Your Future In Keyboard Performance
With the training offered at UNT, you might play as a solo guest performer with an orchestra, perform with a smaller group or become a church musician or recitalist. Many keyboard musicians also teach private lessons in schools or colleges.
Our alumni enjoy successful performance and teaching careers around the world. They include:
- Stewart Wayne Foster — Director of Music and Organist at the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Florida and winner of the Dallas International Organ Competition
- Anthony Molinaro — concert pianist, recording artist, composer and winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition
- Petronel Malan — three-time Grammy Award nominee
- Anastasia Markina — concert pianist, recording artist and winner of the first Bösendorfer International Piano Competition
- Gabriel Sanchez — Staff keyboardist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- K. Scott Warren — Artistic Director at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York and Organist and Choirmaster at Temple Emanu-El in New York
What we offer
By attending UNT, you'll study with others who share your passion for music performance. The College of Music, one of the nation's most comprehensive music schools, provides undergraduate programs in piano performance, harpsichord, organ and piano pedagogy.
Our faculty members are dedicated teachers and nationally and internationally known performers. They include gold medalists from the Van Cliburn and Chopin international competitions. We also give you the opportunity to:
- Access one of the nation's largest music libraries
- Discover your potential in classes with an 11-1 student-to-faculty ratio
- Meet some of the world's top music scholars and artists through specialized lectures and events hosted by the divisions in the college
- Take advantage of countless solo, chamber music and ensemble opportunities (Ensembles include three orchestras, four bands, nine jazz lab bands, a contemporary music ensemble, an early music ensemble, numerous choral ensembles and at least 40 chamber music groups.)
Our exceptional facilities include the Murchison Performing Arts Center, which houses the Winspear Performance Hall and the Lyric Theater. The Music Building houses the Recital Hall and Voertman Hall. Practice facilities include 300 individual and ensemble rehearsal rooms.
To help you pursue your degree, we offer music scholarships based on talent and the College of Music audition. The Carl and Margaret Eastman Scholarship offers full tuition and room and board for qualified applicants. Other scholarships and financial assistance programs are outlined on the financial aid website.
Our college is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21; Reston, Va. 20190-5248; telephone 703-437-0700). This distinction means we meet or exceed strict academic standards for excellence in education.
Former music students include Duain Wolfe, Director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus; Jeffrey Rathbun, Assistant Principal Oboist with the Cleveland Orchestra; more than 1,600 K-12 music teachers; and numerous singers on rosters of renowned opera houses.
What to expect
You'll need to be accepted to the College of Music through an audition before majoring in Performance with a keyboard specialization. Auditions are held on campus during the spring semester for enrollment the following school year. If you can't audition in person, you may submit a video or audio recording. For more information about audition dates and admission requirements, visit the College of Music's site.
While enrolled at UNT, you'll complete 19 to 28 credit hours of lessons from faculty members, depending on your instrument. You'll also study music theory and music for your instrument and perform a recital during your junior and senior years. Four semesters of French or German are required if you study the organ.
The Career Center, Learning Center and professional academic advisors are among the many valuable resources available to you at UNT. The Career Center can provide advice about internships, future employment opportunities and getting hands-on experience in your major. The Learning Center offers workshops on speed reading, study skills and time management. Academic advisors will help you plan your class schedule each semester.