Any DC studying music/ composing at Uni or via a conservatoire?

[DegreeInMusic]

DS is very seriously considering a career in music. In fact, very specifically, composition.

He is in year 12, grade 8 in 2 instruments and Music Theory, and is doing A'level Maths, Chemistry and Music. He is already composing and received very positive feedback on it, and is already teaching music to students.

Up until a few months ago, he was set on a degree in Chemistry but now seems to have his heart set on music. We have suggested a year's gap studying music and deferring his original choice but ultimately it is his decision, and his happiness is my main priority.

I am interested to hear from parents whose DC have taken up music, whether at Uni or elsewhere and what types of courses were taken and any feedback.

This is not a subject I know a lot about, and want to support DS.

Friend of dd’s studies music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London (Greenwich). Big audition process. She did grade 8 in yr 11 in clarinet and g 8 theory too. Also plays sax, piano, flute.

She’s studying classical clarinet and hopes to stay in London to be a pro clarinetist I think.

What did you want to know? FWIW dd mate did plan to take maths at uni but changed her mind in sixth form. She is an amazing player tho, was playing at a localish conservatoire on a weekly basis for 2-3 years before she left school.

I'd check out some open days this summer and talk to some current students.

Uni vs conservatoire will differ in the proportion of practical to academic work and in some of the networking opportunities. If he wants to work as a composer I would say he should look seriously at conservatoire training but it's maybe less pronounced for composers than instrumentalists and finding a department that suits him is probably the most important thing.

My DD is at a US Conservatoire. PM me if you want info.

My DS is also planning to do a music degree and is very interested in composing. He has offers for Oxford (firm), Durham (insurance), Cardiff and York.

He particularly wanted a BA degree which did limit his choices. Manchester, Birmingham, Royal Holloway and others do the BMUS which is more based in performance.

He did consider doing a composing degree at a Conservatoire but decided he would rather do a general music degree so not to limit his choices and then do a Masters in composing.

He did the Sutton Trust's Music Summer School at Cambridge which he enjoyed but he'd fallen in love with Oxford on their open day. I'd suggest looking at all the different music courses available and visiting as many open days as you can.

St Catz, Oxford have a Music taster day that your son might be interested in https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/outreach/academic-taster-days/

Have you look into US universities they can double major in lots of subjects. Know someone that did Physics and Music at Stanford from London due to this option not available in UK. They got help with funding and summer paid internships.

NC for this. My son studied Popular Music and Recording at Salford and focused on Composition, then studied a Masters in Composing for Film and TV at the NFTS. He now writes music for TV and has a successful sound library business. Some of his friends there studied at conservatoires and write now write music for TV and movies, too. It didn't make a difference when they applied to the NFTS. That MA certainly helped but it's very expensive. (Some grants and bursaries are available.)

Ds is at Conservatoire and has migrated over time from performance to composition. Happy to answer in more detail by pm.

I’m curious to know if you have to be g8 in instruments to get into music degrees/conservatoires

is 6/7 in two instruments enough with good A levels and GCSEs? Plus musical extra curriculars?

Conservatoires are audition only - they don’t care if you have multiple grades or none, they just care if you perform at an exceptionally high level or have exceptional potential to do so.

And you will usually audition in a single instrument, though ds auditioned in 2 at 1 conservatoire and was offered places for both.

Thank you - so a more general music degree would be a better fit

Yes. The balance between marks for performance vs academic music might also vary between Music degrees (BMus / BA) so worth looking into.

The Unis my DS looked at for a BA wanted A Level Music or Music Theory grade 7 or 8 if your school didn’t do A level Music. Instrument grades weren’t part of the entrance requirement.
Some unis asked for key board skills grade 5 but a lot didn’t like Oxford.

DD is studying at the Royal College - not composition although she works with that department a lot and one of her flatmates is a composer. For RCM (and most conservatoires) if you are applying for composition you submit a portfolio and don't need to audition unless you want to.

I have a friend whose daughter is studying at Manchester and wants to be a composer. She had an interview and had to submit some compositions in advance - this seemed fairly normal if you apply with an interest in composition - she also had interviews at Liverpool and Goldsmiths and was asked to send them compositions in advance as was the daughter of another friend who applied to Huddersfield and Leeds.

Guildhall run a summer school for composers that might be worth looking at as does Wells Cathedral School. The latter might also be able to provide some guidance as they have a specialist music stream that sends loads on to conservatoire and music degrees every year.

PM me if you want me to ask around a bit.

Thanks v helpful will dig around

i wonder if there is more an expectation that they get g8? Surely not every student has the time or money to get g8 by 17?

Ooh interesting! Had no idea about composing summer schools. She does music a level though which has it in it

My son did the Sound and Music composing summer school at Purcell last year and really enjoyed it.
https://soundandmusic.org/learn/summer-school/
They have extended the application deadline to 24th April.

I think that would depend on the institution you apply for.

I would say ideally minimum grade 8 distinction in one.
That's what I was told many years ago and I got in to one of the London conservatoires. Standards seem higher now.

It does also depend on genre. Away from classical, grades are less of a ‘thing’ and performance in audition will be all.

I’m friendly with alumnae from a handful of conservatoires - particularly in London. The ‘usual’ route amongst the composers amongst them seems to be Music for first degree at university (quite often Oxbridge) and then Composition at Master’s level at a conservatoire.

By postgrad level they almost all teach part time, and may well have other small business ventures too. They need to be tremendously hard working, well organised, and proactive about carving out their professional space - it’s quite incredibly competitive.