Admission Consultation
Are you seeking advice on admission to a conservatoire or university? Having studied music at both types of institutions, I can provide valuable tips to boost your chances of success.
Consultation Features
- One-to-one online consultation (parents are welcome!)
- Consultation tailored to students’ individual goals and aspirations
- Action points provided after consultation
- Insider’s tips…
Admission Consultation
Applying to conservatoire and university is a daunting experience that still feels very fresh to me. It’s always a stressful process, and you may ask yourself: is it worth the time? Do I even stand a chance? What if I got no offer at all? And is a career in musical really that glamorous? These are common questions that often come up—the last to which I will say “no, it’s not as glamorous as you think it is,” because in reality there are often a lot of challenges and the industry is extremely competitive.
The other questions, though, will depend on your individual circumstances. It’s impossible to tell your chance of success without having seen you perform/compose, and thus whether applying to the schools is worth your time at all. Likewise, it’s difficult to work out a plan without first knowing about your strength/weakness and personal aspirations. This is precisely the purpose of the consultation: it allows me to find out more about you and give you an honest opinion about your application.
Beyond all the fact-finding, I can also discuss the following topics:
- Differences between universities and conservatoires
- Tackling essay responses (US) or personal statements (UK)
- Choices of institutes that are suitable to you
- Choices of audition repertoire
- How to succeed in interviews
- Actions that you can undertake to boost your chances
- Subject choices during high school
- Other logistics (VISA, English requirement, scholarships, etc.)
- Reality check (e.g. what if no school offered you a place?)
With multiple deadlines to juggle (miss one, and you may well have to wait for another year!), you should consider someone to hold you accountable. This is someone who can check in with you regularly and support you mentally in this otherwise stressful but life-changing journey. This can be your parents, of course, but sometimes my students do ask me specifically to hold them accountable. In this case, we can work together over a longer timeframe and focus on specific tasks whenever required. I may also connect you to some of my colleagues who have walked your path too.
Having both ups and downs in my own musical journey—rejected by schools for my undergraduate studies, only to be accepted by the same schools for master’s and doctorate years later—I’m sure there is something that I can share. If you are determined to embark on your musical journey, then I’d invite you to get in touch as soon as possible.
Testimonials
“Owen is well placed to be my our consultant with his experience in studying at both universities and conservatoires. Being a non-musician myself, I hardly know anything about the admission process nor the reality of this industry. He offered really valuable, first-hand insights to us and my daughter feels extremely grateful to his help.”
Jon C. – parent
“My son wanted to study music at conservatoire, but after discussing with Owen, it turned out he’d thrive better in a university setting in the long run. It hasn’t been something that I could get an honest opinion on since all the school admission officers / prospectuses seem to claim they are better than one another… (well!) so thank you, Owen!”
Quint T. – parent
“Our relationship with Owen started from an initial consultation, which became a 2-year mentorship where he held our son accountable. We checked in regularly and this has really given us a peace of mind that we would meet all the important deadlines and do all the right things. At times, Owen also offered to provide extra sessions to go through specific tasks such as analysing the audition pieces and reviewing personal statement with my son. It’s just superb, no regret!”
Amelia G. – parent
Q&A
It usually starts with some fact-finding so that I get to know the student’s goals. Then it is really dependent on where the students would like to study. There are always different requirements for different schools, although some topics are more common, such as those I’ve included in the main paragraph – check out the points I’ve listed there!
Normally, it’s about ABRSM Grade 8 standard (often candidates already have ATCL or DipABRSM). But it’s as much about playing/composing the notes correctly as how charismatically you do it. I don’t mean you need to have an extravagant hairstyle or attire, but simply your personality as expressed through the music. Conservatoires are always looking for musicians who shows promising prospect as performer/composer. The “what” is just as important the as the “how”. In other words, it’s about you, not just the notes!
After the consultation, you can request for longer-term support to aid your preparation process, which can can often take 1 to 2 years. In this case, my role will be akin to a mentor/supervisor, so that I can check in on you regularly and provide any support as needed. This can occur every fortnight or month. This way you will have a greater peace of mind knowing that there’s always someone (who has walked the path) to support you mentally. Morale is key!