We receive a high volume of emails about the Music Aptitude Test asking us how many lessons a child needs to prepare for the test and whether their level of playing is a suitable one to be considered for scholarship entry. We do not have the admin capacity to respond personally to the emails but will put this information online to share our answers. We also have an FAQ page which is your first port of call for all queries about the Music Aptitude Test.
My 9-year-old daughter is currently in yr 5 at [—] School, she’ll be starting secondary school in September 2024. I believe this means that she will need to sit the musical aptitude test this autumn. We’re very interested in your online course and wonder when the best time for her to take part would be?
We advise parents to treat these entrance exams in the same way that you would prepare for 11+ grammar school or private school entrance exams. Most parents will engage the services of a tutor 12-18 months in advance of these exams. Most Music Aptitude Test students playing at an above-average level for their age will only require 1 to 4 sessions. Students that are beginners/novice players (around Grade 1-2 level) will usually require more sessions.
She has piano lessons but hasn’t yet had her grade 1 exam, I’m wondering if this rules her out anyway?
It would be very unlikely for some of the more popular schools to award scholarship to this level of playing for the piano although for lesser-played instruments this may be possible. However if adequate time is allowed to prepare in advance for the test then our tutors can often help young musicians learn music to sing at the audition which gives them a much better chance of gaining the scholarship.
We are now offering online Music Scholarship & Aptitude Test training lessons to students via Zoom, FaceTime or Whatsapp. This video shows you what we cover in the lessons and how the lessons are structured. Each lesson is tailored to your individual needs and the specific schools to which you are applying. We cover all areas of the test including the aural/aptitude tests, interview questions and listening to your pieces and coming up with a plan to help you feel confident on audition day.
You can book a session with us online and all of your questions will be answered in this session including when to prepare and suitability for the assessment.
Helping you prepare for the 2025 Music Aptitude Tests 