These requirements are for students auditioning to start their studies at the Academy in September 2023.
Please see Filling In Your Application For UK Conservatoires via UCAS for further assistance with this process.
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.
3 October, 6pm UK time: deadline for all candidates to submit the UCAS Conservatoires application.
Video candidates: 28 October deadline to upload audition recordings (including the spoken introduction) into the Acceptd portal, details are on our video auditions page. You will need to create a profile in the Acceptd portal into which you upload your audition recordings, the list of all the works in your programme, any written requirements (postgraduate only) and your Spoken English introduction. Your audition pieces can be recorded separately. Please upload a copy of your music for the panel.
Harps will be available for any auditions held at the Academy: 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.
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 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.
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 and 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.
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 pages of our website, please click on the link below.