Applying to Music
Find out how to craft the perfect personal statement for our Undergraduate Music degrees and how to go about applying for our courses.
Writing your Music personal statement
Our top tips for writing your music personal statement:
1. Avoid generalised statements
Use your personal statement to set yourself apart from other applicants.
Show us why you want to study music. What unique perspective could you bring?
2. Give specific examples
We really want to hear about your achievements, and crucially, your potential.
Tell us about gigs you have played, tours you have taken part in, or music you have written.
3. Show that you can think and write intelligently about music
Tell us about any relevant books, blogs or articles you’ve read.
Do you have any theories of your own, and how do they inform your music-making?
4. Make it cohesive
Bring together your thoughts, feelings and theories of music with examples of your experience – that will really help you to stand out.
5. Check it over
It sounds obvious, but we do receive applications that don’t seem to have been proofread.
Make sure you thoroughly check your statement. You need to present yourself in the best possible light.
The application process
If we feel you may be suitable for the course we’ll invite you to an Interview Day. These take place between December and April each year.
Our Interview Days are a very important part of the admissions process for our music degrees. They give us a better sense of your individuality and strengths, and allow you to find out more about studying with us.
On the day you’ll have an individual interview including a short informal audition, or you can bring a composition to discuss. There is also a Studying Music at Newcastle talk, a sample lecture, lunch, student performances, and a tour of our music facilities.
Our Interview Days take place in the Armstrong Building, the home of Music at Newcastle University. You’ll be welcomed in the foyer by staff and current students. The Armstrong Building is number 22 on the campus map.
Registration is at 11.00, followed by an introductory talk about Music at Newcastle University. Lunch is provided for you and your guests.
Interviews take place in the afternoon after lunch. You will also have a sample lecture and a student-led tour of our rehearsal spaces, studios and recording facilities.
You will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions about us, the course and the city.
The Interview Day will end at around 16.30.
Your informal interview will last 20-30 minutes. You'll be asked questions by two members of staff and there'll be time for you to ask any questions you have.
You should come prepared to talk about:
- your application
- your musical studies up to this point
- your audition piece – why you chose it, its historical and cultural contexts etc
- your musical practice and your musical interests, and how these relate to the study of music
Your audition piece should be around five minutes in length. Choose something you know well, and which clearly illustrates your capabilities and musical style. We don’t provide accompanists on the day, but you are welcome to bring your own or to play to a backing track.
An audition performance or composition that shows confidence and precision. You don't need to demonstrate everything you can do, but it should provide a good flavour of your musicality.
We hope you will communicate clearly and intelligently about your audition piece and about music more broadly. We don’t expect fully formed, highly detailed ideas, but enough to get a sense of your potential.
We’d like to know what you’ve read, and how this may inform your playing or composition.
We make decisions shortly after interview. If we decide to make you an offer, we’ll email you.
Candidates who are unsuccessful at the initial assessment stage, or after an interview, will be notified through UCAS.