University or Conservatoire? The Question Everyone Keeps Asking
Updated: Oct 30
If you’ve found yourself in this position where family and friends keep asking you: “Have you decided yet? Where are you going to apply for?!” Then this article is for you.
When young musicians are looking at higher education options, this can be one of the most asked questions – and one of the most frustrating to hear – especially when you’re not sure whether you want to apply for universities, conservatoires or both.
Both options can be right for different people and – as a fourth-year conservatoire student – I certainly found it a tricky decision when I was applying, as both routes have their pros and cons. I’ll take you through how to research, how to compare institutions, and how to prioritise what you need, helping you to make the most informed decision about your future.
Plus, click here for my free, editable conservatoire comparison spreadsheet! This includes different sections to help you compare your options and you can change any categories to fit your personal circumstances. Have fun!
What did I do?
Firstly, I want to give you a little more context as to what I did – so that you can read my words through my experiences. When I was applying for UCAS, I wasn't sure which route was best for me. As well as research I did through the institutions’ websites, I went to both university and conservatoire open days and listened to what I would be taught at both places.
I applied to both universities (through UCAS) and UCAS Conservatoires to give me more time to make my decision. I ended up realising that I preferred playing to academic work, felt that this was where my strengths lied, and wanted to play in a professional in an orchestra in the future. Therefore, picking a conservatoire was the best choice for me – but it isn’t for everyone.
Some of my (equally musical!) peers at the time told me that they couldn't imagine playing all the time as they preferred academia, so they went to University (and loved it!). Other peers went to university, didn't do a music degree but did join the music societies and loved it too. It's all about picking what's right for you – and that is different for everyone.
Your own research
As you may know, courses differ a fair amount between each different institution, particularly university courses and the modules they offer. Because of that, it’s important to do your research on University and Conservatoire websites on what key aspects their courses can offer you.
Prioritisation here is crucial. For example, are you really interested in music theory – if so, have you found a conservatoire that has an incredible music theory professor? Then that could be a major factor in your decision making. These are the kinds of questions to start asking yourself. But the main difference between these two routes is mainly how much playing of your instrument you do on a day to day basis.
If you want to chat through any options, I'd more than happy to! Please email me for free: conservatoiresguideuk@gmail.com
The amount of time you get to play your instrument
Do you love playing your instrument and practicing? Or do you prefer more written work and playing with your local band or orchestra once a week? These are two questions to help you consider if conservatoire or university may be best for you – let’s zoom in on both options.
Conservatoires
It's very important to consider how much you enjoy playing, and how much you actually want to practice. This is because, if you opt for a conservatoire, you will spend many hours working on solo practice, while you will also have chamber music and department-specific classes. For most conservatoire students, you are playing your instrument every day, perhaps with a day or two off over the weekend (depending on how much you feel you want or need to practice). Does this sound like something you'd enjoy? There’s no right or wrong answer – it’s about what your priorities are. It’s also important to note that this emphasis on practice doesn't mean that there isn't any academic work. There is still plenty of theory and aural work, as well as essay-based lectures. However, these are usually not as regular as on a university music course.
University
If you enjoy fitting your music around academic lessons and work, and enjoy the mix of the two, university could be a strong consideration – either on a music or non-music course. University courses often have a higher academic workload, so you are unlikely to be playing as regularly (although each specific course does vary). This isn't to say that there isn't time to play your instrument, it's just that your playing may not be built into your timetable in the same way that it is at a conservatoire. There are lots of music societies at many universities that you could get involved with, and you can read more about this below.
Good to remember:
You will achieve a degree on either route, but your enjoyment and fulfilment during your time there is vital!
Different elements of a course to research
For both options, but especially university courses, it’s really important that you look at:
- Core Modules
- Ensembles/ Societies
- Elective Modules later on
- Options for term abroad and/or industry placements
- Other interests (e.g. do you want to combine Music with another course to create a dual-honours option)
But don’t fear if you haven’t decided yet and want to apply for both – you can do this! There are two separate forms for UCAS Universities and UCAS Conservatoires to fill in and you are able to fill in both if you want to. One thing to note is that this does cost more as both application forms require separate charges – they are £34.50 each.
Below the surface
This section compares different elements of music that you might be thinking about when considering whether to go to Conservatoire or University. Remember that neither is the 'better' option, it's just what is better for you!
Even if you don’t decide to study music, it is possible that your university will still have student-led music ensembles. In this case, make sure to check if the university does have music societies (not everywhere does sadly).
Have a look at the ensembles on social media and ask about them on open days, as this will help you find out if there is an ensemble you want to be part of. I had friends who loved doing music in a society at university and did a completely different degree, because they got to keep their hobby for music! As I mentioned earlier, they loved doing this and many of them said they'd recommend joining an ensemble, as they made some of their best friends through their society.
It’s most important that you enjoy the topic that you are studying, so consider what the right subject may be for you. If it’s music, then great, but many people have lots of interests at this stage. Many of us think about future career options at this point, too. Ultimately, you have to try and think about something that you'd love to do as a career, and think about a degree that may help you to achieve that. It's not an easy decision, and if you decide to take a gap year (or two) to take more time to decide what you'd like to do, then that's also a good option.
Something you may not know is that in some other countries it's more normal to take one or more gap years. Take Denmark, for example. Most students take gap years before starting their degree courses. A study by the Danish Evaluation Institute found that of students who started their studies in 2018, 86% of them had taken one or more gap years before starting their studies. Many students there want to learn more about their interests, and take the time to consider what they want to study at university. If taking that time sounds appealing to you then why not consider the option?
Comparison Table
After that discussion, here's a table with some more details on priorities that you can consider when making your decision.
Topic | Conservatoire | University |
Playing time | Lots of playing including solo practice, classes with your department, chamber music and ensembles, all built into the timetable. Possibly better if you enjoy being more practical Often bigger ensembles are scheduled to rehearse on specific weeks of the year for a concert, not every week
Sometimes you can be very busy and it’s a lot of physical work and strain on your body – balancing out playing and breaks are important.
| Courses are more likely to be more academic so less time for daily practice and ensembles (but this varies between courses). Bigger ensembles e.g. orchestra rehearsals may be more often (usually weekly) and you’d likely be part of that society too & meet other students from different subjects. You may not have enough time to play lots but if you enjoy another subject as well as music, it means you can still do both. This is because there's often more societies at a university so more options to do different things outside of your main subject |
Written/ Academic Work | For many music performance degrees there are less essays and there's less written work (but not always). But there are still essays & theoretical classes, not nothing! In many institutions you'll have the option of doing more written work in later years too. | If you enjoy academic work, there is a larger workload of this at a university but it will depend on the specific course. |
Ensembles - e.g. orchestra. brass band, wind band etc | Ensembles are often to at a high standard with a high standard of conductors and not always weekly, often only just before a concert is. (differs between conservatoires and the ensembles in the conservatoire) e.g. the conservatoire symphony orchestra may rehearse for 1 week every day in the run up to a concert but the Opera Orchestra may rehearse weekly for 2 months before the show and then 1 week before the shows. This completely changes per project. The playing may have a higher pressure as there is often a higher expectation of a high standard of playing. You mostly are selected for these projects and don't have lots of choice about you what you get to do.
| Many ensembles are at a high standard but compared to conservatoires where everyone is doing a music performance degree, the standard may not be as high. You can go to a concert or look up the music society on YouTube/ socials to get an idea of their standards if that's important to you. Ensembles are often weekly, student run and you play with the same people every week.
The playing may be less pressured (not always) as it’s often student run and everyone chooses to be in an ensemble rather than being put in it. |
Chamber (small) groups/ bands | Often lots of people who want to play together or need to for an exam, sometimes is scheduled into the timetable and can be a great social activity too | Trying to find time to fit in playing together can be harder but not impossible and can be a great social activity as well as musical |
Societies - a student run club or group for people with shared interests | Usually fewer societies as Conservatoires are often smaller than universities so less people to form societies. However there is most likely still some option e.g. at RWCMD there is a Welsh Society. Often there’s options to join local Universities societies if you want e.g. RWCMD and Cardiff University are very close. | Usually many different societies including music societies plus many more e.g. baking, F1 society and gymnastics societies to name just a few! (If you are considering a conservatoire but like the sound of these options, check out the closest university and see if you can join their societies!) |
Location | There is less choice in location for conservatoire's as they are only based in a few cities but these are often based in big cities with good transport links | There's many different universities available, more than conservatoires. |
Long term goals
This is something you might not be able to identify yet (don't worry if not) but, do you have a long-term goal? For both options, there is always leeway – no option completely forces you in one direction or the other. For example, many conservatoires have different modules that you can take in 3rd and 4th years, rather than taking a full course of performance modules, so you have a chance to build out a broader portfolio. This means doing lots of different things including (but not limited to): performing, teaching and composing.
Meanwhile at university, your non-musical work may be spent on essays, on presentations and/or exams, preparing you for a suite of other careers but not necessarily a professional performance career.
Therefore, if your goal is a professional performance career, you would be better prepared in most cases by attending a conservatoire. Meanwhile, more diverse music-based careers may be better prepared for through a conventional university degree. This isn't to say that you are limited to either of these options once you arrive, though!
As I previously said though, this isn't the same for everyone and your long term goal may change as you progress at your chosen institution. Your career is what you make of it & both options can help you achieve many different things.
Conclusion
My biggest piece of advice is to follow your gut – try not to let yourself to be influenced by those around you too much! Remember that no decision is a bad decision, and that there’s always room to change if something isn’t right for you.
If you prefer playing more and you enjoy it, why not audition for a conservatoire? If you want to keep music as more of a hobby then university may be the better option for you. Ultimately there's no reason why you can't attend both open days and see what vibes you get.
Hopefully this article has given you a few points to think about and make the decision easier! If you want more personalised advice, please email me for any extra tips or go through any ideas!
Next, why not get organised and take a look at my Open Day Guide to see when all the open days are for the next year!
References:
This article is based on my research, own views and personal experiences and includes those of my contacts, please use this as part of your own research and make your own judgements for what is best in you as everyone's circumstances are different.
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