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Welcome to St Mary’s Music School, an independent specialist music school based in Edinburgh, where we provide a world-class music and academic education to talented young primary and secondary school musicians. Our mission is to open our doors to young instrumentalists, composers, singers and choristers who show outstanding potential, giving them the opportunity to flourish and excel, musically and academically, in a safe, supportive and inspiring environment.

As Scotland’s national music school – one of five Government-supported specialist music schools in the UK and the only one of our kind in Scotland – a passion for music lies at the heart of everything we do.  Our school welcomes young instrumentalists, composers, singers and choristers.

A pathway to an exciting future

Many of our alumni can be found playing with international orchestras, forging independent paths in jazz or contemporary music, or taking up the baton as music educators. Others choose to follow non-musical tertiary education and career options but keep their passion for music alive in other ways. Whatever future path our pupils choose, we know it will be an exciting one, and we are delighted they took their first steps with us.

We are committed to nurturing the next generation of musical talent and we attract pupils from Scotland and beyond, providing financial support through the Scottish Government Aided Places Scheme, Cathedral Bursaries and our own School Bursary Fund. This ensures that all young people with musical talent and potential have access to the rich, specialist education we provide, regardless of their means or circumstances.

Enjoy exploring our website to find out more about St Mary’s Music School and the extraordinary experience we offer young people who share our passion for music:

explore  ABOUT ST MARY’S MUSIC SCHOOL

explore THE MUSIC SCHOOL

explore THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR SCHOOL

explore ACADEMIC AND SCHOOL LIFE

explore MUSIC FOR ALL

We welcome talented young instrumentalists, composers and singers from 9 to 19 years of age (P5 to S6 extension year).

Our specialist music teaching encompasses instruments from the keyboard, string, woodwind, brass and percussion families, across classical, contemporary, early music, chamber music, traditional and folk music, and jazz genres. We offer composition as a first-study option and our new Vocal Department is open to young singers aged 13 and above.

School and academic life here is rich and varied, with around a third of our young musicians boarding with us on campus, and admission is by audition, with musical ability and potential our only criteria. We consider every application individually and offer places on merit, regardless of financial circumstances.

explore THE MUSIC SCHOOL

Our Cathedral Choir School provides an opportunity for young choristers to study and perform as part of the Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, which enjoys an international reputation through concerts, recordings, broadcasts and tours.

Choristers are fully immersed in the famous daily choral tradition of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and join us when they are 8 or 9 years old, committing to a five-year programme of chorister life. The chorister curriculum is a demanding but rewarding one, with time split between rehearsing and singing at the Cathedral and academic learning at St Mary's Music School. Staff from the Cathedral and the School work closely together to ensure that every child is supported musically, academically and pastorally.

As their time at the Cathedral Choir School comes to an end in S2, choristers have the opportunity to audition and join the Music School as an instrumentalist, composer or singer. If successful, they stay with St Mary’s Music School for the remainder of their secondary education, or we support them to move on with confidence to a new school. As well as the superb singing training that choristers enjoy, the academic standards at St Mary's Music School are extremely high thanks to small class sizes and individual, focused attention.

explore THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR SCHOOL

At St Mary's Music School, we champion inclusivity by inspiring a diverse community of musical learners and by making learning affordable for everyone.

As Scotland’s national music school, we believe we have a responsibility to contribute to the fabric of music making in this country and, as well as collaborating extensively with other music organisations and institutions, we deliver our own rich and varied outreach programme.

Since 1978, thousands of children aged between 4 and 12 years have been inspired by our Saturday Music Classes where they have the opportunity to discover the joy of music making in a safe, caring, and fun-filled environment. Our Open Masterclass Programme allows us to introduce some of the world’s leading musical performers to teachers and pupils from schools right across Scotland, and our Summer Schools provide a fabulous opportunity for talented young musicians from around the world to spend dedicated time with us, honing their skills in an immersive and exciting musical environment.

EXPLORE Music For All