Organ scholarship for Oxbridge

[redcat9]

Is it worthwhile to learn organ in order to increase your chance of getting into Oxbridge? I just learned that organ players can apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. Is it worth it? My DD has just achieved her piano diploma with distinction. She is open to the idea of learning a new instrument. Anyone tried this approach before? Thanks.

No. The organ scholarships are incredibly competitive and a lot of hard work. Only apply if your daughter wants the organ scholarship. Otherwise, just do your research and choose whether she wants to do the course at Oxford or Cambridge.

All that has already been said, @MyNameIsFine.

Now that the OP has (finally!) revealed that her daughter is only yr9 - there is room for more optimism …

That doesn't change my advice. She should only learn the organ if she's interested in it. She needs a passion for it. If what she's really aiming for is Oxbridge, she needs to study really hard to make sure she gets top GCSEs and then go from there. The OP asked should she study the organ just so that she could get an interview at both universities. That's a terrible reason.

I graduated an Oxford foundation organ scholarship a while ago, and here's my advice.

Don't pursue an organ scholarship to increase your chances of getting into Oxford. An organ scholarship at Oxford makes you the busiest student in your local College (depending on which College you go to, you could be spending more time on your Choir-related duties than on your actual degree, and the degree is already a headache). If you enrol on an Organ Scholarship for any reason other than a complete undying love for playing the organ and working with a choir, you will have a terrible time of it. Organ scholarships aren't hobbies at Oxford - mistakes are not tolerated, you're expected to turn up to Evensong being able to play the prescribed repertoire flawlessly while watching a conductor and listening to a choir. The work, the stress, the sky-high demands and expectations can only be made bearable if the organ is the love of your life. Organ scholarships should really be thought of as jobs, and those at Foundation colleges are very very much full-time jobs on top of your degree. Plus, it doesn't increase your chances of getting in - in fact academic requirements are slightly more stringent on organ scholars in some colleges, because they want to make sure you'll be able to do your degree relatively easily while working the organ.

BUT

Playing the organ, especially when working with a choir, is the best feeling in the world. I went in to Oxford solely to play the organ (it is the standard route for cathedral organists). The life of the organ scholar, while unimaginably busy and straining, is an experience without equal. Nowhere else are you expected to make music to a professional standard every day with one of the best choirs in the country (or the world, depending on your college) while studying. If you love playing the organ and conducting occasionally, and are adequately prepared, it can be the best place in the world.

Basically, I think you're approaching organ scholarships the wrong way around. Don't start learning the organ so you can have a chance of getting into Oxford / Cambridge: start learning the organ because it's the most wonderful instrument to play. If you like it enough you think you could make a career out of playing it, then the organ scholarship is for you - you'll need to play at an excellent standard and you'll want to get experience working with choirs, but if you have the motivation, the passion, and the work ethic, it can be the experience of a lifetime.

Organ scholars not that bright…are you insane?! Playing the organ involves reading 3 lines of music at once while controlling the stops and following the conductor, never mind transposition/harmonisation (often at sight).

All of the organ scholars I know have been incredibly musically gifted and extremely intelligent. It is not a free pass into Oxbridge as, as pps have said, you still need to get through the usual application process. Though if applying for music then it is highly unlikely that you would pass the audition and not also get a music offer.

A friend was an organ scholar at one of the smaller Cambridge colleges while studying Natsci (Chemical Engineering), which was a challenge. You don’t have to study music but it is easier if you do and there are certain degrees (eg I think medicine is one) where they don’t allow you to be an organ scholar alongside.

Like pps have said year 9 is ample time to start thinking about this and giving the organ a go. But don’t embark on it unless she truly loves the organ and the whole world of choral and church music, because she will be immersed in it to the detriment of almost all else. If she does love it though, it’s an amazing and life changing experience.

ETA - by embark on it I mean apply to be an organ scholar - she should definitely explore it now.