The Transition Year Programmes at MTU Cork School of Music provide young people from across the country with the unique opportunity of developing their own professional practice in the creative and performing arts.
It is a great opportunity for students to get a feel for what it is like to study at MTU Cork School of Music and to work on a professional standard performance with people of their own ages. We offer placements in five different strands and on different dates.
Applications Open Now!
Students and parents are advised to read the below information ahead of applying for the TY programmes.
Applications will open on Monday October 13th and the deadline to apply will be 12pm Friday 14th of November, 2025.
The programmes will run provided enough numbers apply. In the case that any group is over subscribed, placement will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis upon receipt of a completed application and/or payment.
See the dates for each programme and group within each programme below.
Applications must be made online. You will be directed to set up/login to a Classter account. Classter is our applications/database system.
See instructions on how use Classter and apply for the TY Programme here.
We have two groups running for some of the programmes. This is because the numbers of applications have grown so much that we are delivering the same programmes twice.
You can only attend one group within each programme (e.g. Musical Theatre Group 1 OR Musical Theatre Group 2). You can submit an application for both groups in the same programme if the dates for either group suit you. Please indicate your preference of dates on our database and applications system Classter. However, you will not be able to apply for a programme if that is running on the same dates as another one of your applications.
You can apply for and attend more than one programme (e.g. Drama & Theatre group 1, and Irish Traditional Music Group 2) however you will not be able to apply for two programmes that are running on the same dates.
Please note that there are fees for these programmes: €100 (Symphony Orchestra) and €50 (all other programmes).
For further information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions and dedicated discipline-specific pages below.
Dates and Specific Programme Pages
- Drama & Theatre - Group 1 - Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th January | Group 2 - Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th, January
- Irish Traditional Music - Group 1 - Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th January | Group 2 - Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th, January
- Musical Theatre - Group 1 - Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th January | Group 2 - Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th, January
- Popular Music - Group 1- Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 7th, January | Group 2- Thursday 8th & Friday 9th January, 2025
- Symphony Orchestra - Tuesday 3rd - Friday 6th February, 2025
How to Apply
We use a system called Classter to manage our database and class registrations. This is a new system being brought in for programmes starting in September 2025. You will need to create a profile with Classter and then use that login to access your applications. The information you submit in this application is the information we will use to contact you.
Please click on the links below to set yourself up with a Classter profile to apply for places.
Download Classter Registration Guide
Download Classter Application Guide
Classter Application Guide Video
Register with Classter (for first time users, who don't already have a profile)