A Guide to Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Admissions

Written By Dr Xiaoyun Peng

Inchwise Research · Conservatoire Admissions Unit

Data current to 8 October 2026. Applies to entry in September 2027.

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In brief

The Junior Conservatoire is the Saturday department of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, taught at the Conservatoire itself, 200 Jennens Road, Birmingham B4 7XR, on 30 Saturdays each year.

The published age range is eight to 18. The Young Strings Project takes beginners from age four and the Primary Winds Programme from age eight.

The Saturday typically starts at 9am and finishes at around 5pm. The length varies by course and level, and younger students usually begin with a shorter day.

No junior fee amount is published. The fees page is headed “Fees (2025-26)” and names four fee categories, but the amounts do not render on the page as served. The course pages direct enquirers to the Junior Conservatoire office. The junior audition or application fee is not published either.

No application dates for 2027 entry are published as of 8 October 2026. The published pattern is that auditions run mainly in April and May, with extra auditions offered during the year if places are available.

01 What the Department Is

A Saturday department of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University. The page heading is “Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire” and the site refers throughout to the Junior Conservatoire.

Address: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University, 200 Jennens Road, Birmingham B4 7XR. The application page gives a departmental postal address as Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Department at the same street address.

The programme operates on 30 Saturdays each year during school term. The day typically starts at 9am and finishes at around 5pm; the length varies by course and level, and younger students usually begin with a shorter day. The Chamber Music course is offered on Saturday afternoons.

Tuition uses the Conservatoire's full facilities. Larger-ensemble concerts take place in the Bradshaw Hall.

Term dates are not published.

02 Ages and Entry Points

The published range is between the ages of eight and 18.

The Young Strings Project accepts beginners as young as four. The Primary Winds Programme accepts beginners from age eight.

No school-year equivalence is given for the eight to 18 range.

Course structure by level: Beginner — Young Strings Project and Primary Winds Programme. Intermediate — Classical Music and Jazz. Advanced — Classical Music, Chamber Music and Jazz.

03 Standard of Entry

The department states that students need “exceptional potential, and the ability to achieve that potential”.

For all courses except the Young Strings Project and the Primary Winds Programme, entry is by audition.

No grade level or equivalent standard is stated for any course.

04 What the Saturday Consists Of

Across the department, as published: training to a level at which a student could gain a place at a senior conservatoire or music college; preparation for Associated Board exams up to grade eight and diploma level; weekly performance platforms and termly chamber music recitals, plus regular concerts for larger ensembles in the Bradshaw Hall; informal sharing events within departments and occasional external performances; the option to combine elements from different courses where the timetable allows; and an annual assessment consisting of a public performance and a technical exam. ABRSM exams are held in the Conservatoire at the end of each term.

Classical course, minimum weekly package:

  • principal study lesson: 60 minutes

  • general musicianship class: 60 minutes

  • chamber music or ensemble, duration not stated

  • choir: 45 minutes

  • orchestral training, by audition: 60 to 150 minutes

  • options: extra time for principal or second study lessons; one-to-one composition lessons

Jazz course: two classes run each Saturday, at intermediate and advanced levels. Each class lasts two hours and combines jazz theory and aural, jazz combo coaching, and improvisation. The most accomplished students may be offered a place in the advanced ensemble. Options are a 30-minute principal study lesson in clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, drum kit, keyboard, guitar or double bass; extra time for principal or second study lessons; the advanced ensemble; and one-to-one composition lessons.

Chamber Music course: a specialist course for advanced players, with weekly classes with specialist tutors, regular performance opportunities, and masterclasses from visiting ensembles. Students may apply individually or as part of an existing ensemble. Advanced students on the Classical course may combine the two courses.

Ensembles named: Junior and Intermediate Choirs (Treble I and II, Alto) and Chamber Choir; String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra; clarinet ensembles and flute choir for woodwind students. Students are expected to take part in an ensemble.

05 First Studies Offered

Classical course principal study areas: strings — violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp and lever harp; woodwind — flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, recorder; brass — trumpet, French horn, euphonium, trombone, tuba; percussion; keyboard — piano, organ, harpsichord; voice; composition.

Jazz course instruments: saxophone, trumpet, trombone; piano, guitar, bass guitar, double bass; drums and percussion. Other instruments may be accepted at the Junior Conservatoire's discretion.

Tutors are listed as senior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire staff, orchestral players including members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, professional opera and choral singers, jazz musicians, composers, and music technologists.

06 Fees

The fees page is headed “Fees (2025-26)” and names four fee categories: Classical Course; Junior Jazz, core curriculum and jazz classes only; Young Strings Project, covering a 15-minute individual lesson, group or orchestra, choir and Kodály classes; and the Primary Winds Programme.

No fee amount could be read from the published page. The amounts sit in collapsed panels that do not render in the page text as served, on repeated retrievals on 8 October 2026.

The Classical, Jazz and Chamber Music course pages state that fee information is available from the Junior Conservatoire office.

No 2026-27 fee is published. The only academic year labelled on the fees page is 2025-26.

07 The Audition Fee

No junior audition fee or application fee is published.

The fee table on the Conservatoire's main music auditions page, headed “2027 entry” — £80 for one instrument, £120 for two, plus a one-off £34.50 UCAS application fee — is stated there as a non-refundable payment through UCAS Conservatoires at the time of application. That is senior entry. The Junior Conservatoire appears on that page only as a link under further information, and the junior application is made on a separate online form rather than through UCAS Conservatoires.

08 Applying: the Two Rounds

The Junior Conservatoire admits on a single live audition rather than a video round.

Applications are made on an online form. Its sections are the student's details including date of birth; the parent or guardian's details; course and experience, including which course is being applied for; and a confirmation step.

A musical referee must send a reference to the Junior Conservatoire by email or post, in order for an application to be processed. This applies to all Junior Conservatoire courses except the Young Strings Project.

Audition requirements:

  • two contrasting pieces or movements on the principal instrument

  • one piece or movement on a second instrument, if the applicant has one

  • sight-reading, scales and aural tests at an appropriate level

  • questions about the audition pieces and general musical knowledge

Auditions run mainly in April and May. Extra auditions may be offered during the year if places are available. Consultation lessons can be arranged on request.

For closing dates and vacancy information, the site directs enquiries to the Junior Conservatoire by email or telephone. No 2026 or 2027 application dates or deadlines are published as of 8 October 2026.

09 Bursaries and Government Funding

The published statement is: “There are number of bursaries available to apply for from Leverhulme Trust, Wolfson Foundation and Music and Dance Scheme.”

The Music and Dance Scheme is named as one of three bursary sources. No further detail is published.

The fees and bursaries page carries ten question headings with no answers rendered: who is eligible for a bursary; whether a professional playing level is needed; how to apply; whether there is a deadline; the next steps after submitting an application; when the result is known; how many bursaries are available; how bursaries are paid; how long a bursary lasts; and whether other financial support is available.

10 The Language Condition

No language requirement is stated on any Junior Conservatoire page.

11 What the Department Does Not Say

Not published as of 8 October 2026:

  • junior fee amounts for any year, including 2025-26; the categories are named but the amounts do not render on the published page

  • any 2026-27 fee

  • the junior audition fee or application fee

  • application opening or closing dates for 2027 entry, and 2027 audition dates; only “mainly in April and May”, with no year

  • term dates

  • bursary eligibility, deadline, number of awards, amounts, payment method or duration; the headings are published without answers

  • any entry grade level or equivalent standard

  • any language requirement

  • school-year equivalence for the eight to 18 range

  • whether voice and composition are available outside the Classical course

  • Saturday start and finish times for individual courses, beyond the department-level 9am to around 5pm

12 Points to Confirm Before Applying

With the Junior Conservatoire office, before an application is made:

  • the fee for the course applied for, and the academic year it covers

  • whether an audition fee or application fee is charged, and how much

  • the closing date for 2027 entry and whether places remain

  • term dates for the year of entry

  • which course level the applicant would be auditioned for

  • how to apply for a bursary, by when, and which of the three named sources applies

  • the Saturday start and finish time for that course and age group

  • whether the applicant's instrument is offered as a principal study on the course applied for

Sources

About This Guide

Inchwise is a London education consultancy working with families whose children study music seriously. This guide records what the institution publishes, and the date each fact was retrieved. Inchwise is not affiliated with the institution and does not predict admission outcomes.

Where a decision depends on something this guide records as not published, the institution’s own admissions office is the only source that can confirm it.

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