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
Traditional Music - Piping (BMus Hons)
- BMus (Hon)
- 4 Years
- Full-time
- 21 September 2026
- Undergraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
This degree is dedicated to traditional and folk music, and to the music of the Scottish Highland Bagpipe. Aspiring performers on this course explore Scotland’s unique and dynamic musical traditions as a conceptual, critical and creative framework within which to achieve a historically informed yet distinctively personal voice as a piper and artist. This is interwoven with a solid basis in contemporary and eclectic performance practice.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The National Piping Centre offer a specialist degree that allows pipers to study piping within the context of Scottish traditional music to the highest level. This unique course offers the chance for students to concentrate on the total study of piping in all forms, whilst also developing their performance skills under some of the best players in the world. Students receive instruction individually and in small groups and workshop settings. The degree includes substantial study of the history, repertoire, traditions, performance practice and organology of the bagpipes, producing expert performers with a deep understanding of their own, and other, traditions.
The nature of the Highland bagpipe and its repertoire, defined by highly individual and highly complex parameters of performance and musical structure, demands a teaching approach which integrates the instrument with the rest of Scottish traditional music while simultaneously respecting its uniqueness. The piping degree is therefore carefully structured to give the most thorough grounding possible in vital specialisms such as solo piping, piobaireachd, light music, and piping in a folk ensemble context, whilst sharing the same structure and range of contextual curriculum as in the main Traditional Music department.
The two programmes share an immense amount of common ground and the institutional emphasis is always on co-operation.
Please note, the international deadline for this programme is the 1st December 2025, but we would encourage applicants to apply early where possible
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:
Main specialism
Only one specialism is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
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
- Highland Bagpipes
Modules
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.
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
2 October
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:
- 251F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus Code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)
Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. Please email admissions@rcs.ac.uk for more information.
We do not offer deferred entry.
International applicants
Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 55 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. To find out more please visit: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/
Entry requirements
UCAS TariffNot accepted
A levelA* - E
Passes in two subjects at A Level
Scottish HigherA - D
Passes in three subjects at Higher level
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme45 - 24 points
minimum score of 24 with 3 subjects at Higher Level
More information about our entrance requirements and international equivalencies can be found on our website.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
Additional entry requirements
- Audition
- A strong indication of potential is sought at the entrance audition for this programme. You can apply and audition without having obtained any performance grades, however as an indication only, applicants are normally expected to have reached a high standard in their playing. Details of what to prepare for your audition are listed on our webpage. Please ensure you read this to get the most out of your audition experience.
- Interview
- You will be required to take part in an interview as part of the audition process. For those auditioning live in-person, this will be part of your audition timeslot. For those who have submitted a recorded audition, this will be at the discretion of the department, and held live online.
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 |
More information about our language requirements can be found at the weblink.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 | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| RCS | £65 | £65 |
| Recording | £65 | £65 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late fee |
|---|---|---|
| RCS | Not available at this location | |
| Recording | No fee charged | |
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. Applicants submitting performance recordings via our Acceptd platform, may be asked to a follow-up live online interview with the department you are applying for. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in person. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course at the following page on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
* 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: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/
Sponsorship information
Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made in January 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.
More information can be found at: www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/
Related courses
At Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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