About the Programme
Commencing in September 2026, Oriel College’s Crescendo Programme is a series of outreach events aimed at Year 10-13 state school students in the United Kingdom who are interested in studying Music at university.
This programme is run in collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Music Faculty.
Between September and November, the programme will consist of a series of online sessions introducing new topics of Music scholarship and study skills, presented by academics and researchers at the university.
Topics this year will include amateur musicking in the 19th century, and the relationship between Authoritarian politics and Classical music.
Students are not expected to have prior knowledge in the topics – curiosity about the study of Music is all they need!
Year 12 students who participate in the online sessions will also be invited to participate in an essay-writing component, producing a 1,000 word piece to one of the session topics.
Students will then get the opportunity to discuss their work in an online ‘tutorial’ to get a taste of Oxford’s unique teaching style.
The dates for 2026 will be:
- Online sessions 5-6pm on 24 September, 8 October, 22 October, 5 November, 12 November
- Hour-long tutorials to take place between 7-11 December, 5-8pm. Tutorial work should be submitted by 1 December.
Tutorial work should be submitted by 1 December.
How to apply
Students can sign up to the programme using this form: Apply here for the Crescendo Programme
Sign-up closes for the online sessions at 9am on the day before each session. Applications for the essay-writing component closes at 9am on 2 November.
For any questions about the programme please contact outreach@oriel.ox.ac.uk.
