Music, B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Music is the most flexible of the music degrees. Combining high-quality musical training with the versatility and breadth of a liberal arts education, it prepares students for a variety of careers and opportunities. With its emphasis on writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills, the BA degree is ideal for students wishing to pursue a double major in another academic field, pre-professional programs in law or medicine, study abroad, arts administration, or graduate programs in music theory, musicology, or ethnomusicology.

About the School of music

Recognized as one of the top music institutions in the United States, the UNCG School of Music offers the only comprehensive degrees in music education and music performance in the State of North Carolina, from the undergraduate level through doctoral study. Our outstanding facilities, world-class faculty, and numerous ensemble experiences foster an environment of artistic and academic success.

Program Distinctions

• The School of Music is home to archives/libraries and Special Collections which house the largest collection of cello and double reed manuscripts and music scores in the world.  
• The School of Music hosts the largest university summer music camp in the nation.
• The annual Collage Concert involves approximately 300 UNCG School of Music students performing together in a variety of small and large ensembles to a sold-out crowd. 
• Graduate programs ranked among the top 30 in the country by US News & World Report.
• Award-winning internationally recognized academic faculty.
• Opera Theatre won the National Opera Competition Award nine times in 12 years.
• Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble were the first college-level ensembles in North Carolina to perform in New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, respectively.
• University Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble have performed by invitation on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Instrumental studio ensembles are regularly invited to perform at their respective international conferences.
• Commercially available recordings by the Jazz Ensemble have been recognized as a Top 10 college jazz band recording by the Jazz Educators Journal.

The UNCG School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

The Student Experience

• The most flexible of the music degrees, combining high-quality musical training with the versatility and breadth of a liberal arts education and prepares students for a variety of careers and opportunities. 
• With its emphasis on writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills, the BA degree is ideal for students wishing to pursue a double major in another academic field, pre-professional programs in law or medicine, study abroad, arts administration, or graduate programs in music theory, musicology, or ethnomusicology.
• Clubs and organizations include Music/Performing Arts Student Ambassadors, Mu Phi Epsilon, Phi Mu Alpha, Sigma Alpha Iota, Pi Kappa Lambda (Music Honor Society), student chapters of the National Association for Music Education (Collegiate), the American Choral Directors Association, the National Band Association, and the American String Teachers Association.
• Ensemble opportunities include Spartan Voices, University Chorale, Chamber Singers, Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia (String Orchestra), Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, University Band, Jazz Ensembles, Brass Ensembles, Percussion Ensembles, String Ensembles, Woodwind Ensembles, Small Jazz Ensembles/Combos, Opera/Chorus, Athletic Bands, Present~Continuous (Contemporary/New Music Ensemble), World Music Ensembles, and Old Time Ensemble.
• Internship locations include North Carolina public schools, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and other regional arts associations.
• Arts-based living community “Studio 91” in Cone Residence Hall features music, theater, and dance practice rooms; music composition computer lab; drawing lounge; and arts-related programs and events.

After Graduation

• Students enter graduate programs in musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, music education, composition, and performance.
• Graduates are employed at colleges, universities, or conservatories including Eastman, McGill University, New England Conservatory, Oberlin College, Berklee College of Music, Florida State University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Duke University, Indiana State University, Kent State, State University of New York system, University of Wisconsin, University of Texas, Wake Forest University, Yale University, and the Boston Conservatory.
• Graduates are employed by professional companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Des Moines Symphony, the Houston Symphony, Idaho Symphony, Oregon Symphony, the Dallas Summer Musicals Orchestra, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, U.S. Army Soldiers Chorus, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Military Academy Band, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Greensboro Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera of Mexico City, the Utah Opera, the Tri-Cities Opera (Binghamton, N.Y.), the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Charles Symphony Orchestra, the Long Island Little Orchestra Society, the Minnesota Opera, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, La Folia Chamber Ensemble (North Hollywood, Calif.), Riverside Opera Ensemble (New York), the Sacramento Symphony, Broadway musicals (including Wicked), touring Broadway companies, and the North Carolina Symphony.
• Music education graduates are placed in public and private schools throughout North Carolina, the Southeast, and nationwide.
• Students regularly receive graduate school fellowships and assistantships from the finest universities in the country.
• Potential career paths include:
  • Band Director 
  • Choral Director
  • Orchestra Director
  • Composer
  • Performer
  • Conductor
  • Music Educator
  • Musicologist/Ethnomusicologist
  • Music Theorist
  • Event Producer
  • Recording Engineer
  • Technical Music Assistant
  • Tour Manager
  • Vocal Coach

Apply to Music, b.A.

List specific program requirements and deadlines

• A secondary application to the School of Music is required for admission. 
• Prospective students interested in the Bachelor of Arts in Music who wish to include private studio lessons as part of their studies must successfully complete an audition.
• For music degree application requirements, visit https://vpa.uncg.edu/music/apply

AFFILIATED MINORS

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a minor in Videogaming and Esports that pairs well with this degree. Students complete one required course and 12 hours of electives in courses like Intro to 3D Animation and Fandom and Religion: Rituals, Texts, Communities. Learn More.