Undergraduate Harp
Undergraduate Harp
As a student in the undergraduate harp program at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, you will be immersed in your music, surrounded by a community of artists that nurtures creativity and prepares you for the professional world.
Bachelor of Music
Your training consists of weekly private lessons and studio master classes with your teacher who is also an active musician, bringing an experienced perspective from the real world and connections to the larger harp community. Master classes with your peers and instructor take place in concert halls, building your performance skills as you learn to give and receive critical feedback. You will study solo repertoire, chamber and orchestral music in a diverse range of styles, genres and periods to help you become a well-rounded musician.
Performance opportunities are many – you can participate in recitals, chamber groups, large ensembles and some harp ensemble work. You will gain experience during professional shows like the annual UNCSA production of The Nutcracker and have the opportunity to compete in national and international competitions. The UNCSA harp program will help you refine your skills on this versatile and amazing solo instrument, command center stage and prepare you for a life of musical performance.
First–Second Years
In your first two years of study in the undergraduate harp degree program, you will
begin private lessons, master classes, and ensemble performances while studying the
foundations of music theory, aural and keyboard skills and musical styles. In your
sophomore year, you will take a course in a required secondary instrument – the piano.
You will take liberal arts courses in English, math or science, and the humanities.
Third–Fourth Years
Your studies will continue in your third and fourth years with additional liberal arts courses, music history and career development classes. To prepare you for the possibility
of teaching, you will take a course in harp pedagogy in your junior year. In your
senior year, you will fulfill your capstone graduation requirement, a full recital
at both a juried recital hearing and a public performance.
Careers
Graduates of the undergraduate harp program at UNCSA have gone on to successful careers in major symphonic orchestras, solo performance, chamber music, teaching positions and as standout musicians in national and international competitions.
