Royal College of Music

• Location: London, England,
• Founded in: 1882,
• Number of students: about 930,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of studying: mixed.

The Royal College of Music (RCM) is one of the world's largest conservatories, offering effective higher education programs and preparatory courses.

Founded over 140 years ago by the Prince of Wales, the RCM has been graduated some of the most important figures in the UK and international music industry, including composers, conductors and singers such as Leopold Stokowski, Joan Sutherland. The college has earned many awards and prizes, won the trust of the international community, today it is considered a highly sought-after institution for degrees in music - more than 900 students from 50 different countries study on campus in London. Such a diversity among the student community confirms the Royal College of Music's focus on providing the best learning conditions in its field, high quality educational programs, and ample opportunities for the development of students' talents. All classes are taught by current and world-renowned music industry specialists, thanks to them students receive not only knowledge and skills, but also a modern understanding of their future careers.

The basis of the curriculum for each of the areas of study is practice. An extensive number of specialized studios and performance rooms, extracurricular opportunities for talent development, participation in external events, lectures with invited specialists - this and much more awaits RCM students in the educational process.

The RCM approach puts the student's goals, talent, and abilities at the center of the educational process. Teachers choose the most suitable opportunities for speaking and participating in projects for each student, thereby allowing the student community to develop individual strengths, achieve their goals and acquire extensive employment opportunities. The programs offered at the college are flexible, allowing students to tailor their learning to their abilities, interests, and professional aspirations. Studies take place in the form of individual lessons, classes with teachers, rehearsals, speeches, seminars, consultations, guidance, online learning.

The educational process is organized at nine specialized faculties:

• Wind instruments,
• Composition
• Conducting
• Historical efficiency,
• Keyboard instruments,
• Percussion
• String instruments,
• Vocal, opera,
• Woodwind instruments.

The RCM has a research center for performance science, which annually works on projects in various fields covering the creative, cultural and scientific study of music. Some of the most recent research dissertations are:

• Art for the Ages: Exploring the Impact of Musical Experiences on the Well-Being of Older Adults, Gebert Rüff Foundation (2015-2017),
• COVID Community: Tackling Social Isolation Through Creativity and Community Engagement, AHRC (2020-2021) UKRI,
• Creative Practice as Mutual Recovery: Connecting Communities for Mental Health, AHRC (2013-2018) UKRI,
• Integration of music with exhibitions and gallery displays, AHRC,
• Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health: A Network for Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Capacity Development, ESRC (2018-2023) UKRI,
• Mapping Musical Movement: The Physical Expression of Musical Individuality, British Academy.

RCM has its own residence Prince Consort Village in West London, additionally offering a list of trusted private landlords for those students who would like to choose accommodation for their needs.

Prince Consort Village provides high-quality accommodation for 400+ students. The building, located on Goldhawk Road, opened in the spring of 2016 and includes studio apartments, en-suite and standard rooms. The staff of the residential building works around the clock, the internal team and the residence manager take care of the well-being of the residents by providing assistance, advice and additional services. Prince Consort Village has prepared:

• Rooms with acoustic wall panels, muffled sound, fully furnished, private bathrooms or access to shared bathrooms,
• 23 specialized halls for classes, available around the clock,
• Cinema
• Open microphone space,
• High-speed Wi-Fi,
• Laundry
• Gym
• Bicycle storage area,
• Indoor and outdoor public spaces.

Studying at RCM and living in a culturally rich city like London offers incredible opportunities for any aspiring musician! The Student Union of the institution helps students adapt to the city and college, find like-minded people and realize their potential. The Student Union represents the voice of students to leaders, organizes student meetings, promotes health and well-being, works closely with pastoral care services, leads thematic communities, demonstrating the main passions of students:

• Rock climbing
• Chess
• Christian Union,
• Cinema
• Jazz
• Computer games and some others.

RCM maintains close relationships with a variety of organizations and educational institutions, including members of the Exhibition Road Cultural Group. A number of nearby venues regularly host chamber concerts, where college students regularly perform, RCM musicians are often invited to take part in gallery openings, exhibition launches and other special events. RCM's numerous performing groups, including five orchestras, two jazz bands and RCM Opera Studio, regularly perform at significant, large-scale venues both in the UK and abroad.

Regular events held in the studying area:

• Keyboard Instrument Festival,
• Percussion Instrument Festival,
• String Sunday,
• Day of Music by Little-Known Composers,
• Conducting Festival,
• Festival of wind instruments,
• Chamber Festival.

RCM Opera Studio is known worldwide for its high standards of performance. The college presents three fully staged opera productions per year, in addition to small opera projects. Some of the world's most renowned directors, designers, and choreographers join students and educators to participate in productions, providing a professional experience for students. Each opera is usually performed in a double cast to maximize the number of students who can benefit from this important experience.

The RCM hosts several solo competitions, the winners of which often get the opportunity to perform demonstration numbers during the fall semester. The concerts offer instrumentalists and singers the chance to perform alongside the world's leading conductors. Composers also take part in the competition, which provides a valuable opportunity for rehearsals and premieres of their works with high-level musicians.

• For more than 140 years, RCM has been a graduating place for the world's best musicians,
• The best global institution in the field of music and performing arts in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for three years in a row - from 2022 to 2024,
• Outstanding teaching staff in each of the 9 specialized faculties,
• Ranked among the best conservatories in the UK to offer music as a separate subject, according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021),
• Cooperation with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, thanks to which exchange programs are available to students of both institutions,
• An extensive number of venues for performances,
• The RCM R&D centers are actively involved in project and research activities,
• High percentage of graduate employment.

The buildings, equipment and location of the RCM are a source of pride. The college is located in South Kensington, in several large buildings, its infrastructure includes:

• The Amaryllis Fleming concert hall with two Steinway grand pianos, a custom-made Flentrop Orgelbouw organ, with a total capacity of 400 people. It is the main rehearsal and concert venue for orchestras and large ensembles of the student community. The Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall has hosted many great people, including Richard Strauss, Jean Sibelius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, Nicola Benedetti, Vladimir Ashkenazy,
• The new 138-seat concert hall is a space for ensemble performances and orchestral rehearsals: it boasts a retractable stage, a Fazioli grand piano, comprehensive technical equipment and variable acoustics, featuring versatility for a range of events organized by the college,
• The Britten Theatre is one of London's most beloved opera stages, and its responsive acoustics and auditorium are appreciated by performers and audiences alike. The theatre, with its excellent technical capabilities, is regularly used as the centre of the thriving RCM Opera Studio, hosting many instrumental performances, including a chamber music series and concerts by the RCM Jazz Orchestra. It has an orchestra pit for 80 musicians, a Steinway grand piano, four dressing rooms, its own bar and foyer,
• The 100-seat concert hall is used for smaller events and less formal occasions: it has two Steinway grand pianos, a harpsichord, a projector and a screen,
• The performance studio is a cozy platform for solo and chamber performances, accommodating 40 people,
• The Perry Rooms, an enfilade of three rooms located in the Blomfield building, boasts excellent acoustics, a grand piano, harpsichord and an organ; rooms are often used for chamber music and recitals, lectures and workshops,
• The RCM library contains more than 200,000 scores, books and recordings. Through the library, students have access to a wide range of online resources such as Oxford Music Online (including Grove), Cambridge Core ebooks, JSTOR, and e-magazines. It also houses a world-famous collection of autographs, including those by Mozart, Chopin, Elgar and Vaughan Williams, old publications and archives,
• The RCM Museum houses more than 14,000 instruments, portraits, images and engravings dating from the mid-15th century to the present day, some of which are the earliest known examples of their kind.
• The Digital Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art recording and mixing facility equipped with Dolby Atmos 7.4.1 Genelec monitoring system, Avid S6 control panel, Apple Mac Mini workstation, and Blackmagic monitoring and broadcasting equipment.

In addition to rehearsal rooms and space for individual and group preparation, the RCM has dedicated opera rehearsal rooms, several soundproofed Amadeus music rooms for private lessons, access to the Flentrop Orgelbouw organ at the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, and dedicated percussion studios. The musical equipment contains more than 160 pianos, including 60 grand pianos and 20 keyboards, as well as the Blüthner Practice Suite, which houses ten Blüthner Model A pianos.

Depending on the date of admission, the semester schedule may vary. Studying is organized on weekdays: from Monday to Friday, rest is provided on weekends, days of national and international holidays, seasonal vacations.

Approximate list of additional costs may include:

• Registration fee,
• Accommodation, meals,
• Individual lessons,
• Personal materials, tools and their maintenance,
• Some extracurricular activities, additional academic opportunities,
• Personal expenses.

Applicants go through several mandatory entrance stages, the main of which are:

1. Submission of the online application and required documents,
2. Attending auditions, interviews.

Based on the results of the reviewing, the admissions committee selects candidates, sends them official letters of readiness for enrollment. After that, applicants can arrive on campus to begin classes.

In a recent survey by the Agency for Higher Education Statistics among RCM graduates who completed studies in 2019, 86% of respondents confirmed that they had taken up a job or continued their studies within 15 months of graduating.

The RCM Alumni Network is an active community of 9,500 professionals who have built careers around the world. Among them are such outstanding personalities as Louise Alder, Sir Thomas Allen, Stanley Bate, Benjamin Britten, Dame Sarah Connolly, Colin Davies, Sir James Galway, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Gwyneth Jones, Rowland Lee.

Foreign applicants who are interested in enrolling in RCM must provide:

• Personal documents, including a valid passport, visa or residence permit, health insurance,
• Academic certificates from the previous place of study: certificate of complete secondary education and certificate of preparatory course/bachelor's or master's diploma in a related specialization, scorecards,
• Test results confirming the level of English proficiency at least B2.

Admission is based on the documents provided and the results of the mandatory audition.

More than 50% of current students receive financial support thanks to investments from partner organizations, individuals, charitable foundations. There are a number of scholarships to encourage academic achievement for:

• Students studying at the courses of performing arts, composition,
• Undergraduate students,
• Asian, ethnically diverse students,
• ABRSM Scholarships, provided in collaboration with the Associated Council of the Royal Schools of Music,
• Doctoral students.

Pupils who have faced unexpected financial difficulties during their studies, or who require help paying for the treatment of an injury or disability-related expenses, can apply to the Royal College of Humanities' Aid Fund.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision