Admissions statement (including offer grades)

1. Admissions Process

Year of admissions cycle – 2010

Courses covered

• BA Single Honours in Music (W300)
• BA Joint Honours in Music and a Modern Language: Music and French (WR31)
• BA Joint Honours in Music and a Modern Language: Music and German (WR32)
• BA Joint Honours in Music and a Modern Language: Music and Italian (WR33)

Admissions Team

• Dr. Guido Heldt (Admissions Tutor)
• Dr. Glyn Jenkins (Head of Education)
• Dr. Pauline Fairclough

The Faculty Admissions Team will be involved with the administrative processes of the application process which includes responding to general enquiries on behalf of the department.

Outline of assessment methods

At the beginning of the admissions cycle, a meeting is convened for the admissions team to discuss general matters of policy, assessment of UCAS forms, scoring systems, conduct of interviews, and intake targets. The admissions process is led by the Admissions Tutor, Dr Guido Heldt, but all UCAS forms are considered independently by Dr Heldt and another member of the admissions team. (At the end of each academic year, the admissions process is revisited in the Annual Programme Review Meeting attended by all academic staff and by student representatives, and the discussion minuted.)

We receive applications from candidates with a variety of educational backgrounds (including comprehensives, grammars, independents and specialist music schools). None of these sectors is treated with any greater or lesser credence than any other. All applications are considered on an equal basis, and forms are not segregated by the type of educational institution attended.

We aim to contact all applicants within four weeks of receipt of their UCAS application to establish contact and inform them of the progress of their application.

Other correspondence with applicants

All candidates who have been made an unconditional or conditional offer are invited to attend one of several Open Days held in the Music Department each year (candidates are offered alternative dates if they are unable to attend on the first date given). The format of our Open Days is typically as follows:

• attendance at one of our weekly lunchtime concerts;
• a talk by a member of staff about the Department of Music, our Degree programmes etc.;
• a meeting with a member of staff in small groups (3-5) of students;
• a guided tour of the Department.

Additional assessment: (a) interviews

Students whose UCAS forms leave some doubt about the extent to which their particular qualifications prepare them adequately for the BA programmes may be invited to an interview at one of these Open Days. Students are always interviewed by two members of staff, including a member of staff with training in fair and effective recruitment techniques, and all interviews are undertaken in accordance with the University's policy on equal opportunities.

At the interview, we seek to discover evidence of a knowledge of the repertoire being studied by the candidate within their particular musical education; the extent of historical, technical and practical content within that syllabus; ways in which the candidate would wish to develop musically through three years of intensive musical study at university (and ways in which our particular course would suit those aspirations). We may ask to see samples of recent essay or compositional work if the information provided on the UCAS form is not sufficient to enable a decision to be made. We do not normally require candidates to perform on their instrument or voice in these interviews (though in certain circumstances this may be appropriate; the precise nature of the interview depends on varying circumstances and particular problems or concerns raised in UCAS forms), nor are they required to sit any formal entrance examination (though detailed discussion of particular pieces of music might emerge in an interview – especially if initiated by the candidate – and candidates may be asked to comment on short unseen musical extracts).

An interview is also an opportunity for candidates to ask questions of us (especially if there are matters relevant to them that have not been covered in the broad-ranging talk given earlier in the day by the Admissions Tutor).

A written record of the interview is made (including a recommendation to offer or reject) and passed to the Admissions Tutor for action.

The interview procedures at Open Days (including times/details of interviews) are allocated by letter in advance of the Open Day itself; at the same time, candidates are invited to bring along samples of their work. Candidates and their parents are welcomed by the Departmental Administrator and student Stewards on arrival at the department. Interviews take place in the context of Open Days, and all visitors are given literature on arrival explaining the outline for the day. Interview times and locations, including the names of interviewers, are advertised on noticeboards. The Admissions Tutor and other staff, as well as the student stewards, are available at the Open Days and are able to answer informal queries. In addition, candidates who may have queries about their interviews ahead of their visit may contact either the Admissions Tutor or the Department Administrator by email or telephone. Following interviews, the next stages in the process are explained to the candidates, so that they have an idea of the likely timescale before hearing a result.

Additional assessment: (b) tests/written work

N/A

Procedures for specific categories of applicant

Procedures for mature applicants are as follows:

• UCAS forms are read by two members of the admissions team. In cases of doubt/uncertainty, the opinion of the Head of Subject or Professor of Music (if not a member of the team) is also sought.
• Details of non-standard qualifications are assembled and circulated to all concerned by the Admissions Tutor.
• Any mature student who applies is invited to visit the Department at a time convenient to the candidate (not necessarily on an Open Day).
• An interview is arranged with the Admissions Tutor and another member of staff.
• Candidates for interview are requested to bring along samples of written and composition work. If they so wish, they may also perform a short piece on their principal instrument (or voice).
• NB. The approval of the Arts Faculty Admissions Officer is sought before an offer is made to a candidate without an approved qualification.

Procedures for international applicants are as follows:

• UCAS forms are read by two members of the admissions team. In cases of doubt/uncertainty, the opinion of the Head of Department or Professor of Music (if not a member of the team) is also sought.
• Where possible, the Admissions Tutor provides details of the relevant overseas qualifications and of the appropriate equivalent examination scores to everyone concerned.
• Samples of essay work and compositional exercises may be requested (also, occasionally, recordings of performances). Once received, these are circulated among the members of the admissions team for comment and assessment. Where more specialised advice is required (e.g., in the case of a candidate with particular interests in composition), other members of staff are consulted.

Cross-dept/joint course admissions arrangements

The procedures we adopt with regard to applicants for joint courses (WR31, WR32 and WR33) are as follows:

• UCAS forms are first read by the Music Department admissions team (as for applications for single honours), and provisional offers are recorded.
• The forms are then forwarded to the Administrator of the School of Modern Languages for the attention of the Admissions Tutors concerned (French, German or Italian)
• Once returned to the Music Department, final offers are confirmed and the candidates are invited to an Open Day (for both Music and the Language Department on the same day).

2. Criteria for assessing applicants

Entry Requirements

Academic entry requirements for standard qualifications (A-level, SQA, IB, Access, BTEC, Welsh Bacc, 14-19 Diploma, GCSEs) can be found in the online Undergraduate Prospectus, at:

• BA in Music
• BA in Music and French
• BA in Music and German
• BA in Music and Italian

Other qualifications, including international qualifications, will be considered on their individual merits; further information is available.

Academic Record Criteria

• Candidates hoping to study performance as part of their University work are normally expected to have passed the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 examination on their principal instrument or voice on admission (though this is not an absolute requirement).
• AS and GCSE requirements: careful note is taken of results at these levels, and we might consider making a lower offer than we would otherwise have made (i.e. BBB or ABC instead of ABB or BBC instead of BBB) to candidates who have achieved outstanding results to encourage them to accept our conditional offer of a place.
• Treatment of additional A-levels or GCSEs (beyond three A-levels and eight GCSEs): General Studies is not accepted as an A-level. In the case of any other combination of four A-level subjects, we simply take into account the three highest grades (including that for Music).
• English language requirement for International Students: a minimum of 6.5 in all parts of the IELTS.

Contextual information

We take a holistic approach to all applications, ensuring that the educational and social context in which an applicant applies is taken into consideration, where supported by clear evidence that this may have adversely affected academic achievement. This may include time spent in Local Authority care, information about which is provided in the UCAS application.

We also consider evidence of clear motivation to study. This may include attendance at a University summer school, a targeted Access Scheme (such as Access to Bristol), or participation in ‘Aimhigher’ outreach activities. Consideration will also be given to applicants who have completed a targeted Access scheme at another university, under the ‘Mutual Recognition Scheme’.

We do not take the following into consideration when making admissions decisions: the school type attended by an applicant or whether an applicant’s parent has any experience of higher education.

Personal Statement Criteria

We take into account the personal statement, especially with regard to what it can tell us about an applicant’s experience with and interest in different aspects of music and in studying music in a broad intellectual context, about performance skills and experience, teamworking skills, and aspirations for the further development of musical abilities and knowledge.

The statement should communicate clearly the range of an applicant’s musical experiences and interests, and should show awareness of the nature of the applied-for BA programme and its suitability to the musical and professional aspirations and plans an applicant has.

With regard to applicants for any of the Joint Honours programmes (WR31, WR32, WR33), in addition to the aspects mentioned with regard to music, we are looking for information relating to an applicant’s experience in the relevant language, both in formal education and in informal contexts (e.g. time spent in a country that allowed immersion in the language; books read or other exposure to the language), and in the case of languages that can be studied ab initio at Bristol, for anything that can demonstrate a general interest in and talent for modern foreign languages.

Reference Criteria

In assessing the school reference, we are looking for

• information on relevant performance indicators of the school (eg., in relation to national benchmarks), number of A-level students etc., that might help us place the candidate's academic achievements in context.
• independent confirmation of qualities described in the personal statement (especially motivation, commitment, ability to deal with change and challenge, team working).
• up-to-date and detailed reports on progress in the subjects being studied as a back-up to the grades predicted.
• comments on the extent and quality of any contribution made to the musical and general life of the school (and beyond).

Criteria for international applicants (if different)

English Language requirements can be found in the UG Prospectus and in the university's governance policies.

Applicants are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or age.

3. Offers

Typical offers for A-levels and other UK qualifications can be found in the Entry Data in the online UG Prospectus:

• BA in Music
• BA in Music and French
• BA in Music and German
• BA in Music and Italian

Offers to applicants with non-standard qualifications will be made equivalent to the published A-level offer.

In cases where candidates have not been able to take Music as an A-level subject, we will accept as an alternative a Merit or Distinction in the Grade 8 Theory examination of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Variations in offer level

In making offers to mature applicants, we take into account

• past academic record;
• work and life experience;
• interest and commitment to the subject, particularly as evidenced in the amount of private reading and listening undertaken or their involvement in musical activities (e.g., orchestral playing, choral singing);
• practical skills;
• quality of written English (samples ideally to be provided);
• evidence of clear thinking and ability to solve problems;
• evidence that they will work successfully as part of a team.

We may make lower offers based on whether an applicant is deemed to have experienced educational disadvantage, as defined in section 7.5 of the University’s Admissions Principles and Procedures (http://www.bris.ac.uk/university/governance/policies/admissions-policy.html), though not normally more than one grade below the offer we would have made an applicant without educational disadvantage.

In making offers to international applicants, we largely apply the same criteria as for Home applicants, though particular importance is attached to their command of the English language. Samples of written work may be requested.

4. Other

Applicants seeking entry into year 2 of any of the BA programmes offered by the Department of Music should normally have passed the first year of an equivalent BA programme at another university (or, if they are applying during this first year, would receive an offer conditional on passing the year).

In the case of applicants who have studied on a programme with a substantially different focus than the Bristol BA (e.g. a performance-centred programme at a conservatoire), we need detailed information about units/modules studied, and may invite the applicant for an interview, before we can make a decision.

Applications from local candidates and prospective students who have attended a University of Bristol or other university’s summer school are especially welcomed.

Head of School: Prof Christopher Betram

Head of Subject: Prof John Pickard

1^st October 2009