Congratulations – Gold Arts Award Success!

A huge well done to Heather and Freyja, who have just passed their Gold Arts Award Qualification with Trinity College London!

The Gold Arts Award is the highest level of the Arts Award, offering young people insight into the professional arts world. It encourages them to refine their artistic skills, lead projects, explore arts-related issues, and develop leadership expertise. The qualification is worth 16 UCAS points, making it a valuable asset for university and job applications.

We’re incredibly grateful to Dr Claire-Gillian McIntosh for her dedication to the Arts Award programme at ACMS for over a decade. Claire is leaving us at the end of this term to pursue new career opportunities, passions, and time with family, and we wish her all the very best for the future.

Theory Success – The 100% Club!

As many of you know, Mr Stewart leads our theory programme, ensuring that our pupils develop a deep understanding of music literacy as they progress through the ABRSM Theory Syllabus.

We aim high in our theory studies—not just working towards exams but building a strong, lasting, and profound foundation in music theory. While Grade 5 Theory is the recognised benchmark, we encourage pupils to go beyond not only passing this but also to develop a thorough understanding of all areas of the subject. Several of our pupils are now working beyond Grade 5 and towards Grade 6 and beyond.

Huge congratulations to Alexis, who has just achieved full marks on an ABRSM Grade 1 specimen paper and is now a proud member of our fun and informal ‘100% Club’!

Thank you, as always, to Mr Stewart for his dedication and enthusiasm in teaching music theory.

March Concert – Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has sent in such lovely feedback about our March Concert. This event is always a highlight of the ACMS year, and we are immensely proud of our pupils for the passion, commitment, and artistry they bring to the stage.

Of course, a performance of this scale wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support behind the scenes. A huge thank you to all the ACMS staff, tutors, boarding staff, Katie Arthur and the Dyce Academy team, parents, and supporters from Aberdeen and beyond. Your dedication makes all the difference!

Floreat ACMS!

Nikita Lukinov Masterclass – A Truly Special Experience

🎶✨ What an unforgettable afternoon! ✨🎶

We were honoured to welcome the phenomenal pianist Nikita Lukinov to ACMS for a stunning recital and an inspiring masterclass with our senior pianists. From his breathtaking performance to his thoughtful and insightful coaching, Nikita shared a wealth of wisdom, passion, and expertise.

It was particularly inspiring to hear from someone who, like many of our pupils, trained at a specialist music school before continuing his studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

A huge thank you to Nikita for sharing his time, knowledge, and artistry with us—we’re all feeling incredibly motivated!

Aberdeen City Orchestra Youth Ensemble

Good luck to our young musicians who will be performing Beethoven 6 tonight alongside Weber's Bassoon Concerto with Lucy Webster, one of our ACMS tutors.

19:30 to 21:40

Fountainhall Church at the Stocket

Harcourt RoadAberdeen, Scotland, AB15 5NZUnited Kingdom (map)

Aberdeen Music Festival

Please get entries in for this competition. The deadline for entries has been extended to Friday 11th April.

Congratulations to Amelia and Katya!

Well done to Amelia and Katya for performing at Cowdray Hall on Thursday lunchtime. This concert featured some of the finalists from the Scottish Young Musician Aberdeen Finals earlier in the week and provided music in the lead-up to the performance of Clara Jane Maunder’s The Sea Journey. Clara Jane wrote the piece for Aberdeen City Music Service pupils to celebrate the Tall Ships returning to the city.

Clara Jane is well known to us at ACMS, and some of you may remember that she arranged a fantastic Christmas medley for our Beach Ballroom performance. The Aberdeen Sinfonietta will be premiering Clara Jane’s second Tall Ships piece, The Coast, on 18th May at the Music Hall.

Scottish Young Musician – Aberdeen City Final

A massive well done to all our talented pupils who took part in the Scottish Young Musician Aberdeen City Finals at Cowdray Hall this week! 🎻🎹🎺

Months of hard work and dedication led to this moment, and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you! A special thank you to our tutors for their guidance and to the judges, who had the incredibly tough task of selecting the winners.

A big thank you to Aberdeen City Music Service for organising such a successful competition! 🌟

P7 Welcome Day

It was a pleasure to welcome some of our new S1 pupils to Dyce Academy and ACMS for their P7 Welcome Day. These pupils successfully auditioned for ACMS in January, and this event gave them (and their parents) the chance to tour the Academy, ask questions, and get a sense of what to expect as they join us in August.

We look forward to seeing them all again soon!

Percussion Suite – A Fresh New Look!

You may have heard that our percussion suite has had a bit of a makeover! After two and a half decades of drum lessons (and a fair few drumsticks making their mark on the ceiling!), it was time for a refresh.

The ceiling has now been completely replaced, and over the past two days, a team has been in to redecorate the entire room. It’s looking as good as new and will be ready for the start of next term!

7:45 Concerts Are Back!

Now that the March Concert is behind us, our 7:45 concerts have resumed. It was fantastic to see a full roster on Wednesday night and a jazz performance on Thursday, as our pupils embraced the opportunity to perform for their peers in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Performance is a skill that needs regular practice, and these concerts provide an invaluable chance to refine stage presence, build confidence, and experiment with new repertoire in a safe space.