Bachelor of Music
A Bachelor of Music at a conservatoire is a distinctive kind of degree, one that places performance at its centre while embedding that performance within academic and musical disciplines that give it depth and context. Conservatoire training is demanding: you are expected to develop your instrument or voice to the highest level while also engaging seriously with music history, theory, analysis, and the collaborative skills that professional musical life requires. The Royal Northern College of Music is one of the UK's leading conservatoires, with a strong tradition of producing musicians who perform at the highest levels across classical, contemporary, and interdisciplinary contexts.
This four-year full-time programme at the RNCM develops your principal study instrument or voice to professional standard alongside a comprehensive musical education that encompasses music history, music theory and analysis, ensemble performance, and the wider skills needed for a career in music. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study or perform in an international musical context and to engage with different performance traditions and educational approaches. Direct entry to Year 2 is available for appropriately qualified candidates who can demonstrate the required level in their principal study and academic background.
A typical entry tariff of 104 points applies, alongside specific performance requirements assessed through audition.
You will develop technical mastery, musical intelligence, stage presence, ensemble skills, and the resilience and adaptability that a professional performing career demands. The RNCM's environment as an active concert venue and educational institution means you will perform regularly throughout your training.
Graduates from the RNCM go on to careers as soloists, orchestral and ensemble players, chamber musicians, conductors, composers, music educators, arts administrators, and in a wide range of roles within the music industry. Many pursue postgraduate study in performance, conducting, or composition.