Royal College of Music auditions

[tjw88]

Hi,
   I am hoping to audition for The Royal College of Music in London sometime in the next few years.
   Does anyone know the standard that is acceptable for these auditions? They give no guidlines except:

"Undergraduate
You should prepare a programme of three works of your own choice showing a variety of style, period and character (maximum 15 minutes) – to be played from memory." 

I Have no idea of sutable pieces. Please help if you can...

Cheers

[lostinidlewonder]

Hi,
   I am hoping to audition for The Royal College of Music in London sometime in the next few years.
   Does anyone know the standard that is acceptable for these auditions? They give no guidlines except:

"Undergraduate
You should prepare a programme of three works of your own choice showing a variety of style, period and character (maximum 15 minutes) – to be played from memory." 

I Have no idea of sutable pieces. Please help if you can...

Cheers

Give us a list of music that you have learnt. I would say the level of Beethoven Sonatas, Bach Preludes and Fugues, Chopin Etudes would be at the standard they are looking for. Variety of style/period is obvious, you choose something from baroque, classical and 20th century, that would be ideal. Of course you can play traditional music from different parts of the world like the Spanish Albeniz, or the Romanian Bartok, these guys are commonly used in auditions.

[tjw88]

Thanks for that.
Im learning lizst's Mazeppa at the moment (or trying to!) so hopefully i will have a little time to get it up to scratch.
Also, im working on lizst's Hungarian rapsody no. 2.

[lostinidlewonder]

It is probably best not to audition with anything you can "just" play. Mazeppa is tough and well known, the ajudicators would have heard it peformed many times. It would be good to demonstrate to them that you have the capability to pull it off even if you might have minor technical problems with it, a kind examiner will trust these things can be ironed out if you join the school.

There is easy repetoire that would get you into a school, so it might be safer for you to not overshoot the mark and choose to play Mazeppa and the 2nd Hungarian (if you have only 15 mins and you give so much time to the Liszt that might not look to good), but if these pieces are ok for you by all means do it (even though they are risky pieces even for professional pianists). But don't sacrifice fancy techinical playing for musical quality, don't try to impress the examiners with fancy playing, they have all heard it before, they want to hear something played well, thats all. Show them the "control" you have over the instrument, wild erratic playing doesn't really score high you must demonstrate musical and technical control with your instrument.

[tjw88]

It is probably best not to audition with anything you can "just" play. Mazeppa is tough and well known, the ajudicators would have heard it peformed many times. It would be good to demonstrate to them that you have the capability to pull it off even if you might have minor technical problems with it, a kind examiner will trust these things can be ironed out if you join the school.

There is easy repetoire that would get you into a school, so it might be safer for you to not overshoot the mark and choose to play Mazeppa and the 2nd Hungarian (if you have only 15 mins and you give so much time to the Liszt that might not look to good), but if these pieces are ok for you by all means do it (even though they are risky pieces even for professional pianists). But don't sacrifice fancy techinical playing for musical quality, don't try to impress the examiners with fancy playing, they have all heard it before, they want to hear something played well, thats all. Show them the "control" you have over the instrument, wild erratic playing doesn't really score high you must demonstrate musical and technical control with your instrument.

Thank you, this really is good advise.

[franzliszt2]

I auditioned to RCM in december, and was accepted so I start this september.
Best advice...Play what you play well

I played

Beethoven Appasionata
Chopin Scherzo no.3
Liszt Gnomenriegen

A diificult programme in many ways, but not over difficult. I felt very confident I could play pieces well, and my technique was not stretched to the point where i worried about about technical difficulty, I new I could play gnomenreigen faster than I had to, so I had no worries, i was confortable with the speed i intended.

Bigest thing... DO NOT play something like Liszt sonata, or massive pieces that are really difficult. Theres just no point, they will rip it to pieces. They want to see that you have a solid technique, and are very musical. Technique can be developed, musicallity cannot. They look for potential, no matter what people say, it is not about how technically good you are, although that does play a huge role, but they don;t expect 17 year olds to be playing huge transendental etudes etc.

Hope that helps 

[tjw88]

I auditioned to RCM in december, and was accepted so I start this september.
Best advice...Play what you play well

I played

Beethoven Appasionata
Chopin Scherzo no.3
Liszt Gnomenriegen

A diificult programme in many ways, but not over difficult. I felt very confident I could play pieces well, and my technique was not stretched to the point where i worried about about technical difficulty, I new I could play gnomenreigen faster than I had to, so I had no worries, i was confortable with the speed i intended.

Bigest thing... DO NOT play something like Liszt sonata, or massive pieces that are really difficult. Theres just no point, they will rip it to pieces. They want to see that you have a solid technique, and are very musical. Technique can be developed, musicallity cannot. They look for potential, no matter what people say, it is not about how technically good you are, although that does play a huge role, but they don;t expect 17 year olds to be playing huge transendental etudes etc.

Hope that helps 

Cheers, it does help

[tjw88]

franzliszt2, please could you tell me what other qualifications you had (A levels etc). Im quite determined to get in, and it would be much appreciated. Also any other advise...

[franzliszt2]

when I applied I had no AS level results, and did not put any down, so as far as they were concerned I had no qualifiactions after GCSE'S.

All they want is 2 A levels at grade E, music preferably at grade C or above

They not realyl bothered about academic stuff, whats the point in being an amazing chemist if you wnat to play the piano??

I did 3 AS levels, and I am only doing 2 A level, so I can practice more

[gruffalo]

they dont need A-levels in music. just 2 basic high school qualifications, or a diploma in piano. i am giving up my places at Uni for Engineering to do music. i intend to get good results this summer. but i dont think of my exams in summer as related in anyway to get into conservatoire. i just wanna get good results.

[franzliszt2]

Yeh what gruffalo says is correct and worded better than my attempted explanation lol

I have a diploma in piano, and they were very interested in that, like what mark I got, pieces I played for it etc.. It looks good

Grade 8 wiht distinction looks good as well

[gruffalo]

Im working on LRSM at the moment (which is the second diploma, but i havent done the first level diploma) but i wont have it when i audition, but grade 8s are acceptable. i think its more about what you give in the audition. i think my music CV will leave a mark.

[zheer]

LoL, this reminds me of the time when i was 17 and happen to be round the RCM in music in london so i decided to walk in and collect some info on RCM, anyway the look i was getting from students and staff, like i was a F***ing alien from out of space, i guess they had'nt seen a Kurdish person in a leather jacket.

     Anyway its a nice building but not as nice as RAM .

[gruffalo]

i studied at RCM for 2 years when i was 8, and i felt very comfortable there. i liked their chips.

[kghayesh]

I wanted to know some other things about RCM auditions.
Do they have an age limit for applicants ??

I am just asking because i wanted to know my odds of joining a prestigious place like RCM. I am currently doing a Computer Engineering degree and will finish it by next year, which then i will be 21 years old. I don't know if 21/22 is fine or too old....

[gruffalo]

im not sure. i maybe going into music after i do an engineering degree, but i may be going in straight away, i dont know. they dont want singers untill age 20-22 or some say older. i dont think there is an age limit to how old you are, unless you are like 60+ (i dont know about that). what i know you can do, is just go in straight away for a post grad in music because you will have had the computer engineering degree.

[letters]

Im working on LRSM at the moment (which is the second diploma, but i havent done the first level diploma) but i wont have it when i audition, but grade 8s are acceptable. i think its more about what you give in the audition. i think my music CV will leave a mark.

I thought you had to have a first diploma in order to take an LRSM??? I don't think i would be liked much at the RCM, because i play two instruments at the same standard, piano and flute and have recently taken grade 8 in both of them (merit in piano, awaiting flute results but it went well). This seems odd because some would say wahey the more instruments the better, but RCM seems like the place where they really want you to focus on one instrument alone. In which case, i don't think i could choose between the two. OH im 16 in year 12. What do you guys think?

[gruffalo]

you can write to them about your experience as a musician. they require proffesional experience. im doing LRSM in singing aswell, without the first stage.

[franzliszt2]

Big secret about getting into places like RCM RAM etc, is......... how you do in your audition

They not that bothered about other things, diplomas do look nice though. I'm not doing anymore diplomas, i did the 1st, and now I am mainly studying things from the 2nd a 3rd. I found that there is so much time wasting preparing the pieces. I can learn a piece and finish it properly in a few weeks, why spend 1/2 a yr waiting and keeping it in the front of my practce so i can get an exam.

Letters

You can do joint pricipal study, although I do not not anything baout it. If I auditioned for joint principal with french horn they'd laugh hahah

[gruffalo]

my aim is not to shove diplomas at them. i will have the LRSM after my auditions. it's just something i am working for. I agree, the audition is by far the most important.