Master of Performance (Percussion)
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About this course
The Royal College of Music offers a diverse two-year Masters programme with multiple study routes, which allow students to work towards the qualification most suited to their needs. Normally taken over two years, the Master of Performance (MPerf) develops performers’ practical skills, complemented by options which reflect current vocational and professional needs. Such skills are particularly relevant for those who aim to enter the profession as practitioners at the highest level and who need to meet the current practical demands of the music industry.
The Percussion Faculty currently boasts more than 40 former students in the UK’s leading orchestras. The backbone of our teaching has a clear orchestral bias, but today’s training covers all aspects of percussion activity, enabling you to enter the profession equipped with the musical tools of the trade. Percussion students at the Royal College of Music enjoy the benefits of a vibrant faculty housed in a purpose-built percussion suite. We have state-of-the-art technology and practice facilities for teaching world percussion alongside the orchestral repertoire. Percussion students have numerous opportunities to take part in public performances as soloists, in chamber groups and in the RCM’s various orchestras and ensembles. Orchestral performances are often directed by internationally renowned conductors, providing invaluable experience of truly world-class rehearsal and performance.
The RCM is the first institution in the UK to offer solo Marimba as a principal study at postgraduate level. The course aims to prepare students for a career as a solo artist through intensive training in all aspects of solo performance, and also includes ensemble and chamber coaching and masterclasses with world-renowned marimbists.
This course is also available on a part-time basis over 3 years upon request. Due to the intensive nature of the programme, we are unable to offer a secondary specialism to percussionists.
Modules
Alongside your Principal Study, the programme offers a range of options. In most cases, these are divided into Faculty Options, which are exclusive to your specific faculty, and Professional Options, which offer skills relevant to any aspiring music professional.
Extra funding
The RCM is able to support many students with scholarships thanks to the generosity of charitable trusts, companies, businesses, individual members of the public and legacies. Any student who auditions live, or via video will automatically be considered for a scholarship or study award. There is no separate application process. Scholarships are awarded on merit based on performance at audition.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Music
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Music
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Music
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£11k
£18k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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