Undergraduate Bulletin > Music Studies

Music Studies

UNCG has long been recognized as one of the top music institutions in the United States and has been fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1938. The Department of Music Studies offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, the Master of Music in Music Theory, as well as post-baccalaureate and post-masters certificate programs in music theory, historical musicology, and ethnomusicology. UNCG also offers degrees in music education and performance (including composition, jazz, and conducting). Our outstanding facilities, world-class faculty, and numerous ensemble experiences provide an environment for artistic and academic success.

Undergraduate B.A. students pursue professional training in music along with a broad liberal arts education. They may elect courses from a wide range of academic areas or concentrate their studies in a musical discipline, such as theory, historical musicology, or ethnomusicology.

Located in artistically-thriving Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, the Triad area provides a wealth of cultural and academic opportunities for our students. Students regularly attend and perform in concerts by the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Greensboro Opera Company, the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Eastern Music Festival along with a myriad of musical theatre, jazz, and chamber music ensembles. They may also attend lectures, conferences, and symposia at UNCG and other universities in the Triad or Triangle areas.

We welcome students who will strive for excellence, will contribute to the inclusiveness and diversity of our mission, and wish to make our warm and friendly school their musical home.

Performance Studies

Throughout the four years of undergraduate enrollment, music students will have the opportunity to study in one or more performance studies areas: keyboard, voice, strings, winds, percussion, jazz, or composition. This study will include private instruction in the major or principal performance area and some group instruction.

Ensemble Requirements

Bachelor of Arts students enrolled for two or more semester hours of music performance studies must audition for and perform in an ensemble each semester. Students will have the opportunity to express their ensemble placement preferences, but they will be assigned according to audition results and ensemble priorities. Ensemble assignments and placement will be determined by the Director of Bands, Director of Orchestras, Director of Choral Activities, and the Director of the Mile Davis Jazz Program, in consultation with the performance teachers and appropriate area conductor. Each year advanced voice students may apply for roles in the performance of opera and musical theatre, which the departments of music present in cooperation with the Department of Theatre.

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 Music 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.