Oxford Music interview
Mine will be towards the end of the year, so I’ve still got time, but I’d love to get ahead and make the most of the time I’ve got now.
I don’t know many people studying music at Oxford, so any tips or insight into what the interviews are like would be super helpful.
Thanks in advance!
Reply 1
), but a few general tips:•
Know sonata form inside out, back-to-front. Ideally, know about some derivative forms (e.g. sonata rondo) and how they work. This is for the analysis section of the interview
•
Try reading Nicholas Cook's book, Music: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Uni Press). It's a good taster of the musicology questions/topics that might come up. Equally though, if you don't understand the book a bit/at all at this stage, please don't worry at all. It took me three goes (pre-interview, first year of Oxford, and then second year at Oxford) to finally understand it 
so you'll be in good company 
•
Be prepared to talk in breadth and depth about anything you've mentioned on your UCAS application, in an Oxford interview. Things from your statement may come up a lot, or not at all, or anything in between. I had a whole interview on my personal statement, for example
•
Equally, with the written work examples you send in, make sure it's a topic you'd be confident explaining and expanding upon in an interview, if needed 
•
I'm not sure if there's still a performance component to the interview period but if there is, please don't stress over it. It's just a formality to make sure if you said you've done your FTCL piano diploma in your UCAS form, that you're actually at that standard and didn't talk ******** 
•
Practice talking about your ideas and interests aloud in advance of the interview. You don't need to get a tutor or join a special Oxbridge-related programme to do this. Just say to your friends, "hey, can I tell you about this really cool Mahler symphony I heard the other day?" and then talk about it!
Good luck and let me know if you'd like me to explain anything further. Though as I said, I did the older more traditional course from years ago
Shan
Reply 2
), but a few general tips:•
Know sonata form inside out, back-to-front. Ideally, know about some derivative forms (e.g. sonata rondo) and how they work. This is for the analysis section of the interview
•
Try reading Nicholas Cook's book, Music: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Uni Press). It's a good taster of the musicology questions/topics that might come up. Equally though, if you don't understand the book a bit/at all at this stage, please don't worry at all. It took me three goes (pre-interview, first year of Oxford, and then second year at Oxford) to finally understand it so you'll be in good company
•
Be prepared to talk in breadth and depth about anything you've mentioned on your UCAS application, in an Oxford interview. Things from your statement may come up a lot, or not at all, or anything in between. I had a whole interview on my personal statement, for example
•
Equally, with the written work examples you send in, make sure it's a topic you'd be confident explaining and expanding upon in an interview, if needed
•
I'm not sure if there's still a performance component to the interview period but if there is, please don't stress over it. It's just a formality to make sure if you said you've done your FTCL piano diploma in your UCAS form, that you're actually at that standard and didn't talk ********
•
Practice talking about your ideas and interests aloud in advance of the interview. You don't need to get a tutor or join a special Oxbridge-related programme to do this. Just say to your friends, "hey, can I tell you about this really cool Mahler symphony I heard the other day?" and then talk about it!
Good luck and let me know if you'd like me to explain anything further. Though as I said, I did the older more traditional course from years ago
Shan
Hi Shan thank you so much for all of that- super helpful! Should I be reading other things as well as the Nicholas cook book? I started reading one on music sociology a few months ago but I can’t remember what it’s called…
Reply 3
Oh and also would you please be able to expand more on the analysis section of the interview and what it’s like? Sorry for asking so many questions haha I know it was a long time ago for you now so it’s ok if you find it too hard to remember!
Reply 4
Music is one of the subjects at Oxford that doesn't presume that you've read texts about music pre-interview. So you don't have to have read anything in order to apply. Obviously if you want to read something, or you see something that takes your fancy, by all means read it and write about it in your UCAS form!
But don't worry if you haven't mentioned any wider reading. I didn't do any wider reading prior to start the course or doing the interview 
So unless things have radically changed, during the interview they'll give you a short excerpt of music and ask you questions about it, or to tell them about it. Things to consider:
•
Who might the composer be?
•
What musical 'period' (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century, 21st,etc.) might it be from?
•
Is what you've seen the whole piece, or is it part of a bigger extract?
•
What might the form be?
•
Any interesting features?
•
What key signature does it start and end in, and are there any firm modulations in between?
At my interview, they literally plonked it in front of you and gave you a minute or two to look at it. This was because interviews were in person. I don't know how the analysis stuff works online
Reply 5
Reply 6
), but a few general tips:•
Know sonata form inside out, back-to-front. Ideally, know about some derivative forms (e.g. sonata rondo) and how they work. This is for the analysis section of the interview
•
Try reading Nicholas Cook's book, Music: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Uni Press). It's a good taster of the musicology questions/topics that might come up. Equally though, if you don't understand the book a bit/at all at this stage, please don't worry at all. It took me three goes (pre-interview, first year of Oxford, and then second year at Oxford) to finally understand it so you'll be in good company
•
Be prepared to talk in breadth and depth about anything you've mentioned on your UCAS application, in an Oxford interview. Things from your statement may come up a lot, or not at all, or anything in between. I had a whole interview on my personal statement, for example
•
Equally, with the written work examples you send in, make sure it's a topic you'd be confident explaining and expanding upon in an interview, if needed
•
I'm not sure if there's still a performance component to the interview period but if there is, please don't stress over it. It's just a formality to make sure if you said you've done your FTCL piano diploma in your UCAS form, that you're actually at that standard and didn't talk ********
•
Practice talking about your ideas and interests aloud in advance of the interview. You don't need to get a tutor or join a special Oxbridge-related programme to do this. Just say to your friends, "hey, can I tell you about this really cool Mahler symphony I heard the other day?" and then talk about it!
Shan
I would say all of this advice still holds true! Performance is now assessed by a video you submit with all your written work in early November and it essentially acts as a verification of what level you’ve claimed to be at in your personal statement.
The best advice I can give (alongside what’s already been given) is to make sure your ability to analyse score and unseen text is fairly rapid and accurate. Whilst interviews aren’t strictly a ‘test’, you are limited in how much time you have with a text or score before the interview and you want to be sure that you’ve caught the most ‘interesting’ aspects of the score and text. For text, I found reading texts recommended by the faculty to be of use, as well as reading articles from newspapers like the guardian and New Statesman relating to current issues in the arts and music sector. I would also strongly advise you to be comfortable with ‘analysing’ (really just discussing) scores and musics of all genres and periods. It is no longer the case that you can be guaranteed to analyse an 18th c piano piece (this is to reflect the changing nature of the analysis course which is being diversified beyond western art music), so be sure you are comfortable and familiar with as much music as you can! Listening to new things is the best way to do this I feel.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Reply 7
The best advice I can give (alongside what’s already been given) is to make sure your ability to analyse score and unseen text is fairly rapid and accurate. Whilst interviews aren’t strictly a ‘test’, you are limited in how much time you have with a text or score before the interview and you want to be sure that you’ve caught the most ‘interesting’ aspects of the score and text. For text, I found reading texts recommended by the faculty to be of use, as well as reading articles from newspapers like the guardian and New Statesman relating to current issues in the arts and music sector. I would also strongly advise you to be comfortable with ‘analysing’ (really just discussing) scores and musics of all genres and periods. It is no longer the case that you can be guaranteed to analyse an 18th c piano piece (this is to reflect the changing nature of the analysis course which is being diversified beyond western art music), so be sure you are comfortable and familiar with as much music as you can! Listening to new things is the best way to do this I feel.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
PRSOM. Stupid TSR won't let me rep this
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