Camden School for Girls – Music Aptitude Places Explained
Camden School for Girls offers a small number of specialist music places each year for students transferring from Year 6 into Year 7. These places are designed to recognise children with a natural ear for music and/or strong performance ability.
For September 2026 entry, 8 music places are available:
🎵 3 places awarded for musical aptitude only
🎵 5 places awarded for musical aptitude and performance ability
This means every applicant will sit a listening test, and the very highest scorers will either be offered a place directly or invited back for a short performance audition.
Register for Banding and Music Assessment
Parents must complete the school’s banding registration and the music application by midday, Tuesday 23rd September 2025.
Applicants must also complete the eAdmissions secondary transfer form by the national deadline (31st October 2025).
📌 Banding Assessment
Dates: Wednesday 24th September 2025 (1:30pm) OR Saturday 27th September 2025 (8:30am, 8:45am, 10:00am, or 10:15am)
Every applicant sits this test to ensure a balanced intake at the school.
It does not affect music place selection.
Round 1 - Music Aptitude Listening Test
All music applicants will sit a multiple-choice listening test.
Focus areas: Pitch, Rhythm, Melody, Texture (The Standard Music Aptitude test. This test format is also used by schools like: Moulsham, Chancellor’s, Dame Alice Owen’s, South West Herts schools, Twyford, Tiffin, Ealing Fields, Ada Lovelace, Herts and Essex, Liverpool College)
Graphic Score Questions
Camden School for Girls also includes graphic score listening questions. In these questions, children must link what they hear to visual symbols, shapes, or diagrams, testing sound–symbol association and musical interpretation.
Extra Support: Graphic Score Preparation
Duration: About 90 minutes
No instruments, no singing, no theory knowledge needed
This test measures natural musical aptitude, not previous training.
What happens next?
The top 3 scorers will be offered a place based on aptitude alone.
The next 50 highest scorers will be invited to Round 2 (performance audition).
A waiting list will be created for aptitude-only candidates, ranked in order of scores.
🎧 Round 2 – Aural & Performance Test
Invitation only (for top scorers from Round 1)
Takes place on a Saturday morning in early October
Involves:
A second short listening test (aural skills)
A short performance on ONE instrument of choice
Step 3 – Performance Audition
The top 50 from the listening test will be invited to perform.
Students perform 1–2 pieces on one or two instruments/voice
Maximum length: 5 minutes
Repertoire: could be self-taught, learned at school, or through lessons
Focus is on musicality, style, and communication, not just technical difficulty
No accompanist is provided, but families may bring their own if they wish.
The top 5 scorers in this stage will be offered the remaining aptitude + ability places. A waiting list will also be created in ranked order.
Results and Offers
Families will be informed by Friday 10th October 2025 if they have been successful or invited to audition.
Final results will be confirmed before the 31st October 2025 eAdmissions deadline, so parents can make an informed decision.
On National Offer Day (2nd March 2026), families will be formally notified by their Local Authority if their child has secured a Camden music place.
Quick Overview
Total music places: 8 (3 aptitude only, 5 aptitude + performance)
Stage 1: Listening test (multiple-choice, no prior training needed)
Stage 2: Short performance audition (for top 50 candidates)
Because graphic scores are an important part of the Camden MAT test, we strongly recommend targeted preparation.
👉 Graphic Score Masterclass
Designed specifically to support:Ashmole Academy
St Marylebone CE School
Camden School for Girls
and other schools using graphic score–based aptitude tests.
✅ The Camden process is quite competitive but also very fair, giving equal opportunity to children who may or may not have had formal music training.
Try our Free 11+ Music Aptitude Test Practice Pack – includes downloadable audio questions, PDF answer sheet, and expert preparation tips.
Click image to see how the App works!
Want to Help Your Child Prepare?
Our Music Aptitude Maestros App is a perfect companion for independent practice!
♫ Join our 8-Module Digital Course
If you’d like to book our Music Aptitude Mastery Course, which gives your child expert support and structured preparation, click below to learn more!
