Primary instrument/specialism
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Clarinet (Theatre doubling)
- Cornet
- Double Bass
Course summary
A BMus (Hons) Music degree at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire can be studied following one of a choice of three Principal Study areas: Instrumental/Vocal Performance, Composition, or Music Technology. The course provides 30 hours of individual specialist tuition in your principal study per year (increasing to 35 in year four), which is far more than is typically offered by academic university music courses. You are also allocated an additional five hours that you can use for other areas of support. As an instrumental/vocal specialist options will include study on a second instrument, Alexander Technique or Performance Coaching. Our priority is to provide the ideal preparation for a successful career in instrumental/vocal performance. We pay care and attention to treating musicians as entrepreneurs, and aim to prepare you for the opportunities and challenges presented by the future of the profession; ensuring you are employable in a variety of spheres. In addition to benefiting from individual tuition, you will enjoy a range of other activities designed to develop your artistry, musical fluency and personal/professional awareness. On the practical side, you will benefit from masterclasses, individual ensemble coaching sessions, performance and composition workshops and much more. You will find yourself with regular opportunities to perform in our many orchestra and ensembles and, as the course progresses, the chance to tailor your studies to your individual interests. In your academic work you will explore themes such as the language and history of music, performance traditions, pedagogy, community music-making and professional development. Also as part of the course, you will have the opportunity to undertake collaborative projects not only with other music students, but also those from a wide range of disciplines across Birmingham City University; such as Acting, Media, Art and Design, Fashion, New Technologies and Visual Communication. This is an exciting time in our long history – our new £57 million facilities opened in 2017, closely followed by our institution receiving a Royal Title and becoming Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Our new facilities include five state-of-the-art public performance spaces, including a 500 seat Concert Hall, flexible black box performance space called The Lab, and our very own jazz venue – the Eastside Jazz Club. Our stunning new building also houses seven industry standard recording studios and over 70 practice rooms, ensemble rooms and workshops. We are proud to offer purpose designed, acoustically advanced teaching and performance facilities, which are among the first of their kind in the digital age.
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:
Single specialism
Only one instrument is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument formatively, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
Alternative single specialism
You may audition for two instruments, with the intention of studying one instrument as a single specialism. The outcome of the audition will determine which instrument is taken as the main specialism.
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.
Secondary instrument/specialisms
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Cornet
- Double Bass
- Euphonium
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.
03Oct
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:
- 300F
- Institution code:
- B34
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
Additional entry requirements
Admission tests
Audition
Interview
Institutions Own Test (IOT)
Institutions Own Test. For applicants who audition in the UK. Candidates will be required to demonstrate general musical knowledge and musicianship skills, including harmony and aural.
Institutions Own Test (IOT)
Music Test. For applicants who audition in the UK. Candidates will be required to demonstrate general musical knowledge and musicianship skills, including harmony and aural.
English language requirements
IELTS Minimum overall score of 6.0, with no less than 5.5 in each band
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan (Taipei) Performers only /local fee | £ | £ |
| China (Mainland) Performers only /local fee | £ | £ |
| Virtual Audition | £75 | £75 |
| China (Hong Kong) Performers only /local fee | £75 | £75 |
| Royal Birmingham Conservatoire | £75 | £75 |
*Fee not collected by UCAS
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan (Taipei) Performers only /local fee | £ | £ |
| China (Mainland) Performers only /local fee | £ | £ |
| Virtual Audition | £105 | £105 |
| China (Hong Kong) Performers only /local fee | £105 | £105 |
| Royal Birmingham Conservatoire | £105 | £105 |
*Fee not collected by UCAS
Unistats information
Operated by the Office for Students
There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £9250 | Year 1 |
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| International | £23600 | Year 1 |
Additional fee information
Home/EU - Equivalent or lower qualifications fees £11,590 Students studying Equivalent or Lower Qualification in higher education are assessed to see whether they are looking to study at the same level to a qualification they already hold or at a lower level to a qualification they already hold.
Students categorised as studying for an ELQ at the Birmingham Conservatoire will be charged a tuition fee rate that is higher than the standard published rates. This is because in 2008 the government announced that it would no longer provide funding to support universities teaching students who were classed as ELQ status.
Provider information
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Birmingham Conservatoire
200 Jennens Road
Birmingham
B4 7XR