Ok, I have a good few months yet before I actually need to apply for these but im looking into applying for music colleges in the uk for september 08, so id need to send in applications later this year. I need to narrow it down to about 2 or so though because im living in ireland and cant afford to be constantly travelling over and back for auditions if I was to get any..unless most were in the one day or something! So far I have sent for prospectuses from RCM, RAM, GSMD, and RNCM... I havnt gotten any further than that yet. How selective are they about who gets to audition? or does everyone who applies get an audition? If im a few years older than your average applicant (im 21) would that be likely to go against me in any way?
Can someone also give me an overview of what life is like at each of these places.. or anything at all that you think I should hear about. Theres only so much I can get from looking at websites and prospectuses and it would be really good to hear from someone who has been to each of these places.

no, not every applicant gets the chance to go for an audition..... i applied RCM, RAM and RNCM for year 2006 entry (i'm a first year at university) and i did manage to get to the live audition stage, but got rejected after my audition...well, i applied for pianoforte....so there's a lot of competition... really liked RCM and RNCM, hated the RAM, no offense, but i do find people there are so up for themselves.... can't stand that place at all... if you ask me now, i really like RNCM... (i study music at university of manchester and i am fortunately enough to have RNCM tutors for organ and singing)

hope that helps....
ps: at least try and go for one of the open days....i do think this is rather useful

I just came through this year's cycle of applications and got places at Birmingham conservatoire and RNCM. I start at RNCM in September. I understood that as a UK student everyone gets called to audition. liebe-klavier did you have to send recordings before that? I noticed on your detail thing it says Hong Kong so I guess you are an international student so I think the procedure is different.

Open days are great, I agree, and consultation lessons are often useful if you have the time and money (I only did one!) I'd met tutors from RNCM alrealdy so didn't do them there. I'm part of the Junior Department do I'm heavily biased!!

well, i am an international student...but, i've been studying in the uk for quite a while...so i went through the same application as you did....(i did apply for joint course RNCM)....i don't know about clarinet....but i'm dead sure that they won't audition every single pianists, there are way too many of us.....haha....

oh, are you on joint course, if you are, i guess i'll be seeing you at the university next year....

Hey,
thanks for all of your replies. I probably wont be able to make it to any of the open days as it would be too expensive for me to just fly over for that.. well I suppose I still have alot more time to think about all of this anyway..

thanks

Yes.... if I get 3 As in my exams!!!! Argh... In which case I should be revising!

Hiya! I'm starting college in September, so went through auditions in September 2007. The main factor is the teacher you want, do you know any staff at any colleges, and would you like to learn from any of them? Thats the main reason why I'm going to the Royal Welsh College!

From my experiences of the auditions, I found Guildhall horrible, hated it, the people who listened to me were arrogant and quite rude, and RNCM are very disorganised when it comes to auditions, I never managed to get an audition even though they said they would give me one because they kept putting it foward 2 weeks until it had dragged on for months, so I'm not a happy bunny with them either!

Depending on your instrument look at RWCMD and Royal Scottish Academy also? Don't have as much 'glam' but fantastic teachers still teach there and they've churned out good performers, and because they're a lot smaller you get a lot more individual attention and performance opportunites I gather!

I thought everyone who applied got an audition, you have to pay the audition fee through Cukas when you apply, so I'd be pretty angry if they didn't give you an audition! I have no idea if your age will play against you, depends how good you are I guess!

Best of luck!