2025/26 Admission to Master of Music Programme
| Application period | 7 October 2024 - 10 December 2024 |
| Written tests, auditions and interviews | January 2025 |
General Admission Requirements
Applicants should possess:
- Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in relevant discipline from the Academy; or
Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline from a recognised institution; or another qualification of equivalent standard from the Academy or from another recognised institution; and - Band 5.5 or above in IELTS Academic Test; or
59 or above in TOEFL iBT (from a test centre recognised by the Academy), if the Bachelor’s degree is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English; and - Specific requirements prescribed by the respective programmes, if any.
Programme Specific Admission Requirements
Master of Music applicants should possess:
- Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the Academy with a final year GPA of 3.3 or above in the Major and an overall programme GPA of 2.7 or above; or
Bachelor's degree in Music from a recognised institution, normally with honours not lower than Second Class (upper division), or an average grade not lower than B in undergraduate courses; or
Other qualification of equivalent standard from the Academy or from another recognised institution. - For Western Music Performance, Conducting (Western Orchestras) and Composition Majors, Band 6 or above in IELTS Academic Test, or 78 or above in TOEFL iBT (from a test centre recognised by the Academy), if the undergraduate degree is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English.
- Applicants applying for a Major Study in Performance (Chinese Instruments) or Conducting (Chinese Orchestras) whose entrance qualification has not been obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is Chinese are required to demonstrate a satisfactory level of Chinese comprehension and writing skills.
Preliminary Audition Requirements
Applicants are requested to submit a recently made high quality video recording for preliminary audition for their chosen Major area. Instrumentalists and vocalists must arrange their own accompanists. Qualified applicants from the preliminary audition will be invited to attend a final audition, diagnostic assessment test, and admission interview to determine their suitability and motivation for postgraduate study at the Academy. Specific guidelines, arranged by the scope of the different specialisations, are outlined below.
| Chinese Music | Video of a balanced programme of contrasting works totalling 40 minutes. It must include works in both traditional (classical or regional) and contemporary styles. | |
| Western Music | Keyboard Studies | For solo pianists, video of a balanced programme of contrasting works totalling 45 minutes. The repertoire listed in the LRSM (Performance) Examination is an indication of the minimum standard required, but other works of a similar standard or above can be chosen. |
| Collaborative Piano | For collaborative pianists, video of one movement of a major sonata for piano and violin or cello, and one art song. | |
| Strings | Video of a balanced programme of contrasting works totalling 40 minutes, including at least one unaccompanied work. | |
| Woodwind, Brass and Percussion | Video of a balanced programme totalling 40 minutes, comprised of three to four works in different styles and characters, one of which should be a movement of a concerto. | |
| Vocal Studies | Video of a balanced programme of contrasting art songs, and arias from operas and oratorios totalling 30 minutes.Three European languages should be included, one of which must be English.The programme must be sung from memory. | |
Final Audition and Interview Requirements
| Chinese Music | The programme should include, if possible, at least one work different from those submitted in the preliminary audition. Scales, arpeggios, and sight-reading may be tested. | |
| Western Music | Keyboard Studies | For solo pianists, works performed at the preliminary audition may be repeated. Sight-reading may be tested. |
| Collaborative Piano | Collaborative pianists must perform:
Sight-reading and score-reading will be tested. Applicants must bring their own instrumentalist and singer to the live audition. | |
| Strings | The programme should include, if possible, at least one work different from those offered in the preliminary audition. Sight-reading may be tested. | |
| Woodwind, Brass and Percussion | The programme must include at least one work different from those offered in the preliminary audition. Sight-reading may be tested. | |
| Vocal Studies | The programme should include, if possible, at least one work different from those offered in the preliminary audition. The programme must be sung completely from memory. Sight-singing may be tested. | |
Applicants selected for the final audition and interview are required to take a diagnostic assessment test. The test includes the following papers:
| Major | Specialisation | Diagnostic test papers |
|---|---|---|
Performance | Western Music | Western Music History1 Music Theory and Form & Analysis2 |
| Chinese Music | Chinese Music History3 Chinese Music Analysis4 | |
| Conducting | Western Orchestra | Music Theory and Form & Analysis2 Aural and Analysis of Orchestral Scores5 |
| Chinese Orchestra | Music Theory and Form & Analysis2 Chinese Orchestral Work Analysis6 | |
| Composition | Western Music History1 Music Theory and Form & Analysis2 | |
1 Western Music History (1 hour)
The Western Music History diagnostic test consists of two parts. The first assesses knowledge of composers, repertoire, genres, and styles through notated scores from the Medieval to the 21st century. The second requires applicants to select a historical context (e.g., “Paris, France in the 1830s”) and write a short essay on related works, performance practices, and interdisciplinary contexts. The test is given and assessed in English.
2 Music Theory and Form & Analysis (1 hour)
The Music Theory and Form & Analysis diagnostic test consists of two parts. The first part evaluates the harmonisation skills, figured bass recognition, voice-leading principles, and proper chord progressions in a four-part texture within the common-practice period. The second part assesses analytical knowledge through a selected movement from a work, focusing on key areas, themes, and formal elements. The test is given and assessed in English.
3 Chinese Music History (1 hour)
The Chinese Music History diagnostic test covers development of Chinese music from the Pre-Qin Period to the Twentieth Century and consists of two parts. The first part includes multiple-choice questions, and explanation of specific terms related to knowledge of composers, repertoire, genres, and styles. The second requires applicants to choose and write a short essay on topics related to the development of music in China (e.g. court music of Tang dynasty, Western orchestral music by Chinese composers in the 1950s and 60s). The test is given and assessed in Chinese.
4 Chinese Music Analysis (1 hour)
The Chinese Music Analysis diagnostic test consists of three parts. The first part evaluates knowledge of traditional folk song, instrumental music, opera, and narrative singing in terms of their musical styles and formal structures. The second part is the transcription of a short excerpt of musical score written in traditional gongche notation to modern notation. The last part assesses analytical knowledge through two selected musical scores from the four traditional genres listed above, focusing on modal, melodic and formal structure.
5 Aural and Analysis of Orchestral Scores (1 hour)
The Aural and Orchestral Score Analysis diagnostic test will assess both aural skills and the ability to analyse musical scores. Candidates will listen to recordings of excerpts, fill in the missing parts, and demonstrate an analytical approach to conducting a music score. The test is given and assessed in English.
6 Chinese Orchestral Work Analysis (1 hour)
The Chinese Orchestral Work Analysis diagnostic test assesses the ability to analyse musical features and formal structures of selected representative works for the modern Chinese orchestra. Candidates will listen to recordings of selected excerpts together with the full orchestral scores, and demonstrate an analytical approach to conducting a music score.