Our School
St Mary’s Music School is one of five Government-supported specialist music schools in the UK and the only one of its kind in Scotland. We offer a world class standard of music and academic education to musically gifted children aged 9-19 years in an inspiring, inclusive and supportive environment. We are also the Choir School of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. St Mary's Music School is co-educational, non-denominational and we attract day and boarding pupils from across Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally.
Entry criteria and financial support
Entry to St Mary's Music 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 per cent, is available through the Aided Places Scheme to assist with the cost of tuition and boarding fees. We are funded by fees, private and trust donations and rental income generated by the school.
Childrens' music classes
In addition, we run a long-established programme of Saturday Music Classes for children aged 4-14 during term time, enabling some 150 local children to discover the wonders of music.
A school for instrumentalists, composers, singers and choristers
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, we attract a number of pupils who perform on traditional instruments such as bagpipes, accordion and clarsach.
Excellent academic results
The School’s academic results are exceptional, supported by very small classes sizes, bespoke timetables and individual attention. There is a strong focus on languages, mathematics and science. In 2021 over 85% of SQA grades awarded resulted as Grade A with a percentage pass rate of 100% across all levels.
Bright futures
The majority of pupils choose to go on to study at top conservatoires in the UK and abroad, whilst others opt for university. In recent years pupils have progressed to study music at Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, BIMM, Oxford, Cambridge, University of Durham, University of St Andrews, University of Edinburgh.