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Widening participation and outreach

We firmly believe that there should be no barriers to higher education and at the School of Music, we're proud to host or participate in a number of initiatives that seek to open doors to those who would not consider university study as an option for them.

We're committed to the university’s strategic vision for civic mission.

The university’s Widening Participation Strategy 2020-25 outlines the commitment we have to young people and how we intend to engage with them at Cardiff to ensure they are empowered and informed when it comes to university.

We offer summer schools on-campus and visit various schools and colleges across the UK to outline what university study is all about, and what specialist support can be offered to those who are interested in a music-related career.

At the School of Music, we take this one step further. We invite schools from across the UK to the school and immerse them in music-making. From composition workshops to big band rehearsals, we encourage students to take part in different aspects of the school to get a flavour of studying music in higher education.

Image of school pupils playing instruments at the School of Music

School of Music welcomes budding musicians from Goresbrook School

120 Year 9 pupils from Goresbrook School, Dagenham, visited the School of Music for a day of workshops and recording sessions.

Composition workshop sixth form students School of Music

School pupils visit for series of musical workshops and masterclasses

Sixty pupils from schools in South Wales visited the School of Music for a series of lessons with current MA students

We recently helped to design the ‘Step Up’ Programme at Cardiff University, in particular the Expressive Arts unit which seeks to highlight the importance of collaboration, diversity and interdisciplinary study potential within the arts.

Staff member supporting a participant

Step Up Programme

Equipping under-represented students with the skills to thrive in higher education.

Further afield, for programmes offered by local educational communities, staff and students have delivered a post-16 and post-18 presentation to schools supported by the Caerphilly Music Service, to an invited online audience of over 100.