The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's music program serves both graduate and undergraduate students wishing to earn degrees and study instruments such as the piano, strings, woodwinds, percussion and brass. The school also offers programs in music education, composition and voice. In addition to academic courses, students at the school also participate in performances throughout the year. Various ensemble opportunities include band, choir, jazz groups and guitar ensembles. Students can also join a Javanese ensemble, playing instruments the school purchased from Java.
The Music Academy of North Carolina, located in Greensboro, offers non-degree music programs for students of all ages. Students can study piano, percussion, brass, woodwinds, strings, voice, composition and music theory. Beginners and advanced students alike will find teachers to challenge them during sessions that last either 30, 45 or 60 minutes. The school hosts several competitions and festivals throughout the year. The festivals attract musicians from around the country. Students can also participate in workshops and clinics.
In the music program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, students can earn bachelor, master and doctorate degrees. It is the only institution in the state to offer doctoral degrees in performance and music education. The Greensboro campus also serves as the host for several prominent music organizations such as the Society for Music Teacher Education and the Society of Composers, Inc. Students have a choice of over 600 majors in five academic departments: Composition, Ethnomusicology, Musicology and Theory; Instrumental Studies; Keyboard Studies; Music Education; and Vocal Studies.
Students at East Carolina University's School of Music in Greenville will spend most of their time in the A.J. Fletcher Music Center, with several rehearsal and performance halls, as well as 50 practice rooms, a music library and center for technology. Students can earn undergraduate degrees in music therapy, theory-composition, education or performance, with concentrations in jazz studies, organ, percussion, piano/pedagogy, sacred music, strings, voice or winds. Graduate students can earn master's degrees in any of those disciplines, in addition to others, such as a woodwind specialist program. Certificate programs are also offered in Advanced Performance Studies and Suzuki Pedagogy.