<p>I’m a 15-year-old soprano, and I have an FTCL in voice. I’m thinking of applying for conservatories in UK - RAM, RCM, RNCM, and Guildhall (these are the ones I heard are good).</p>
<p>I have been doing some research, and the minimum requirements are an age of 18+ and A-levels? I haven’t done my A-Levels yet and I’m obviously underage, but I was wondering if they would still consider taking me because I have an FTCL?</p>
<p>Please help!!</p>
<p>Any other advice for me is also welcome!</p>
<p>Thank you in advance :)</p>
<p>Hello, youngsoprano, you may wish to contact the schools directly to get your answer. By the way, what is an “FTCL”? Pardon the ignorance.</p>
<p>I don’t know what a FTCL is either, but the conservatories have the minimum requirements for a reason. Agree that your best answer if from the schools. In any case you should complete your schooling and get the A levels done (or if there is an equivalent do that). That will better prepare you for the rest of your life. If you can do that before you are 18 then see if they will look at you. You can continue to study voice with a private teacher in the meantime.</p>
<p>CLRN8MOM and Singersmom07, thank you both for your replies.</p>
<p>FTCL is a music diploma meaning Fellow of Trinity College, London.The standard of performance is equivalent to the performance component on completion of a full-time post-graduate course at a conservatoire or other higher education establishment.</p>
<p>And yes, I shall contact the schools directly to find out. I was just wondering if anyone would know how they usually deal with these cases. :)</p>
<p>Just a guess here, but I’d say that the key is “performance component”; that leaves a lot missing.
Singersmom07 was spot on when she said that “conservatories usually have minimum ages for a reason”, especially when it comes to voice students. Voices are slower to mature, and although youngsoprano may have a piece of paper from Trinity College that says that she has progressed to a certain level on their scale, the voice of a 15 year old is still vastly different from that of a singer 3-7 years older, which would be what she would be up against at a school such as the Royal Conservatory. Damage to the voice could result and reputable schools are reluctant to take that risk.
That being said, the OP has nothing to lose by contacting the schools, since things are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Since she is far younger than the minimum age listed and is missing the academics, my supposition is that they will tell her to sit her exams and then come back and talk to them.</p>
<p>Mezzo’sMama, thank you very much for your kind advice.</p>
<p>I am aware of the things you said, that is why I am still considering and discussing about this with my teachers and parents. Thank you for reminding me about this.</p>
<p>Good luck, youngsoprano, and let us know what happens! Please though, be careful, you have plenty of time ahead of you and risking polyps or nodes just isn’t worth it to gain a year or two now. Additionally, not having the formal education can be a problem later on; yes, you plan on a career as a performer, but you just never know where life will take you, and you should at least have high school in the bag so that university would be an option if you had to go into another field of study.</p>