Music Performance

A BMus in Music Performance trains you to reach a high level of technical and artistic mastery on your principal instrument or voice. You study performance practice, music theory, aural training, harmony, and music history alongside regular one-to-one lessons with specialist tutors. Ensemble playing, chamber music, and orchestral or choral participation form a central part of your weekly timetable, giving you extensive stage experience. Many programmes offer opportunities for Erasmus exchanges with European conservatoires, broadening your stylistic range and professional network. By graduation you will have built a substantial performance portfolio, given public recitals, and developed skills in music education, community engagement, or arts administration to support a portfolio career.

Entry to BMus Performance programmes at RIAM, TU Dublin Conservatoire, and MTU Cork School of Music is primarily by competitive audition rather than CAO points alone, though a CAO application is still required. A good Leaving Certificate is expected, and English at Ordinary level or above is a standard minimum; there are no subject-specific Higher-level requirements unique to music performance beyond the general minimum entry conditions. CAO points for these programmes tend to be moderate to low on paper, but the audition standard is demanding and acts as the primary filter. Applicants who have completed a QQI Level 5 or 6 Music Performance or Music Technology award at a College of Further Education may apply through the QQI/FET progression route. Mature applicants aged 23 or over may apply directly and are assessed mainly on audition. HEAR and DARE access schemes are available for eligible applicants through the CAO.

The Irish live music and arts sector has grown steadily, supported by funding from the Arts Council and increased investment in cultural infrastructure. However, portfolio careers are the norm — most graduates combine performance, teaching, and other music-related work rather than relying on a single employer. Demand for instrumental teachers remains consistent, and community and healthcare settings are creating new roles for music practitioners. Graduates with entrepreneurial skills and strong networks tend to build sustainable careers, though income in the early years can be variable.