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Academics

‘The joy and love for music’

Meet some of the Tar Heels who are bringing the sound of music to Carolina.

A collage of people playing instruments.

From the Dean Dome to McCorkle Place to Hill Hall, you can hear our student musicians playing their instruments across every corner of campus.

Housed in the College of Arts & Sciences, the music department is home to 200 musical Tar Heels. Another 400 students who have different majors are members of the department’s 16 ensembles. Throughout the year, these students perform 200 concerts for the community and showcase their talents at athletic events.

Meet some of the students who are mastering their craft at Carolina and bringing music to our ears.

A man plays a snare drum near a fence gate.

I love music because it is a great communicator and is a universal language. In addition to just being fun to play, music presents a great opportunity for understanding other people and cultures, which is super cool.

Justin Fligstein, sophomore

A woman plays the flute on a boat in a lake.

One of the reasons I chose to pursue music is that the field prizes teamwork so highly. Musicians have to be open to new ideas and be good listeners. Carolina has an extremely tightknit, collaborative music department, which is what drew me here in the first place.

Divya Narayanan, sophomore

What I love the most about the violin is that it allows me to play in a chamber music ensemble and make music with my peers. Being able to share the joy and love for music with passionate musicians is something that I treasure dearly. The most rewarding thing to me is spending hours of rehearsal together, crafting a piece little by little to create a magical, final product.

Ayman Bejjani, sophomore

A woman sings

I’m a musician because I can’t imagine doing anything else. The best way for me to communicate is through singing, and it’s also the thing that makes me happiest. I also notice that it makes other people happy. It’s great to just have a life of music and I’m blessed to be able to do so.

Faith Jones, senior

A man plays a trombone outside.

I love music because it represents an opportunity for creative expression and a shared moment with all involved in its production and perception — the composer, performer, sound engineer and audience. Music is both fleeting and eternal, vanishing as soon as the ring of the last note dissipates, nonetheless leaving an imprint in our memories forever.

Ben Thyer, senior

A woman plays the piano.

I chose to pursue music because it celebrates a universal language through emotion and passion. It is a tradition that rejoices in one of the greatest tools in existence for leading people into a new way of seeing, thinking and acting in the world.

Shannon Chen, sophomore