A Guide to RCS Junior 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 the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G2 3DB. The music department is the Junior Conservatoire of Music and has four auditioned music programmes: Classical Music, Jazz, Composition and Traditional Music.

Saturdays, 9.00 to 17.00, described as an intensive year-long course of 30 weeks of tuition running from September to June. The 2026-27 programme runs 5 September 2026 to 12 June 2027.

Ages 11 to 18. Entry is by audition only, with no minimum grade requirement. Applicants must currently be receiving instrumental lessons in their chosen principal study, and everyone who applies on time is auditioned.

Fees for 2026-27 begin at £2,760 for 30 weeks of tuition. The audition fee is £45.

The 2027-28 application form is available from Tuesday 27 October 2026, with auditions commencing March 2027. A closing date is not published as of 8 October 2026.

01 What the Department Is

A Saturday department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G2 3DB. The music arm is the Junior Conservatoire of Music; the Junior Conservatoire also runs Stage and Screen programmes (acting, musical theatre, production, filmmaking) and dance programmes.

Music programmes requiring audition: Classical Music, Jazz, Composition and Traditional Music. Also listed within the Junior Conservatoire music offer: Early Years Music (ages 1 to Primary 1), the Primary Instrumental Programme (Primary 2 to Primary 7), the Pre-Junior Conservatoire of Music, and the Music Centres.

Saturdays, 9.00 to 17.00. The course is described as intensive and year-long, running from September to June, comprising 30 weeks of tuition. The 2026-27 programme runs 5 September 2026 to 12 June 2027.

Published 2026-27 term dates: Induction Day Saturday 29 August 2026; Term 1 Saturday 5 September to Saturday 5 December 2026, mid-term break 10 and 17 October; Term 2 Saturday 9 January to Saturday 20 March 2027, mid-term break 13 February; Term 3 Saturday 24 April to Saturday 12 June 2027.

Pipers on the Traditional Music programme have lessons at the National Piping Centre.

The Junior Conservatoire of Music states that it has taught for more than 50 years and has over 350 students who travel from across Scotland and northern England.

02 Ages and Entry Points

The Junior Conservatoire offers auditioned courses for children and young people aged 11 to 18 across all art forms. The Classical Music page states 11 to 18.

Applicants can apply to join at any point of their secondary school education.

No school-year equivalence is given. The Jazz, Composition and Traditional Music pages state no age range.

Progression is not automatic. Students are assessed each year if they wish to continue.

03 Standard of Entry

Entry is by audition only, with no minimum grade requirement. The Traditional Music page states: “we don't have a minimum grade requirement”.

The panel looks for the potential and dedication of every applicant; the Composition page adds potential, commitment and ability.

Applicants must currently be receiving instrumental lessons in their chosen principal study.

Everyone who applies is auditioned. The Composition page states that every applicant who applies on time will be auditioned.

04 What the Saturday Consists Of

Classical Music: most students start at 9am, and the timetable can run into the afternoon, sometimes with live performances. It may include a 45-minute one-to-one principal study lesson, with an extra 15 minutes available for a fee; a musicianship lecture; a one-to-one lesson on a second instrument, if applicable; choir and vocal class; ensemble classes, of which more than a dozen run each week; orchestra; and performance coaching. Students who pass ABRSM Grade 5 Theory can also take conducting and composition classes. Junior Conservatoire concerts take place most weeks.

Jazz: one-to-one instrumental tuition of 45 to 60 minutes per week, with an optional further 30 to 45 minute one-to-one lesson in a second study; ensembles, including the Big Band; weekly practical musicianship classes, a repertoire class, and masterclasses with industry professionals; performances, with Junior Conservatoire concerts inside the Conservatoire most weeks; and competitions and prizes, such as the Gilbert Innes Prizes and BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Composition: one-to-one tuition of 45 to 60 minutes weekly, with an optional extra 30 to 45 minute lesson in a second study, on a personalised timetable; original compositions performed by peers and professional musicians at the annual Celebration of Young Composers, part of the PLUG new music festival; a curriculum that includes world music, composition, conducting and jazz; and weekly practical musicianship classes.

Traditional Music: one-to-one principal study lessons of 45 to 60 minutes per week, with an optional second study lesson of 30 to 45 minutes; ensemble work, orchestras, choir and performance opportunities; weekly practical musicianship classes covering theory, composition, history and analysis; learning by ear, arrangement, harmony writing and improvisation; learning across world music, composition, conducting and jazz; and concerts, prize competitions, Bridge Week, and possibly Celtic Connections.

Across programmes: Bridge Week, an interdisciplinary event at which students across the Junior Conservatoire devise and perform new work; the option to work towards ABRSM Grade 5 Theory or NYCoS “Going for Gold” qualifications, with an optional ABRSM Grade 8 Theory exam; support for SQA instrumental music exams; formative feedback reports twice a year plus weekly feedback from lessons; and entry to internal and external prizes and competitions.

05 First Studies Offered

Junior Conservatoire of Music staff are listed for violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, piano, woodwind, jazz, brass, vocal studies, composition, guitar, percussion, traditional music, accordion, pianist and accompanist, and practical musicianship. The pages do not state which of these sit within the Classical Music programme specifically.

Jazz staff are listed for piano, bass, trumpet and piano, drum kit, and saxophone.

Traditional Music staff are listed for clarsach, fiddle, bagpipes and Scottish whistle, and musicianship.

Composition is a standalone principal study programme.

06 Fees, 2026-27

The Junior Conservatoire course fees for 2026-27 begin at £2,760 for 30 weeks of tuition. The key information on each programme page lists £2,760, subject to change.

The fee includes weekly 45-minute principal study lessons and all timetabled classes.

A second or subsidiary study instrument, or extra one-to-one lesson time, costs more; the amounts are not stated. An extra 15 minutes on the principal study lesson is available for a fee, the amount of which is not stated.

Some electives may be available by agreement with the Head of Junior Conservatoire.

2027-28 fees are not published.

07 The Audition Fee

The audition fee is £45. The Traditional Music page states that it is also charged to accepted late applicants.

08 Applying: the Two Rounds

The Junior Conservatoire admits on a single live audition rather than a video round. Applications are made online, and everyone who applies is auditioned. Applicants must currently be receiving instrumental lessons in their principal study.

Classical Music audition: two contrasting pieces on the instrument, chosen to show current level; scales and arpeggios; sight-reading; aural and rhythm exercises; one additional piece on a second instrument, if the applicant has one; and an informal interview about musical experience, practice and goals, with time for the applicant to ask questions. An RCS pianist is provided and applicants may bring their own; there is no rehearsal beforehand. Percussion applicants prepare one piece each on tuned percussion, timpani and snare drum, with less-advanced players able to offer two instruments by prior agreement with the Juniors Music office; total performance time must not exceed twelve minutes, and there is also sight-reading, and scales and arpeggios on tuned percussion.

Jazz audition, principal study jazz musicians other than drummers: a jazz standard of choice, including improvisation; an improvised 12-bar blues in concert F or concert B flat, with a backing track available on request in advance, and bass players also demonstrating a walking bass line; jazz scales and modes at a level appropriate to the applicant's standard; sight-reading of chords and/or notation; and interval and chordal tests.

Jazz audition, principal study jazz drummers: a medium-tempo swing accompaniment to a 12-bar blues, with accompaniment provided; swing in 4/4 and 3/4, a basic bossa nova beat and a basic funk beat; possible sight-reading on drum kit and/or snare; and interval and chordal tests.

Composition audition: a portfolio of no fewer than two pieces written for contrasting instrumentation, sent to the Juniors Music office before the audition; one piece on an instrument of choice, chosen to show current playing ability; sight-reading, plus rhythm and pitch tests suited to the principal instrument; and an informal interview with a panel of Junior Conservatoire teachers, with time set aside to discuss the portfolio.

Traditional Music audition: two contrasting pieces, one set piece being a March, Strathspey and Reel, and one contrasting tune such as a slow air; possible sight-reading and a call-and-response test; rhythm and pitch tests suited to the instrument's level; one extra piece if the applicant plays a second instrument; and an informal interview about musical experience, practice and goals.

Dates: the 2027-28 application form is available from Tuesday 27 October 2026. Auditions for 2027-28 commence in March 2027. The initial audition period is between late February and early April each year, and applicants receive a minimum of two weeks' notice where possible. Applications for session 2026-27 are closed; the published deadline for 2026-27 was Monday 9 February 2026, and late applications may be considered via an online form. An Open Day is published for Saturday 14 November 2026, which the Traditional Music page lists as to be confirmed, in November 2026. A 2027-28 closing date is not published as of 8 October 2026.

09 Bursaries and Government Funding

Anyone facing financial barriers can apply for a bursary or scholarship. The application link is sent after an offer is made.

Named funds: the Agnes Allan Bursary, the ABRSM Junior Scholarship UK, the Wolfson Foundation Scholarship, the Stevenson Scholarship, the Miss Nancy Williamson Bursary, the William R MacFarlane Scholarship and the Savoy Scholarship.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is in Scotland. The Department for Education Music and Dance Scheme is a scheme for England and is not mentioned on any RCS Junior Conservatoire page. No Scottish Government funding scheme for Junior Conservatoire tuition is published on the RCS site as of 8 October 2026.

Youth Music Initiative funding is published, but only in connection with the separate RCS Music Centres, not with Junior Conservatoire tuition fees.

Bursary and scholarship award amounts, income thresholds and conditions of award are not published.

10 The Language Condition

No language requirement is stated on any Junior Conservatoire page. The RCS English Language Requirements page sits under Study and International Students and is not referenced from the Junior Conservatoire programme pages.

11 Programmes With Similar Names

The RCS Music Centres are separate, open-access provision, run with local councils and Youth Music Initiative funding and serving about 500 young people across the West of Scotland. Centres are open access, so no audition is needed. Provision is small-group instrumental classes, musicianship classes, and string orchestra or ensemble playing, taught weekly by RCS specialists.

Centres and venues: Armadale Strings Music Centre at Southdale Primary School, West Lothian, free string lessons in small groups, Saturdays in term time, for Primary 4 and 5 as of August 2026, in violin, viola, cello and mini or double bass; Livingston Strings Music Centre at Harrysmuir Primary School, West Lothian, on the same terms; The King's Foundation Performing Arts Programme at the Pierburg Building, Dumfries House, East Ayrshire, lessons free and funded by The King's Foundation, Wednesday evenings in term time, for children currently in P5, P6 or P7 as of August 2026 who receive string tuition in class in the Cumnock, Doon and Auchinleck areas; Stirling Strings Music Centre at Bannockburn High School, Youth Music Initiative funded with the fee not stated, Saturdays in term time, for Primary 4 and 5 as of August 2026; and Stirling Traditional Music Centre at McLaren High School, Youth Music Initiative funded with the fee not stated, Saturdays in term time, for Primary 4 and 5 as of August 2026, with students starting on tin whistle and then moving to accordion, bodhran or fiddle. The page introduction also lists Callander as a Traditional Music location without naming a venue, and gives age bands P4 to S6 for Bannockburn, Armadale and Livingston and Callander, and P6 to S6 for Dumfries House.

Music Centre term dates published are for 2025-26. Applications for Armadale, Livingston and Dumfries House are closed; Stirling Strings and Stirling Traditional are listed both as opening after summer and as currently closed.

RCS also states that it offers open access courses for children aged 1 and over through its Short Courses.

12 What the Department Does Not Say

Not published as of 8 October 2026:

  • a 2027-28 application closing date; only the form opening date of 27 October 2026 and auditions commencing in March 2027

  • 2027-28 fees and 2027-28 term dates

  • the amount of the extra-15-minute principal study lesson fee

  • subsidiary or second study fee amounts

  • bursary and scholarship award amounts, income thresholds, or conditions of award

  • any Music and Dance Scheme involvement, or any Scottish Government tuition funding scheme for the Junior Conservatoire

  • the age range on the Jazz, Composition and Traditional Music programme pages

  • school-year equivalence for the 11 to 18 range

  • which specific instruments sit within the Classical Music programme, as against the department staff list

  • any language requirement

  • Music Centre term dates for 2026-27, street addresses for Music Centre venues, the Callander Traditional Music venue, and the Stirling Music Centres' fee

13 Points to Confirm Before Applying

With the Juniors Music office, before an application is made:

  • the closing date for 2027-28 entry, once published

  • the 2027-28 fee and the 2027-28 term dates

  • the cost of a subsidiary study instrument and of the extra 15 minutes on the principal study lesson

  • which instruments sit within the Classical Music programme, as against the department staff list

  • the age range for the Jazz, Composition and Traditional Music programmes, which is not stated on those pages

  • which bursaries and scholarships the applicant may apply for, and when the application link is sent

  • for pipers, that lessons take place at the National Piping Centre rather than at Renfrew Street

  • that the Junior Conservatoire is in Scotland and the England Music and Dance Scheme does not apply

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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