Music

Studying Music allows students to explore and examine different musical cultures. genres, and styles whilst also providing the opportunity to develop performance and composition skills.

Below you will find information about the specific degree courses offered by Oxford University and Cambridge University to study Music, how to prepare, and how Oxbridge Interviews can help you with your Music application.

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The Faculty of Music at Cambridge University is one of the most prestigious music institutions in the UK. Beyond its world-class musicology faculty, its alumni include Joanna MacGregor, James Gilchrist, Sir John Elliot Gardiner and Thomas Ades.

The three year Music course is competitive with 1 in 3 applicants successful. To be offered a place, you generally need to get A*AA at A Level (or equivalent), and you must have studied Music at A Level.

Oxford’s music faculty boasts alumni including Roderick Williams, Emma Kirkby, Simon Rattle and Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

The three year Music course is competitive with 37% its applicants successful. To be offered a place, you generally need to get AAA at A Level (or equivalent), and you must have studied Music at A Level.

To prepare for your Music application, you must demonstrate your motivation for the subject and specific interests. You can do this by reading beyond your school curriculum. Our interviewers recommend:

'A Very Short Introduction: Music' by Nicholas Cook
'The Classical Style' by Charles Rosen

Practice interviews for Music applications are critical. You wouldn’t sit an exam without doing a mock, so don’t place yourself in an interview without having experienced a practice interview first.

Alex (Music, Oxford)

Alex completed his undergraduate degree in Music at Merton College, Oxford. Since graduating, he completed a Master's in composition at Cambridge University and now works as a freelance composer.

Q&A

Alex, why do you enjoy interviewing with Oxbridge Interviews?

"It's great to talk about the subject I love with students. Working to help them engage further with the subject is very rewarding!"

What’s your advice to students applying to Music?

"Keep listening to new things no matter what kind - there is no 'right' music! Think about why you like the music you like and explore the variety of factors that affect the perception of music from the sonic output itself to contextual things like social, biographical and cultural factors."

Applicants to Music at Cambridge are not required to sit an admissions test.

Applicants to Music at Oxford are required to attend a practical Music Performance Test.

Learn more about the Music Performance Test