Instrumental Performance

Career potential

Talented musicians from all over the world attend the University of North Texas' College of Music, which is among the largest and finest music schools in the United States.

The College of Music offers a major in performance with a specialization in any brass, percussion, woodwind or string instrument, including guitar and harp. You also may choose to specialize in multiple woodwinds.

This major will prepare you for a career as a member of a symphony orchestra, a band or another performing group, or as a soloist or chamber musician.

As an instrumental musician, you could also perform as a studio musician for movies and television shows, or you may become a church musician.

In addition to performing, you may teach lessons in a private teaching studio. To perfect your technique as a performer or to teach lessons at a university, you may want to earn a master's or doctoral degree.

At UNT, to become certified as a full-time music teacher in public schools, you will need to major in general, choral and instrumental studies. UNT alumni who majored in instrumental performance include:

• the associate concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra
• the principal clarinetist of the San Francisco Symphony
• the principal trombonist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
• the principal timpanist of the Detroit Symphony
• the conductor of the Air Force Band of the Gulf Coast
• the principal oboe player with the Cleveland Orchestra

Others perform with symphony orchestras in Dallas; Fort Worth; Atlanta; Boston; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Baltimore; and Chicago, with major orchestras on five continents; and with all major U.S. military bands.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in performance

As a performance major with a specialization in an instrument, you will complete a certain number of academic hours of private lessons from faculty members. You will complete eight semesters of lessons. If you choose multiple woodwinds, which include bassoon, clarinet, flute, oboe and saxophone, you must complete eight semesters in a primary instrument and two semesters in each of the others.

Regardless of your specialization, you also will study music theory, instrumental literature, teaching methods, piano and the history of music in addition to performing in large ensembles (laboratories) and in chamber music groups. You also may select from courses in composition, musicianship and orchestration in addition to recitals.

Scholarships are available and are awarded based on talent.

UNT's College of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music [11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, Va. 20190-5248, telephone (703) 437-0700]. That means the college has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education.

UNT's instrumental studies faculty members are dedicated teachers as well as nationally and internationally known performers. Fourteen faculty members have been named Regents Professors for outstanding teaching and research. Regents Professors devote at least half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses.

Getting hands-on experience

As a performance major with a specialization in an instrument, you will have many opportunities to perform with on- and off-campus groups. Ensembles in the College of Music include two orchestras, four bands, nine jazz lab bands, a contemporary music ensemble, early music ensembles, brass band, flute choir, horn choir, trombone choir, tuba-euphonium ensemble, numerous percussion ensembles and at least 40 chamber music groups that perform during the fall and spring semesters.

UNT's Murchison Performing Arts Center is a major benefit for you as a performance student. The center features the 1,100-seat Winspear Performance Hall designed for orchestra, choral and band concerts and the 400-seat Lyric Theater for opera. Both performance halls, as well as the center's large rehearsal space, have state-of-the-art acoustics.

Off campus, you may audition to perform with instrumental groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Our students play with the Denton Bach Society, the Dallas Bach Society, Texas Camerata, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera Orchestra and many other performing groups.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

To prepare for a major in performance with a specialization in an instrument, you should already be taking private lessons and participating in your high school band or orchestra. We also encourage you to take piano lessons and study music theory. Seek the advice of your high school band or orchestra director on the best sources of instruction.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

You must be accepted to the College of Music through an audition before declaring a major in performance with a specialization in an instrument. Auditions are held on and off campus during the spring semester for enrollment the following school year. If you cannot audition in person, you may submit a video or an audio recording. Once you are accepted into the college, you will take placement exams in music theory and piano, as well as laboratory and ensemble placement auditions.

Charting your path with academic advising

Degree plan advisors in the College of Music will help you each semester select courses that are necessary to earn your degree. Your professors also will give you career advice. The undergraduate advising office is in the Music Building, Room 260. The main office of the College of Music is in Room 247 of the Music Building.

Curious about courses you'll take in this major? See a sample degree plan.