St Mary's Music School

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St Mary’s Music School is Scotland’s only independent specialist music school, offering a world-class standard of music and academic education to musically gifted children aged 9-19 years in an inspiring, inclusive and supportive environment. It is also the Choir School of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. It is co-educational, non-denominational, and attracts day and boarding pupils from across Scotland and beyond – England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Europe, and internationally.

Entry to the school is by audition and assessment, based on musical ability and potential, regardless of personal financial circumstances or background. Scottish Government funding, up to 100 percent, is available through the Aided Places Scheme to assist with the cost of tuition and boarding fees. The school is funded by fees, private and trust donations, and rental income generated by the school.

There are currently 81 pupils at the school of whom 49 are day students and 32 are boarders, together with one part-time student. In addition, the school runs a long-established program of Saturday Music Classes for children aged 4-14 during term time, enabling some 150 local children to discover the wonders of music.

The Choir School was opened in 1880 to educate the choristers for the newly built St Mary’s Cathedral. Links to the Cathedral remain strong and have evolved over the years so that the choir is open to girls as well as boys.

Since 1972 the school has also educated young instrumentalists, composers, and singers. Appropriately for Scotland’s specialist music school, it attracts several pupils who perform on traditional instruments such as bagpipes, accordion, and clarsach.

In addition to its wide-ranging musical provision, the school has a strong academic focus and has an excellent record in external examinations.

At St Mary’s Music School, our ethos is based around these fundamental aims:

• To provide specialist music education to exceptionally gifted young musicians and the choristers of St Mary’s Cathedral
• To contribute to the cultural life of Scotland and internationally
• To encourage applications from all pupils with the potential to benefit from a supportive specialist musical education
• To develop every element of a pupil’s education: musical, academic, and personal, to the highest of standards
• To encourage confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline, and self-awareness
• To prepare and support pupils socially and professionally for the future
• To promote engagement with the wider community through our outreach program

Our purpose is to enable our young musicians to excel in a safe and supportive culture that is creative, inclusive, and committed.

• Creative - fostering new and expressive work through inspiration, imagination, and reflection
• Inclusive -helpful and cooperative within our community, welcoming and respectful to all
• Committed - dedicated to our work, responsible and reliable

“ St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh enables young musicians to excel in a safe and supportive culture that is creative, inclusive, and committed. We are Scotland’s only specialist independent music school and also its only choir school, selecting pupils for their musical promise, regardless of means, with up to full financial support available.

Our focus is on one-to-one instrumental lessons with specialist professional musicians, many of whom combine teaching with their performing careers. These intensive sessions, which are designed to improve technique and musicianship, introduce repertoire, develop expression and encourage personal interpretation. Pupils receive up to two hours per week on their principal study. The Director of Music is responsible for matching pupils with teachers.

The full range of orchestral instruments is offered, along with voice, organ, clarsach, accordion, recorder, bagpipes, and composition, but any instrument would be considered. In addition, all pupils study a second instrument on which they will be given either a half-hour or an hour’s lesson. One of the studies should be piano or another harmony instrument.

Practicing is scheduled each day to run alongside the regular timetable. A particular feature at St Mary’s Music School is the allocation of a coach-accompanist with whom a pupil works each week throughout the Senior School. A weekly performance class provides an ideal opportunity for peer evaluation and discussion, while the final hour of the week covers a range of Performance Practice related topics, from instrument maintenance to audition preparation tips and exploring the importance of breathing, relaxation techniques, and posture. The latter is also covered by Alexander Technique sessions which are offered when required.

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