I am very confused as to which one I should work towards next as part of my professional development. I had thought of doing the LRSM with the Associated Board in performance but If I am good enough, I wonder whether a post graduate course in performance is better...

What are anyone's thoughts? My Main thought is that perhaps from a conservatoire you get more exposure to performance and to other musicians and is possibly better for future opportunities, plus you are then accredited by one of the main conservatoires.

As I say, don't really know, hence the question! lol

For the very reasons you mentioned, I'd always go for the postgrad course. Did it myself, although the system in Germany is massively different (or used to be at that time), so you cannot really compare it.

I think there's more to consider though than the sheer content and the contacts it will provide you with (as said, the postgrad will most certainly beat the LRSM by a mile). It's how much time you have, how you can organise your studies (and yourself ), and last but not least finances. Postgrad studies don't come cheap, so you have to check your options, if you're eligible for funding/grants/loans etc. Questions you can probably only answer yourself.

I think they're two totally different things - the LRSM is an exam (although of course you might have teaching and guidance along the way) whereas the PGDip is likely to be a taught course of study leading to a qualification.

I appreciate they are different things, but my point is which is better? Which qualification has more weight to it?

Is the distinction not that the LRSM is a qualification offered to external candidates recognising achievement pursued through independent study, whereas the PGDip is a qualification awarded on completion of a college-based course of study? I should think that the PGDip would "carry more weight", if you want to put it that way, simply because it indicates that you have been accepted into a conservatoire and successfully completed a course there. I am not sure that it is right that this is the case, but I suspect that I am probably right in saying that it is. By way of analogy somebody could gain the "equivalent" of a bachelor's degree in music by taking the performance, theory, composition, teaching, and research diplomas at the level mapped to standard of the final year of an honours degree, but I don't think that this would carry the same weight as actually taking a university degree, even if the level of subject knowledge and proficiency might actually be equal of higher. I am not expert in this field, but I have quite a lot of friends who are professional musicians and I have gathered from them that having the right pedigree seems to be important.

If you have the finances then go for both qualifications.As Seer Green has stated,they are both different types of qualification,one is internal whilst the other is external!Both exams will give you positive learning and experience.The LRSM is an exam whilst the Postgraduate is a course which would offer different learning structures than the exam of LRSM.

But honestly, I'm not sure you can compare. A PGDip is likely to show that you attended an 'institution' where you were 'taught' and where you 'studied'. All an LRSM shows is that you passed the exam on the day. To my mind, they are entirely different 'qualifications'. The other side of the coin is what do you want to do with whatever you get? For example, a teacher might prefer the LRSM as they may simply want a measure of their progress; a performer might prefer the PGDip because of what's learnt and taught along the way. At the end of the day, the weight they carry will largely depend on who's looking at them.

I think the real question to ask is:

What do YOU want?

What are your professional aspirations? Do you just want the letters, or do you actually have a plan for your professional life? If so, what does it look like? Are you mainly interested what others might think about the qualification, or is it more important to you what (and how!) you will learn along the way? These are all questions you should ask yourself, and then decide what best fits the bill.

It is true that the weight of the qualification will be judged by who looks at them. If you are leaving the anglophone world (or better: the Commonwealth), not many people will care about the ABRSM (sorry, not many people would even know these qualifications exist. If you're self-employed, you can maybe use this to your advantage. If you are seeking employment, you might find it more difficult). A PGDip will usually be easier transferred/accredited cross-border, but even this can take a while (and cost nerves - speaking from experience ). The sheer fact this is the case should tell you something about formal weight though.
If these are valid considerations really depends on you, and what you are aiming at professionally.

The other consideration is LRSM is meant to be final undergrad year recital standard, PGdip is presumably meant to be post-grad standard and therefore more comparable with FRSM.

You would also need mega bucks to take a PG Dip or an equivalent. A one year MMus at the Royal College of Music starting in September 2012 would cost you 12,000 pounds. Funding is sometimes available but it doesn't always cover the full amount and everyone is fighting for funding!

Fees list here:
http://www.ram.ac.uk/fees

Unless of course the person lives in Wales. Where costs are very low and grants left right and centre

That's cheap. Some Oxford MSc cost over 20K and an MBA at one of the leading UK schools would be in the 30s...

It's silly money really. I paid the same ?3000 for my Masters year as a I did for the preceeding 3. Okay, so I "only" have an undergraduate masters, but its still the same level of qualification, still required 6 months of pure research, and is regarded just as highly.

I wonder if there is any plans to consider awarding CAS points for dips and similar. It would help avoid any issues around recognition or equivalency.

Hi
I've been reading this thread with interest. The two are just very different entities and give you completely different experiences. Having done LRSM, I am starting MMus at Trinity come September. My choice of taking post grad performance course was to give me more immersion in music generally and also to gain input from a variety of sources on a regular basis. Neither of these qualifications will show that you are a better perfomer - you are only as good as your last performance. I've heard some conservatoire graduates sing and been left less than impressed than other singers who have learnt privately and done diplomas and generally better performers....conversley I have heard the exact opposite too.
My opinion, for what it is worth is that you should choose the route that is more suited to your needs as a performer rather than how you think it will be percieved. Some may suggest that a postgrad dip may help you get your toe in the door better, but who knows!
I got plenty of performance experience through various routes such as amateur groups, and lots of masterclasses, arranging recitals etc., but I'm really looking forward to the experience I hope to gain from MMus - which will be completely different again.

Good luck with decision making.

Very well said Lucysop!Couldnt have put it better myself!