There's a sentence I find myself repeating often, to my students as much as to my colleagues: talent is a gift, but it isn't enough. Becoming a complete musician, aware of your instrument and of your own path, is work that never really ends. That's why PERFORM New Talent exists.

A contest born from a philosophy, not a talent show

With PERFORM New Talent we're awarding a scholarship for the 2026/2027 academic year, open to anyone who has never been a student at our school. But before the prize, what we really want to talk about is a way of understanding music.

At PERFORM School of music®, we reward those who respect music: who approach it with devotion, with commitment, with the will to keep questioning themselves every day. Talent opens a door, but it's discipline that lets you walk through it and keep going. That's why this project exists: to give anyone willing to put themselves on the line the chance to study at an institute with an international outlook, one that teaches how to approach music professionally, with a 360-degree view — technical, but also artistic, cultural, personal.

The public vote: because an emotion can be recognised even without being able to explain it

There's a deliberate choice behind this contest, and it's one that takes into account how we listen to and share music today: the scholarship is also awarded through public vote.

This isn't a step back from rigour — it's a broader way of looking at things. An emotion can be conveyed, and recognised, even without technical knowledge of music. The history of music over the last century is full of artists who became absolute points of reference without starting from a conservatoire or a composition degree: they started from the ability to make listeners feel something, before ever being "validated" by an expert. Anyone who listens to music, even without being able to read every technical nuance, still has an authentic tool of judgement: the way that music makes them feel.

That's why, after a first selection by our panel of teachers — who assess suitability and musical level — the finalists are put in front of the public. And it's the public, through their vote, who will complete the decision.

How it works, in brief

• Record a vertical video, no longer than 59 seconds, of yourself playing or singing — drums, electric bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano or voice
• Apply by 6 September through the dedicated form
• A panel of teachers selects the finalists
• From 9 to 16 September, the public decides, voting on our social channels

Up for grabs: a Part-Time Regular Course for the winner, a Music Essentials course for the runner-up.

Requirements: you must never have been a student at PERFORM School of music® before, and you must be at least 12 years old.

📜 Term & conditions: Click here 

👉 Subscription form: Subscribe now

ℹ️ Official page: PERFORM New Talent

If you've always thought your music deserved something more than a closed room, this is your chance to find out.