• Primary Students
• Secondary 1 & 2
• Secondary 3 & 4
• Secondary 5 & 6
• Secondary 7

Primary Students

All instruments and all styles of music are considered equally.
Over the years students have successfully secured places in The Music School with their performances on a wide variety of instruments such as drum kit, electric guitar, bagpipes and recorder along with standard orchestral instruments.

A preliminary audition can be arranged through the Director of The Music School at any time during the academic year. On the basis of this informal meeting advice will be given on whether or not to proceed further.

Those short-listed for a final audition, will be called in February, March or April for assessment by a panel of highly-renowned musicians from both within and outwith the School. All instruments and all styles of music are considered equally. Over the years students have successfully secured places in The Music School with their performances on a wide variety of instruments such as drum kit, electric guitar, bagpipes and recorder along with standard orchestral instruments.

In the case of very young students, auditioning may take place through a series of group activities, such as aural and rhythm games, improvisation and so on, culminating in a brief concert where the children perform their own choice of music to each other as well as to the panel. Individual instrumental lessons may be timetabled into this session. In the case of older students, the audition is a straightforward 15-minute performance of music of the candidate’s own choice plus a variety of other possibilities such as aural tests, scales, sightreading and improvising as appropriate.The whole audition normally lasts 30 minutes.

The panel is aware of the widely differing backgrounds of the applicants and is looking much more for potential ability than for present attainment. For this reason it is not possible to prescribe a level of performance required for entry at any stage. The technical skill of a young primary student may be of little significance in the selection. On the other hand it would be unrealistic to consider seriously an S5 student who is not already well on the way to the technical accomplishment expected by one of our major colleges of music. There is no set number of places to be allocated annually. There are many musical children for whom a specialist education is not necessarily the best course.

The City of Edinburgh Council will offer places only to those children who, in the opinion of the panel, have a musical talent and personal motivation of such a degree as to justify a highly-specialised form of education. If you are unsure of suitability for application, please feel welcome to telephone the Director of The Music School for an informal discussion.

Secondary 1 & 2

In consultation with students and parents, time for specialist music is created by extraction from selected subjects either wholly or partially for the year. We may, for example, decide to extract completely from geography for one year or attend only one out of two art lessons in the week. All of this is negotiable and no two Music School timetables will be the same. The aim is to set aside approximately a quarter of the school week for music, including all individual and small group tuition. As in Flora Stevenson Primary School, other ensemble rehearsals happen outwith the normal school day.

Secondary 3 & 4  

All students study English, mathematics, a modern language and a science. Music School students choose a further three or four out of a possible total of five other subjects, one of which will be music. Great care and planning is given to the choice of courses in S3 and S4 to ensure a balanced curriculum whilst giving enough time to specialist music. The total timetable allocation for music including Standard Grade music is approximately a quarter of the school week.

Music School students usually sit Standard Grade music in S3, progressing immediately to Higher in S4. This is to enable the students more choices appropriate to their needs in S5 and S6. For example, a Music School student may wish to study for A-Level music in S5, leaving S6 to concentrate on auditions for colleges. Another student may wish to take two years over A-Level music and pursue other interests in school.

Secondary 5 & 6

There is a good deal of variation in the time allocation for music at this stage, according to the career intentions of the individual student. A normal pattern for a student in S5 or S6 would be to sit A-Level music plus two other subjects. By S6, a well-qualified student, intent upon a music course beyond school, could be spending 50 per cent or more of the school week studying music.

All music students tend to get involved in music making out of school as well as in school. They are expected to take part in the network of ensembles within The City of Edinburgh and beyond.

Secondary 7

Some music students may wish to stay on at The Music School for a further year to enable them to prepare for auditions, develop performance technique or study a chosen aspect of academic or vocational music. All this information outlines the impact on music on the timetables of students in The Music School. The reality is, of
course, that music takes over their lives to a large extent and all are perfectly happy with this situation.

Music students are in every way full members of their respective schools. The welfare of Music School students is the concern of the Headteacher and staff and they are subject to the same pastoral care, through class teachers and guidance staff, as any other student. They are also subject to the normal rules and administrative procedures of the school.