Graduate Percussion
Graduate Percussion
Percussion at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts focuses on discovering your unique voice as an artist. The program helps you refine your musical and professional skills, giving you broad experience that will make you a marketable musician ready to embrace any opportunity.
Instrument Study
Explore repertoire for snare drum, keyboard percussion, timpani, multi-percussion,
and theatrical percussion with Dr. Ksenija Komljenović. You may also choose to dive into Afro-Cuban drumming with Mr. John R. Beck, or study drum set with Alan Hall, our new drum set instructor.
Each year, 5–10 guest artists and clinicians visit the studio, offering fresh perspectives
and inspiring new ideas. Students have the option to present a recital, gaining experience
in shaping a full program and sharing their artistry with an audience.
Performance
Performance is at the heart of the UNCSA experience. Every week, students and faculty
gather for Performance Hour to share music across a wide range of styles and genres.
Opportunities to perform include chamber music, orchestra, wind ensemble, symphonic
winds, big band, jazz combo, and nu ensemble. Students may also compete in the annual
concerto competition.
The percussion ensemble offers a chance to explore contemporary music repertoire as
well as arrange and perform works for our popular Spring concert, a sold-out event
that has become a highlight of the year for both the studio and its audiences.
Master of Music
The graduate percussion program helps students refine their skills while preparing
for professional careers. Graduate percussion students participate in departmental
juries and perform two recitals—one in the first year and a second in the second year.
Students may take Percussion Pedagogy, which helps future percussion educators develop teaching skills and strategies,
preparing them to instruct in private studios and schools.
Students may also take Career Strategies for Percussionists, focusing on real-world skills such as auditions, professional communication, entrepreneurship,
and portfolio development.
The graduate program allows students to focus on specific musical styles, refine performance
skills, and prepare for auditions and professional opportunities. Regular ensemble
performances on campus and beyond provide experience in both collaborative and solo
settings. Students may also be assigned coaching, conducting, or special performance
responsibilities.
Professional Artist Certificate
For musicians who already hold a graduate degree, the Professional Artist Certificate offers an advanced, post-master’s course of study designed to expand career potential.
Students may propose a personalized one-year plan of independent study tailored to
their interests and experience, building on their existing skills and professional
goals.
Graduate Assistantships
Auditioning graduate students may express their interest in our paid graduate assistantship position in the percussion studio. The assistant helps with scheduling, instrument
inventory, studio communication, and coordination of events, including guest artist
visits.
Other paid graduate assistantship opportunities include roles in academic and artistic
services, social media, recording, production and operations, ensemble and music libraries,
and teaching assistantships in music theory and aural skills.