To apply to join The National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, students must be in the Scottish secondary education system (or due to start high school in the next academic year).

Applications close at the end of February or early in March each year, and auditions are held in late March with applicants being notified of whether or not they are successful before Easter. If students are successful in gaining a place at the Centre, they will take part in an induction week before the summer holidays, before joining as a full time student the following August.

There are four stages to the application process.

Initial Enquiry

Please contact us to register your interest in applying to join the Centre, or to find out more information.

Open Day/Advisory Audition

In reply to your initial enquiry, arrangements will be made to visit the Centre for an advisory audition and tour of the campus. You may also wish to attend one of our Open Days at the beginning of each year (these are advertised on our website and social media pages). The advisory audition involves playing or singing privately for the Centre Manager who will then decide if the applicant should progress to the next stage of the application process.

Final Audition

The final audition takes place at the Centre, usually in March of each year. The applicant is required to perform 15 minutes of music of their choice. It is usually best to concentrate mainly on the first study, but there are no hard and fast rules, and the candidate has the opportunity to put together a programme which they think will best show their skills to the panel. After the musical performance, there is a short interview with the candidate, and then the applicant’s parents or guardians are invited to meet the panel and ask any questions they may have about the Centre, the High School, and the Residence. The audition panel consists of the Centre Manager, a representative of the High School’s senior management team, a specialist in the applicant’s first study discipline (usually the tutor of that discipline), and a music education specialist who, together with the Centre Manager, sees every audition and assists in the overview of the final selection process.

The results of the auditions are notified by telephone before the end of the audition week, and then formally confirmed in writing after the Easter holidays.

Induction Week

Applicants who pass the final audition are invited for an induction week which will take place in June of each year. The purpose of this week is to give the applicant an insight into being a full time student at the Centre, and usually includes a public performance.

At the end of the Induction Week each student has a short interview with the Centre Manager at which it is mutually agreed whether or not the student will take up their place. Successful applicants will then commence their studies at the Centre the following August (after the summer holidays).