australia, China, New York): The performance element of your video submission must ideally be recorded in a single, unedited take with no breaks between items. However, if circumstances beyond your control (such as the availability of an accompanist) prevent this, you may record individual movements or pieces separately.
• Video Accompaniment: All accompanied pieces must include their appropriate accompaniment. You are welcome to use a pre-recorded backing track (e.g., a "minus one" track); you do not need to hire a live accompanist for your video recording.

2. Academic Interview & Aural Skills Assessment

All undergraduate applicants participate in an evaluation with a member of our academic staff. This is a conversational session to discuss your study plans, background, and musical aspirations.

During this interview, you will discuss 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 issued in advance.

For more information see auditions.