How music makes a better dentist
The stage of Rowe Recital Hall was packed with musicians digging into the revered Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26, by Max Bruch. The orchestra’s sound was full, and yet Emily Schmidt’s solo violin sang out above it as her bow danced across the strings.
It was Schmidt’s first orchestra rehearsal of this famous – and famously difficult – piece, which she will perform on Sept. 29, leaving her typical seat as the concertmaster to assume the soloist role.
Schmidt will graduate in December with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in music, and while her diploma might suggest otherwise, music has in no way played second fiddle during her education at UNC Charlotte. In addition to weekly violin lessons and sitting first chair in the orchestra, Schmidt has played snare drum in the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band each fall.
“I can’t imagine my life without a lot of my time spent in music,” she said.
Schmidt was just four years old when she started playing the violin publicly with her musician parents. At seven, she played her first wedding. Her mother was her teacher, and Schmidt says that after so many years playing music together, she and her mom “can read each other’s brains at this point. It’s a cool connection.”
That non-verbal communication and the intuitive awareness that musicians develop are, she believes, among her most important skills.
“You have to know what a glance means; you have to be in sync with the director and each other and listen to the different lines of the music.”
The challenge to hear and respond was evident in the recent rehearsal, as soloist and ensemble came together for the first time.
“Reach with your ear to hear the violinist and get into her groove,” said conductor Alan Yamamoto, director of orchestras. “You have a live, breathing, non-AI soloist. You have to breathe with her.”
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Emily Schmidt as concertmaster in the UNC Charlotte Orchestra.
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Schmidt performing in the 2026 Student Spotlight Recital.
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Schmidt on snare drum in the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band.
The week before the rehearsal, Schmidt had traveled to three different universities to interview for dental school. Contrary to most people, Schmidt says she has always loved to go to the dentist and has for years interned off and on with a dentist in her hometown of Raleigh.
“I have been interested in dentistry since I was in elementary school and would pull out my brother’s baby teeth with a Kleenex!” she said.
In her dental school interviews, music was a hot topic of conversation: “They all wanted to talk about the violin.”
Schmidt had no trouble drawing the parallels between her two passions.
“Dentistry is about manual dexterity, and you develop manual dexterity playing the violin. You also develop a humanistic, emotional awareness, connecting with people.”
Trust between a patient and a medical provider is crucial, Schmidt said.
“I’ve learned how to connect with people through music and can apply that to my work as a dentist.”
While she knows dental school will be demanding, she hopes to teach violin and keep gigging on the side.
“It’s just so good for my mental health. It’s very balancing. And I love that bond we form, getting to make music together.”