Primary instrument/specialism
- Highland Bagpipes
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 2024, but we would encourage applicants to apply by the 2nd October 2024 to be guaranteed consideration for the first round of scholarship
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.
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.
Modules
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/
Assessment method
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/
How to apply
This course is not open to application until the 10th July 2024.
*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.
02Oct
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 [email protected] for more information.
International applicants
Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 60 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire.
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - A* - E
Scottish Higher - A - D
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 45 - 24 points
More information about our entrance requirements and international equivalencies can be found on our website.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/
Additional entry requirements
Audition
Information on what to prepare for audition can be found on our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.5 in each component (with no component below 5.5) is required. |
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 regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process. Applicants submitting performance recordings via our Acceptd platform, will go through a two round process. If successful, the second round will be a live online interview with the department you are applying for. Once we receive your application, we will email you with details of your audition. 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/.
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Channel Islands | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9250* | Year 1 |
| England | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £1820* | Year 1 |
| EU | £27968* | Year 1 |
| International | £27968* | Year 1 |
*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Additional fee information
Associated programme costs may be required for this programme for any new student at the start of their studies. For more information on please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/
Sponsorship information
The Royal Conservatoire is able to offer a number of entrance scholarships which are awarded as part of the audition/selection process on the basis of merit and financial need. Please see our website for more information - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/.
Provider information
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB