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 - Joint Principal Study
- Bachelor of Music (with Honours)
- 4 Years
- Full-Time
- 20 September 2027
- Undergraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
Our BMus (Hons) Joint Principal Study (JPS) programme balances strong practical experience in two disciplines with professional development, preparing aspiring performers for a career as a working musician.
It is strongly practical and vocational in purpose, with most of your study time devoted to activities in the two principal study areas, but this is substantially complemented by a core curriculum in professional skills development, research skills, and development of critical and reflective thinking.
The programme’s structure and content are designed to allow you to develop the full range of your creative and technical abilities and to equip you with the professional skills and knowledge that will enable you to pursue your musical interests and aspirations to the highest level. The programme offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a creative and supportive environment dedicated to the study and practice of music in a multidisciplinary setting that includes dance, drama, film and production programmes alongside music. Our aim for our graduates is to prepare you for both postgraduate study and professional employment as performers, teachers, and in other careers as part of the portfolio career common within the contemporary music profession.
JPS is a demanding programme and students taking this study additional credits (140 credits per year instead of the usual 120). To continue each year on the JPS pathway, students must normally achieve a specified minimum grade for each Principal Study module; failure to achieve this level in both Principal Studies will normally result in the student being required to pursue the better Principal Study as a ‘single study’ (i.e. transfer to the Performance/ Composition/ Jazz route).
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
-
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
- Cello (Jazz)
- Clarinet
- Clarinet (Jazz)
- Composition
- Cornet
- Double Bass (Classical)
- Double Bass (Jazz)
- Drumkit (Jazz)
- Electric bass (jazz)
- Euphonium
- Flute
- Flute (Jazz)
- Guitar (Classical)
- Guitar (Jazz)
- Harp
- Horn (French)
- Horn (Tenor)
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion (Orchestral) & Timpani
- Piano (Classical)
- Piano (Jazz)
- Saxophone (Alto)
- Saxophone (Jazz)
- Trombone (Bass)
- Trombone (Jazz)
- Trombone (Tenor)
- Trumpet
- Trumpet (Jazz)
- Tuba
- Vibraphone (Jazz)
- Viola
- Violin (Classical)
- Violin (Jazz)
- Voice (Alto)
- Voice (Baritone)
- Voice (Bass)
- Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Voice (Contralto)
- Voice (Counter-Tenor)
- Voice (Jazz)
- Voice (Male Soprano)
- Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Voice (Soprano)
- Voice (Tenor)
Secondary instrument/specialisms
- Accordion (classical)
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Cello (Jazz)
- Clarinet
- Clarinet (Jazz)
- Composition
- Cornet
- Double Bass (Classical)
- Double Bass (Jazz)
- Drumkit (Jazz)
- Electric bass (jazz)
- Euphonium
- Flute
- Flute (Jazz)
- Guitar (Classical)
- Guitar (Jazz)
- Harp
- Horn (French)
- Horn (Tenor)
- Oboe
- Organ
- Percussion (Orchestral) & Timpani
- Piano (Classical)
- Piano (Jazz)
- Saxophone (Alto)
- Saxophone (Jazz)
- Trombone (Bass)
- Trombone (Jazz)
- Trombone (Tenor)
- Trumpet
- Trumpet (Jazz)
- Tuba
- Vibraphone (Jazz)
- Viola
- Violin (Classical)
- Violin (Jazz)
- Voice (Alto)
- Voice (Baritone)
- Voice (Bass)
- Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Voice (Contralto)
- Voice (Counter-Tenor)
- Voice (Jazz)
- Voice (Male Soprano)
- Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Voice (Soprano)
- Voice (Tenor)
Modules
Course Modules
Year 1
-
Principal Study 1: 60 Credits
-
Supporting Studies 1: 10 credits
-
Contextual Studies 1: 10 credits
-
Musicianship 1: 10 credits
-
Creative Citizenship: 10 credits
-
Introduction to Professional Skills for Musicians: 10 credits
-
Music Leadership: 10 credits
Year 2
-
Principal Study 2: 60 Credits
-
Supporting Studies 2: 20 credits
-
Contextual Studies 2: 10 credits
-
Musicianship 2: 10 credits
-
Interdisciplinary and Extended Practice (IXP): 10 credits
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The Teaching Musician: 10 credits
Year 3
-
Principal Study 3: 60 Credits
-
Supporting Studies 3: 20 credits
-
Contextual Studies Electives: 10 credits
-
Musicianship Electives: 10 credits
-
Interdisciplinary and Extended Practice (IXP): 10 credits
-
The Freelance Musician: 10 credits
Year 4
-
Principal Study 4: 60 Credits
-
Supporting Studies 4: 15 credits
-
Research Paper: 15 credits
-
Professional Development Options: 20 credits
-
IXP and Electives: 10 credits
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-hons-joint-principal-study/#programme-structure
Assessment method
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website, please visit your instrument/department specific pages for further information.
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:
- 301F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
A levelA*-E
Passes in two subjects at GCE Advanced level
UCAS TariffNot accepted
Scottish HigherA-D
Passes in three subjects at Higher level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme45-24
minimum score of 24 with 3 subjects at Higher Level
A strong indication of potential is sought at the entrance audition for this programme. Successful applicants will normally be of a standard at least equivalent to Grade 8 with Distinction of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in their Principal Study. You can apply and audition without having obtained Grade 8 with distinction, however as an indication only, applicants are normally expected to have reached this standard in their performance. https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-hons-joint-principal-study/#entry-requirements
Additional entry requirements
- Audition
- The selection process for applicants applying for Joint Principal Study is the same as that for other applicants; please prepare for two separate in-person auditions, or, for International applicants, please submit your audition recordings via Acceptd for each principal study. Applicants to the Joint Principal Study pathway who are successful in only one of their Principal Studies may be offered a place on the relevant ‘single-study’ pathway (i.e. Performance, Composition or Jazz).
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 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 |
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 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. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in person.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands & Republic of Ireland | £9790* | |
| Scotland | £1820* | |
| EU & International | £29786* |
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
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
Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
For more information on fees, funding and Scholarship, please see our website.
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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