Audition Requirements

Please see Filling In Your Application For UK Conservatoires via UCAS for further assistance with this process. Please also see "International Auditions" on the Your Application page.

These details are for students applying to start their studies at the Academy in September 2026. All candidates must submit a UCAS Conservatoires application and also an Acceptd application profile.

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 if you have any queries.

2 October, 18:00 UK time: Deadline for all candidates for London, Australia, China or Video auditions to submit their UCAS Conservatoires application.

2 October, 18:00 UK time: Deadline for all candidates for Australia, China or Video auditions to submit their Acceptd portal application profile with their video recordings.

31 October, midday UK time:

• London in-person candidates: deadline for your application profile in the Acceptd portal, with any written requirements (see below). London in-person auditions for your Principal Study do not require pre-screening recordings.

• New York candidates: deadline for your UCAS Conservatoires application and also your application profile in the Acceptd portal, with your video recordings.

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. For auditions outside the UK you will be asked to bring your own instrument.

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, in person or online, 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, in person or online, where you can discuss your study plans.

Written requirements

Applicants for the Master of Music, Professional Diploma, Advanced Professional Diploma or Advanced Artist Diploma courses need to submit written requirements, please view these on the entry requirements page of the website. There are no academic written requirements for MA or PGCert.

Master of Music candidates: you 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. Diploma candidates will be asked in their Acceptd profile to state if they wish to be considered for alternative courses.

You are not tied to the course choice in your application; the programme 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