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Role guide

Musician interview preparation

Updated 5 September 2026

This guide uses the Royal Navy route for Royal Marines Musician applicants as an employer-specific example, not as a standard musician interview process. It covers the supported application, aptitude assessment, video interview and audition stages, with preparation for the Royal Navy and British Army examples.

01

How the interview usually works

The stages below apply only to Royal Marines Musician applicants following the Royal Navy route. Other musician employers may use different formats.

  1. Application

    Application stage

    Depends on the employer

    The Royal Navy route for Royal Marines Musician applicants includes an application stage.

    What they assess

      How to prepare

      • Review the role information and your application so that dates and details are consistent.
      • Choose truthful examples you can explain clearly if they are discussed later.

    • Aptitude assessment

      Aptitude assessment

      Depends on the employer

      Royal Marines Musician applicants complete the Defence Aptitude Assessment as part of the Royal Navy route.

      What they assess

        How to prepare

        • Check the instructions and arrangements supplied by the Royal Navy.
        • Ask the named contact if any part of the assessment arrangements is unclear.

      • Formal video interview

        Video interview normally conducted on the applicant's device

        Depends on the employer

        For Royal Marines Musician applicants, the Royal Navy's formal Career Interview is normally held by video on the applicant's device over the Shine platform.

        What they assess

          How to prepare

          • Test your device, camera, microphone and connection in advance.
          • Practise concise answers that cover your actions, reasoning, result and learning.

        • Audition, interview and other assessments

          Audition with interview, medical assessment and fitness assessment

          Depends on the employer

          At the Royal Navy audition stage for Royal Marines Musician applicants, civilian professors evaluate the audition and the Director of Music Training interviews the applicant about musical potential. This stage also includes medical and fitness assessments.

          What they assess

          • The audition
          • Musical potential

          How to prepare

          • Confirm the audition requirements and practical arrangements supplied for your application.
          • Prepare to discuss your musical experience truthfully and explain what you learnt from specific examples.
        02

        Your preparation plan

        Prepare for the supported route

        For the Royal Navy example, review your application before the video interview and prepare a small set of truthful musical examples. Keep each answer focused on what happened, what you did, the result and what you learnt.

        For British Army musician selection, the audition asks for two contrasting pieces. It also includes technical exercises, sight reading, an aural-perception assessment and an assessment of general musicianship, including music theory.

        Check the instructions issued for your application. If anything is unclear, ask the named contact rather than relying on assumptions.

        The week before

        • Review the job information, your application and every instruction you have received.
        • Select truthful examples of your musical experience and practise explaining your actions, reasoning, result and learning.
        • For British Army musician selection, rehearse the two contrasting pieces requested for the audition.
        • For British Army musician selection, prepare for technical exercises, sight reading, aural perception and music theory.

        The day before

        • Confirm the date, time, location or joining details and the equipment or documents you may bring.
        • If your interview is remote, test your device, camera, microphone, connection and interview space.
        • Prepare brief notes and questions, provided the interview instructions permit notes.

        On the day

        • Allow enough time to set up or arrive without rushing.
        • Listen to each question, pause to organise your answer and ask for clarification when needed.
        • Keep your answers factual and distinguish your own actions from the work of other people.
        03

        What interviewers look for

        Musical achievement reflection

        For UK performing musician roles, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, an interview may cover your proudest musical accomplishment.

        Evidence to prepare

        • Choose an accomplishment you genuinely value.
        • Note what you personally did, why it mattered to you and what you learnt.
        • Identify enough context for someone unfamiliar with the work to understand it.

        Explaining your creative process

        For UK performing musician roles, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, candidates may be asked how they make music.

        Evidence to prepare

        • Choose one piece or project whose development you remember clearly.
        • Trace your decisions from the initial idea to the finished work.
        • Separate your own choices from other people's contributions.

        Handling performance anxiety

        For UK performing musician roles, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, an interviewer may ask how you handle performance anxiety.

        Evidence to prepare

        • Recall a performance where anxiety affected you.
        • Identify the actions you took before or during the performance.
        • Be honest about the outcome and what you changed afterwards.

        Clear evidence and reflection

        A concise, truthful example helps an interviewer follow your actions, reasoning, result and learning.

        Evidence to prepare

        • Pick examples in which your own contribution is clear.
        • Practise giving the context without unnecessary detail.
        • End each example with the result and what you learnt.
        04

        Questions you should be ready for

        Use the answer plans as prompts, not scripts. Your examples should sound like you.

        Musical accomplishments

        Use these questions to practise concise, evidence-based answers.

        For a UK performing musician role, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, what is your proudest musical accomplishment?

        What they want to learn: The interviewer is looking for a clear account of your relevant experience and reasoning.

        Answer plan

        • Answer the question directly before adding context.
        • Choose one truthful example from your own experience.
        • Describe your personal actions and reasoning.
        • Finish with the result and what you learned.

        Evidence to use: Choose a truthful example from your own experience that directly answers this question.

        Avoid

        • Giving a generic answer without a specific example.
        • Describing the team's work without making your contribution clear.

        Creative process

        Use these questions to practise concise, evidence-based answers.

        For a UK performing musician role, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, how do you approach the creative process when making music?

        What they want to learn: The interviewer is looking for a clear account of your relevant experience and reasoning.

        Answer plan

        • Answer the question directly before adding context.
        • Choose one truthful example from your own experience.
        • Describe your personal actions and reasoning.
        • Finish with the result and what you learned.

        Evidence to use: Choose a truthful example from your own experience that directly answers this question.

        Avoid

        • Giving a generic answer without a specific example.
        • Describing the team's work without making your contribution clear.

        Performance anxiety

        Use these questions to practise concise, evidence-based answers.

        For a UK performing musician role, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, how do you handle performance anxiety?

        What they want to learn: The interviewer is looking for a clear account of your relevant experience and reasoning.

        Answer plan

        • Answer the question directly before adding context.
        • Choose one truthful example from your own experience.
        • Describe your personal actions and reasoning.
        • Finish with the result and what you learned.

        Evidence to use: Choose a truthful example from your own experience that directly answers this question.

        Avoid

        • Giving a generic answer without a specific example.
        • Describing the team's work without making your contribution clear.
        05

        Questions to ask them

        “What would you expect the successful candidate to achieve in the first few months?”

        This clarifies the employer's early priorities and gives you a firmer basis for judging whether the role suits you.

        “How is performance feedback given?”

        This helps you understand how the employer handles feedback and development.

        “What should I know about the working pattern before accepting the role?”

        This invites the employer to explain the practical demands of the position.

        “How would you describe the musical culture of the organisation?”

        This can reveal how people work together and whether the setting suits you.

        “What development opportunities are available in this role?”

        This helps you assess how the position could support your musical development.

        “Is there anything else you would like me to clarify about my experience?”

        This gives you a chance to address an uncertainty before the interview ends.

        06

        On the day

        In person

        • Confirm the address, arrival time and named contact before travelling.
        • Bring only the music, instrument, accessories, documents and notes the employer has asked you to bring.
        • Allow enough time to settle, organise your materials and check that you are ready before the appointment.
        • Listen carefully to each instruction and ask for clarification if an arrangement is unclear.

        Remote

        • If your interview is remote, test your camera, microphone, connection and power supply beforehand.
        • For Royal Marines Musician applicants, the Royal Navy's formal Career Interview is normally a video interview conducted on the applicant's device over the Shine platform.
        • Choose a quiet setting, close unnecessary applications and keep the named contact's details available in case of a technical problem.
        • Position permitted notes where you can glance at them without reading a prepared script.
        07

        Common mistakes

        For performing musician interviews in the UK, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, generic answers can weaken the interview.

        Prepare honest, personal and concise responses rather than phrases that could belong to any candidate.

        For performing musician interviews in the UK, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, describing a poor performance without saying what went wrong or what you learnt misses the reflective part of the answer.

        State what happened, acknowledge your part in it and explain what you learnt.

        For performing musician interviews in the UK, excluding music teaching, production-only and academic tracks, a predictable perfectionist-style weakness can sound evasive.

        Choose a genuine, manageable weakness and explain the action you are taking to improve.

        Giving a long answer before reaching the relevant example.

        Start with the situation, concentrate on your own actions, then finish with the result and learning.

        Leaving practical arrangements until the interview day.

        Confirm the location or joining instructions, requested materials and contact details in advance.

        08

        After the interview

        Send a brief message thanking the interviewer for their time. Refer to one specific point from the conversation, correct any factual misunderstanding plainly, and provide further material only if it was requested.

        Keep a private note of the questions you found difficult while the interview is still fresh. Use it to improve your preparation for the next stage.

        09

        Frequently asked questions

        From guide to application

        Make your CV and your answers tell the same story.

        Use cvlift to tailor your CV to the role and bring the most relevant experience forward. Then use this guide to practise the examples behind it.

        Tailor my CV