Students who are considering attending UNC, we welcome you to UNC Jazz Studies! We look forward to meeting you and hearing you play. Students who are applying to UNC who wish to major in music (in either the B.A. or BMus. degrees) and emphasize jazz in your curricular path (whether performing in the UNC Jazz Band or Jazz Combos, or enrolling in jazz lessons or jazz area courses), the information below on this page will help you to prepare for the scholarship auditions in jazz.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS/SUBMIT APPLICATION HERE: First, students should
apply to the university and also read the information and fill out the application form for a scholarship within the Department of Music at the link below.
MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION DATES:
- November 18, 2023
- December 2, 2023
- January 6, 2024
- January 13, 2024
NATURE OF THE AUDITIONS AND HOW TO PREPARE: All scholarship auditions are video recorded so that the Scholarship Committee can later review them when students are nominated for a scholarship. The auditions consist of a short performance of approximately 8 minutes and a 5-minute interview where faculty will ask about your musical and academic goals at UNC and concerning your aspirations for your future career. We will sometimes inquire about your musical background and other interests. The jazz performance typically consists of 3 contrasting short tunes. It is important to put your best foot forward during that time and demonstrate the breadth of your talents, the technique and the skills you have developed, as well as musicality. Given the necessary time-restraints it is recommended to prepare your set list well so that you showcase your talents to the best of your ability during that time.
Students do not “audition for a Kenan Music Scholarship.” Rather, they audition for a music scholarship generally, and when the faculty attending the audition feel that exceptional talent and musicality is demonstrated, they nominate the student for a Kenan Scholarship to the Scholarship Committee. The Scholarship Committee then reviews the videos of all the nominees and then they choose finalists who will return for a second round of auditions in the spring. Only 4 students receive the Kenan Scholarship each year across the Department of Music out of all the finalists.
Dr. Anderson typically accompanies the jazz area students during the audition (except for jazz piano auditions). With drum auditions, we usually try to have a student bassist also accompany the audition.
Where possible, we highly recommend doing either the November or December auditions as you will be on the music faculty’s radar early in the process. We also recommend applying early action to the university as you’ll hear your results by late January, whereas those who apply regular action often do not know whether they will be admitted until March or April, which leaves little time for planning for you as well as for us.
We also recommend applying for all possible academic and other scholarships at UNC outside of music as well. You can learn more here at the link above.
NEW UNC FACULTY AND STUDENT CD RELEASE ON SUMMIT RECORDS (July 2022)
The 360ᵒ Jazz Initiative is in an interactive ensemble comprising faculty and talented students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who collaborate with guest performers and composers through live performances, composer “call for scores” competitions, and through publishing recordings together. The aim of 360ᵒ Jazz Initiative is to promote compositional activity and performances that exhibit a deep awareness of the rich history of jazz while at the same time producing creative new works that demonstrate jazz as a living art form which looks towards the future of the music.
PERFORMERS:
Ramunė Marcinkevičiūtė (student) – voice (disc 1, track 3)
Emma Gonzalez (student) – voice (disc 2, track 4)
Rachel Therrien (guest artist) – trumpet
Alex Upton (student) – alto sax (disc 1, tracks 1 and 3 | disc 2 tracks 1 and 5)
Rahsaan Barber (faculty) – alto, tenor, baritone
Roland Barber (guest artist) – trombone (disc 1, track 4 | disc 2, track 2)
Juan Álamo (faculty) – marimba, percussion
Baron Tymas (faculty) – guitar
Stephen Anderson (faculty) – piano
Jason Foureman (faculty) – bass
Christopher Law (student) – bass (disc 1, track 4)
Dan Davis (facullty) – drums
Michael Shekwoaga Ode (guest artist) – drums (disc 1, tracks 2 and 4)
