Music Oxford & Cambridge University Interview Questions

Past admissions interview questions for Music

• If you could invent a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make? (Oxford University Website)

• Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Discuss. (molivam42's weblog)

• Do you feel that music is an art incomparable to history in that history cannot be performed? (Oxbridge Applications)

• Why do black men say that white men can't rap? (Oxbridge Applications)

• How did Wagner’s operas influence the history of Western music? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• Why has music developed the way it has? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• Which venue do you most like to play in acoustically? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• Consider Girls Aloud and football anthems with reference to functionality of music. (Oxford Interview Questions)

• How had the piano developed by the time of Beethoven? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• How is music related to free will? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• How do you think the current economic climate will affect music? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• What would your desert island disc be? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• How are Vivaldi’s ritornellos different to Bach’s ritornellos? (Oxford Interview Questions)

• why haven't there been many French operas? (Oxbridge Applications)

• do you think the type of bow a violinist uses can affect our understanding of a piece? (Oxbridge Applications)

• if you were sent to a desert island to study composition, which 3 composers' works would you take with you and why? (Oxbridge Applications)

• What are the different ways in which you listen to music? How does that change the way in which you think about what you are listening to? (Oxford University website)

• I was given some text about music that described how music should be viewed as an action not as an abstract concept. I was asked to read it and take notes. and was asked various questions about it.(oxford SU )

• I was given a piece of contemporary music to listen to along with the relevant sheet music. I was asked to take notes on it and was then asked questions on it. Topics of conversation related to what period i thought the music was from, what is the structure of the music as well as other smaller details.(oxford SU )

• I was given an article about the allocation of lottery funding to opera to read. I was asked to discuss whether it was fair that loterry funding (mostly paid for by individuals with a working class background) should be fnding something like opera which is mainly attended by middle classes. They were interested in me making arguments on both sides and explaining my thinking. (oxford SU )

• I was asked various questions about world music which was something i had written about on my personal statement. (oxford SU )

• If you found these past interview questions useful, please remember to submit your questions, post interview, to oxbridgeinterview@gmail.com