High School Organ
High School Organ
The high school organ program at University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a small, intimate program where you can pursue your passion for music while being prepared with a breadth of skills for a life as a professional musician – on the stage, in the church and beyond.
High School Diploma
As a high school music student in the organ program, you will be able to devote attention to your instrument while also pursuing traditional academic courses. The program aims to prepare you for the rigor of collegiate-level study and church work. You will have weekly private lessons, master classes and a Performance Hour with students from throughout the School of Music. During your weekly master classes, you will build confidence and skill performing in front of an audience.
Your curriculum will have a strong emphasis on hymn-playing and improvisation, along with major works from the 17th through the 21st centuries. The high school academic program is highly valued as an integral component in the education of our students. The music intensive curriculum is balanced by the academic classroom – 9th and 10th graders are required to take at least four academic courses, 11th graders at least three academic courses, and 12th graders at least two. High school musicians graduate with a diploma, with the option to work toward an additional “Concentration in Music” designation.
As an organ student at UNCSA, you will have access to some of the best historic instruments in Winston-Salem. Your organ instruction takes place primarily on the C.B. Fisk organ (Opus 75; III/52) in Crawford Hall, although there are four organs on campus. A partnership with Salem College means you will also have occasional master classes on the instruments there, particularly the Flentrop (III/35) or Holtkamp (III/50) organs.
Additionally, the organ program hosts an annual festival and competition for middle and high school organists (12th grade and below) for the chance to compete for a year of in-state tuition at UNCSA. UNCSA high school students are eligible to compete.
