 In 1906 Murdoch won the (Sir William John) Clarke Scholarship, which entitled him to three years' tuition at the Royal College of Music, London.As the scholarship was not large enough to fully provide for the young man, it was agreed that he should receive the balance of his Austral Scholarship, and a further amount was raised from a concert and subscriptions at Bendigo.Murdoch spent four happy years at the London college and made great progress, under the guidance of Danish pianist and teacher, Frits Hartvigson.