The St Marylebone CE School admits 168 girls into year 7 each year. Performing Arts places are offered to applicants who demonstrate a specific aptitude for one of the performing arts (dance, drama, music or choral). There are 16 Performing Arts places to offer each year.
All candidates applying for a Performing Arts place who have selected Music (Instrumental) on the application form will be sent an email from the school inviting them to sit a multiple-choice listening Music aptitude test. The test lasts for approximately 20 minutes and involves a variety of questions on pitch, rhythm, melody, and identifying similarities or differences in a piece of music. This test is designed to test musical aptitude and potential and as such assumes no previous training, knowledge or experience of music or music theory.
Round 1. MUSIC (Instrumental) places: The first round Music Aptitude Test is a multiples choice test split into five categories:
1. PITCH: A number of sounds will be played and applicants have to answer whether they think the sound is higher or lower in pitch than the previous sound.
2. RHYTHM: Rhythmic patterns will be clapped and applicants have to identify whether the second example is the same as or different from the first example.
3. MELODY: a) Applicants have to indicate whether two melodic patterns (played one after the other) are the same or different. b) Two melodic patterns will be heard and applicants will have to indicate how the second pattern is different from the first (if at all).
4. COMPARING PIECES: Two performances of the same piece of music will be heard, but in the second piece of music there has been one change. Applicants will have to choose from a variety of sentences to best describe the change that has been made.
5. GRAPHIC NOTATION: Applicants will be given several examples of graphic notation on their answer-sheet, and will hear a piece of music. They must indicate which of the graphic notation examples best represents what they hear.
Round 2 MUSIC (Instrumental) aptitude test: The Music (Instrumental) applicants with the highest scores in the Round 1 Music aptitude test will be sent an email from the school inviting them to attend the Round 2 Music (Instrumental) aptitude test. This assessment will test musical aptitude and ability further, but still assume no previous musical knowledge or experience. There will be a second aural test and all applicants will be invited to perform something which demonstrates their musical aptitude, on ONE instrument of their choice.
St Marylebone Church of England School
64 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 5BA
www.stmarylebone.school
Single MAT Practice Tests 1-12 audio downloads for sale on our Music Aptitude Tests website.
Single tests for £6.50.
MAT Practice Tests audio downloads for sale on our Music Aptitude Tests website. You can choose from tests Set A MAT 1-6, 7-12 or all 12 tests.
Six tests for £35.00.
Please click here for a list of schools in London that use the Music Aptitude Test as part of their secondary transfer process.