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InternatIonal performIng opportunItIes for every dIscIplIne

784 undergraduate students and 195 postgraduate students

studIed wIth us In 2013/14

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contents

RCS is very much part of the local community, using art to

transform the lives of people in Glasgow – whether this is

locally through community arts projects or on an international

stage such as performing at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth

Games. We are national, representing the cultural distinctiveness

of our nation, and we are international in our reach – attracting

students from across the globe to benefit from our unique

artistic education and projecting our work in the great cities

and communities around the world.

We are the only UK conservatoire to offer excellence across the

performing arts disciplines of dance, drama, music, production

and screen. As such, our experience is unique, brimming with

possibility, and primed to help you become artistic leaders.

I hope to welcome you here as a student in the future.

Jeffrey sharkey principal

glasgow is one of the greatest cities for the arts and we are proud to have the conservatoire of the future located here. I am so pleased you want to continue your artistic education and

you are considering studying with us at the Royal Conservatoire

of Scotland. There is an innovative energy here at RCS that

will inspire, transform and prepare you, as well as educate and

nurture your individual artistic voice.

RCS is a community of artists. Our collaborative curriculum

encourages a sense of community and allows space where

new work can be created and performed within your own

discipline or across the multiple art forms we excel in. All of

our teaching staff are leaders in their respective fields with

years of educational experience to guide your learning.

Every day RCS is filled with thoughtful, disciplined work from

our students and staff. We learn through our journey of study

and reflection, through preparing for performances and by

sharing work in our multitude of halls and performing venues

each year.

We are embedded in Glasgow and Scotland, partnering with

all the national companies and every major arts organisation.

As the only conservatoire for the nation, you will benefit directly

from the many professional artists that come to Scotland –

you will watch them perform, learn from them in masterclasses

and guest lectures, and be inspired by their artistry.

welcome to our conservatoIre

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welcome dance

what you need to know drama

our experts music

our partners production

campus and facilities screen

location learning and teaching

student life research

graduate destinations how to apply

open days

“The RCS experience is unique, brimming with possibility and primed to help you to become the artistic leaders of the future.” Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal

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3. you get more contact time with your tutor than at any other uK conservatoire We have one of the highest staff-student ratios of any conservatoire

in the UK. If you’re a music student here, you will receive a

90-minute individual lesson each week on your principal

study. And if you have a second instrument – you’ll get another

30-minute individual lesson every week. This makes RCS the

UK’s leading conservatoire for individual music tuition.

4. glasgow is the best place for artists to work in scotlandAs the unofficial capital of Scotland, Glasgow is the epicentre

for the nation’s leading performing arts companies and is home

to BBC Scotland, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, Playwrights’

Studio Scotland and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

This means our students are ideally placed in Glasgow to work

with industry experts on our doorstep. Glasgow is also home

to dozens of theatres, performing arts venues and music halls

and is renowned for its love and celebration of culture.

5. we love to collaborate From the second you walk in the door, you will be collaborating

with your fellow students – across all the art forms. RCS is a

unique environment where you will have countless opportunities

to collaborate and create new work. From the annual, cross-

disciplinary Bridge Week Festival to working in partnership

with the national companies on collective projects – your

artistic voice will be developed and nurtured.

6. our graduates work Benefitting from the strong working partnerships with the

national companies and industry leaders, our graduates work

in their field upon completing their studies. Across each

discipline, graduates achieve notable success – with many

students securing work or apprenticeships before they finish

their studies. In the School of Music, 99% of our undergraduate

students are employed or in further study (HESA, 12/13).

1. performance is everythingOur whole curriculum is built around performance, ensuring

we equip you with the skills to be the best performer you

can be. Every year we hold over 500 performances across our

five professional venues, making us the busiest performing

arts centre in the whole of Scotland.

As well as performing in RCS, you will also have the opportunity

to perform in a range of external venues throughout your time

here, taking to the stage at other UK theatres, festivals, concert

halls and industry events. Some of the performance highlights

of the past year include:

| MA Classical and Contemporary Text students

performing Love’s Labour’s Lost at

Shakespeare’s Globe, London

| Music students playing alongside nicola Benedetti and

the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Chennai,

Delhi and Mumbai

| BA Acting and BA Production Arts and Design students

touring their production of Coriolanus to St. Petersburg

| BA Digital Film and TV students premiering their films

on the big screen at Cineworld

2. our tutors are seriously good Some of the industry’s best performers and educators work

here. Our specialist tutors are all practising professionals in their

own industry so you can learn from their experience as well

as benefit from their knowledge and contacts. You’ll also learn

from the huge array of visiting artists who visit RCS regularly

to teach masterclasses. In recent years, our visiting artists

have included donald runnicles, peter manning, nicola Benedetti, matthew Bourne, paul laverty and Billy Boyd.

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what you need to Know

with just under 1,000 students learning across two locations, specialising in five different art forms, rcs is oozing with innovative ideas, creative performances and a mass of talent. If you want to cut through the noise, here are some essential things you need to know about rcs.

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KATHERINE

BRYAN

what is a typical working day like for you?

Mostly pretty crazy! If I’m rehearsing for a full day with

the RSNO, I sometimes teach for a few hours afterwards.

It’s amazing, I can be totally exhausted but the moment a

student comes in, it’s like a caffeine shot! Trying to then fit

in some practise time for myself can be challenging, but often

necessary, so it usually gets squeezed in at the end of the day.

what’s been your career highlight to date?

Giving the Scottish premiere of American composer

Christopher Rouse’s Flute Concerto. A relatively unknown

piece in the UK, but I couldn’t have wished for a better

response. To feel you have successfully sold a new piece

to audiences is a wonderful feeling.

you’ve studied at music schools in the uK and us, including Juilliard. what is it about the rcs school of music that is different from other institutions?

The number of students here isn’t too large so there are lots

of opportunities for everyone, and also a great camaraderie

between students. They are very supportive of one another.

There is a great atmosphere at RCS – it’s like a big family.

People go out of their way to help each other, both staff

and students. Also, it is easier to gain access to Scottish-

based professional musicians. The proximity of RCS to all of

Scotland’s national companies and Glasgow’s cultural

events means making contacts is easy.

what are you looking for in a potential music student?

Enthusiasm, openness, and a good work ethic. And a true

love for music, of course.

what advice would you give a graduate who is just finishing their studies and wants a performing career?

Try and get as much performing experience as possible –

even the smallest venue, audience or programme. If you

want something, never think “I’m not sure if I should go for it

in case I don’t get it” – prepare and go in with a positive state

of mind. Oh, and always answer your phone and reply to

emails! The only thing better than a talented musician is

an organised, talented musician!

flautist Katherine Bryan has been performing to international audiences since she was just 15 years old. at the young age of 21, Katherine was appointed principal flute with the royal scottish national orchestra – a position she still holds whilst performing globally and teaching at rcs.

you have been teaching at rcs for nine years. what is it you enjoy most about teaching?

I love seeing a student improve over the course of our lessons,

but it’s not just about that; to see a student embrace an idea

and run with it is just fantastic for any teacher. I really enjoy

discussing concepts with students and seeing them get

inspired by the pieces we work on together.

music students receive a 90-minute lesson each week on their principal study – 30 minutes more than any other uK conservatoire offers. how much difference does this extra individual teaching time make to a student?

Extra time to build a strong, trusting relationship with a

teacher is something I valued hugely when I was a student.

There is always so much to get through, so 90 minutes is

wonderful, especially in the first couple of years of study. It’s

nice to have more time to discuss ideas and work on things

properly. I usually go into a lot of detail during lessons, so it’s

good not to be rushed, and give the student time to

ask questions.

you hold the position of principal flute at the rsno. what benefits are there in maintaining a performing career alongside teaching?

I find that demonstrating in lessons is very important.

Quite often I am teaching pieces that I’m actually playing at

that time, which is interesting. It benefits my playing too!

I have to really think “how do I get around that problem?”

and then I can impart the solution and hopefully help the

student instantly. As a soloist, I can talk to students about

performance techniques, from how to deal with nerves

to communicating with an audience and having physical

presence on stage.

The RSNO performs virtually every week just minutes away

from RCS, so I encourage my students to come to as many

concerts as they can. There’s no better resource than that

for orchestral playing!

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RICHARD

SMITH

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you deliver some of your teaching over skype. what are the challenges of using this particular delivery method?

I don’t think it’s a question of challenges anymore. Skype is a

great opportunity, and it reflects the way the business works;

films are often packaged with creative teams across the globe,

and it’s routine to conduct Skype meetings, conference calls

and even video pitches. Students have grown up with video

calling these days, so it doesn’t feel like a barrier.

you work in both scotland and la. what differences are there between the scottish and us film industries?

They’re just different beasts, and within the US, there are

multiple industries. The most eye-opening thing about

Hollywood is that it’s a business in the strictest sense; the

studios aim to attract the biggest audiences, not necessarily

to push creative boundaries. This becomes the purview of

the independent sectors and films with arts funding (which

is most Scottish and British films). The industry needs all

those different parts, but you have to be mindful of who

you’re writing for.

the film industry in glasgow and scotland has grown rapidly in recent years. what opportunities are there for a screen graduate in scotland?

It’s a competitive business, with no single clear career path,

but the most important thing to remember is that talent and

hard work gets recognised. There are many active production

companies in Scotland, and major broadcasters, who hire

good people. Bursaries are available to writers, and arts

funding is offered to short films and features. There are

postgraduate programmes to further skills too. Our graduates

have taken advantage of all these paths. In the last twelve

months alone, two of our alumni (who are professional

screenwriters with agents) have sold major feature scripts,

so the course has proved to be an excellent springboard

into the industry.

what advice would you give someone who is thinking of applying to study screen at rcs?

Do it!

richard smith is a Bafta award-winning screenwriter who works in los angeles and scotland. alongside his creative work, richard tutors digital film and television students, delivering lectures over skype and intensive masterclasses when in scotland. here, richard speaks to us about working in the competitive film industry.

can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

I’ve been writing professionally since 2002. I have film and

TV projects in the UK and US, including one currently in

Glasgow (titled Glasgow Kiss). My first two films were Leonard

(a character drama, starring RCS alumnus denis lawson) and

Trauma (a dark psychological thriller, starring colin firth),

and I’ve continued writing in both genres ever since. I’ve been

lucky enough to work with producers like christian colson,

Warner Brothers, BBC, Ealing Studios and Overbrook

Entertainment.

how did you become involved in teaching at rcs?

Not long after the DFTV course was created in 2004,

I was asked to meet with students to discuss the scripts they

were shooting. The students were obviously very talented,

but needed help harnessing and focusing their imagination.

Before long, I was creating a screenwriting module, which

included classroom teaching and ongoing individual script

development. This now interlocks with other elements

of the DFTV course, and has become a crucial part

of the curriculum.

what are the most enjoyable aspects about teaching at rcs?

I get to work closely with students from the moment they

arrive, on multiple script projects. Seeing their storytelling

skills and their voices develop is a real thrill. It’s a proud moment

to see them ultimately produce original, challenging and

convincing graduation films.

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Image: Richard Smith in action on set.

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want to worK wIth the Best In the Industry?

we are uniquely placed in scotland to partner with a wealth of inspiring professional and artistic companies. our partnerships are so embedded within each of the programmes that it is impossible to separate the two. these are just some of the professional partnerships we work with regularly.

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scottish opera

Scottish Opera is situated next door to the Wallace Studios

campus and we are more than just good neighbours with

our fellow artists. Annually, students play side-by-side with

the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, work closely with senior

technicians and train with the performers.

“We believe there are numerous benefits to our collaboration

with RCS for young musicians. The orchestra audition process

allows students the experience of auditioning for orchestral

parts at the highest levels and prepares them for what to expect

in the industry. Either through mentoring or by experiencing

the rehearsals, you are learning what it’s like to perform

alongside a professional, highly skilled, very talented

collection of players.

Also, working closely with RCS Production students has been

most useful – it’s given us a chance to trial the young students

so that when they graduate they often come to work for us

professionally.”

alex reedijk

General Director of Scottish Opera

scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s national dance company which

provides world class performances in Scotland and

throughout the globe.

RCS has worked in partnership with Scottish Ballet since the

very beginning of the BA Modern Ballet degree in 2009, and

the programme is delivered jointly between us. Working so

closely with leading industry professionals means students

learn directly from the very best performers and teachers,

with unrivalled performance opportunities.

Visiting artists to Scottish Ballet regularly come to give

masterclasses and tutorials. Recent guests include matthew Bourne, constant vigier and nicolas Blanc.

This year, five of our BA Modern Ballet students received

parts in Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker, directed by peter darrell. This includes third-year dancer elayne seaton

who, since appearing in The Nutcracker, has been offered

a place in the company.

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shakespeare’s globe

We are proud to partner Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

on London’s south bank. Each year our MA Classical and

Contemporary Text students spend a full month learning at

the Globe, refining their craft. As well as a Shakespeare play

and other Renaissance theatre text, you also have the chance

to perform on the world’s most iconic stage.

“We teach you Shakespeare how Shakespeare would have

done it. The whole faculty at the Globe enjoy having the

MA CCT students here – they work incredibly hard, the

standard is very high and it is always a great month

for everyone involved.”

nick hutchison

Course Director at Shakespeare’s Globe

BBc scotland

Glasgow is the epicentre of film and media in Scotland and

BBC Scotland is located only a short walk from our campus.

RCS has a unique agreement with BBC Scotland so our

students from across each discipline can learn their craft

inside BBC Scotland’s professional environment. Over the

years, this partnership has given students lots of learning

opportunities including: live TV performances, radio

recordings, film-making on location on BBC sets and

professional placements with BBC Scottish Symphony

Orchestra.

This fruitful partnership enables you to learn from experts

and work in a live industry setting. In 2014, some of the work

our students carried out with BBC Scotland included:

| DFTV and Acting students filmed on location

at BBC’s River City set

| Jazz students performed live on BBC Scotland’s

Jazz House radio show

| BMus students travelled to India to perform with

BBC SSO on their Commonwealth tour with

nicola Benedetti and James macmillan

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chandler studio theatre

The Chandler, as it’s affectionately known to students, is a

versatile black box space which can be used for devised

performances or for smaller-set productions.

ledger recital room

This venue is used for smaller concerts and performances, with

a capacity of just over 100, and features a minstrels’ gallery.

whittaker library

The Whittaker Library is one of the world’s most comprehensive

collections of performance materials for dance, drama, music,

production and screen.

In addition to unique print materials, you will have access to

thousands of electronic resources, and extensive audio and

film collections. There’s also a dedicated silent study area

and enhanced WiFi hotspots to make sure you get the best

learning experience.

wallace studios at speirs locksThe Wallace Studios is our second campus, located at Speirs

Locks, a ten-minute walk from the Renfrew Street campus.

In 2014, a £6.2 million extension of the Wallace Studios was

completed, affording our students with an additional eight

large ensemble rehearsal rooms – big enough to rehearse

staged performances before they transfer to the venues.

This campus was created to be a state-of-the-art learning and

teaching space for our specialist disciplines. Here you will

find beautiful, light ballet studios, a wardrobe department

that could rival any of the national theatres’, and an extensive

studio for design and set construction students – including a

full-size stage paint frame.

the rcs campus is across two locations: renfrew street and the wallace studios at speirs locks.

renfrew streetPositioned in the heart of Glasgow, Renfrew Sreet is home to

the School of Music and the School of Dance, Drama, Production

and Screen. Alongside a host of drama rehearsal rooms and

music practice suites, Renfrew Street is where you’ll find the

Whittaker Library, the Digital Training Unit, the Student IT

Suite and our four recording studios.

Renfrew Street also houses five professional performance

venues and welcomes over 40,000 audience members through

the front door each year to watch over 500 performances

programmed during the academic calendar.

new athenaeum theatre

The principal venue for plays, musicals and opera, the New

Athenaeum Theatre is an impressive theatre space which can

seat an audience of over 300. The stage is equal in size to that

of the London Palladium, therefore makes a perfect space for

performers to learn on. Additionally, there’s an orchestra pit for

up to 50 players and the theatre is fully equipped with the

latest stage technologies, including automated flying equipment.

stevenson hall

Our most prestigious concert hall boasts a magnificent organ

and is frequently in demand by the BBC for recordings and

broadcasts. This venue is where the RCS Symphony Orchestra

rehearse and perform. Recent performers in this venue

include nicola Benedetti, steve reich, steven osborne and

courtney pine.

alexander gibson opera school

Our purpose-built opera school is a flexible performance space

which can be used for a full-scale opera production or for a

rehearsal and coaching space.

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our conservatoIre In the heart of glasgow

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map key 1: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Renfrew Street2: The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks 3: The Glasgow School of Art4: Glasgow Film Theatre5: Theatre Royal 6: Scottish Opera7: National Theatre of Scotland8: King’s Theatre 9: Centre for Contemporary Arts10: The Royal Concert Hall11: The National Piping Centre12: The Lighthouse

“Glasgow’s nightlife – and the city in general – is one of the most creative, friendly and witty scenes in the country. The sprawling industrial town, which has been tirelessly regenerating itself over the past three decades, seems to produce an endless stream of forward-thinking musicians, artists and designers that spiral out of its live music venues, pubs and clubs.”The Guardian, July 2014

Image above: A Bridge Week performance taking place in the Ledger Recital Room

BuchananBus station

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LEGENDARY

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FRIENDLY

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culture cityHeralded in Time magazine as Europe’s secret capital of music,

Glasgow’s live music scene is unrivalled. As well as being home

to most of the country’s leading orchestras and ensembles,

Glasgow is world-renowned for its underground music scene,

boasting a plethora of bars and clubs full of new talent. Glasgow’s

live music reputation is further enhanced with The Hydro, a

purpose built music venue which has already attracted some

major performers to the city.

Glasgow is rich in arts culture with numerous theatres and

performing arts venues all within close reach of the city centre.

There are also over 20 museums and galleries scattered around

the city – with the majority free to enter.

The city has fast become a hub for the UK film industry and

is home to BBC Scotland, STV, and countless entertainment,

technology and digital companies. You may recognise Glasgow

landmarks from films such as World War Z, Fast and the Furious

6 and Under the Skin as the city’s landscape has attracted

Hollywood film-makers in recent years.

Eclectic cultural delights range from the Britannia Panopticon,

the world’s oldest surviving music hall, to the Gallery of Modern

Art. Throw into the mix the breath-taking Necroplolis or one of

the city’s many parks and you’ll never be at a loss for something

to do.

award-winning city

glasgow is featured in:

| top 10 cities in the world Rough Guides, 2014

| top 10 places in the world Lonely Planet, 2013

| top 20 places in the world The Telegraph, 2014

the eyes of the world are on glasgow. As host of the

Commonwealth Games 2014 and the MTV European Music

Awards 2014, Scotland’s unofficial capital has also been named

as one of the top ten places in the world to visit by travel gurus

Lonely Planet (2013) and Rough Guides (2014).

Intrigued at what makes this city so special? Spend just 24 hours

in Glasgow and you’ll be smitten with the Glaswegian friendly

‘banter’, Victorian architectural masterpieces intertwined with

cutting-edge style and design, the culinary classics (haggis

and tatties, anyone?) and, of course, the fiercely proud, artistic

culture.

“glasgow comBInes style, edgy urBanIty and the resIdents’ legendary frIendlIness In a captIvatIng Blend that wIll leave you wantIng more.” lonely planet, 2013

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“One of the reasons I chose to study in Glasgow was the live music scene – there’s always something going on.” Conor Lee-Bourke, BA Modern Ballet student

student cityAs the second largest student city in the UK, Glasgow is home

to 130,000 students. Every September during Freshers’ Week

the city is thriving with new students exploring what the city

has to offer.

shoppingAside from its cultural jewels, Glasgow is famous for its shopping.

The ‘Style Mile’ is located around the corner from RCS and

is one square mile of brand retail, with student favourites

Topshop, H&M, Urban Outfitters and high-end designer

stores Mulberry and Armani. If you prefer something quirkier,

hop over to Glasgow’s West End and browse the numerous

vintage shops and independent music stores.

eating and drinkingRCS is a stone’s throw away from many of Glasgow’s finest

restaurants, café bars, traditional pubs and local eateries.

Crowned most vegan-friendly city in the UK in 2013, Glasgow

caters for all types of culinary tastes.

nightlifeFrom old-school pubs to electro and techno clubs, Glasgow’s

nightlife has it all. For great student nights out, head along

Bath Street and Sauchiehall Street for late night bars, before

trying one of the many club nights. The Sub Club, the

longest running underground club in the world, is the place

for clubbers who take their techno seriously. Alternatively,

Ashton Lane is a cobblestoned, fairy-lit haven of cosy pubs

and bars that stay open until the wee hours.

Image below: Sauchiehall Street is the student centre of Glasgow and is a 20-second walk from the front doors of RCS. Head here for a multitude of restaurants, bars, clubs, shops and music stores.

festivalsGlaswegians love nothing more than a celebration, and not a

month goes by without Scotland’s largest city hosting a festival.

Highlights include Celtic Connections in January featuring

two weeks of the best Scottish music, the Glasgow Film Festival

in February premiering the best films from Scotland and across

the world, the Glasgow Jazz Festival in June, and Bard in the

Botanics, an open-air summer festival of Shakespearean

classics. Usually the common denominator in all these festivals

is that they feature RCS students or graduates.

getting aroundGlasgow’s city centre is compact; you can walk from one end

of the city to the other in less than an hour and the transport

links are excellent and relatively inexpensive. The majority of

students walk or cycle to RCS and Glasgow has a city-wide bike

hire scheme.

money mattersIt is estimated that a student’s living costs for everything

(including accommodation) in Glasgow is £156 per week.

For an all-day travel ticket on the subway (the underground

transport system), students pay £2.70. The average price for

a pint of milk is 49p and the average price for a pint of beer

is £2.78.

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glasgow is the most cost-effective city for students living in the uK.(Natwest Student Living Index 2014)

rcs in edinburghTaking advantage of our close proximity to the capital city,

RCS has close links with several theatres, production companies

and universities in Edinburgh. Here’s a small sample of the

work our students do in Edinburgh.

| MA Musical Theatre students take two shows each year

to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and perform in top

venues, including the Assembly Hall

| In partnership with the University of Edinburgh and the

Edinburgh International Festival, we run an Artistic

Entrepreneurship short course for arts producers

from around the globe

| Music students perform at a variety of events, including

the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in individual projects and

as accompanists to the MA Musical Theatre students

location: edinburgh A 55-minute train journey links Scotland’s two largest cities,

making Edinburgh hugely accessible to RCS students. Edinburgh

welcomes over four million visitors each year, and a stroll

through the capital is enough to understand why the city is

so popular for tourists. Whether you’re looking for culture,

heritage or performing arts – Edinburgh delivers.

edinburgh festivalsThe arts world flocks to Edinburgh every August to revel in

the Edinburgh Festivals. Whilst the largest and most famous

events are the Edinburgh International Festival and the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, you will also find a host of other

cultural festivals taking place around the city in August,

including the Edinburgh Mela, the Edinburgh International

Book Festival and the Royal Military Tattoo. Every square inch

of the city is turned into a performance space for the festivals.

Pubs, clubs and pop-up beer gardens stay open till 5am with

shows continuing into the early morning. There’s even a daily

comedy show up the iconic Arthur’s Seat if you’re inclined to

do some hillwalking as a pre-show warm up.

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Images: Edinburgh’s Princes Street fireworks display at Hogmanay. MA Musical Theatre student performs as Gomez during the 2014 run of The Addams Family at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

4. spend time in Kelvingrove art gallery and musuemKelvingrove is a magnificent building – both inside and out.

Spend a couple of hours wandering through the galleries and

draw inspiration from classic masterpieces by Dali, Van Gogh,

Rembrandt, Pissarro and more contemporary works from

the Glasgow Boys and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Best of all,

the permanent exhibitions at Kelvingrove are free to enter.

5. go to the lochsWhether you’re looking for that monster or wanting to explore

the Scottish countryside, Scotland’s lochs are simply gorgeous.

Loch Ness and Loch Lomond are the most famous, with Loch

Lomond and the Trossachs only a 30-minute drive from the

city centre.

location: scotland

“One of the top three countries in the world” Lonely Planet, 2014

Being based in Glasgow means you can easily explore all

Scotland has to offer – whether you’re doing it by car, bus or

train. Here are the top five things we recommend you have to

do when living in Scotland.

1. Bag a munroFamous for being a land of hills, there are 282 Munros in Scotland

(mountains with a height of over 3,000 ft). A popular hobby is

to ‘bag’ a Munro by climbing to the summit – a common aim

among hillwalkers is to try and climb all 282.

2. celebrate hogmanay No-one quite brings in the New Year like the Scottish. Hogmanay

– the Scots name for 31 December – is celebrated throughout

the land, with Edinburgh’s famous street party being the most

popular Hogmanay destination. Celebrate the New Year with

live music, fireworks, a wee dram and, of course, a rendition

of Auld Lang Syne.

3. visit skyeA beautiful island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, Skye

boasts scenery that will truly take your breath away. Skye’s

picturesque backdrop has featured in many UK and American

films and the locals love to show visitors around their island.

It also has a rich arts heritage; look out for traditional folk and

music festivals taking place throughout the year.

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Image: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

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THIS

THE

IS

LIFE

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weeK In the lIfe of an rcs student

It might seem like a cliché to say no week is the same as another, but at rcs, this statement rings true. we followed final year Ba modern Ballet student stefanos dimoulas for one week to find out exactly what an average week of studying here looks like.

mondayMondays are always busy days. Not only do I have ballet

and jazz lessons at the Wallace Studios, but I take advantage

of learning in a conservatoire and also study piano in the

afternoon, with piano tutor, Ed Cohen. I would definitely say

my dancing is better than my piano skills at the moment,

but it all helps with my musicality!

tuesday Rehearsing for Bridge Week performance. I’m working with

other dancers and musical theatre students. This photograph

was taken as we were trying out different costumes and

looks for the camera.

wednesdayOff to the Theatre Royal today to watch Scottish Ballet’s

The Nutcracker, featuring five dancers from RCS.

Beautiful performance.

thursday I’m taking part in a creative collaboration between the

Piano and Dance departments in RCS – we’re using Romeo

and Juliet as our theme; this image is taken from the piece I

choreographed on the Montagues and Capulets.

frIdayToday is a rehearsal for the graduation showcase. This will

be my last performance at RCS and we’ll perform in the New

Athenaeum Theatre. This picture (to the left) is from one of

the contemporary pieces of the show.

saturdayEarly flight this morning to Amsterdam with two of

my classmates, Moritz and Ellie. We’re auditioning for

Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT2) and we took this

photograph just as we arrived in the city. An exciting

end to a rather busy week!

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pETRICA

CIoBANU

you have won a lot of competitions – both here at rcs and at international competitions. how do you deal with performing at such a high level? what’s been the highlight of your career so far?

Whether a concert or a competition, I always try to remember

that the most important thing is to stay true to the music.

Somehow, that keeps me focused and ready and the

adrenaline of each event puts me on my mettle.

Every opportunity is valuable in its own way but I think the

highlight so far has been when I was selected by the famous

pianist lang lang as one of only ten soloists for his Massed

Piano event at the Royal Festival Hall in 2011. I played one of

my favourite Silvestri pieces and it gave me the chance to

play in front of 3,000 people in the prestigious venue.

what advice would you give an aspiring musician who was thinking about applying to study here at rcs?

The best advice is to come and see RCS for themselves or

spend time talking to current students. I would recommend

it to anyone who is looking for a nurturing study experience

which encourages performance development as a priority.

you’ve got another year left of your studies here; what do you hope to do in this time and after you graduate?

Currently, between concerts, I am preparing for my entry

into three of the world’s toughest piano competitions which

will begin in summer next year. Glasgow is the perfect place

for me to tap into the expertise of my teachers and hone my

performance skills to be ready for such an important challenge.

I am aiming high and I know everyone here will support

me which is very reassuring.

mmus pianist petrica is the first rcs student to win both rcs concerto competitions. we spoke to petrica about his studies at rcs and how he finds living in glasgow.

you started your studies here in 2010 on the Bmus programme. what were your first impressions of rcs and living in glasgow?

I first remember being very impressed by the facilities and

the training on offer. I was also instantly struck by how

welcoming and supportive everyone is here. I felt like I fitted

in from the very beginning. I love the cultural diversity of

Glasgow. It is such an exciting and vibrant place to be.

what do you enjoy most about your masters course?

Thanks to the RCS piano competition last year, I recently

had the chance to play with the RCS Orchestra as part of

the Danzmayr the Sorcerer concert with david danzmayr,

and it was a fabulous opportunity. Importantly, as well as the

excellent performance opportunities, there is time to focus

on practising and polishing my overall performance skills.

My two teachers are extremely dedicated and RCS also

organises some excellent masterclasses led by renowned

visiting teachers.

can you tell us what an average day as a postgraduate student is like?

Well, my performance schedule is pretty busy so I

spend most of my time rehearsing or learning repertoire.

I’m not at all a morning person, so I tend to practise from

approximately 10am until 9pm. Luckily, RCS is open until

late and during the day at weekends. I also have a piano

lesson with my teacher aaron shorr every week, a weekly

group theory seminar, and many other opportunities to

receive important feedback on my concert and competition

repertoire from my teachers and peers.

tell us a bit about your tutors at rcs. what support do they give you in your studies? Is there any advice they’ve given you that’s really stuck with you?

My regular teachers are aaron shorr and norman Beedie.

They are both very experienced and dedicated. The best

advice they’ve given me is to bring musical passion to

everything I do without allowing that passion to overwhelm

the music especially during a performance. On a more

practical note, they have also given me really crucial advice

about the importance of organising myself efficiently which

is something I used to struggle with.

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“I always try to remember that the most important thing is to stay true to the music. Somehow, that keeps me focused and ready and the adrenaline of each event puts me on my mettle.”

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KENNETH

MACLEoD

now that your design is in the process of being created, how have you been collaborating with the various departments and what is it like seeing your vision brought to life?

Musical theatre is such an intense medium, it’s vital that the

design works alongside the performers in every way possible.

For example, I’ve been working with the costume department

and the choreographer, to ensure that the footwear works

for the performers and for the “look” of the show, as well as

working with my colleagues in the construction workshop

to make sure all the set pieces are capable of high-octane

dancing and staging.

It’s a strange experience having the design in your mind

and your sketchbooks for six months or so, and then sharing

it with the production artists, stage managers, technicians

and performers – it’s very surreal seeing it brought to

life on stage.

what work placements have you undertaken within the industry?

Some of my external work experience has seen me work

with Eden Court Theatre, in my hometown of Inverness, as

well as with Glasgow-based theatre company Vox Motus.

Glasgow is very much the creative centre of Scotland,

and being at RCS feels like being at the epicentre of it all.

Everyone always knows someone, who knows someone,

who is doing what you want to do – so keeping in contact

with the industry is never a stretch.

Glasgow is so vibrant, particularly for a designer, it’s never

hard to find relevant work. From visual art, to production

design on television and film, everything’s on your doorstep.

My fellow students have worked on commercial theatre,

feature films, national television and on international

concert tours, and this is all long before even graduating.

what advice would you give people who are thinking about applying to study production at rcs?

For the Production Arts and Design course, RCS is looking

for people who have a clear and defined passion.

The most frequent thing I see is prospective students

clamming up with nerves at their interview – try your

hardest not to do this and keep your curiosity and passion

for the arts flowing and make sure the panel sees what

you are capable of.

Kenneth is a third year production arts and design student, specialising in set and costume design. here he talks about why he chose to study production and his recent project – designing the set for the musical theatre production of West Side Story in the new athenaeum theatre.

you specialise in set and costume design; why did you decide to focus on this area?

I enjoy the process of taking a text and deciphering it, and

that experimental period of playing with models and sketches

and exploring the possibilities of how best a story can be

told. I also enjoy how much it brings you into collaboration

with all of the other production departments, and how

much you’re constantly learning from that interaction.

can you take us through what a typical day is like as a production student?

Every day is very different. If you are a Production Arts student,

a normal day will consist of you working in the workshops at

the Wallace Studios, but as a design student, you could be in

the design studio making a model, meeting with a director

or searching for props for a DFTV collaboration on the other

side of town; the course is what you make of it, and it can

lead you to doing all sorts.

you recently pitched your set design idea to andrew panton (artistic director of musical theatre) for West Side Story. can you tell us about the creative process that led to your idea and what it was like pitching your vision?

The idea really came from a desire to breathe new life into

West Side Story – to go back to the original material, disregard

all previous approaches and really try to get to the core of what

the show is, and how that could be explored in its aesthetic.

I listened to a lot of the music that inspired Bernstein, and

did in-depth research into the Upper West Side in New York

and the sorts of areas and environments that the gangs of

West Side might skulk around in.

With the help of another third-year student, a lighting

designer robbie Butler, we pitched our idea to Andrew and

the Musical Theatre department. It was a nerve-wracking

experience, but fortunately they loved it.

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“Glasgow is so vibrant, particularly for a designer, it’s never hard to find work. From visual art, to production design on television and film, everything’s on your doorstep.”

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GLASWEGIAN

SpIRIT

Glasgow has something to offer every individual. And if

you know where to look, you can find an outlet to channel

your energies. From a performance at the Royal Concert

Hall, art in the Kelvingrove Museum, a movie at Cineworld,

buskers on Sauchiehall Street, a walk along the Clyde, a foodie

paradise in the Merchant City, reading a book in the GOMA

cafe, or just sitting down and enjoying a ‘wee’ bit of sun at

Glasgow Green. Ceilidh dancing is my favourite part of any

party or function. And no matter how wet the weather is,

you’re sure to bump into a sunny smile at every street

corner from the locals.

Outside of Glasgow, walking on a beach, surrounded by

hills blanketed in heather, feeling the rain on my face and

looking at the Highland ‘coos’ (from a safe distance!) sums up

my visits to the Scottish highlands and islands. The natural

beauty of this country reflects in the hearts of its people.

During my time here I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the

2014 Commonwealth Games and witness the independence

referendum; both of these huge events made me realise how

special it is when young people work together. As the current

Vice-President of the Students’ Union, I want to share what

this lovely city has to offer by bringing about a more holistic

interaction between students at RCS and in the various

other educational institutions of Glasgow.

Coming to Scotland is the best decision I’ve ever made.

The true Glaswegian spirit, according to me, is found in the

acceptance that I’ve received from everybody I’ve met here.

Like others, I too have plans for my future but, whether I stay

in Glasgow or not, I know that this Glaswegian spirit will

remain in my heart for years to come.

International student ankna arockiam travelled from India to study at rcs. she writes about what it’s like to be an international student in glasgow and what it is about the city that’s made her an honorary glaswegian.

I was first introduced to what life would be like at the

Royal Conservatoire by my cello teacher at the KM Music

Conservatory in Chennai, India, whose mother had studied

at RSMAD, as the Royal Conservatoire used to be known.

I still remember the day when I sat at Hyderabad airport and

the screen in the lounge twinkled departures to Glasgow;

I couldn’t stop smiling because I knew my dream of

studying at RCS was finally turning into a reality.

The first few weeks passed in a blur, but memories of the

international student pick-up, my first chippy on Buchanan

Street, the crazy trips as I found my way from the Liberty

Halls to the main campus for classes and back, and Freshers’

Week fortnight still remain vividly etched in my head. But,

it would be most unfair, if I fail to mention that symbiotic

quality that embraces this city of music. I have had the

privilege of experience and embracing the two musical

sides of Glasgow - the real, urban tones of the Glasgow city

soundtrack and the classical, melodious notes that echo

along the RCS corridors. This is a city that really does

love music.

The School of Music exposes the students by giving them

access to free performances at RCS and across the city;

additionally I have had the opportunity to sing with various

choirs and performed across venues like the Old Fruitmarket,

City Halls, and Royal Concert Hall amongst others.

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“Coming to Scotland is the best decision I’ve ever made. The true Glaswegian spirit is found in the acceptance I’ve received from everybody I’ve met here.”

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from £5,480 for one academic yearPrices at Liberty House start from around £5,480 for a single

en-suite in a self-catered residence to around £7,760 for a studio

flat. Please note, these prices are for 2015; for up-to-date prices

please go to: libertyliving.co.uk

Your rent includes:

| All utility bills

| Personal contents insurance

| Internet access

To book your student accommodation for Liberty House

please contact: accommodation@rcs.ac.uk and we will assist

you with your booking directly.

private accommodationIf you would prefer to arrange your own accommodation,

there is a wide range of flats and rooms for students provided

by the private sector. The Private Accommodation Database

(PAD) at glasgowpad.org is a good place to start looking.

student accommodationIn total, there are 130,000 students in Glasgow, and the city

has lots of accommodation for students on offer. With so many

choices, including our own student residence, you’ll find it easy

to find the right place for your budget and preferences.

You can apply to stay at our student residence, Liberty House.

Just next to George Square and less than a 10-minute walk

from the Renfrew Street campus, Liberty House is perfectly

located for our students. At the other side of Liberty House

is the lively Merchant City, which is full of cafés, restaurants,

bars, art spaces and the BBC SSO. Liberty House also welcomes

students from other local universities so it’s a great way to make

friends quickly. As it’s in the very heart of Glasgow, there are

excellent local shops and amenities right on your doorstep

including rail stations connecting to the rest of the UK, only a

few minutes away.

facilities at liberty house

| All accommodation has en-suite showers,

toilets and washbasins

| WiFi included and data point access at a

minimum speed of 24MB

| Television points

| Single and double study bedrooms share a

fully-fitted kitchen area

| Studio apartments are self-contained

with their own kitchen

| 24-hour security

| Comprehensive CCTV coverage

| Manned reception 24/7

| On-site management team

| Pastoral care

| On-site maintenance and housekeeping team

| 24-hour laundry

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accommodatIon counsellingIf you experience stress and anxiety at any time during your

studies with us, you can access our professional counselling

service.

A counsellor doesn’t give you advice or tell you what you should

do; counselling is a process for exploring issues so you can

reach your own decisions on the way forward.

For more information go to: rcs.ac.uk/studentsupport

disabled studentsWe welcome applications from all people with disabilities

support needs. Many of our students have disabilities, e.g.

medical conditions, specific learning difficulties and unseen

disabilities. Our staff are proficient in teaching people with a

range of learning styles and are committed to promoting the

development of independent learning skills. You’ll find RCS

is a very supportive and encouraging place to learn.

For more information go to: rcs.ac.uk/studentsupport

effective learning serviceAccelerate your growth and development at any point in your

learning journey by strengthening your study skills with our

Effective Learning Service. It’s flexible, free and confidential,

and ranges from one-to-one appointments and workshops to

online support. Our inclusive approach is designed to meet

your specific needs.

topics include:

| Improving the quality of your written assignments

| Referencing

| Critical thinking

| Managing your time

| Reading strategies and note-making

| Revision and exam techniques

For more information, please send an email to: els@rcs.ac.uk

champions of equality and diversityWe welcome a diverse population of students and staff.

We believe that excellence can be achieved through recognising

and celebrating the value of every individual, and are committed

to promoting equality in all of our activities.

We are committed to equality of opportunity both as an

educational institution and as an employer.

Equality of opportunity means striving to ensure that no student

or member of staff receives less favourable treatment on the

grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and

civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, actual or

perceived religion or belief, sex and actual or perceived sexual

orientation.

students’ unionOnce you become a student at RCS, you automatically become

a member of the Students’ Union. We’re here for you, and to

represent you. Our goal is to continually improve the student

experience, so when you speak, we listen.

Naturally, at the Students’ Union we’re also about having a

good time! We organise a range of events throughout the

academic year starting with Freshers’ Week and ending with

the Summer Ball.

For more information go to: rcs.ac.uk/studentunion

student supportFrom the moment you arrive to the day you leave, you can

receive practical, emotional, and learning support from us; we

nurture the whole person at RCS. Any time you need, you can

use our formal services and every day you’ll feel a tangible

sense of support in our friendly community.

RCS is a very special and inclusive place, and one where, we

are sure, you will flourish and rise to the many challenges

and intensive demands of your programme.

For more information go to: rcs.ac.uk/studentsupport

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student well-BeIng

“Most gay friendly conservatoire in the UK.”Stonewall, 2013

“We’re here for you and to represent you. Our goal is to continually improve the student experience, so when you speak, we listen.”Students’ Union

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our graduates work. they work all over the globe in a range of occupations with national companies, educational institutions or forging their own professional performing careers or establishing their own companies.

It’s impossible to list the full range of our graduates’ accomplishments. Here are just a few examples of some recent graduates who have already achieved successful careers.

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LIFE

AFTER

RCS

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James mcavoyAlumnus, Class of 2000

Kevin guthrie actor

Kevin graduated from the BA Acting programme in 2011

and has been working in the industry consistently ever

since, earning starring roles in movies Sunshine on Leith

and Sunset Song, and BBC shows Two Doors Down

and The Paradise.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have had a wide range of work

within the first few years since graduating. Working on

Sunshine on Leith was an incredible experience; it was my

first experience of filming on such a cinematic scale and the

exposure that comes as a result of that. I loved the people,

the cast, the crew, the director – everyone! We created a very

special bond and that, I think, is why it has translated into

such an enjoyable film experience.

I’m currently working with Robert ‘Bobby’ Carlyle (another

RCS alumnus) on Barney Thomson. Bobby was very kind

about my work and asked to speak to me about the potential

of working on the film - and of course I jumped at the

opportunity. Working alongside Bobby, Ray Winstone and

Emma Thompson on this film is a dream come true. I am able

to just soak up all of their experience and expertise and apply

what I feel is right for developing my own craft.

Scotland is financing and producing more films and television

programmes than ever before, now is a brilliant time to

be a graduate!”

To read a full article with Kevin, go online to

rcs.ac.uk/kevinguthrie

laura margaret smith scottish opera emerging artist

Laura Margaret Smith (pictured far left) graduated in 2013

after studying MMus (Performance) and MMus (Opera).

Since graduating Laura has been accepted onto the prestigious

Scottish Opera Emerging Artists programme.

“As an Emerging Artist you get to cover lots of different areas

within Scottish Opera. I’ve had performance roles, understudy

roles, and worked as part of the chorus on different productions.

As a young singer starting out in my professional career, this

is the best start. One of my favourite projects so far has been

Verdi’s Macbeth where I was one of the three witches.

The production toured all over Scotland. I always remember

Sir Thomas Allen, Scottish Opera’s Music Advisor, telling me,

‘You are so lucky. Doing a national tour is the very best

training for a young singer. You’ve got a different audience

every night so you need adapt to your environment, and

react immediately to them each time you perform.’

His words stayed with me throughout the tour and he

was right, I learnt so much from that experience.

I currently work with Patricia MacMahon, who gives

masterclasses on the RCS summer school programme. If I had

to pick just one great thing about her, and it is hard to pick

just one, it would be her encouraging outlook and attitude to

everyone. She teaches everyone, from young kids just starting

to learn about singing to the big stars of the professional

world like Lisa Milne. I’m really honoured to have her

as my teacher.”

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graeme Brown associate principal Bassoonist for BBc scottish symphony orchestra

As a former member of the Junior Conservatoire and as a

BMus and MMus graduate, Graeme has a long history with

RCS which began when he was at high school. Graeme is

now Associate Principal Bassoonist for the BBC Scottish

Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly in Scotland

and across the world.

“The training I received at every stage was first rate, and the

facilities were equally great. There were so many playing

opportunities inside and outside of the Royal Conservatoire

which I took full advantage of. Orchestral training schemes

arranged through RCS were by far the best thing for me;

through these I began freelancing at the age of 19. Just after I

graduated a job was advertised in the BBC SSO.

After a three-year trial, I was appointed Associate Principal

Bassoon. It is amazing to work in a fantastic orchestra which

plays such a wide variety of repertoire in lots of different

settings. I also have the advantage of not having to move

from my adopted hometown, Glasgow!”

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thomas J. Baylis dancer

Dancer Thomas J. Baylis graduated in 2012 as part of the first

graduating year of the BA Modern Ballet programme at RCS.

Since graduating, Thomas has worked extensively in the UK

and abroad. Some of his projects include choreographing

My Shrinking Life with the National Theatre of Scotland,

directing movement pieces for A Doll’s House at the Royal

Lyceum, and working with Ashley Page at Glyndebourne.

Most recently, Thomas performed in Scottish Opera’s

Orfeo ed Euridice.

“The BA Modern Ballet programme technically prepared me

to be a dancer so I felt ready to graduate and start work – but

the other way it prepared me for my career was in the variety

of projects I was able to get involved in – it meant that I was

quite happy outside of my comfort zone!

For me, one of the great things about RCS is that you develop

other interests, you build friendships with other artists and

you see yourself in a broader ecosystem. RCS is an amazing

place where you can go and see theatre, dance and film –

all in the one place for free!”

RCS students get one free ticket to all student performances.

To find out more about what’s on each season, go to

rcs.ac.uk/boxoffice

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LAURA

DoNNELLY

you’ve recently worked with fellow rcs alumnus sam heughan on Outlander. what was it like working with someone you’d trained with previously?

Sam is a great guy. He was the year above me in drama

school and was incredibly hard working. That has definitely

continued through to now – he’s professional and a really

lovely guy to everyone, and that’s exactly what you want

from other actors on a set.

do you keep in touch with other alumni?

Yes, many of them. My best friends are some of the people I

studied with at drama school. My year was particularly close

and most of us have stayed in touch regularly.

what are your best memories from studying at rcs?

For me it was about the people. Suddenly discovering friends

and tutors who thought the same way as me, had the same

values, the same goals; I felt so at home. It’s an incredibly

supportive atmosphere. Most of my favourite memories

are of just being amongst friends in the corridors. And I

can still cry with laughter at some of things that went

wrong during productions!

what are your top tips for recent graduates?

Work really hard. It will make all the difference. Whatever

it is – an audition, a job you’ve landed, writing your own

material - give it everything you’ve got. Don’t rely on luck,

or natural talent. Hard work will pay off.

do you get much time to see other plays/films? what should we be watching?

I go to theatre a lot (when I’m not doing theatre) – the last

thing I saw that blew me away was alan cumming (another

RCS alumnus) in Cabaret in New York. In London I adored

the recent revival of The Weir by conor mcpherson. I don’t

watch a lot of TV but I always make sure I catch up on

The Good Wife. The performances in that are incredible.

what’s next for you?

I’m continuing in The River until it finishes in February and

then probably some more Outlander next year.

laura donnelly studied Ba acting at rcs, graduating in 2009. originally from northern Ireland, laura now lives in america, working in tv and theatre. we caught up with laura in new york where she’s currently making her Broadway debut alongside hugh Jackman in The River to find out more about life after her drama training.

you’re currently starring on Broadway in The River and you’ve received excellent reviews. what attracted you to this role and what have you learnt from working alongside Broadway regular, hugh Jackman?

I was first attracted to the role because it was written by

Jez Butterworth. I had seen Jerusalem and was blown away

by it and I knew that whatever he had to say next was going

to be very exciting. The River turned out to be a beautifully

written, poetic piece and I fell in love with it. Secondly was

the fact that Ian rickson was directing. Ian is one of the

most respected directors in British theatre, and with good

reason. As for Hugh – he’s an amazing human being as well

as an incredible actor. He’s thrilling to share a stage with

because he always brings something fresh and yet still

truthful to each performance. But just as importantly, he is

a wonderful person to work with in general. He is kind

and considerate to everyone he meets and he gives

100% to everything he does.

performing in such a high profile theatre role and living in new york is an aspiration for many actors and for rcs students. what are some of your highlights from the past few months?

The job itself has been the greatest highlight – to work with

such an incredible team on a brilliant play is as good as it gets.

Broadway has a buzz about it that is unlike any other theatre

scene in the world and the audiences are so responsive and

enthusiastic. Getting to know New York a lot better and getting

to meet a few heroes along the way has, of course, been a

joy too.

you’ve done a lot of interesting projects both on stage and screen, which do you prefer and why?

I definitely prefer stage – that relationship with a live

audience can’t be beaten. It’s incredibly intense and exciting

to be in a room full of people, telling a story and feeling the

reaction from them. And there is so much opportunity to

play around, try things out and explore the text. You never

know what any given show is going to be like.

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“For me it was about the people. Suddenly discovering friends and tutors who thought the same way as me, had the same values, the same goals; I felt so at home.”

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DANCE

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mary Brennan, The Herald

“the dancers all deliver the same, confident statement through the elegant rigours of classical technique: ‘this is who we are, this is what we do.’ ”

nicolas Blanc delivering a masterclass to Ba modern Ballet students.

programme structure

year one Your first year of training is focused on developing a sound

technical and artistic basis in both classical ballet and contemporary

dance. This grounding will be enhanced by supporting subjects

such as pilates, pas de deux, pointework, virtuosity and contextual

studies. In repertoire classes, work is drawn from the Romantic era.

You will end your first year with a performance in the final year

students’ graduation showcase.

year two In second year, you will focus on building upon the skills learned

in first year. Choreography and choreographic collaboration are

introduced, offering you the opportunity to work with other

departments on the creation of a new work. In repertoire, you will

gain skills as a solo performer (in both ballet and contemporary)

including learning works from the classics.

year three Third year is a year of refinement of individual strengths and

preparation for auditions for professional employment. You will

have the opportunity to work with Scottish Ballet in Company

class, gaining invaluable professional experience. You will develop

an area of personal interest through individual projects, and your

training will culminate in a graduation performance.

Ba modern Ballet in partnership with

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/ballet

head of modern Ballet: Kerry Livingstone

This undergraduate programme is designed to help you build a

robust classical technique and prepare you for the profession

as a confident, versatile and technically strong dancer. You will

graduate with the skills required by professional ballet companies

as well as the ability to communicate effectively with an audience

through the performance of a wide variety of classical, modern,

and contemporary choreography.

The course is delivered in conjunction with Scottish Ballet and

provides numerous opportunities, allowing you to gain invaluable

insight into professional life. You will work regularly with Scottish

Ballet staff and dancers, and internationally acclaimed teachers and

choreographers. You will also have the opportunity to participate

in performances or placements.

We are the only UK conservatoire to offer all of the performance art

specialisms and are dedicated to enabling, and encouraging you to

work collaboratively to expand your artistic horizons. You might find

yourself performing on film for our screen students, choreographing

a piece with our composers, or on stage at one of Scotland’s major

theatres.

Our facilities are among the best in Europe and feature state-of-

the-art dance studios and professional venues, as well as a whole

range of other facilities to support you.

You will take part in performance opportunities, within a variety

of environments and contexts, further enhancing the breadth of

vocational education, and your employability. We aim to train you

to be versatile and adept across a variety of styles to prepare you

for work both in the UK and internationally.

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application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 201F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Passes in five National 5s or equivalent such as Standard

Grades (Grade 1-3) or Intermediate 1 or 2 or

| Five GCSE (Grades A*-C) or equivalent or

| Recognised equivalences

| Knowledge of ballet vocabulary to a minimum of

Intermediate level

| Appropriate physical qualities for a career in

professional classical dance

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 in all parts.

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email danceadmissions@rcs.ac.uk for

more information.

why choose us?

| Delivered in partnership with Scottish Ballet

| Small class sizes

| World-class facilities

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Opportunities for artistic collaboration across RCS

| Opportunity to complete the Royal Academy of Dance

internationally-recognised vocational

graded examinations

| Compete in various international competitions

including the Genée International Ballet competition

during study

graduate destinations

Our graduating students have been contracted to a range of

renowned companies, including Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet,

Joffrey Ballet Apprenticeship, Geneva Junior Ballet, National Dance

Company of Wales Apprenticeship, Universal Ballet Korea, David

Hughes Dance Company, Vienna Festival Ballet, the National

Theatre of Scotland and FX Saldy Dance Theatre.

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DRAMA

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83% of drama graduates are in employment or further study. (hesa, 2012/13)

year two You will build on your exploration of Shakespeare by delivering

workshops in schools before rehearsing and performing a

Shakespeare play. You will continue to develop your screen and

radio technique, and explore new theatre work with established

writers and directors. You are given the opportunity to work in

collaboration with fellow students to explore new and devised

work in our new work festival On the Verge at The Arches theatre.

A series of workshops will allow you to advance your movement

skills in physical theatre and mask. You will undertake a professional

practice module which will introduce you to the world of working

as an actor.

year three You will have the opportunity to work on main stage productions,

a Christmas pantomime and a screen project. You may also benefit

from various professional opportunities from one of our many

industry contacts. You will perform in a professional showcase,

which will be seen by a mix of employers, casting directors,

agents, managers and producers. You will continue to develop

your employability and entrepreneurial skills ensuring that on

graduating you are well equipped to manage your career as a

professional actor.

why choose us?

| Industry showcases in Glasgow, London and New York

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Our movement specialists are trained in Lecoq technique

| Specialist voice training using the Nadine George technique

| Unrivalled professional connections result in work

opportunities for our students

| Collaborative professional partnerships include the

BBC and the National Theatre of Scotland

| Participate in several national competitions including

Spotlight Showcase, The Sam Wanamaker Festival,

The Carleton Hobbs Radio Drama Award, The Gielgud

Award and The Laurence Olivier Award Bursary

| Partnership with BBC Scotland to allow students to

work with BBC producers and on sets

| European and international exchange opportunities

during study

Ba acting

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/acting

head of acting: Joyce Deans

We are looking for students with outstanding commitment and

potential who are dedicated to a performing career. You will work

intensively on building your skills to a level that will bring you to the

forefront of emerging actors in film, television and theatre today.

You will receive all the necessary conservatoire education to ensure

you have a comprehensive and practical understanding of acting,

voice and movement. When you graduate, you will have experience

of working in all acting genres, including screen and radio, and an

outstanding CV packed with performing credits. You will have the

unique opportunity to study and work with professionals from

Scotland, the UK, Europe and further afield. Our acting showcases,

held in Glasgow and London, are attended by agents, casting

directors and employers. An additional showcase is held in New

York for our North American students. Your final show of third

year will also be performed in both Glasgow and London.

Our unrivalled professional connections put you at the heart of

performance in Scotland and they include BBC Scotland, the

National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre, Tron Theatre

and The Royal Lyceum.

programme structure

year one You will explore the three main disciplines of acting, voice and

movement. In acting you will investigate character, narrative,

relationships and actions. In voice, you will develop your technique,

and work on accents, dialects and vocal health. In movement you

will set solid foundations for a balanced and free use of your body,

and take classes in dance, acrobatics and Alexander Technique.

You will take classes in theatre history and reflective practice, and

begin work on collaborating with other first years from across RCS.

You will also have classes in screen and radio technique, and be

introduced to Shakespeare.

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application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: W410

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

recent highlights

| In 2014 all of the graduating students had secured agent

representation, offers of work, or in many cases, both

| Current student daniel cahill and recent graduate

sarah higgins performed in the National Theatre’s

The James Plays to sold out audiences in Edinburgh

and London

| New exchange programme from 2014 with the

Paris Conservatoire

| International touring productions including performances

in Taiwan, St Petersburg and Warsaw

graduate destinations

Our graduates work in all aspects of the performance industry,

primarily as professional actors in theatre, film, television and

radio – both in the UK and internationally. Several household names

have studied with us including James mcavoy, david tennant

and alan cumming.

More recent graduates are also taking the industry by storm. Here are

just a few of our very recent graduates to look out for:

| crystal clarke (2013) cast in Star Wars: Episode VII –

The Force Awakens

| Jack lowden (2011) won ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’

for Ghosts at the 2014 Olivier Awards

| Brian vernel (2013) starred in the ITV mini-series Prey and

will shortly be seen in the TV adaptation of JK Rowling’s

The Casual Vacancy

| adam newington (2014) performed in the Royal

Shakespeare Company and National Theatre of Scotland’s

Dunsinane and at the Sam Wannamaker Festival at the Globe

Festival alongside fellow alumna mira askelund (2014)

| cameron crighton and martin donaghy (2014) awarded

Citizens Theatre internship 2014/2015

| millie turner (2014) awarded Dundee Rep internship

2014/2015

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year three

The emphasis is on the researching artist. You will learn how to

create text for performance, supported through individual mentoring

by a performance tutor. You will study the ‘researching artist’

culminating in a dissertation exploring an idea relevant to your

own performance practice. You will also undertake a professional

placement in Glasgow and create an original collaborative performance.

year four

In your final year you will work towards developing a sustainable

arts practice that will support your transition into your chosen

professional field. You will make an original performance work

for the Into The New festival at The Arches. You will have the

opportunity to select projects which focus on directing, arts in

participatory contexts, arts in criminal justice settings, site-specific

work or an international professional secondment.

why choose us?

| Excellent staff-student ratio and small class sizes

ensuring individual attention

| Opportunities for artistic collaboration across RCS

| World-class facilities and performing venues

| Emphasis on preparing you for diverse careers in

professional practice

| Work opportunities within the programme include

performance and professional collaborations with national

and international cutting-edge practitioners, companies,

festivals and arts venues. Recent projects have included

work with The Arches, Imaginate, National Theatre of

Scotland, Glas(s) Performance, Tramway, Buzzcut, Corali,

Ruth Mills Dance, Caroline Bowditch and Nic Green

Ba contemporary performance practice (honours)

four years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/cpp

head of performance pedagogy: Deborah Richardson-Webb

This programme is for the rebel performer. People who are:

| critical

| experimental

| theoretical

| politically aware

| techno savvy

| angry

| tender

| bold

programme structure

year one

The focus is on the ego-centric artist: you will learn about the

methods and strategies of making performance using autobiography

as your material. You are encouraged to question your attitudes,

values and understandings and translate these discoveries into

original performance work.

year two

You will explore how to apply your arts practice in social and

participatory contexts including community and education settings.

You will take part in a residency within a community which will

result in an original piece of performance work.

This stage of the programme focuses on your development as a

socio-centric artist and how you engage with other people.

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| radical

| impassioned

| compassionate

| collaborative

| open

| eco-centric

| a theatre-maker, musician,

dancer or visual artist

(inspired by Guillermo Gómez Peña)

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: W310

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS) (if

applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We welcome applications from artists from all disciplines

including theatre, music, dance and visual art

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

recent highlights

| Into the new, our sector-leading festival of new work

features international artists performing alongside

graduating students in our annual symposium event

| peter lannon (2013) was awarded a BBC Performing Arts

Fund Theatre Fellow in association with Imaginate

| leyla Josephine (2013) won the Hammer and Tongue

National Slam Poetry Award

| fK alexander (2014) has performed at renowned

performance festivals including Spill, Arches Live,

Buzzcut, Tempting Failure and Steakhouse Live

Industry links

The programme has many links with professional companies

and organisations who offer opportunities for students while

on the programme as well as employment opportunities after

graduation. These include: Imaginate, Tramway, Ankur Productions,

A Moment’s Peace, Cryptic, Random Accomplice, Glas(s) Performance,

21st Century Challenges, Buzzcut, Starcatchers, Sense Scotland,

Scottish Prison Service, The Lyceum Theatre, Platform and

Battersea Arts Centre.

graduate destinations

Our graduates are working as solo artists in the live arts sector;

directors and performers in devised, community, or educational

performance, and as freelance drama workers. A significant

number of graduates have set up their own companies. Other

graduates have undertaken further study at Masters and Doctoral

level.

alumni include Nic Green, Jess Thorpe, Tashi Gore, Peter

McMaster, Lou Brodie, Gary McNair, Rosana Cade, Liam Sinclair,

Josh Armstrong and Johnny McKnight, all of whom produce

performance work internationally and frequently teach or give

workshops at RCS.

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“Not only does this course allow you to discover what kind of artist you are, but also what kind of person you are. It challenges how you see everyday life, and encourages you to always be inquisitive.”

Daisy Douglas, CPP student

programme structure

The BA Performance degree will be a challenging learning

experience where you will benefit from the unique experience

and environment of RCS. Over the three years, you will study a

rich blend of performance modules, including visual performance,

theatre devising, improvisation, classical and contemporary acting,

as well as intense tuition in movement and text.

You will work alongside other specialisms at RCS, such as film-

making, to broaden your skillset and learning experiences.

In second year you will deliver Shakespeare in Schools workshops,

taking your craft and teaching drama pupils across Scotland.

As well as developing new work and creating public performance

pieces, your final year of study will include a showcase performance

and a touring production. This distinctive course will prepare you

for working in a professional setting and will encourage you to

undertake work placements and develop your industry contacts.

Ba performance in British sign language and english

Subject to validation

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/performance

Designed around the learning and teaching needs of the deaf

performer, this programme is unique in the UK. The content

has been developed in association with Solar Bear Theatre

Company with input from a range of theatre, educational and

deaf professionals. Our shared aim is to enrich the talent pool

within the UK, whilst making training available to deaf artists.

The working languages of the programme will be British Sign

Language (BSL) and spoken English. You will have fully qualified

BSL interpreters in class, on stage and in rehearsal.

You will develop skills in acting, movement, signing on stage,

improvisation and puppetry as well as explore highly visual and

physical performance styles. You will also work on specific projects

with students of other degrees.

The small class size ensures you will have the opportunity to

work closely with our teaching staff and visiting professionals.

You will benefit from our many collaborative and professional

partnerships.

We will teach you the skills you need to prepare you for a career

in film, television, theatre and more.

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application details

Apply directly to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

This programme runs every three years. The first cohort

begins in September 2015 and after this we will begin to

accept applications for study in 2018/19.

For more information please visit rcs.ac.uk/performance

or email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

academic entry requirements

There are no academic entry requirements. All applicants will be

asked to state if their first language is BSL or English as part of the

application form. This will be evaluated further by the audition/

interview panel. Applicants will be sent tasks before their audition/

interview, with at least three weeks to prepare.

why choose us?

| The only degree of its kind in the UK

| RCS is the UK’s Centre of Excellence for the training

of deaf performers

| Jenny Sealey MBE is programme patron

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Opportunities for artistic collaboration across RCS

| Industry showcases

| Unrivalled professional connections including Solar Bear,

the BBC and the National Theatre of Scotland

| Develop invaluable industry contacts via professional

placement opportunities

graduate destinations

The goal of the BA Performance in BSL and English is to prepare

you to be a working professional. We expect the first graduates

of the programme to work in theatre, television, film, education

and community contexts.

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“The work that Solar Bear have been doing with RCS is fantastic; it’s necessary, this opportunity is fundamental. We are hungry to see our language represented on stage.”Jenny Sealey MBE

Ba musical theatre

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/musicaltheatreug

artistic director of musical theatre: Andrew Panton

The BA Musical Theatre programme offers practical, high level

vocational education for exceptionally talented students who

are dedicated to becoming highly skilled and employable

professional artists. We are unique as we offer quadruple-threat

conservatoire level tuition in acting, singing, dance and music.

We offer an extraordinary combination of world-class facilities,

professional connections, and opportunities for collaboration,

at a level and intensity that’s not available elsewhere. You will

train as a truly multi-disciplinary artist, so you will need to

demonstrate high level acting, singing, and dance ability, as well

as additional instrumental skills.

You need to be eager to perform, ambitious, intellectually agile,

and a fantastic communicator with a story to tell. You will spend

time working with directors and writers on new musical theatre,

as well as traditional and contemporary productions.

You will work regularly with students from MA Musical Theatre,

and the other specialisms; our music students form the orchestra

of all of our major shows; production students provide all the

off-stage and backstage support, and as well as filming with our

screen students in our studios and on location, you may find

yourself on BBC production sets, with guidance and support

from BBC Scotland.

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programme structure

year one

Your contact and independent study time features core practical

skills in acting, music, dance and voice. Underpinning this

is a strong focus on your professional practice with theory,

research, reflection, professional development planning, song

and monologue portfolio development, personal marketing,

and collaborative practice and performance classes.

year two

Core skills classes and professional practice modules continue

to support new learning areas and project work including

collaborative instrumental labs, songwriting, producing and

budgeting, acting for media, musical theatre scenes and an

opportunity for public performances of devised musical theatre

work. You will also have opportunity to expand your learning

via choice modules offered across the RCS.

year three

The final year concentrates on developing your performance

experience, profile, marketing, audition techniques and industry

connections. Skills classes augment dedicated rehearsal process

for two main stage musicals (book and contemporary). You

have the opportunity for elective choice in actor musicianship

performance or other choice elements. Professional practice

modules continue to underpin your learning, with strong

emphasis on employment skills.

“We are unique as we offer quadruple-threat conservatoire level tuition in acting, singing, dance and music.”

why choose us?

| Industry showcases in Glasgow, London and New York

| Excellent industry connections

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Experienced staff who have worked, and are

still working, as directors, choreographers, composers

and performers in London’s West End, regional theatre,

film and television

| The opportunity to fully explore your creative skills.

Past students have had the opportunity to take roles

as musical directors and directors for external corporate

work; assisted guest creatives on Edinburgh Festival

Fringe productions; presented their own song or

composition material; produced their own work

at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

graduate destinations

Graduates are working in London’s West End, regional theatres,

film and television productions and with major companies

including the National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre,

Dundee Rep and the BBC. Following showcase, the majority

of our students are signed immediately by agents from the UK

and overseas.

You may have seen our recent graduates perform in: Avenue

Q (national tour), Warhorse (national tour), 39 Steps (West

End), Once (West End), Blood Brothers (national tour), Wicked

(West End), Spiderman (Broadway) and Let the Right One In

(Broadway).

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application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 202F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5

in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

programme structure

performance

| Dance, voice (spoken and individual singing and

repertoire lessons), acting and performance

| New musical development

| Fully produced performance of a public concert in

conjunction with the RCS Big Band

| Musical theatre scene study and performance

| Public performance of solo cabaret or

devised performance

| Full season of work produced at the Edinburgh

Festival Fringe; including a fully produced main

stage musical theatre production (previous productions

include Jerry Springer the Opera, Spring Awakening,

Company, The Addams Family, Urinetown, and Avenue Q)

and the performance of a brand new work developed

through the course of the year

musical directing

| Focused skills on keyboard, conducting and rehearsal

techniques, scoring and arranging, sound (keyboard

programming) and voice (vocal knowledge and

repertoire coaching)

| The development of new work in conjunction

with writers and a creative team

| Assistant Musical Director on three fully produced

BA Musical Theatre shows including a book musical,

a contemporary musical and an actor musician project

| MD of a fully produced public concert series in

conjunction with the RCS Big Band

| RCS Pantomime

| MD of a series of solo cabaret

| A variety of creative roles on a season of work produced

at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including a fully produced

main stage musical and new work (previous productions

include Jerry Springer the Opera, Spring Awakening,

Company, The Addams Family and the performances of

new work developed through the course of the year)

| Industry placement

| Showcase in Glasgow, London and the opportunity to

showcase in New York

ma musical theatre (performance), (musical directing) or (choreography)

one year, full-time rcs.ac.uk/musicaltheatrepg

artistic director of musical theatre: Andrew Panton

performance

The performance pathway is an intensive blend of high-level

vocational education and creative opportunities for students who

already have a related degree and/or performing experience.

As well as practical performance learning, we’ll equip you with

skills, knowledge and contacts for your professional career. The

programme is closely linked with the industry, and has been

developed with professional input, ensuring you acquire the

practical skills that employers are looking for. You will have a high

degree of one-to-one contact time, including individual voice and

singing tutorials with some of the finest singing teachers in the UK,

as well as training in acting, dance and music.

musical directing

(Full scholarships are available)

The musical directing pathway is designed to support the

development of skill base and the exploration of creative

thought for the musician with a passion for theatre. Through

specialised conservatoire training, specific attention will be

paid to grounding your keyboard and conducting skills, to

exploring scoring and arranging, keyboard programming and

vocal technique, all with a view to building the depth of process

needed in the varying environments relevant to musical theatre.

choreography

Musical theatre choreography is an ever-evolving creative role

within theatre and film, and one which has greatly changed over

the last 10 years. Industry practitioners have backgrounds in

ballet, contemporary, jazz, physical theatre and other movement-

based techniques.

This degree is the only one of its kind taught within a conservatoire

environment and you’ll benefit from learning alongside students

studying programmes in acting, modern ballet, music, opera,

contemporary performance practice, classical and contemporary

text, and digital film and television.

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musical directors

alan Bukowiecki, Book of Mormon, Chicago and Hair

(US national tour). andrea grody, Venice and Love’s Labour’s Lost

(New York). amy shackcloth, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera,

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK national tour). sarah de tute,

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK national tour).

lindsey miller, Fame (UK national tour). claire mcKenzie,

award-winning composer on various projects for Citizens

Theatre, Dundee Rep, Lyceum Edinburgh and founder of

Noisemaker music theatre company.

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Performance: 703F

Musical Directing: 702F

Choreography: See website

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 30 April 2016.

academic entry requirements

An undergraduate degree, or international equivalent, in a

subject area relevant to the demands of the programme

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

choreography

| Skills-based modules to help you develop and

refine your skills

| Diversity of stylistic range to ensure you are a technical

and versatile choreographer

| Project work and industry-based placement

| Supported by an industry mentor

| Work as part of a creative team to synthesise all technical,

creative and professional skills through the rehearsal and

production of musical theatre work at the Edinburgh

Festival Fringe

why choose us?

| 92% of graduates are in employment or further study

(HESA, 2012/13)

| Industry showcases in Glasgow, London and New York

| Excellent industry connections

| Staff members are active multi-disciplinary artists

| Full season of work produced at the Edinburgh

Festival Fringe

| Regular masterclasses and workshops with industry

professionals including producers, directors, casting

directors, agents and performers (recent visitors include

sir cameron mackintosh, John Barrowman,

James Brining, david grindrod, Jemima levick,

Barbara dickson and dominic hill)

graduate destinations

All of our training is geared towards preparing you for a sustainable

and long lasting professional career. Graduates of the programme

are working around the world; in London’s West End, on Broadway,

on national and international tours, and for renowned Scottish

companies including the National Theatre of Scotland.

Here are some examples:

performers

John mclarnon, We Will Rock You and The Commitments

(West End). rebecca faulkenberry, Rock of Ages, Spiderman

and High School Musical (Broadway). scott garnham,

Les Misérables and I Can’t Sing (West End). aaron lee lambert,

Sister Act, Shrek and Urinetown (West End). robbie towns,

Legally Blonde and Transatlantic (West End). Keisha fraser,

Colour Purple and Book of Mormon (West End).

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programme structure

trimester one

You wil l start with exploring, creating, and developing

performance texts. If you’re a director, you will work with the

actors, participating in the practical classes to gain experience

in methodologies of voice, movement and acting. You will learn

about the processes of new writing and ensemble creation, as well

as learning how to get the most out of working collaboratively

with playwrights and other professional practitioners. You will

explore approaches to realism by working through scenes by

Chekhov. Halfway through the trimester, both actors and directors

will begin their journey into contemporary text, starting

with exploring scenes from existing plays by commissioned

playwrights. In the final month of this trimester, you will spend

an intensive month at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London,

being taught by Globe education tutors. This month culminates

with a performance on the iconic Globe stage.

trimester two

You will rehearse Shakespearean and/or Renaissance texts with

professional directors. Directing students will work as assistants

in this process and acting students will explore the rehearsal

process within the structure of a professional production, to

which the industry is invited to attend. There will be sessions

on entrepreneurialism, small company start-up, and networking,

with professional practitioners being invited here to share their

knowledge and experience. You will also complete your own

practice-led research project, and have the opportunity to

undertake a professional placement of your choice in line

with your future aspirations. Additionally, there will be the

opportunity for North American students to participate in a

New York showcase before the spring break.

trimester three

In the final trimester, the new plays, developed during the year

in collaboration with the commissioned playwrights, go into final

rehearsal and performance. At the Edinburgh Festival, you will

participate in specially selected discussions and workshops, as

well as seeing productions from around the world. Your year with

us will finish with industry showcases in Glasgow and London.

ma classical and contemporary text (acting) or (directing)

one year, full-time rcs.ac.uk/cct

head of classical and contemporary text: Mark Saunders

There are two strands to this programme – acting or directing –

with students working together as an ensemble throughout

the year. You will focus on two strands of theatre: classical

(Shakespeare and Renaissance) and contemporary (new writing).

There will be numerous opportunities to learn, experiment, and

collaborate in projects, performances, and rehearsals.

As part of your studies, you will complete a one-month residency

at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, developing your knowledge

and skills of working with classical text.

You will also spend time working on brand new work with some

of Scotland’s most talented writers in our collaboration with

Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. These new plays are performed

in Glasgow to a public and professional audience in trimester

three.

You’ll end your studies here with industry showcases in Glasgow

and London. Through this programme, you will benefit from

unrivalled professional connections allowing you to develop

invaluable industry contacts. When you graduate, you will

have gained practical high-level experience of working in the

profession, as well as all-important contacts and the skills to

underpin your future career, including business, entrepreneurship,

and industry etiquette.

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watch MA Classical and Contemporary

Text students talk about their experience

studying at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre

during their month-long residency at

rcs.ac.uk/cct

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Acting 700F

Directing 701F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 30 April 2016.

academic entry requirements

An undergraduate degree, or international equivalent, in a

subject area relevant to the demands of the programme

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

why choose us?

| Month-long residency at Shakespeare’s Globe, London

| Industry showcases in Glasgow, London and New York

| Fully-supported productions of Renaissance and

Jacobean works

| Work on new plays with commissioned

professional playwrights

| Close links with professional partners including the

National Theatre of Scotland, the Tron Theatre,

The Arches and Bard in the Botanics Festival

| Masterclasses and workshops with visiting artists

| Opportunities to create and perform original,

interdisciplinary, practice-led research

graduate destinations

Our graduates work as performers, directors, dramaturgs,

producers, writers, and teachers. Graduates have started

theatre companies; written, directed, produced and performed

shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Arches Live, Refugee

Week and Bard in the Botanics; and performed and helped

direct stage, film and television productions. Some of our

recent graduates include:

| lauren hurwood (actor, Northern Stage)

| gwendolen chatfield (actor, the Globe)

| tim evers (actor, Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh)

| vickie Beesley (actor/director, Terra Incognita

Theatre Company)

| michael-alan reid and angie Kay (actors/directors,

Cardboard Fox Theatre Company)

| Ishbel mcpharlane (actor and writer)

| stacy gould (actor and producer)

| riley madincea (film and theatre actor)

| amanda gaughan (director, NTS/Lyceum Theatre/

Dundee Rep)

| debbie hannan (assistant director, the Royal Court)

| phil Bartlett (assistant director, Theatre Royal, Plymouth)

| amy ludwigsen (director, Shakespeare in Door County)

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“Every day so far on the MA CCT course has been a revelation - it’s intensive and incredibly rewarding. It’s great to see yourself and your classmates flourishing in this exciting, challenging environment.”

Helen Katamba,

MA CCT student

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MUSIC

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Karen cargill, rcs alumna

“rcs gives you the tools necessary for pursuing a career…embrace all the art forms while you’re here – they will influence your performing in the future.”

programme structure

year one

The BMus programme ensures solid foundations with core

modules at the heart of the curriculum. As a BMus student, you

will continue to specialise in your principal study receiving 27 weeks

of 90-minute lessons in a one-to-one teaching capacity. This is

further contextualised through departmentally-led supporting

studies programmes. Other core subjects include: practical

musicianship, music in history, music in society, introduction to

collaborative practices and one core elective choice (either piano

skills, second study or complementary musical skills).

year two

In year two, core modules comprise principal study: Music in

History, Practical Musicianship and Music in Society. BMus Jazz

pathway students have slight variances (e.g. Performance of Jazz

History). In addition, the introduction of choice modules occurs

at this stage. Choice modules are offered across RCS, allowing

you to experiment with your own artistic practice and to learn

from other disciplines.

We currently have over 40 choice modules on offer including

production, external work-based learning and leadership. Some

of our most popular choice modules are Kodály Musicianship,

Alexander Technique, Arts Leadership and Fundraising, and

Acting.

year three

We continue to give you further autonomy in year three with core

modules in The Teaching Musician, Music in History modules

(topic-based) and additional performance activities. You will

continue to select music-based modules or choice modules to

complete your studies in year three.

year four

In year four you will work in various professional contexts

ensuring you are ready for the industry or further specialised

education. We offer research modules and performance modules

as core with a further third of the credits made up in year four

comprising choice and elective content.

Bachelor of music (honours)

four years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/bmus

head of Bmus programme: Helen McVey

The BMus undergraduate programme is our exemplary music

degree for performers and composers. We value hard-working,

talented and experimental students and support your learning

in a creative and nurturing environment. The four-year programme

supports you to become a specialist in your chosen field.

Our programme has four pathways: Performance, Composition,

Jazz and Joint Principal Study. All our pathways are designed to:

| inspire

| challenge

| contextualise

| create the next generation of professional musicians

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98% of our Bachelor of music graduates are in employment or further study(HESA, 2012/13)

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Joint Principal Study – 301F

BMus Performance – 300F

BMus Composition – 302F

BMus Jazz – 303F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 1 October 2015.

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

Subjects recommended: Music and English at Higher, Advanced

Higher or Advanced level of equivalent. For singers, the study

of two foreign languages (German, French or Italian)

Successful applicants will normally be of a standard at least

equivalent to Grade 8 with Distinction of the Associated Board

of the Royal Schools of Music in their principal study

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5

across all parts)

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email musicadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

why choose us?

| 90-minute one-to-one tuition per week, the highest of

any UK conservatoire (and an additional 30 minutes if you

have a second study)

| 98% of our BMus graduates are in employment or

further study (HESA, 2012/13)

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Uniquely connected: our partners include Scottish Opera,

Scottish Ballet, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra,

Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Classic FM

graduate destinations

We have an exceptionally high graduation employment rate and

our students secure work across the world upon graduating.

Our graduates work in orchestras, conservatoires, national

companies and as freelance, professional artists.

Some recent examples of graduate destinations include:

fraser gordon is Principal Contrabassoon with the Royal

Philharmonic Orchestra. christopher gough is on trial as Principal

Horn at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra whilst dávur Juul

magnussen is Principal Trombone and martin murphy is on trial

as Associate Horn.

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“The majority of our teachers are Principals in the national orchestras which is a great opportunity to meet and learn from these masters.”John Logan, Head of Brass

programme structure

year one

We provide a solid foundation in performance, theoretical

subjects, arranging, history, academic writing, music technology

and collaboration. Teacher education will focus on key professional

issues, teacher’s conduct, ethics and the law; communication,

discipline, classroom management, curriculum and planning;

child development, theories of learning and essential aspects

of cognition. School experience will be in a primary school.

year two

We build on and develop critical skills in the same areas studied

in year one. In teacher education we focus on: additional support

needs; assessment theory in the context of promoting learning

and achievement; child protection, in pupil support and in systems

of pastoral care; health and well-being; and whole school approaches

in promoting numeracy across the curriculum. School experience

will focus on years one and two in a secondary school.

year three

We will focus on refining your performance skills; developing

your research skills, further critical thinking and academic writing;

and compositional techniques since 1900. You will also have the

opportunity to choose two additional subjects.

Teacher education will consider wider social context, looking

at class, ethnicity and gender in relation to education and

attainment; poverty and anti-racism education; curriculum theory,

the history of Scotland’s curriculum and national curriculum

policy; professional issues; leadership within learning and

education; the role of technology in supporting learning; and

research in education. School experience will focus on secondary

three and four.

year four

You will choose to specialise in performance, composition or

dissertation. In addition, you will choose two additional subjects.

Teacher education will consider performance and quality assurance;

policy making in education; Scotland’s General Teaching Council

arrangements and requirements within the induction year; and

continuous professional learning. School experience will focus

on secondary five and six.

Bachelor of education (music) with honours

four years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/bed

head of programme: John Gormley

This vocational programme is for performers who aspire to

teach music in schools; it is the main route into classroom

music teaching in Scotland, qualifying you for both primary and

secondary school teaching.

The degree provides integrated school placements in all four years

of study. Following graduation, you will qualify for professional

registration as a classroom teacher with the General Teaching

Council for Scotland (GTCS), and you are guaranteed a probationary

year of classroom teaching. GTCS standards are recognised in

the UK and internationally.

The programme is delivered jointly with the School of Education

at the University of Glasgow. At the University of Glasgow you

will study all aspects of teacher education and preparation for

school experience and benefit from all of their facilities. At RCS

you will undertake intensive music studies including a principal

performance study, keyboard and vocal skills, performance classes,

and participation in ensemble music and choral activities.

If you wish to teach in Catholic schools, there is a course in

Religious Education which leads to the award of the Catholic

Teacher’s Certificate in Religious Education.

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application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: WX33

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 1 October 2015.

academic entry requirements

| A in Higher Music plus three additional Highers at BBC,

one of which must be Higher English; and Maths at either

National 5, Standard Grade 2, or Intermediate 2 at grade C

or above or

| B in A-level Music plus two additional A-levels at C.

GCSE English Language and Literature grade C, and GCSE

Maths at grade B

Successful applicants will normally be of a standard

equivalent to Grade 8 of the Associated Board of the

Royal Schools of Music in their performance study, and

approximately Grade 6 in piano

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS) (if

applicable) level 6.0 (with a minimum core of 5.5 across all parts)

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email musicadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

why choose us?

| The only programme of its kind with integrated school

experience throughout all four years

| 100% of our graduates are in employment or further

study (HESA, 2012/13)

| Accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland

and recognised across the UK and internationally

| Qualifies students for both primary and

secondary teaching

| Jointly delivered with the University of Glasgow, providing

music education in parallel with teacher education

| Students benefit from the resources of both RCS and

the University of Glasgow

graduate destinations

Most of our graduates go on to become music teachers in schools

in Scotland, other parts of the UK or abroad. Some graduates

choose to balance a part-time career in classroom teaching with

a freelance career in music and a number have chosen to work

in the higher education sector.

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masters of music/ master of art in music

mmus (two years, full-time) ma (one year, full-time) Part-time pathways are also available rcs.ac.uk/mmus

head of mmus: J Simon van der Walt

Choose to study music at postgraduate level through our specialist

MMus or MA programmes. You can study the following disciplines:

| Performance (Brass, Guitar and Harp, Keyboard,

Strings, Timpani and Percussion, Marimba,

Vocal Performance, Woodwind)

| Accompaniment

| Chamber Music

| Composition

| Conducting

| Historically Informed Performance Practice

(in partnership with the University of Glasgow)

| Jazz

| Opera

| Piano for Dance (in partnership with Scottish Ballet)

| Repetiteurship

| Scottish Music

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The Masters programmes are for people who want to make music

their life’s work. Perhaps you aspire to become an opera singer,

a concert artist or orchestral musician; to accompany, compose

or arrange; to work as a freelance instrumentalist or to be a

conductor, music leader or animateur. You may be planning

to coach or teach, either as the sole focus of your professional

life or as part of a portfolio career. Whatever your rationale for

applying, you will be able to refine and extend your musicianship

in preparation for your next steps.

We offer two Masters degrees, the one-year MA and the two-year

MMus. The MA runs full-time for three trimesters, with the third

trimester being dedicated to a largely independent project. The MMus

in Historically Informed Performance Practice in conjunction with

the University of Glasgow also runs on this pattern.

The MMus occupies four trimesters across two years, with a

summer break in trimester three. A part-time pathway is available

for the MMus degree, as is a 120 credit exit award of the PGDip.

programme structure

The MMus and MA share two core modules: Principal Study and

Supporting Studies. Through Principal Study you will have weekly

90-minute lessons with your principal teacher. The Supporting

Studies module is an individually-negotiated programme of

activities including coaching, performance classes, repertoire

studies, rehearsals, and for singers, three or four languages.

The Approaches to Critical Artistry module is shared across all

Masters programmes and gives you the opportunity to pursue an

individual research project in your own discipline. The programme

is completed by the Negotiated Study module which occupies the

final third of the MA programme, and up to four 10-credit elective

modules drawn from the undergraduate programmes.

graduate destinations

Our Masters graduates work professionally in orchestras, ensembles

and opera houses in the UK and abroad. Many build portfolio

careers, combining part-time and freelance performance with

teaching, community engagement, and work in allied areas such

as music administration.

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Master of Music (Accompaniment) – 2 years 893F

Master of Music (Chamber Music) – 2 years 337F

Master of Music (Composition) – 2 years 891F

Master of Music (Conducting) – 2 years 892F

Master of Music ( Jazz) – 2 years 808F

Master of Music (Opera) – 2 years 851F

Master of Music (Performance) – 2 years 890F

Master of Music (Piano for Dance) – 2 years 803F

Master of Music (Repetiteurship) – 2 years 894F

Master of Music (Scottish Music) – 2 years 806F

Master of Arts in Music (Accompaniment) – 1 year 831F

Master of Arts in Music (Chamber Music) – 1 year 336F

Master of Arts in Music (Composition) – 1 year 820F

Master of Arts in Music (Conducting) – 1 year 840F

Master of Arts in Music ( Jazz) – 1 year 807F

Master of Arts in Music (Opera) – 1 year 800F

Master of Arts in Music (Performance) – 1 year 801F

Master of Arts in Music (Piano for Dance) – 1 year 802F

Master of Arts in Music (Repetiteurship) – 1 year 860F

Master of Arts in Music (Scottish Music) – 1 year 805F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 1 October 2015.

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academic entry requirements

An honours degree (at least 2:2) in a subject area relevant to

the demands of the programme

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5 across

all parts)

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email musicadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

“I came to study here because I am a huge fan of Scotland and wanted to live and work here. I love the freedom of my degree, being able to begin acclimatising to professional work whilst still having the support of a teacher is wonderful.”Alice Allen, MMus student

Industry links

| Many of our students obtain further employment with

the RSNO, BBC SSO, Scottish Opera and the Scottish

Chamber Orchestra

| Recent graduate scott findlater has taken up a post at the

AR Rahman’s KMC in Chennai, India as part of an exciting

new partnership

graduate destinations

RCS brass alumni occupy positions in orchestras and ensembles

across the world. christopher gough is on trial as Principal Horn

at the RSNO whilst martin murphy is on trial as Associate Horn

at the RSNO. antonio Jiménez marín and tom poulson are both

at Ensemble Moderne. Tom recently received second prize at the

Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments.

teaching staff

Horn

david flack, stephanie Jones, david mcclenaghan

and hugh potts

Trumpet

nigel Boddice, peter franks, John gracie,

mark o’Keeffe and ryan Quigley

Trombone

lance green, chris greive, simon Johnson

and christopher stearn

Tuba

david dowall, andrew duncan and anthony swainson

go online

Find out more about the Brass department by going to

rcs.ac.uk/brass and watch Head of Brass John Logan and

students talk about their experiences of learning and

teaching in the department.

Also, please see the department’s Facebook page rcs Brass

for all the latest news and events.

Brasshead of Brass: John Logan

International fellow: Ian Bousfield

The Brass department has a long tradition of excellence and a

worldwide reputation for training leading musicians. Our team

of dedicated staff includes many of Britain’s finest brass players

such as John logan, mark o’Keeffe and John gracie, and all have

international reputations as soloists, orchestral, and chamber

musicians.

You will get a real sense of the professional world on the programme.

As well as weekly classes in orchestral, ensemble and solo repertoire,

individual tuition on your principal instrument and related

second study, there are many performance opportunities, often

in professional settings.

Our students take part in symphony, wind, opera, and chamber

orchestras, and a diverse range of ensembles including Big Band

and Royal Conservatoire Brass. Our ensembles give concerts

regularly throughout Scotland, and have played in many countries

such as China, Spain, Denmark, Russia, Malta and Brazil.

why choose us?

| Highest quality tuition from players from our

national companies

| Student apprenticeship schemes

| Opportunity to rehearse and obtain feedback from players

of the RSNO and the BBC SSO

| 90-minute weekly lesson coupled with an extra

30 minutes for a related study

| Small class sizes allowing tutors more time to dedicate

individual attention to each student

recent highlights

Our brass ensemble in 2014 performed internationally in Germany

and Brazil, and will be returning to the VIA festival in Gozo, Malta

for a third consecutive year.

Recent concert repertoire has included Wagner’s Ring Cycle,

Pictures at an Exhibition in a side by side concert with the New

Wallace Collection led by our new Emeritus Professor in Brass,

John wallace.

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compositionhead of composition: Gordon McPherson BA DPhil

When you study composition, you will work with diverse and

talented staff all of whom are working artists, with diverse areas

of specialist expertise. You will benefit from our professional

partnerships with leading ensembles and orchestras, and there

will be unmatched opportunities to hear your work performed

in significant and exciting venues. The performance of new work

is at the core of what we do here at RCS and we have a significant

reputation for the celebration of contemporary and new music.

Plug, our critically acclaimed annual festival, has become a renowned

platform for premiering new work.

You will work across the disciplines, and explore composition for

film, opera, ballet, and musical theatre, developing your ideas

without being restricted to a certain type of player or performance.

Recent visitors to the department include Bill sweeney, Joe cutler,

sally Beamish, sam hayden, hK gruber, harrison Birtwistle,

stephen deazley, James macmillan, steve reich, philip grange,

peter maxwell davies, John mccabe, martin suckling, donnacha

dennehey and nicole lizée.

Industry links

Recent professional partnerships include Robin Michael, BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Icebreaker, Psappha, New Music

Players, Red Note, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Drake Music Scotland,

Erskine String Quartet, Garth Knox, Richard Craig, Kreutzer String

Quartet, Scottish Ensemble and the Conservatoire de Paris.

graduate destinations

There are many opportunities for graduates to work with ensembles

both in Scotland and further afield. Others set up their own groups,

and some may study for a teaching qualification. Increasingly, young

composers are looking for opportunities to try their hand in the

more commercial market, for instance in the computer games

industry. Most of our composers find themselves immediately

active in the compositional world.

teaching staff

professor rory Boyle, colin Broom, david fennessy,

drew hammond, alistair macdonald, stuart macrae,

oliver searle and tom david wilson

conductingInternational fellow in conducting: Donald Runnicles

visiting professor of conducting: Garry Walker

Our Conducting programme will provide you with the comprehensive

and integrated training required of a professional conductor.

You will concentrate on the technique and craft of conducting

through diverse practical experience with RCS orchestras, our

Opera department and a variety of classical and contemporary

ensembles.

You will receive masterclasses and learn from the best conductors

in the field. Through these individual lessons, in-house opportunities

and aural classes you will develop perception, listening skills, and

self-awareness to become a responsive leader in rehearsal and

performance.

We offer a highly prestigious Leverhulme Conducting Fellowship

each year. The Conducting Fellow plays a major role in a wide variety

of our performance activities, in both rehearsal and performance,

and will work closely with the Royal Conservatoire’s visiting

Professor of Conducting, garry walker, and the Red Note Ensemble

plus our specialist tutors, conducting consultants, and visiting

conductors.

The Conducting Fellow will also act as assistant to donald runnicles,

for eight weeks. Maestro Runnicles is Chief Conductor of the

BBC SSO, General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin,

Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival (Wyoming, USA),

and Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Industry links

Our extensive professional links offer unmatched opportunities to

observe and collaborate with the country’s major orchestras, such

as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish

National Orchestra.

graduate destinations

All of our 2013 graduates are working in the field. We aim for you

to emulate the success of recent graduates like Jessica cottis,

now Assistant Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

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Industry links

The department’s professional partnerships for guitar include:

| Big Guitar Weekend

| Classical Guitar Retreat

| International Guitar Research Centre (University of Surrey)

| National Youth Guitar Ensemble

| NECGS Concert Series

| Celtic Connections

For harpists, we have formal links with several companies, enabling

you to play alongside professional musicians. These include:

| The Royal Scottish National Orchestra

| BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

graduate destinations

Guitar and Harp graduates have gone on to further study in

the US and Europe, become heads of university departments,

international concert solo artists, orchestral principal harpists,

teachers in private practice and high schools, and festival directors.

Guitar graduate sean shibe was the first guitarist to be admitted

to the prestigious BBC New Generation Artists Scheme and the

only solo guitarist to have received a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship.

teaching staff

Guitar

Jamie akers, dr peter argondizza, malcolm macfarlane,

matthew mcallister, pavel steidl, International Fellow, phillip

thorne mBe, Ian watt and tomasz Zawierucha,

Visiting Artist

Harp

alina Bzhezhinska, gabriella dall’ollio, Visiting Artist,

sharon griffiths, helga storck, Visiting Artist, pippa tunnell

and sioned williams, Visiting Artist

guitar and harp head of guitar and harp: Professor Allan Neave

The Guitar and Harp department offers you unrivalled

opportunities for guitarists and harpists. Under the visionary

leadership of international guitar virtuoso, allan neave, the

Guitar and Harp department is the best place to develop your

musical talents and performance skills.

Learning from a team of distinguished professional guitarists and

harpists, you will be supported in your development to become

a successful, well-rounded musician who enters the profession

fully equipped with a broad range of skills.

With an emphasis on preparing you for a professional career as

a player, the broad curriculum of the department includes:

| orchestral studies | chamber music

| the art of teaching | technique classes

| performance classes

You will have many concert opportunities both within RCS, and

externally, to play as a soloist, a chamber musician, to participate

in competitions, and to play in any of the student orchestras.

You are also able to study other aspects of the profession including

teaching, academic research, holistic approaches, and to learn the

business skills necessary to survive in the music industry.

There are numerous collaborative opportunities to work within

different departments across RCS including drama, musical theatre

and dance. Our contemporary music festival, Plug, is a perfect

opportunity for you to work closely with new composers and to

compose and arrange for yourself.

why choose us?

| Excellent partnerships and links to industry

| Vast number of performance opportunities each

academic session

| 90-minute lesson in your principal study each week

| Expert teaching team with regular guitar masterclasses

from pavel steidl, craig ogden, edoardo catemario,

gary ryan, Xuefei yang and martin taylor

| Numerous harp masterclasses including

professor helga storck, naoko yoshino,

catrin finch and sivan magen

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masterclasses

Special guests perform in the Blue Mondays concert series and

teach masterclasses to our jazz students. The department has a

long history of attracting guest teachers and past clinicians have

included makoto ozone, courtney pine, Jacqui dankworth,

Branford marsalis, david liebman, peter erskine, paolo fresu,

Bill evans, Bob mintzer, randy Brecker and arild andersen.

Industry links

We have a close relationship with the Scottish National Jazz

Orchestra. The SNJO is considered Europe’s foremost contemporary

big band and our partnership with them has given RCS students

access to performances and behind the scenes rehearsals by

Kurt elling, John scofield, gary Burton, gunther schuller

and Joe lovano. We also work with BBC Radio Scotland and

students broadcast their own compositions on the Jazz House

programme.

graduate destinations

Jazz graduates have been recipients of the prestigious Yamaha

Jazz Scholarship, with pianists peter Johnstone and utsav lal

obtaining scholarships in 2013 and 2014. Peter and Utsav have

also recorded a CD for the cover of Jazzwise magazine, and

performed at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Graduates Brodie Jarvie and John lowrie performed in 2014

at the London Jazz Festival as well as presenting their own

successful jazz concerts in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

teaching staff

mario caribe, alyn cosker, tom gibbs, chris greive,

paul harrison, Kevin macKenzie, tom macniven,

louise mochan and paul towndrow

Jazz head of Jazz and director of scottish national

Jazz orchestra: Professor Tommy Smith

The Jazz department is led by the internationally renowned

saxophonist professor tommy smith. Tommy is a major force

in European jazz and has a reputation for producing successful

musicians and new voices within the UK jazz scene.

Currently we offer the highest amount of contact time offered

anywhere in the UK with 90 minutes of individual lessons each

week on your principal study instrument, with the opportunity

to study a second instrument.

In our dedicated jazz studios, you’ll study the essentials of

chord-scale harmony, improvisation, classic repertoire, composition,

history, music business and arranging. Our vision of jazz is

comprehensive and inclusive, and you’ll be introduced to the full

range of contexts from solo and ensemble work through to big

band settings.

Studying jazz here gives you a high level of training aimed at

cultivating your development as a creative and versatile jazz

performer. Both the BMus and MMus programmes explore jazz

in the broadest possible terms, and provide the opportunity to

play, perform, compose and record in many different styles.

The BMus programme is the only full-time degree level jazz course

in Scotland and offers many creative and artistic opportunities to

you as a performer across a wide-ranging curriculum. The MMus

pathway, for advanced study of jazz, offers the chance to further

hone your performance and compositional skills and to develop

your musical versatility and creativity to the highest level.

why choose us?

| A teaching team featuring the best educators and highly

acclaimed jazz performers

| A rigorous performance schedule including Blue Mondays

and BBC Radio Scotland broadcasts

| Close links to the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra enabling

you to watch professionals at work

| Recording and mixing sessions with Nimbus Records where

you’ll have the change to release an album on the RCS

record label, Nimbus Alliance

| Dedicated jazz studios for you to record your compositions

masterclasses

There is a busy programme of masterclasses and recitals given by

pianists of international reputation. Recent visitors have included

richard goode, angela hewitt, elizabeth leonskaja, andrei

gavrilov, leslie howard, pascal roge, and alexander Korsantia.

Distinguished artists steven osborne and malcolm martineau

regularly visit to share their knowledge and expertise with you.

anto pett, International Visiting Professor in Contemporary

Improvisation, also offers highly inclusive and innovative

classes. Additional visiting artists include hyoung-Joon chang,

Idil Biret, olli mustonen, stephen hough, william fong, petras

geniusas and Ian fountain.

graduate destinations

Many of our graduates have successful and diverse performing

careers. Others have gone on to teach around the world, including

at the Szechuan Conservatory and Kunming University (China).

Graduates of the Masters in Piano for Dance Accompaniment have

gone on to jobs in major UK and European ballet companies.

teaching staff

professor fali pavri, Isobel anderson, norman Beedie,

emily Jeffrey, yoon-Kyung Kim, sinae lee, anna mavromatidi,

Jonathan plowright, anna rastopchina, victor sangiorgio,

anne scott, heather slade-lipkin, clare sutherland

and James willshire

Accordion

djordje gajic

Organ

david hamilton

Harpsichord

Jan waterfield

Keyboard and collaborative pianohead of Keyboard and piano: Professor Aaron Shorr,

BMUS, MMUS, DipRAM, ARAM

The Keyboard and Collaborative Piano department will develop

your individual skills in a supportive and challenging environment.

Our staff bring a wealth of experience to their teaching, and enjoy

active performing and recording careers. You will benefit from

their expertise in your weekly 90-minute one-to-one lessons, and

performance classes in solo and chamber music.

Our performing and practice facilities are world class. You are

guaranteed daily practice time on Steinway grand pianos, as well as

a generous allocation of performance classes each week in the main

concert halls. We offer a loan system to provide you with free use of

an upright piano during the academic year in your accommodation.

RCS also has an extensive historic and reproduction instrument

collection, including a newly refurbished Erard Grand, allowing

exploration of core repertoire in its appropriate historical context.

Our students regularly win prizes in many international and national

competitions including the Royal Over-Seas League, (Overseas

Prize) and Moray (1st Prize), Estonia (Tallinn 1st Prize), France

(Lagny Sur Marne and Piano Campus), Vines (Spain), Italy (Chieri),

Greece (Maria Callas), the Czech Republic (EU competition, Prague),

Germany (Frankfurt Sparkasse Chamber Music Competition)

and Serbia (Isidor Bajic, Novi Sad). We also regularly offer students

opportunities to perform concertos with prestigious professional

orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the

BBC SSO.

why choose us?

| 90-minute individual lesson each week

| Multitude of performance opportunities, including regular

showcase concerts, and major competitions

| Annual Piano Festival

| Varied programme of masterclasses from international

visiting artists including steven osborne (International

Fellow in Piano), malcolm martineau (International

Fellow in Collaborative Piano) and anto pett (International

Visiting Professor in Contemporary Improvisation)

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piano for dance accompaniment in partnership with

Piano for Dance Accompaniment is an innovative postgraduate

degree, delivered jointly between RCS and Scottish Ballet in which

you will work extensively with tutors, dancers and conductors.

The programme is led by Principal Conductor for Scottish Ballet,

richard honner.

We will provide you with the necessary skills to become a

professional accompanist for a ballet company. You will study

core ballet repertoire as well as accompanying skills such as

improvisation, dance forms, appropriate repertoire selection,

following directions and giving dancers the necessary musical

support for their class work. You will have piano lessons with

RCS lecturers, reinforcing aspects of piano technique, keyboard

harmony and repertoire as well as offering a range of electives to

enhance collaborative skills and employability in the profession.

Graduates of Piano for Dance Accompaniment have gone on to

gain professional work with ballet organisations, including

Scottish Ballet and the Ballet School at SOTA, Singapore.

Scholarships are available.

repetiteurshipAs a repetiteur student, you will work and study as part of our

internationally reputable Alexander Gibson Opera School. You will

work regularly with timothy dean, Head of Opera, oliver

rundell, Head of Music Preparation and Julia lynch, all of

whom have considerable professional experience, nationally

and internationally. This programme will give you the opportunity

to learn and study all of the core and related skill sets: piano lessons,

languages, coaching, continuo playing, style, repertoire and

conducting. A large part of your training will be in practical sessions,

playing for classes, opera scenes rehearsals, full productions and,

where appropriate, conducting.

Alumni have gone on to study and work at the highest level, at the

National Opera Studio, the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme

(Royal Opera House), English National Opera, Opera North and

Scottish Opera, as well as opera houses in Europe.

Scholarships are available.

piano accompanimentPiano Accompaniment is a varied and challenging postgraduate

programme, led by one of Scotland’s most respected piano

accompanists, scott mitchell, alongside a team of highly experienced

professional accompanists and chamber musicians. You will

engage in a wide range of collaborative opportunities to prepare

you for this demanding profession working with students and

lecturers from all departments at RCS.

Developing core accompaniment skills forms the foundation of the

programme. In addition to the extensive development of standard

accompaniment repertoire, additional supporting skills are also

cultivated in weekly group classes, including sight reading, orchestral

reductions, transposition, figured bass, choral accompaniment,

vocal and instrumental coaching and languages.

MMus Accompanists also enjoy extensive performing opportunities,

whether in concerts, competitions or accompanying students.

The course provides a wide range of choice for assessment,

including studio recordings, commissions of new collaborative

works, independent projects and full length recitals.

Recent masterclasses for accompanists have included notable

artists such as malcolm martineau, susan tomes, roy howat,

ashley wass and simon lepper.

Students from this programme have forged professional careers

as accompanists and work for a wide range of institutions and

organisations throughout the world.

Scholarships are available.

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100% of piano accompaniment graduates are working in related employment (HESA, 2012/13)

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Industry links

Professional companies and agents frequently audition and give

talks at the Royal Conservatoire including Glyndebourne Festival

Opera, the Bayreuth Festival, Independent Opera, British Youth

Opera and the Britten Pears School.

We share a close relationship with Scottish Opera. Students have

frequent access to Scottish Opera rehearsals, a ‘shadowing’ scheme

and a shared Emerging Artists programme for recent graduates.

We have a lively network of international collaborations, including

recent projects with Rachmaninov Conservatoire, Universität

für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Norges Musikkhøgskole,

and the Hochschule für Musik, Nuremberg.

graduate destinations

Opera alumni include peter auty, Karen cargill, daniel ohlmann,

Jason Bridges, elin pritchard, rebecca afonwy-Jones and

Jung soo yun. We are currently the only UK conservatoire to have

two alumni on the Jette Parker Young Artist programme at the

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden UK, anush hovhannisyan

and michel de souza.

teaching staff

george gordon, patricia hay, Judith howarth, margaret Izatt,

helen lawson, Julia lynch, Kathleen mcKellar-ferguson,

wilma macdougall, Iain paton, marilyn smith, Julian tovey,

christopher underwood, alan watt and gordon wilson

opera head of opera: Timothy Dean

head of vocal performance: Professor Stephen Robertson

The postgraduate Opera programme is a highly focused, practical and

pre-professional programme providing performance opportunities

across a range of operatic styles, in venues of different scale and setting.

You will have twice-weekly singing lessons and coaching sessions

as well as classes in acting, stage combat, languages, movement,

Alexander Technique, dance, auditioning and repertoire coaching

in all the traditional European languages and Russian.

The Vocal department staff is a group of experienced and committed

teachers, headed up by internationally-recognised teacher, professor

stephen robertson. We also regularly welcome guest artists to

give masterclasses. Recent artists have included sir thomas allen,

dame felicity palmer, John trelevean and roderick williams.

Jane eaglen is a regular visitor and students will also have the

opportunity to work with malcolm martineau.

You will perform opera scenes allowing you to experience different

repertoire and style and the annual Opera Project explores

both contemporary/20th century and baroque repertoire.

why choose us?

| 93% of MMus Opera graduates are in employment

or further study (HESA, 2012/13)

| Unrivalled industry links with companies including

Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera

| Regular performing and collaborative opportunities

across RCS

| Busy masterclass schedule throughout the academic year

| Excellent staff-student ratio

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why choose us?

| The UK’s only Bachelor of Music dedicated to traditional

and folk music

| 100% of graduates are in related employment (HESA, 12/13)

| Develop invaluable industry contacts

| Performance opportunities include the world-famous

Celtic Connections festival

| Opportunities for artistic collaboration across RCS

| professor phil cunningham mBe, internationally

renowned musician and performer, is the

programme’s Artistic Director

| Collaborations and connections include the National

Piping Centre, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the European Network of

Folk Orchestras, World Academy of Irish Music and Dance,

Fèis Rois, East Tennessee State University and the

Sibelius Academy (Finland)

graduate destinations

Our graduates are working in the professional music and related

industries, including as performers, teachers, composers, musical

directors, recording artists, producers, music therapists, doctoral

students, community project managers, and broadcasters. There’s a

great atmosphere in the department and RCS as a whole; it’s a

close-knit community where you end up performing and gigging

with other students and staff, and making friends for life.

teaching staff

chris armstrong, margaret Bennett, glenn Brown,

Jenn Butterworth, pete clark, heather downie, marc duff,

Jack evans, marie fielding, dr fred freeman, Visiting Lecturer,

wojciech gardela, James grant, corrina hewat,

màiri macInnes, Kevin macKenzie, talitha macKenzie,

mary mccarthy, alistair mcculloch, gordeanna mcculloch,

sheila mccutcheon, Ian muir, hamish napier, anne neilson,

Iseabail t nicdhomhnaill, tom oakes, rod patterson,

calum ross, James ross, stuart samson,

John somerville and eric ward

scottish musicartistic director of scottish music: Phil Cunningham MBE

head of scottish music: Joshua Dickson MA PhD

head of piping studies: Finlay MacDonald, National Piping Centre

RCS is proud to deliver the UK’s only Bachelor of Music degree

dedicated to traditional and folk music. Aspiring performers on

this course work closely with some of the world’s top solo and

collaborative exponents to consolidate your performance technique,

repertoire and personal style as a traditional musician, interwoven

with development as a critical, creative, entrepreneurial and/

or teaching artist. This includes exploring both the established

parameters of folk and traditional music and the shared technical

vocabulary that links folk to classical and jazz worlds.

You will perform in a variety of contexts. External learning

opportunities include an Isle of Skye residency, touring, teaching

placements and work placements in Scotland and abroad and

appearances at high-profile events, including Glasgow’s renowned

Celtic Connections festival, Piping Live!, international occasions

of state and a range of UK, European and North American festivals.

pipingThe Piping degree follows the same structure and range of contextual

curriculum as in the main Scottish Music department, though

its range of performance tuition is specifically dedicated to the

well-rounded and in-depth development of the contemporary

exponent of the Scottish Highland Bagpipe, delivered in partnership

with Glasgow’s world-famous National Piping Centre. This includes

core elements dedicated to solo piping, piobaireachd, pipe band

work and piping in a folk ensemble context, in addition to optional

tuition in bellows-blown piping and other piping specific electives.

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chamber music

Chamber music is a large and important part of our curriculum

and RCS students enjoy regular chamber music and ensemble

performing opportunities. As a student here, you can expect to

learn and play in ensembles alongside teaching staff and visiting

artists, including Principal Jeffrey sharkey, Head of Piano and

Collaborative Piano aaron shorr, Head of Strings david watkin,

and alison wells and with our resident ensembles including

Stevenson Winds and Red Note Ensemble.

teaching staff

Violin

Ilya gringolts, Visiting Artist, leland chen, Visiting Artist,

william chandler, ruth crouch, francis cummings,

tamás fejes, simon fischer, Visiting Professor, andrea gajic,

chris george, Katie hull, gina mccormack, angus ramsay,

and Justine watts

Baroque Violin

ruth slater

Viola

lev atlas, andrew Berridge, scott dickinson,

duncan ferguson and stephen tees

Baroque Viola

alfonso leal

Violoncello

rudi de groote, robert Irvine, aleksei Kiseliov,

martin storey, Betsy taylor and alison wells

Baroque Cello

alison mcgillivray

Double Bass

nicholas Bayley, tom Berry, Iain crawford,

nikita naumov and John van lierop

strings head of strings: David Watkin

We offer one of the most dynamic string programmes in the UK.

Your weekly 90-minute individual principal study lesson is enhanced

by orchestral training classes, performance classes and instrument-

specific studio classes. You can also choose a second study and/

or a related study in historical instruments.

Experience in symphony, chamber, and opera orchestras is

offered alongside chamber music, which emphasises the essential

ensemble and communication skills needed for a long-term career.

Our curriculum features opportunities for cross-disciplinary

collaborative and experimental work. We encourage you to work

with other departments and students from across all disciplines

in RCS. Recently students have collaborated with musical theatre,

modern ballet and composition students in creating new work that

has been showcased at the Plug Festival.

why choose us?

| High staff-student ratio

| Expert teaching team who perform in the orchestras of

Scotland’s national companies

| Regular masterclasses from the world’s leading string

performers, including nicola Benedetti and leland chen

| Multiple performing opportunities

masterclasses

Masterclasses are at the heart of our curriculum; our students

learn from the very best performers. In 2014/15 we have had

masterclasses with nicola Benedetti, Ilya gringolts and the Brodsky

Quartet.

Industry links

We have professional collaborations with a number of high-profile

orchestras and ensembles including Scottish Ensemble, Red

Note Ensemble, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC

Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

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masterclasses

The department has close relationships with the world’s very best

percussionists. Some of our most recent masterclasses are listed

below and a full list is available online:

| leigh howard stevens, Marimbist and Clinician. Visionary

musician Leigh Howard Stevens performed alongside

students and delivered a special masterclass in May 2015

| chris lamb, Principal Percussion New York Philharmonic

and Manhattan School of Music. Chris visits the department

three times each year to teach masterclasses

| eric sammut, International Marimba Consultant,

International Soloist and Clinician, Orchestre de Paris

and Conservatoire de Paris. Eric visits RCS six times a

year to perform and work closely with students; in 2015

he produced the concert featuring RCS students

performing alongside Leigh Howard Stevens

graduate destinations

June Binnie is Principal Timpani with Sinfonia Finlandia.

James gorman is a freelance drummer and percussionist

currently playing percussion on the UK tour of Evita. Graduate

calum huggan was the first British student to be accepted on to

the Advanced Solo Marimba course at the Royal College of Music.

Graduates philip hague and louis abbott have achieved

considerable success with their band Admiral Fallow. They have

two critically acclaimed albums to their name, have been

signed by Vancouver-based label Nettwerk and have toured

throughout the UK, Europe and the USA.

teaching staff

Jay allen, ruari donaldson, martin gibson, dave hassell,

robert howes, tom hunter, christopher lamb,

simon lowdon, John poulter and gordon rigby

timpani and percussionhead of timpani and percussion: Kurt Hans Goedicke,

Hon. RAM, Principal Timpanist Emeritus,

London Symphony Orchestra

In preparation for your professional career, our Timpani and

Percussion department provides excellent tuition and facilities

for study, practice, and performance. These include three large

dedicated studios with a full range of the highest quality instruments.

You will have weekly 90-minute one-to-one lessons with renowned

professional performers, enhanced by repertoire classes, as well

as specialised individual and class tuition in Latin American, ethnic

percussion, and drum set provided by six visits per academic year

for two days each. Although tuition is directed towards orchestral

repertoire, we’ve developed well-established traditions of solo

performance and also offer a solo-marimba provision.

You will gain lots of performance experience in a number of

learning and professional contexts. You will work with our ensembles

in symphonic, chamber, opera, wind orchestra, brass, and Big Band

repertoire in RCS and external venues.

We operate a number of side-by-side schemes with Scotland’s

leading orchestras, where you can experience the realities of the

working world in a supportive environment. You will benefit from

the guidance and mentoring of professional musicians, performing

in some of Scotland’s major concert halls and venues.

why choose us?

| Small class sizes; the department only works with a

maximum of 12 students to ensure the highest possible

teaching contact and practice time

| Three large dedicated percussion studios with a full range

of the highest quality instruments

| Unrivalled links with the world’s leading performers in

timpani and percussion

| Performing opportunities alongside guest artists and

masterclass clinicians

| Cross-discipline collaboration opportunities with

students from across RCS

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masterclasses

You will benefit from regular masterclasses and coaching from

renowned artists. Recent guests include dame gwyneth Jones,

dame felicity lott, patricia macmahon, sir thomas allen,

John treleaven, malcolm martineau, rosalind plowright,

Barbara Bonney, roderick williams, Jane eaglen and christine

Brewer.

Industry links

Through our partnership with Scottish Opera, you will have the

opportunity to work with a fully professional orchestra and the

highly experienced Scottish Opera technical and coaching teams.

Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artist scheme also offers you the chance

to make a start in the profession.

The department has very strong links with Glyndebourne Festival

Opera, The Bayreuth Festival, British Youth Opera, and both the

Samling and Britten Pears School, all of whom regularly visit

RCS to audition, with our students being offered valuable work,

experience and coaching.

graduate destinations

Recent graduates have been offered places on the Covent Garden

Jette Parker scheme, as well as contracts in fully professional

houses including Staatsoper Berlin, Covent Garden, Scottish

Opera, Opera North, Welsh National and Royal Opera Den Norske.

Graduates have also been successful in international and national

competitions such as Jung soo yun who won the Richard Tauber

Prize and subsequently the Montserrat Caballée Competition,

(also winning both the Stuart Burrows International Voice Award

and the Les Azuriales Opera Competition in France). Louise Kemeny

also won the Joaninha Trust Award.

teaching staff

george gordon, patricia hay, amand hekkers,

Judith howarth, margaret Izatt, scott Johnson,

helen lawson, Julia lynch, Kathleen mcKellar-ferguson,

wilma macdougall, Iain paton, clare shearer, marilyn smith,

Julian tovey, christopher underwood and alan watt

vocal studieshead of vocal performance: Professor Stephen Robertson

We help you to fulfil your potential as a singer and become a

versatile, independent artist. Our team of tutors and coaches work

with you to help you find your own unique voice and establish a

lasting technique specifically for you.

The department has an excellent team of tutors, many of whom

work at the highest international level and who bring a range of

specialisms with them.

Classes are offered in all the main languages, and associated

repertoire, such as Italian song, lieder, melodie, with further

classes for oratorio, opera, auditions, performance skills, Alexander

Technique and vocal pedagogy. You will have the chance to perform

in main-stage operatic productions, choral works and specialist

chamber groups. You will be able to take advantage of professional

opportunities whilst studying including solo singing for a choral

society or small cathedral ensemble, or a main work with the

BBC or at the Edinburgh Festival. The RCS Song Studio recital

series is extremely popular with audiences and provides a fully

professional outlet for this repertoire.

The Vocal Studies department is busy and challenging, working

in an atmosphere of varied inspiring performances and with

each singer, perfecting your craft, yet also finding the emotional

honesty which lies behind truly great singing.

why choose us?

| 90 minutes of individual singing lessons each week

| Unique classes specifically on the basis of vocal technique

| Students are taught how to understand the vocal mechanism

| Imagination and artistry are seen as crucial components

in the curriculum

| Numerous diverse performance opportunities, including

taking part in full operatic productions

| Plentiful contact with leading professionals in

masterclasses, competitions, companies

and auditions

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recent highlights

| Woodwind students performing Poulenc’s Sextet in a live

radio broadcast with michael collins

| Bassoonists performing in concert alongside peter whelan

| Oboists performing live in concert with alison teale

Also in 2014, our students toured India with the BBc scottish

symphony orchestra in a series of live concerts, TV and radio

broadcasts and education workshops with celebrated violinist

nicola Benedetti.

graduate destinations

Recent woodwind graduates include:

| fraser gordon is now Principal Contrabassoon

with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

| Kate mcdermott is Co-Principal Clarinet

with the Gothenburg Opera

| graeme Brown is Associate Principal Bassoonist and the

youngest musician in the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

teaching staff

lorna mcghee, Visiting flute consultant, richard Blake,

Janet Bloxwich, Katherine Bryan, John cushing,

elisabeth dooner, yann ghiro, lawrence gill,

alison green, sheena gordon, david hubbard,

James horan, matthew hunt, alison mitchell, ruth morley,

Josef pacewicz, Janet richardson, rosie staniforth,

alan warhurst, stephen west and peter whelan

woodwindhead of woodwind: Heather Nicoll

The Woodwind department has an international reputation for

nurturing talent and producing leading musicians. Our team of

dedicated staff includes many of Britain’s finest woodwind players,

with world-class reputations as soloists, orchestral and chamber

musicians.

Unparalleled one-to-one weekly tuition is given to every student,

with a 90-minute principal study lesson and a further 30-minute

lesson available on both a related instrument and second study

of choice. Weekly tuition is enhanced by visits from distinguished

guest artists from across the globe.

As a woodwind student, you will benefit from a diverse range

of performance opportunities. Symphony, chamber and wind

orchestra performances, opera productions, wind ensembles

and chamber experience are also central to your training.

We encourage you to form your own ensembles and offer

professional coaching to support your work. Our ensemble,

Stevenson Winds, promotes our woodwind talent and sees yet

more high profile performance opportunities for you to perform

alongside top professional players.

Weekly performance, technique and repertoire classes take place

in our world-class recital venues providing the ideal environment

for your development and a professional accompanist is provided

for you throughout your training.

why choose us?

| Numerous performance opportunities including TV

broadcasts, public performances, worldwide tours and

concert soloist opportunities with Scotland’s major

orchestras and ensembles

| 90-minute one-to-one lesson each week

| A rich programme of public masterclasses, individual

and group coaching, side-by-side performances

and CD recordings

| Perform alongside professional musicians in our

Mondays and Fridays at 1 concert series

| Work with elite wind ensemble, Stevenson Winds, and

receive intensive coaching with its expert players

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pRoDUCTIoN

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ros maddison, head of production

“It’s not a job you’re training for; it’s a lifestyle.”

programme structure

year one

You will experience all areas of the theatre production process

as well as build initial skills and knowledge in your major subject.

You will receive a broad based introduction to the production

environment and examine the design process through the five

core subjects culminating in the choice of a minor subject to

compliment your major study pathway.

year two

You will consolidate your fundamental skills and knowledge and

be introduced to more advanced approaches and techniques

including management and self-promotion.

Production Arts students begin by engaging with practice based

work on RCS productions as part of a collaborative team with

students from third year. Processes, skills and techniques are

gathered as well as the opportunity to observe senior students in

managerial positions. Design students explore the design process

from concept to final presentation through personal projects and

begin the process of designing for a fully-realised production.

year three

Each student negotiates their individual pathway in third year in

order to effectively take advantage of the available production

roles, personal projects, choice modules and secondment

opportunities over the two trimesters. The secondment ensures

you are making contacts with industry practitioners and potential

employers and often acts as a springboard into your first job.

A showcase of work, organised and created by the final year

students is exhibited and a range of potential employers are

invited to view your work.

Ba production arts and design

Accredited by the National Council for Drama Training

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/productionarts

head of production: Ros Maddison

This programme has been designed specifically to create a

high-level conservatoire learning environment for aspiring

scenic art ists , prop makers, stage c arpenters , costume

makers and costume designers. You will learn in an environment

where excellence can be achieved and where your technical

knowledge is as important as your creativity and individuality.

You will be interviewed and accepted based on your profile in one

particular area of study taken from the five subjects on offer (scenic

art, set construction, costume construction, prop-making, and set

and costume design). You will follow an individually-negotiated

pathway based on a major and minor study to ensure a quality

learning experience and afford you the opportunity to engage with

the broad and diverse range of performance programmes.

As well as being highly skilled in your own disciplines, you

will also understand and engage with the production and

design process as a collaborative and creative contributor.

The opportunity to work with film-makers, dancers, musicians

and actors is unique and the facilities in which we do this

are second to none. The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks has

purpose built production workshops and design studios

and the Renfrew Street campus houses five public performance

spaces including a fully equipped proscenium arch theatre and

a black box studio theatre. The combination of professional

venues, extensive workshops, construction spaces, design

studios and the latest stage and workshop technologies

provide a fantastic learning environment.

We work closely with industry to ensure the high-level expertise

you will acquire is current, competitive and of the highest

professional standard, so you will gain all of the skills and

knowledge needed for your future career.

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“The ideal candidate will enjoy getting their hands dirty, making a mess, working in a team, all to create something beautiful.” Gary Fry, Lecturer in Scenic Art

Industry links

RCS has invaluable relationships with industry including the

National Theatre of Scotland, National Theatre (London), Scottish

Ballet, Citizens Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Disney Cruise Lines,

Association of British Theatre Technicians, Association of Stage

Pyrotechnicians, Production Lighting and Sound Association,

Stage Technologies and Just FX.

graduate destinations

Recent graduates have found employment in positions such as

Assistant Carpenter (Royal Lyceum and Pitlochry Festival Theatre),

Assistant Scenic Artist (Royal Lyceum, Citizens Theatre and Pitlochry

Festival Theatre), Art Department (BBC and various independent

films), Costume Maker (Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as well as in

design roles with organisations such as the BBC, National Theatre

of Scotland, Arches Theatre and the Tron Theatre.

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 203F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 across

all parts

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

why choose us?

| Only degree of its kind in Scotland

| Only UK conservatoire offering opportunities in

production to collaborate with staff and students across

the art forms of dance, drama, music and screen

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Industry placement

| Final year showcase

| Regular workshops and masterclasses with

distinguished visiting professionals

| Work on a diverse range of productions

| Purpose built production workshops and design studios

and five public performance spaces

| Regular presence at the Prague Quadrennial Design

Exhibition and the Word Stage Design Exhibition

| Study abroad opportunities in Europe,

California and Hong Kong

recent highlights

| Hosting and participating in a Linbury Prize Portfolio

Advisory day with pamela howard and simon higglett

| Staff and student participation in a range of roles for

the 2014 Commonwealth Games

| Increase in graduates securing postgraduate study

places around the world

| Continuing success of undergraduate exchange

scheme with HKAPA and CalArts

| Recent student success both on placement and in

employment on major TV shows such as Peaky Blinders,

Game of Thrones, Outlander and Downton Abbey and

with major artists such as Beyoncé

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programme structure

year one

Your first year will be based on experiential learning and skills

acquisition focusing on the context of production through a

range of classroom, workshop and venue-based experiences

culminating in allocated roles in each area on RCS productions.

You will investigate the collaborative nature of production and

performance and have the opportunity to work with other

students from across RCS on small projects.

year two

You will be introduced to more advanced approaches and

techniques including management and self-promotion. This is

delivered both on allocated roles on RCS productions and in the

classroom. Also, you will engage with choice modules where you

can choose from a range of modules on offer from programmes

across the institution or undertake a negotiated project.

year three

You will consolidate your learning and explore and develop

specialist skills in autonomous situations on RCS public productions.

You will negotiate your individual pathway in third year in

order to take advantage of the available production roles, choice

modules and secondment opportunities. You will also be offered

the opportunity to visit at least one major trade show or association

conference during your final year.

why choose us?

| The only technical theatre degree in Scotland

| The only UK conservatoire offering opportunities to

collaborate with staff and fellow students across

dance, drama, music and screen

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Industry placement

| Regular workshops and masterclasses with

distinguished visiting professionals

| Develop invaluable industry contacts with our unrivalled

professional partners

| Work on a diverse range of productions

| Purpose built production workshops and design studios

and five public performance spaces

Ba production technology and management

Accredited by the National Council for Drama Training

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/productiontechnology

head of production: Ros Maddison

This is the only technical theatre degree in Scotland. Through the

programme we produce production technicians, stage managers

and lighting designers who can turn their hands to any related

role, making them employable in a range of contexts, whilst also

being specialists in specific career pathways, i.e. stage management,

stage technology, sound technology, lighting technology and

lighting design.

You will be passionate about producing live performance and

aspire to being integral to the development and leadership of BA

Production Technology and Management in the future.

We’ll help you to create your own pathway through the programme,

focusing on your areas of interest. You will learn to work creatively,

as an individual artist and in collaboration with other students

of all disciplines.

Problem solving, people skills and organisational skills are all

areas in which you should show potential, along with an awareness

of team working and the qualities of leadership.

You will need to have a working knowledge of and an aptitude

for at least one of the subjects within the programme (i.e. stage

management, stage technology, lighting or sound).

RCS is a major public performance and conference venue with

world-class facilities. The combination of professional venues,

extensive workshops, construction spaces, design studios, and

the latest stage and workshop technologies provide a fantastic

learning environment, second to none in the sector.

We work closely with industry to ensure our production training

is current, competitive, and of the highest professional standard,

so you will gain all of the skills and knowledge needed for your

future career.

Our graduates aspire to become the creative leaders and innovators

of the future and are encouraged to push accepted boundaries

and create new standards of practice in the industry.

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graduate destinations

Our graduates work in a huge range of companies and specialisms

all over the world. Here are a few examples of where some of our

recent graduates have worked:

malcolm stephen, Head Mechanist, Royal New Zealand Ballet

wendy manson, Automation Advisor, Cirque du Soleil

alix ross, Senior Technician, Royal Opera House

helen sennett, General Manager, Grange Park Opera

chris mcdougall, Production Manager, National Theatre

david mcmorris, Fleet-wide Audio Developer,

Disney Cruise Lines

emma geddes is Automation No.1 for the national tour

of Dirty Dancing

rosanna Barber works on ITV’s Downton Abbey

andrew mccabe is on tour with Cirque du Soleil

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 204F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 across

all parts

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

| Fully equipped proscenium arch theatre with a full height

fly tower and automated flying capabilities as well the

highest level equipment in both lighting and sound

| Study abroad opportunities in Europe,

California and Hong Kong

recent highlights

| Hosting welcome event for the Production Lighting

and Sound Association (PLASA) Focus Glasgow,

December 2014

| Masterclasses with tim reid (Video Designer),

rc annie (Stage Weapons), raymond short (Fight

Director), Bruno poet (Lighting Designer), John robb

(Edinburgh International Festival), lincoln parkhouse

(Pyrotechnics) and many others

| Continuing high graduate employment rates with

companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Stage Technologies,

GrandMA, National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Ballet

and Scottish Opera

| Staff and student participation in a range of roles for

the Commonwealth Games and continuing success

of undergraduate exchange scheme with HKAPA

and CalArts

Industry links

We have a close working relationship with the Production Lighting

and Sound Association, National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish

Ballet, Citizens Theatre and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. RCS is also

validating partners of the Association of British Theatre Technicians

(ABTT) award scheme.

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SCREEN

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paul wright, award-winning dftv graduate

“ I have recently returned to rcs to teach. It’s great to see the next generation of talented and passionate film-makers – it’s exciting to work with them.”

programme structure

year one

Working individually and in groups, you will engage with the

mechanical and creative elements of screenwriting and TV content

projects designed to develop technical skills and grow creative

awareness. You will learn about craft skills in camera, post

production, producing and sound recording within workshops

and practical projects.

year two

You will develop your technical skills and work as a creative

practitioner. You will learn directing skills, and choose a specialist

area to work with, selecting from cinematography, post-production,

sound recording and producing. You will be involved in the

production of a number of 90-second film projects and work on

the RED One camera system to originate project work.

year three

You will hone your technical skills to a highly specialised and

professional level, whilst reinforcing the practice of independent

responsibility and development. You will realise professional

creative content and negotiate your role as a specialist practitioner.

You will use the RED Epic Digital Cinema system for your final

year projects.

During major project work and specially designed workshops,

all three year groups work together as heads of departments,

assistants and trainees to allow work on collaboration skills, set

etiquette and understanding of crew hierarchy.

Ba digital film and television

three years, full-time rcs.ac.uk/dftv

head of digital film and television: Adam McIlwaine

This programme is for aspiring film-makers who are passionate about

the film-making process. It’s a rich and challenging environment

for students who are keen to develop their skills to the highest

level and who have the potential to originate new ideas for film

and television.

At RCS you will find lots of resources at your fingertips; there’s

nowhere else in the UK that provides the range of specialisms

that we do. This means that you have the opportunity to work with

actors, composers, directors, dancers and musicians, as well as

your peers from production, including scenic artists, stage managers,

and technicians. Everything you need to make great work for the

screen is right here.

You will benefit from extensive industry contact, which can

include working on live BBC sets, becoming part of the crew on

a professional production, masterclasses and expert tuition from

industry practitioners on a daily basis, and more. We’ll help you

develop your ideas and your creativity, and you can cover multiple

film-making functions such as screenwriting, production

management and editing, or focus on one specialism such as

cinematography or sound recording.

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application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 200F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 15 January 2016 (UK/EU)

or 31 March 2016 (overseas).

academic entry requirements

| Scottish Higher – three passes or

| Scottish Advanced Higher – two passes or

| A-level – two passes or

| International Baccalaureate – minimum score of 24

with three subjects at Higher level or

| Recognised equivalences

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 6.5 with a minimum score of 5.5 across

all parts

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

go online

Watch some of our DFTV students’ short films online at

rcs.ac.uk/dftv

why choose us?

| Access to state-of-the-art technology, including RED One

and RED Epic MX Digital Cinema camera

| Opportunities to develop short film and programme ideas

| The only UK conservatoire offering opportunities to

collaborate with staff and fellow students across dance,

drama, music and production

| Unrivalled professional partnerships including

BBC Scotland, Progressive Broadcast Hire and

Dumbarton Studios

| Learn from award-winning expert staff

| Benefit from workshops and masterclasses from

distinguished industry practitioners who work with

you on a daily basis

graduate destinations

DFTV graduates are employed by major broadcasters, production

companies, and film-makers. Some graduates work freelance for

independent companies or on short film schemes, and some have

gone on to postgraduate study, including with the National Film

and Television School.

Our graduates are highly regarded and in demand. DFTV graduate

paul wright’s first feature film, For Those in Peril, was selected for

the Cannes film festival and chosen to compete in Critics’ Week.

DFTV graduation film Hannah won Best Undergraduate Fiction

award at the 2014 Royal Television Society Awards (Scotland)

and The Groundsman won best fiction film at the 2014 BAFTA

Scotland New Talent awards. Krysty wilson-cairns sold her

science fiction script Aether to a major studio and was named

as one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow by Screen International.

She is currently working on an adaptation for director darren

aronofsky.

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christian Kluxen leading the rcs symphony orchestra rehearsal

why choose us?

| The only degree of its kind in the world

| Excellent staff-student ratio

| Opportunity to study in Glasgow at RCS and in Skye

at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

| Flexible delivery offers you the chance to learn

part-time and from a distance

graduate destinations

The programme will equip you with the skills to design, deliver and

assess educational packages within a range of education contexts

from community workshops to the Higher Education sector.

The final project provides an opportunity for you to synthesise

a deepening understanding of Gaelic culture, your evolving

arts practice and your knowledge and skills as an educator on

a significant, self-generated project under the supervision of a

professional mentor.

application details

Institution code: R58

UCAS Conservatoires code: 0W0F

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 30 April 2016.

academic entry requirements

An undergraduate degree, or international equivalent, in a

subject area relevant to the demands of the programme

Students will be required to demonstrate competence

in Gaelic

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

ma learning and teaching (gaelic arts)

three years, part-time rcs.ac.uk/magaelic

head of programme: Jamie Mackay

This programme is aimed at Gaelic speaking actors, musicians,

singers, fine artists, theatre, film and television professionals,

designers, writers and directors who wish to develop as educators

in a range of contexts. The programme gives you the opportunity

to deepen your understanding of Gaelic culture, develop knowledge,

skills and understanding required to deliver and assess effective

educational experiences, and to design and generate a piece of

work that contributes to the evolution of your area within the

Gaelic arts education sector.

The programme will be delivered predominantly online supported

by a series of face-to-face weekends and short residential periods

at RCS and at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye. This programme is

designed to run on a part-time basis to allow you to maintain

your own professional commitments and to situate a significant

portion of your learning within a work-based context.

programme structure

year one

Your first year centres around two learning and teaching modules,

Approaches to Critical Artistry and The Teaching Artist. The third

module, The Gaelic World, provides an overview of the historical,

geographical, cultural and political context for Gaelic artists.

year two

Your year will begin with the learning and teaching module in

which you will design, deliver and evaluate an education-based

project. The second module of the year, Traditional Culture and

Literature of the Gaels, provides an opportunity to investigate the

wide range of Gaelic source materials that have inspired Gaelic

artists and have helped shape the cultural landscape.

year three

You will study a final module which presents an opportunity

for you to devise, negotiate, undertake and evaluate a major

project designed to synthesise your learning on the previous

modules, progress your development as a Gaelic arts educational

professional and to contribute to the evolution of the Gaelic

cultural landscape.

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carson sinne?

| An aon chùrsa cheum den t-seòrsa sa san t-saoghal

| Àireamhan fàbharach eadar luchd-obrach is oileanaich

| Cothroman ionnsachaidh an Glaschu aig RCS agus

aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

| Teagasg pàirt-ùine is air-astar ri fhaighinn

cinn-uidhe luchd-ceumnachaidh

Anns a’ phrògram seo, ionnsaichidh tu sgilean a leigeas leat

prògraman foghlaim a dhealbhadh a liubhairt is a chleachdadh

ann an caochladh suidheachaidhean foghlaim eadar bùithtean-

obrach coimhearsnachd agus Foghlam Àrd-ìre. Anns a’ phròiseact

dheireannach, cuiridh tu an t-eòlas agad air cultar na Gàidhlig,

an dòigh-obrach ealain agad agus an t-eòlas is na sgilean agad mar

eòlaiche-foghlaim còmhla an lùib a’ phròiseict mhòir fo stiùireadh

neach-stiùiridh proifeiseanta.

fiosrachadh cùrsa

Àireamh ionaid: r58

Àireamh ucas conservatoires: 0w0f

Iarrtasan air-loidhne tro UCAS Conservatoires

www.ucas.com/conservatoires ro 30 Giblean 2016.

teisteanasan inntrigidh

Ceum math, no teisteanas eadar-nàiseanta co-ionnan, ann

an cuspair freagarrach ri obair a’ phrògraim. Feumaidh

oileanaich deagh chomasan Gàidhlig a thaisbeanadh

Ìre 7.5 a rèir International English Language Testing System

(IELTS) (mas iomchaidh) agus 7.5 aig an ìre as lugha a

thaobh labhairt

Bidh sinn a’ gabhail ri caochladh theisteanasan agus

teisteanasan eadar-nàiseanta co-ionnan. An tuilleadh

fiosrachaidh aig dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

ma Ionnsachadh agus teagasg (na h-ealain gàidhlig)

trì bliadhna, pàirt-ùine rcs.ac.uk/magaelic

‘S e cleasaichean, luchd-ciùil, seinneadairean, luchd nan ealain

fhinealta, luchd dràma, film is telebhisein, dealbhadairean,

sgrìobhaichean agus stiùirichean aig a bheil Gàidhlig agus a tha

airson an cuid sgilean foghlaim thar caochlach co-theacsa a

neartachadh a tha fa-near sa phrògram seo. Tha cothrom an

lùib a’ phrògraim airson barrachd eòlais fhaighinn air cultar na

Gàidhlig, airson eòlas, sgilean is tuigse a leasachadh a leigeas leat

foghlam èifeachdach a liubhairt is a sgrùdadh, agus airson pìos

obrach a dhealbhadh is a chruthachadh a chuireas ri leasachadh

do chuid eòlais ann am foghlam ealain na Gàidhlig.

Thèid am prògram a lìbhrigeadh air-loidhne, air sreath thursan

deireadh-seachdain aghaidh-ri-aghaidh agus air greisean còmhnaidh

goirid aig RCS agus aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig san Eilean Sgitheanach.

Tha am prògram air a dhealbhadh gus an tèid agad air d’ obair

phroifeiseanta a ghleidheadh agus gus an tèid cuid mhòr den

ionnsachadh agad a dhèanamh ann an seagh obrach.

structar a’ phrògraim

a’ chiad bhliadhna

Tha a’ chiad bhliadhna agad stèidhichte air dà mhodal ionnsachaidh

is teagaisg: dòighean cleasachd sgrùdail agus an neach-ealain teagaisg.

Anns an treas modal, saoghal na Gàidhlig, thathar a’ sgrùdadh a’

cho-theacsa eachdraidheil, chruinn-eòlaich, chultarail is phoilitigich

dha luchd-ealain Gàidhlig.

an dàrna bliadhna

Anns a’ mhodal ionnsachaidh is teagaisg aig toiseach na bliadhna

sa, bidh thu a’ dealbhadh, a’ liubhairt is a’ sgrùdadh pròiseict

stèidhichte air foghlam. Ann an dàrna modal na bliadhna, Cultar

Dùthchasach agus Litreachas nan Gàidheal, bidh thu a’ rannsachadh

caochladh thùsan Gàidhlig a tha air mac-meanmna luchd-ealain

na Gàidhlig a phiobrachadh agus air cur ris an t-saoghal chultarail.

an treas bliadhna

Gheibh thu cothrom anns a’ mhodal mu dheireadh agad air

pròiseact mòr a dhealbhadh, a rèiteachadh, a chur an gnìomh

agus a sgrùdadh a bheir an t-ionnsachadh agad air na modalan

eile còmhla, a bheir an leasachadh agad mar neach-foghlaim

proifeiseanta sna h-ealain Gàidhlig air adhart agus a chuireas

ri leasachadh saoghal cultarail na Gàidhlig.

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why choose us?

| A unique programme designed specifically for

performing artists and teachers

| Opportunity to upgrade your teaching qualifications

to Masters level

| Personal supervision and mentoring by expert teachers

and artists in the performing arts.

| Opportunities to develop specialist or new skills in

your subject discipline or a related performing arts

subject discipline

| Access to unrivalled performing arts education provision,

facilities, resources and expertise

| Opportunities for artistic and educational collaboration

between teachers and artists

| Excellent staff-student ratio

graduate destinations

This qualification will allow you to pursue opportunities in

performing arts education in a variety of contexts, both discipline

specific or in other arts contexts.

application details

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires online

www.ucas.com/conservatoires by 30 April 2016.

academic entry requirements

An undergraduate degree or international equivalent, in a

subject area relevant to the demands of the programme

International English Language Testing System score (IELTS)

(if applicable) level 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking

We accept a range of qualifications and their international

equivalences. Please email dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

for more information.

med learning and teaching in the performing arts

Subject to validation

two years, full-time three years, part-time rcs.ac.uk/medperformingarts

This programme provides a unique opportunity to both practising

artists and teachers in the performing arts to either upgrade

their teaching qualifications or obtain a postgraduate degree in

learning and teaching that has been designed to develop teaching

skills for the performing arts.

programme structure

full-time

The programme’s design means that working professionals can

still opt for this mode of delivery and complete the programme

in a two-year period. The programme is delivered through a mix

of taught sessions, online workshops and tutorials, independent

learning, personal supervision and work placement. Some of the

taught and online sessions are in the evenings, at weekends and

in summer. You can use your own teaching work and/or work

placement to complete the practical and project elements of the

programme.

part-time

Part-time, the programme is delivered over a three-year period,

through a combination of online workshops, distance and

independent learning, weekend seminars and work placement

or work-based learning.

practical teaching and work placement

In both the full-time and part-time delivery modes of the programme,

the practical teaching, work placement and project elements of

the programme can be negotiated and completed either as part

of your current work commitments, through work placement or

using a wide range of teaching opportunities available across the

extensive performing arts curriculum offered by RCS.

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programme structure

year one

You will be introduced to and engage in an Arts Education

Community of Practice where you will critically examine your

own teaching methods informed by reflection and using a range

of relevant theories, viewpoints and models of learning and teaching

practice to advance skills in teaching and learning in light of new

experiences and understandings.

You will have the opportunity to apply skills, new insights and

understanding to your practice, critically examine their impact

on your learners’ experience and obtain feedback both from tutors

and peers to inform future professional development and practice.

year one/two

You will undertake a work-based learning and teaching project in

your arts subject discipline where you will be required to develop

effective learning environments and approaches to student support

and guidance, design and plan learning activities and/or programmes

of study, teach and support learning, and assess and give feedback

to learners.

Your project will be piloted/delivered with a group of students

studying at SCQF level 7 or above and critically evaluated.

why choose us?

| The programme is designed specifically for individuals

teaching arts subjects at Higher Education level in a

range of contexts including conservatoires, small

specialised HE arts institutions, colleges and

across a range of participatory settings

| The programme is mapped to the UK Professional

Standards Framework (UKPSF) for learning and teaching

in Higher Education

| Successful completion demonstrates that your practice is

aligned to UKPSF. The programme is accredited by the HE

Academy and can lead to attainment of Associate Fellow or

Fellow status. Successful achievement will entitle you to

use post nominal letters (AFHEA or FHEA)

graduate destinations

Successful completion provides evidence of your commitment

to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education.

Higher Education Academy accreditation is a portable asset, which

has UK-wide relevance and is increasingly recognised by Higher

and Further Education institutions. As a result, achieving the

qualification could help you to:

| Secure full-time teaching posts in both the college

and HE sectors

| Apply for promoted/senior posts in teaching in Higher

Education in both colleges and universities

postgraduate certificate in learning, teaching support and administration in arts education

rcs.ac.uk/pgcert

This postgraduate programme is designed to appeal to drama,

music, fine art, production, design, screen and dance professionals

working within an arts education context and has three distinct

routes, each designed to appeal to a specific educational context

and professional role.

The three routes are:

| Higher Arts Education

| Learning Support and Administration in

Higher Arts Education

| Arts Education

All routes carry 60 SCQF credits at SCQF level 11. On successful

completion, students can use the credits accumulated to progress

to other postgraduate learning and teaching programmes offered

by RCS.

The three PG Certificate routes are detailed below. To find out the

entry requirements for each of the routes, please see

rcs.ac.uk/pgcert

pg cert higher arts education

This programme is for individuals teaching arts programmes

at Higher Education level (SCQF levels 7 to 12, or equivalent)

who wish to professionally develop their learning, teaching and

assessment methods and skills in an arts context. The programme

is mapped to the UK Professional Standards Framework for

learning and teaching in Higher Education (UKPSF) and accredited

by the Higher Education Academy. As a result, successful completion

of the programme can lead to professional recognition by the

Higher Education Academy and attainment of Associate Fellow

or Fellow status.

The programme is delivered part-time, over a 16-month period,

using a blend of face-to-face, online and work-based methods.

The delivery model is designed to create a community of reflective

teaching artists who are encouraged to work both collaboratively

and independently, share effective practice and provide peer

support and evaluation. Face-to-face sessions are built around

weekend seminars hosted at RCS.

Successful applicants are expected to be qualified/experienced

to teach in their arts subject discipline and must be working

in a university/college or other relevant participatory setting,

teaching at SCQF levels 7 or above (or equivalent).

year one/two

You will undertake a work-based administrative or learner support

project in your own arts Higher Education context where you

will be required to:

Administrators: Develop effective administrative systems and

approaches aimed at offering an improved service to learners

and/or other stakeholders. In your project you will be required to

design and plan the enhancement(s) and pilot and critically evaluate

it with learners and/or other stakeholders of your choosing.

Learning support professionals: Develop effective learning support

environments and approaches to learner support, design and plan

learning support activities, support learning, and give feedback

to learners. Your project will be piloted with a group of learners

of your choosing and critically evaluated.

why choose us?

| Designed specifically for administrators and learning

support professionals working in a Higher Arts

Education context

| Enable you to engage with and contribute to an arts

education community and use it to learn from and inform

and evolve your administration/learner support practice

| Credits can be accumulated through participation in

relevant credit-rated short courses

graduate destinations

Successful completion provides evidence of your commitment

to professionalism in administration and/or learner support in

an arts context. As a result, achieving the qualification could

help you to, for example:

| Secure senior administrative/learning support posts

in arts and/or post-16 education

| Apply to become an Associate Fellow of the

Higher Education Academy

pg cert learning support and administration in higher arts education

This programme is for learning support and administration

professionals working in a Higher Education context who wish

to professionally develop their knowledge of Higher Education

and learning and teaching in an arts context in support of quality

enhancement and institutional development.

The programme is delivered part-time, over a 16-month period,

using a blend of face-to-face, online and work-based methods.

The delivery model is designed to create a community of reflective

administrative and learning support practitioners who are part

of a wider arts education community. You will be encouraged to

work independently and collaboratively with other administrators,

learning support professionals, teaching artists and learners

to share effective practice, identify opportunities for quality

enhancement and provide peer support and evaluation. Face-

to-face sessions are built around weekend seminars hosted

at RCS.

Alternatively, the programme can be completed with relevant

credit-rated short courses (further information can be found at

rcs.ac.uk/shortcourses).

Successful applicants are expected to be qualified/experienced

administrators or learning support professionals working in an

arts education setting (e.g. college or Higher Education Institution).

programme structure

year one

You will be introduced to and engage in an Arts Education

Community of Practice where you will critically examine your

own administration/learner support methods and practice

informed by reflection and using a range of relevant policies,

theories, viewpoints and models of learning and teaching practice,

quality assurance and enhancement to gain insight to learner

support and/or quality enhancement in light of new experiences

and understandings. You will have the opportunity to apply new

insights and understanding to your practice, critically examine their

impact on the service you offer to students and other stakeholders

to inform future professional development and practice.

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year one/two

You will undertake a work-based learning and teaching project

in your performing arts subject discipline where you will be

required to develop effective learning environments and approaches

to student support and guidance, design and plan learning activities

and/or programmes of study, teach and support learning, and

assess and give feedback to learners.

Your project will be piloted/delivered with a group of students of

your choosing and critically evaluated.

why choose us?

| Designed specifically for artists who either have as part

of their professional lives, a teaching commitment either

in an arts education context, community context or

participatory setting context or aspire to be teaching artists

| Enables you to engage with and contribute to a teaching

artist community and use it to learn from and inform and

evolve your teaching practice

| Credits can be accumulated through participation in

relevant credit-rated short courses

graduate destinations

Successful completion of this programme provides evidence of

your commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching.

As a result, achieving the qualification could help you to, for

example:

| Secure part-time/full-time teaching posts in

post-16 education

| Secure part-time/full-time and/or project based teaching

work in a host of different arts settings including cultural,

community and other participatory settings

pg cert arts educationThis programme is for artists interested in developing knowledge

and skills in learning and teaching as part of their professional

development or to enhance opportunities to work either formally

or informally as a teaching artist.

The programme is delivered part-time, over a 16-month period,

using a blend of face-to-face, online and work-based methods.

The delivery model is designed to create a community of reflective

teaching artists who are encouraged to work both collaboratively

and independently, share effective practice and provide peer

support and evaluation. Face-to-face sessions are built around

weekend seminars hosted at RCS.

Alternatively, the programme can be completed with relevant

credit-rated short courses (further information can be found at

rcs.ac.uk/shortcourses).

Successful applicants are expected to be qualified/experienced

to teach in their arts subject discipline and must be working either

part-time or full-time as a teaching artist or have access to work

placement to undertake practical elements of the programme.

Assistance can be provided to help students secure relevant

work placements.

programme structure

year one

You will be introduced to and engage in an Arts Education Community

of Practice where you will critically examine your own teaching

methods informed by reflection and using a range of relevant

theories, viewpoints and models of learning and teaching practice

to advance skills in teaching and learning in light of new experiences

and understandings.

You will have the opportunity to apply skills, new insights and

understanding to your practice, critically examine their impact on

your learners’ experience and obtain feedback both from tutors

and peers to inform future professional development and practice.

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RESEARCH

research excellence framework 2014

The work of the Research department has been judged as world

leading and internationally excellent in the latest Research

Excellence Framework results. These national results suggest

RCS research in music and drama has the highest impact of any

higher education institute research in Scotland.

The research submitted in 2014 included professor ros steen’s

research into the human voice, which allowed her to successfully

unlock the expressive potential used by actors on stage. Professor

Steen worked closely with RCS alumnus alan cumming in his

one-man virtuoso show Macbeth to release the full potential of

his voice, as well as the full cast of Black Watch to help them find

authentic voices for this critically acclaimed production.

research

three years, full-timercs.ac.uk/research

head of research: Dr Stephen Broad

It is not enough for our emerging artists to graduate from RCS

equipped for the industries as they stand today: we need to enable

them to develop the skills and attitudes that will let them take

on the world and reshape it, creating new ways of performing,

collaborating and making work. This is why research is central to

and embedded throughout our curriculum, and why we support

our staff to develop cutting edge research in and through the

performing arts. The UK’s recent Research Excellence Framework

exercise (REF 2014) recognised the world-leading research of

our excellent staff, and judged 93% of our research to be of an

international standard.

Wanting to make your mark on the world is a basic artistic impetus,

and the impact of our research on cultural life and arts policy

was also recognised in REF 2014, with some 60% of our research

judged to be world-leading in terms of the reach and significance

of its impact.

A vital part of this work is driven by students following our research

degree programmes. Following an historic agreement between

RCS and the University of St Andrews in 2000, we offer research

degrees leading to the awards of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

and Master of Philosophy (MPhil). Students matriculate at both

institutions and their degrees are validated and awarded by the

University. As well as having access to all the facilities of a modern

international conservatoire, they are able to use the academic

resources of a world-leading ancient university.

Our research degree students are highly professional performers,

practitioners, directors, scholars and composers, all seeking new

ways to develop and contextualise their work while forging ahead

in their particular disciplinary specialism through rigorous, often

practice-based, research. Our vibrant interdisciplinary research

environment includes performing arts education and policy,

Scottish music, historically-informed performance, and a range

of other specialist areas. All are supported in their research by

carefully selected and expert supervision teams, and in project

delivery by the unique resources of the Royal Conservatoire.

Festivals such as Into the New and Plug provide many opportunities

for students to showcase their projects and to engage their fellow

students in the realisation and performance of new work. Previous

research students have been supported in significant artistic

projects such as the mounting of a new fully-staged opera and

the performance of large scale symphonic works.

Find out more about some of our recent research projects at

rcs.ac.uk/exchange

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“Cummings’s grasp of the poetry [of Macbeth] is so complete, and his raw emotional immersion in it is so total, that the audience remains absolutely gripped by the narrative; and unable to resist the sense of being pulled by the story towards the very brink of hell.” Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

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how to apply

Wherever you are in the world, if you believe you have the

talent, dedication and ambition, we encourage you to apply

to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

For undergraduate and postgraduate programmes you must

apply through the UCAS Conservatoires online admissions

service. You will find their website at:

www.ucas.com/conservatoiresOur institution code is R58.

Applications for research are made directly to us; full details

and application forms are available at rcs.ac.uk/research

Before you apply, we strongly recommend visiting us to meet

our staff and students, and see our facilities and environment

at the relevant open day.

Registration is essential for attendance. It opens one month

in advance of each event at rcs.ac.uk/opendays

application closing dates for 2016/17 entry

| All applications for all music undergraduate and music

postgraduate programmes: 1 october 2015

| UK/EU undergraduate applications for dance, drama

production, and screen: 15 January 2016

| Overseas (non-EU) undergraduate applications for

dance, drama, production, and screen: 31 march 2016

| All applications for drama and learning and teaching

postgraduate programmes: 31 march 2016

| All research programmes: 25 January 2016

auditionsAll applications made on time are guaranteed an audition/

interview. Auditions are held at the Royal Conservatoire and

at a number of locations around the UK and overseas. If you’re

applying from outside the UK, we can accept auditions

by recording for performance programmes, and for non-

performance programmes you can submit your portfolio by

post and be interviewed remotely.

entrance requirementsEntrance to RCS is based on talent, potential and ability, so

we will consider relevant experience that may compensate

for any lack of traditional education.

To check the suitability of your qualifications

or experience please email us at

danceadmissions@rcs.ac.uk dramaadmissions@rcs.ac.uk or

musicadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

Individual programmes may have specific entrance requirements,

and you can find these in each programme’s Guide for Applicants

at rcs.ac.uk/apply. We accept a wide range of qualifications,

including international qualifications. If yours isn’t listed

here, please contact us for more information at the above

addresses.

disabilities and medical conditionsWe encourage applicants to disclose disabilities and medical

conditions so we can provide suitable adjustments. If you

declare a disability or medical condition when you apply,

our Counsellor and Disability Adviser, Jane Balmforth, will

get in touch to discuss arrangements to support you at your

audition or interview. For more information please go to

rcs.ac.uk/studyhere

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minimum academic undergraduate entry requirements for all programmes Decisions on offers to programmes will be based on the outcome of an audition, as well as meeting minimum academic entry requirements

award type score required

Scottish Higher 3 passes

A-level 2 passes

International Baccalaureate 24 with 3 subjects at Higher level

We offer a flexible approach to students taking Highers

over more than one academic year and/or who achieve

their qualifications in more than one sitting.

minimum music postgraduate academic entry requirements

award type score required

Undergraduate degree 2:2

minimum drama postgraduate academic entry requirements

award type score required

Undergraduate degree Pass

entrance requirements for Bed music

award type score required

Scottish Higher A in Higher Music plus three others at BBC, one of which

must be Higher English; and Maths at either National 5,

Standard Grade 2, or Intermediate 2 at grade C or above

A-level B in Music plus two additional A-levels at C.

English Language and Literature at GCSE level grade C,

and Maths at GCSE level Grade B

entrance requirements for Ba (hons) contemporary performance practice

award type score required

Scottish Higher 3 passes, one of which must be a pass in English or Drama

A-level 2 passes, one of which must be a pass in English or Drama

minimum requirements for Ba modern Ballet

award type score required

Standard Grade/National 5 National 5s passes in five National 5s or equivalent

Intermediate 1 or 2 5 passes

GCSE (Grades A* - C) 5 GCSE (Grades A*– C) or equivalent

Knowledge of ballet vocabulary to a minimum of RAD

Intermediate level (or equivalent). Appropriate physical

qualities for a career in professional classical dance.

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programme of study minimum Ielts score

All music programmes Level 6.0

(with a minimum score of 5.5 across all components)

BA Production Technology and Management Level 6.5

BA Production Arts and Design (with a minimum score of 5.5 across all components)

BA Digital Film and Television

BA Modern Ballet

BA Acting Level 7.5

BA (Hons) Contemporary Performance Practice (with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking)

BA Musical Theatre Programmes

MA Classical and Contemporary Text

MA Musical Theatre

MEd Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts

english language requirementsIf your first language is not English we require evidence

of your language ability. Our required scores in minimum

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

are listed below. Other equivalent English language

qualifications will be considered – please contact

registry@rcs.ac.uk to check the required score.

tuition feesThe fees listed below are for 2015/16. Tuition fees are given

as guidelines only as they are subject to an annual increase

which is broadly in line with inflation. Please check

rcs.ac.uk/fees for the most up to date information.

For music applicants who narrowly miss our English

language entry requirements we offer a pre-sessional

English language course in partnership with the University

of Glasgow. Please note there is an additional fee for

this course. For further information please email

musicadmissions@rcs.ac.uk

scottish/eu £ rest of uK £ International £

All undergraduate programmes 1,820 9,000 14,838

MMus (Performance/Composition/Conducting) 7,740 7,740 14,838

MA (Performance/Composition/Conducting) 10,503 10,503 17,835

MMus (Opera) Years 1 and 2 8,478 8,478 17,835

MMus (Vocal Studies) Year 1 8,478 8,478 17,835

MA (Opera and Vocal Studies) 11,610 11,610 20,000

MA Musical Theatre 11,610 11,610 17,835

MA Classical and Contemporary Text 11,610 11,610 17,835

MEd Learning and Teaching 7,740 7,740 14,838

PG Certificate 3,672 3,672 7,344

Research (Performance/Composition) Full-time 6,747 6,747 14,838

Research (Performance/Composition) Part-time 3,375 3,375 7,416

Continuing Education per unit 1,323 1,323 2,053

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funding

scottish and eu-based students

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will pay

tuition fees for all eligible full-time Scottish-based and other

non-UK undergraduate EU students, who are studying in

Scotland at degree level for the first time. Students should

apply to SAAS for payment of tuition fees even if they are not

applying for any other means of support. Eligible students

can also apply for student loans through SAAS. For further

advice and to check eligibility contact SAAS directly on 0300

555 0505 or visit saas.gov.uk

students from england, wales and northern Ireland

These students are eligible for the same funding/loan package

that they would benefit from if they attended an institution

in their home country.

Please visit gov.uk/studentfinance (England),

studentfinancewales.co.uk (Wales),

studentfinanceni.co.uk (Northern Ireland).

external funding

For more information about alternative funding sources,

including external scholarships and bursaries, please visit

rcs.ac.uk/studyhere. Our International and Student Experience

team are available to advise and assist applicants and current

students about funding your studies at RCS.

Please email studentfinance@rcs.ac.uk or telephone

+44 (0)141 270 8281/+44 (0)141 270 8223 for further information.

scholarships

One third of our incoming undergraduate and postgraduate

students are funded from our annual scholarships fund of

around £1.4 million. Scholarships are awarded primarily on

talent but there is a specific means-tested ‘Rest of the UK

students’ fund for incoming students as well and there is

also a range of bursary support available. Any student from

any country who accepts a place will be considered for a

scholarship based on their talent, potential and financial

need. You will be required to submit a statement of financial

need and may be asked to perform to the scholarship panel

on the day of your audition. If you are successful, you will

receive a separate scholarship notification. A scholarship

award can cover either part or the full cost of tuition fees,

and may include an element for maintenance.

If your scholarship was donated by a trust or private individual,

you may have to meet additional conditions. You will be

required to submit information about yourself such as a

biography and also an end of year progress report. Students

must also list the award in their biography and, on occasion,

attend events where their donors may be present. Every

scholarship student is expected to play a full and active role

in the life of the institution, to act as a good role model

for other students, and to be a good ambassador for RCS.

The RCS Scholarship Fund is supported by the generosity

of many charitable trusts, companies, businesses, individual

members of the public and from bequests, therefore we

ask students not to approach the following organisations

independently:

| ABRSM

| Barcapel

| Cameron Macintosh Foundation

| The Crerar Hotel Trust

| The Cruden Foundation

| John Mather Trust

| RCS Trust

| The Leverhulme Trust

| EMI Music Sound Foundation

| Inches Carr Trust

| Thomas and Margaret Roddan Trust

| The Wolfson Foundation

| Yamaha

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experience the buzz of rcs for yourself. attend an open day and learn more about rcs, tour the campus and student halls, and meet our expert tutors.

Open Days are extremely popular and places are limited.

Registration opens one month in advance.

Reserve your place at rcs.ac.uk/opendays

music – friday 5 June 2015

drama, production and screen – friday 7 august 2015

production and screen – friday 9 october 2015

drama – friday 16 october 2015

modern Ballet – friday 6 november 2015

open days

Short Courses and the Junior Conservatoire at RCS offer

a wide and varied programme of over 200 courses for

children, young people and adults in dance, drama,

music, production and screen.

These courses range from intensive weekend courses,

open access weekly classes, spring and summer schools to

auditioned programmes for the Junior Conservatoire.

Many of our courses are for those who want to study the

performing arts at degree level in the future and provide

excellent opportunities to find out what it’s like to

study at RCS full-time.

To find out more about these opportunities, please see:

rcs.ac.uk/shortcourses rcs.ac.uk/junior

can’t make an open day? Visit us for a tour of RCS at another time of the year.

Tours run most Monday afternoons and Friday mornings.

Get in touch with us at tours@rcs.ac.uk to find out more.

short courses and JunIor conservatoIre

vIsIt us

photo credits

All images unless otherwise stated

© Royal Conservatoire of Scotland / KK Dundas

Page 20 and 21: © Glasgow City Marketing Bureau 2014

Page 22: Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2013 – Midnight Moment © Chris Watt

Page 23: Walker looking over Loch Na Keal towards Ben More © Visit Scotland

Page 25: The Nutcracker © Scottish Ballet

Page 36: Laura Margaret Smith © Ga-Ken Wan

Page 48: Second image © Freya Gosnold

Design by www.d8.uk

All details correct at the time of publication, and printed in good faith; all information

is subject to alteration. We reserve the right, without notice to vary the content of

programmes, and modify facilities and arrangements. We are a charity committed to

the achievement of excellence in the performing arts. A company limited by guarantee

reg no 4703 (Scotland) and a charity registered in Scotland no SCO015855.

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