Skip to main content

Music Opportunities

Expand your craft beyond the classroom through these exciting extracurricular experiences available to music students.

Music students at UNC Charlotte take full advantage of the incomparable experience of studying music in a vibrant cosmopolitan city. As teachers, they gain real-world experience by working alongside many of the finest music educators in the country. As performers, they frequently appear in churches, jazz clubs, and other venues throughout the region. Our students and alumni contribute to a local nonprofit arts and culture industry that generates $350+ million in economic activity annually, supports 11,000+ jobs, and generates $31.5 million in government revenues.

Cultural Partnerships

One of the many advantages of studying music in a major city is the ability to interact with great artists. Our partnerships with local arts organizations, such as the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Opera Carolina, allow students to take masterclasses with world-renowned visiting artists, attend concerts and events and participate in professional performances. Additionally, students have opportunities to hold jobs and internships with these organizations and others throughout the region.

Study Abroad with the Department of Music

The Department of Music offers a summer study abroad program in Frankfurt, Germany! Students study opera and song and take daily singing lessons, acting classes and intensive rehearsals focused on German-language opera scenes.

Special Opportunities

From uptown Charlotte to concert halls in New York City, our musicians are performing, collaborating and connecting to the wider world of music.

Jobs & Internships

Charlotte’s robust arts community provides numerous opportunities for students to supplement their musical studies with career-related jobs and internships.

Jazz students playing; one on saxophone, keyboard, and bass
Paid Employment (Off-Campus)
Many of our music majors work as music professionals while still in college, including paid employment as performers in churches, clinicians at high schools and private instructors in music stores. Our students are also in demand as freelance performers.
male student in front of the Charlotte Symphony logo at their office for his internship
Paid/For-Credit Internships (Off-Campus)
We work with a number of performing arts organizations in Charlotte to create professional internships, including paid internships with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, music majors can create their own internship opportunities for credit.
Student sitting behind a lighting/sound board and monitor backstage at a production
Paid Employment (Off-Campus)
A number of our music majors work as Robinson Hall Technicians. These are paying jobs within Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts (and the adjacent Rowe Recital Hall) that provide professional experience on the technical side of the performing arts, including running lights and sound during performances.
A male and female music student presenting their research with a poster behind them
Paid Internships (On-Campus)
The University Professional Internship Program (UPIP) is an on-campus program that provides paid internships in professional roles. Our UPIP interns typically serve as ensemble managers and music librarians, which are great ways to learn more about potential career paths while adding value to the Department of Music.
May Makhani Bahizad, B.A. in Music and B.S. in Computer Science with a concentration in Data Science

Charlotte Symphony’s Learning and Community Engagement Intern

“This internship has allowed me to gain experience and knowledge in a professional environment, specifically in the music industry. Music is a catalyst for a stronger, more connected community. That belief is at the heart of the Charlotte Symphony, and every day they provide exceptional musical experiences that inspire their community, in addition to programs that create new pathways of opportunity, which was something that really resonated with me. Their community engagement programs include Project Harmony and Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras.”

1
/
1