Course contact details
Main Contact
Email:admissions@rcs.ac.uk
Phone:0141 332 4101
Fax: 0141 332 8901
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB
Music Performance (Taught)
- Master of Arts
- 1 Years
- Full-Time
- 20 September 2027
- Postgraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
Our MA Performance is a flexible programme with a strong emphasis on performance, designed to refine and extend your musicianship in preparation for your next steps into your chosen career path.
Perhaps you aspire to become a concert artist or orchestral musician; to accompany, compose or arrange; to work as a freelance instrumentalist or to be a conductor, music leader or animateur. You may be planning to coach or teach, either as the sole focus of your professional life or, more likely, as part of a portfolio career. You might have your sights set on doctoral study, on making a contribution to Scotland’s vibrant music culture or may perhaps wish to fulfil one of the vital specialist music roles in related art forms. Whatever your rationale for joining, you are here to refine and extend your musicianship in preparation for your next steps.
Our MA Performance pathway places a main emphasis on performance instead of academic work. The programme is designed to be flexible and you will be able to choose from a range of options including performance classes, ensembles, rehearsals and masterclasses, and/or other courses from across the many disciplines we offer here at the Conservatoire.
Overseas Applicants
We will be holding auditions at venues across the world, but audition requirements AND application deadline dates will change depending on your principal study and where you are applying to. We will be operating a pre-screening process for some instrumental departments. Full information on our locations, dates and requirements can be found on our website. Please check this prior to applying.
All international applicants and those that are submitting a recording must also include a spoken introduction recording that is separate from your instrumental performance. This must be submitted to your Acceptd application by the relevant application deadline for where you are auditioning.
All recorded submissions should contain a spoken introduction in English. Please tell us:
-
Your name
-
A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now
-
Your musical ambitions
-
Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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This video should be no longer than 3 minutes long and separate to your performance video
Our overseas auditions will consist of one panel member and will also be recorded for review by the relevant department.
• Please note for live overseas auditions, we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel.
• All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano).
• All applicants will need to provide their own accompanist for overseas auditions.
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Primary instrument/specialism
- Accordion (classical)
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Cornet
- Double Bass
- Euphonium
- Flute
- Guitar (Classical)
- Harp
- Harpsichord
- Horn (French)
- Horn (Tenor)
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion & Timpani
- Percussion (Orchestral) & Timpani
- Piano
- Saxophone (Alto)
- Trombone (Bass)
- Trombone (Tenor)
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Voice (Alto)
- Voice (Baritone)
- Voice (Bass)
- Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Voice (Contralto)
- Voice (Counter-Tenor)
- Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Voice (Soprano)
- Voice (Tenor)
Modules
Course Modules
Year 1
Principal Study 1: 80 credits
-
Individual instrumental/vocal lessons
-
2-3 negotiated performance assessments
Graduate Studies 1: 30/20/10 credits
- Negotiated departmental activities, such as performance classes, ensembles, rehearsals and masterclasses
Practice Research: 10 credits
- Research project
Options: 0/10/20 credits
- Range of optional classes drawn from the School of Music, School of Stage and Screen and School of Dance
Year 2
Principal Study 2: 90 credits
-
Individual instrumental/vocal lessons
-
2-3 negotiated performance assessments
Graduate Studies 2: 30/20/10 credits
- Negotiated departmental activities, such as performance classes, ensembles, rehearsals and masterclasses
Options: 0/10/20 credits
- Range of optional classes drawn from the School of Music, School of Stage and Screen and School of Dance
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/mmus-ma-performance/#programme-structure
Assessment method
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.
How to apply
If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
Apply by
1 October 2026
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 801F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Typical qualification requirements
Additional entry requirements
- Audition
- Audition requirements vary depending on which principal study you are applying for. You can find these requirements on the individual department pages on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/mmus-ma-performance/
- Interview
- An interview will form part of the audition process. For those applying via a recording submission, an interview will be at the discretion of the Head of Department.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 with no component below 5.5 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | Overall score of 80, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17 |
| PTE Academic | 59 | Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing) |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Overall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components |
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| Recording | Not available at this location |
| RCS (Glasgow) | Not available at this location |
| Singapore | Not available at this location |
| Qingdao | Not available at this location |
| Seoul | Not available at this location |
| New York | Not available at this location |
| Los Angeles | Not available at this location |
| Chicago | Not available at this location |
| Toronto | Not available at this location |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| Recording | Not Applicable |
| RCS (Glasgow) | Not Applicable |
| Singapore | Not Applicable |
| Qingdao | Not Applicable |
| Seoul | Not Applicable |
| New York | Not Applicable |
| Los Angeles | Not Applicable |
| Chicago | Not Applicable |
| Toronto | Not Applicable |
Additional Information
All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile and application regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) and needs to be completed once your UCAS application has been submitted. All live in-person auditions will be scheduled through the Acceptd platform. If you don't have an acceptd application, we won't be able to audition you. We may not be able to audition certain instruments at our overseas auditions. All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano) and accompanist for auditions. Further details of dates and locations can be found on our departmental webpages, under the 'How to apply' section. Please note, our locations are subject to change at short notice. If you choose a location that becomes unavailable we will be in touch to offer an alternative, this will likely be a recorded submission. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course on the relevant programme page on our website. If you have any questions, please contact: hello@rcs.ac.uk
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
Fees are variable depending on the mode of study. Please consult the Conservatoire's website for more information: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/
Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
Sponsorship information
Music Scholarships
Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made following an audition and offer of a place at the RCS. Scholarships are made based on ability and potential with some for financial need. Many School of Music scholarships are made for the duration of the programme. There is no separate scholarship application for the School of Music as everyone is automatically considered.
Related courses
At Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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