Undergraduate Bulletin > Music Studies

Music Studies

Music is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. The requirements for entrance and graduation as set forth in this Bulletin are in accordance with the published regulations of the National Association of Schools of Music. The Departments of Music are the sole representative of the State of North Carolina to the National Association of Music Executives in State Universities.

The Departments of Music offer the only comprehensive music program from undergraduate through doctoral study in both performance and music education in North Carolina. Unlike either more specialized programs in conservatory-type institutions or more general curricula encountered in most departments of music, studies in the Departments of Music complement rigorous professional training with that broad liberal education necessary for students both to function as informed, responsible citizens and, concurrently, to communicate most effectively as musicians.

The Bachelor of Music degree in Performance is a professional music degree which prepares students for future careers as performers, composers, and/or teachers; it requires students to spend approximately two-thirds of their time in music study. The Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education prepares students for positions as choral directors or teachers of general music (principal performance area usually voice, piano, or organ), or for positions as instrumental directors (principal performance area in orchestral or band instruments) in public schools; it requires students to spend approximately two-thirds of their time in music and teacher licensure study. The Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies is a professional music degree that prepares students for future careers in jazz performance, composition/arranging, and pedagogy; it requires students to spend approximately two-thirds of their time in music study. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Music is a liberal arts degree which provides valuable undergraduate preparation for a variety of careers; it requires students to spend approximately one-third of their time in music study. Exceptions to prescribed degree programs must have written approval of the Dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

All prospective music majors and minors must audition for members of the music faculty for acceptance into the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and for approval of the major or principal performance area. Such auditions should be arranged in advance through the Departments of Music; recorded auditions are acceptable only if distance prohibits a personal audition. In addition to an audition, composition majors should submit scores and/or recordings of completed compositions. Successful audition/composition submission results are valid for one calendar year. If the student does not enroll and begin performance studies lessons within that time, they must reaudition for entrance into the major.

Aspects of Music Study

Performance Studies

Throughout the four years of undergraduate enrollment, music students will study in one or more performance studies areas: keyboard, voice, strings, winds, or percussion. Composition may also be studied. This study will include private instruction in the major or principal performance area, some group instruction, and work in a secondary performance area (instruments, voice, composition or advanced conducting) outside the major or principal area.

Requirements in performance studies are defined both by proficiency level and semester hours. The level of study for each semester is determined by faculty committees in “jury examinations.” Specific requirements for these examinations are provided by the faculty in each performance area.

Music majors enroll each semester in the major or principal instrument for two or three semester hours as determined by the performance faculty. Secondary performance study or performance study by most minors and non-majors normally grants one credit. Music majors assigned instruction in performance studies must simultaneously carry a minimum of two three-credit music courses. Any student who does not enroll in performance studies lessons for two continuous semesters (not counting summer) will be required to reaudition for readmission to the major unless performance studies requirements have already been met.

Majors, principals, and minors will be assigned to MUS 151–452 (1–3 credits) for performance lessons. Students who are not music majors or minors may enroll for performance study subject to the availability of space. Advance approval must be obtained from the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Neither noncredit nor audit registration in performance studies is permitted.

Performance Activities

Music majors will participate in one or more large ensembles in their area each semester according to degree requirements. Any student enrolled for two or more credits of performance studies must co-register for a large ensemble (MUS 380, 381A & B, 382, 384, 388, 391, 393, 394A & B, 395, 396I). Each year advanced voice students may apply for roles in the performances of opera and musical theatre, which the Departments of Music present in cooperation with the Department of Theatre.

Community Opportunities

Living in the artistically thriving Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Triad region, students enjoy regular opportunities to attend and perform in concerts sponsored by such organizations as the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Greensboro Opera Company, and the Eastern Music Festival. They also serve as church organists/directors, soloists, and participants in orchestras hired for touring events appearing in the community. In addition, they interact with some of the world’s major artists who frequently schedule informal discussions, open rehearsals, and master classes at UNCG.

Facilities

The Departments of Music occupy a three-level, 130,000 square-foot facility. Located prominently on the corner of Market and McIver Streets, the Music building is the northeast window to the University. Considered to be one of the largest of its kind in the southeast, it is accessed easily from an adjacent parking deck and is within a short walking distance to the central portion of the campus and housing.

The state-of-the-art building features a 350-seat recital hall; a 120-seat organ recital hall; instrumental, choral, and percussion rehearsal halls; a unified music library; a computer laboratory; classrooms; seminar-conference rooms; faculty studios/offices; practice facilities; an acoustics research laboratory; a psychoacoustics laboratory; an electronic piano laboratory; electronic music studios; a music education methods room; administrative offices; faculty and student lounges; and storage.

Students in instrumental areas, although encouraged to own the best possible instruments for their personal use, are afforded access to the school’s large inventory of orchestral and keyboard instruments, including a $400,000 Andover Tracker organ with 3 manuals, 35 ranks, and 30 stops.

Transfer Student Policy

Transfer students to the Departments of Music must follow the requirements for their major that are in effect during the semester of their initial registration at UNCG, regardless of which general education requirements are allowed. Transfer students’ requirements for MUS 090 and 091 equal the number of semesters at UNCG as a Music Major with the exception of the Student Teaching semester, or the number required for the degree, whichever is less.

Phi Beta Kappa

Students are reminded that they will be eligible for election to the UNCG chapter of Phi Beta Kappa only if they have completed the equivalent of six semester hours of foreign language study, excluding American Sign Language, at the intermediate (203–204) college level.

Student Information Manual

Additional policies and regulations are found online in the Student Information Manual. This manual is made available to all music students after entrance requirements are met. Adherence to the contents of this publication is the responsibility of the student.

Music in General Studies

Courses in music appreciation, world-music cultures, jazz appreciation, and introductory music theory are designed for the non-music major. Such courses may be taken either to satisfy degree requirements or as electives.