UPDATED: Ashmole Academy Music Aptitude Test Sunday 9th June 2024 for 2025 Secondary School Admissions

With the start of the new year the dates have now been released for Ashmole Academy’s Music Aptitude Test. This takes place earlier than most other UK schools so do note the dates for your diary:

Music Aptitude Test: Sunday 9^th June 2024 – Musical Aptitude Listening Test – held at Ashmole Academy

Full list of dates here.

Note that Ashmole do their test earlier than most other UK state secondary schools for 2025 admissions.

The test will take approximately forty minutes to complete, and will consist of approximately sixty questions relating to music, including pitch, shape, volume, lengths of sound, texture and speed of sound.

After the listening test

After the listening test has taken place, parents of all candidates will receive a response letter.  Candidates who achieve a mark of 45 or above will be invited to attend an audition during which they will need to sing or perform a piece on a musical instrument of their choice.

You can download our training exercises to use with your music teacher to help you prepare for these tests. We also offer 1-to-1 Zoom lessons.

Book a Zoom lesson here:

Register on Eventbrite

Audition

Candidates will be free to choose the piece they perform, which should last no longer than three minutes. The performance will take place in front of a panel of three music professionals which consists of the Academy’s music teachers and an independent music specialist.

If the piece chosen runs up to three minutes, the child will be asked to stop the performance at that point. Each child will be given their own appointment for their audition, which will not take place in front of any other pupils. Again, the purpose of the audition is not to assess the child’s ability to sing or play the musical instrument, but rather to determine whether the child has the potential to learn or develop musical skills as a student of the Academy.

After all of the auditions have taken place, each child’s aptitude for music will be graded in relation to their performance at the audition. The pupils will then be ranked and the top 20 highest ranked candidates (who apply) will be allocated an aptitude place.