The B.A. in Music
High Point University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music, along with minors in voice, piano or organ, instrumental studies and musical theater. Admission to the major is by audition.
Most music programs teach theory, history and aural skills as separate courses. HPU combines them. After a foundation year in aural skills and music theory, every major completes a four-semester Integrative Musicianship sequence, with analytical and historical projects tied to the repertoire students are performing in lessons and ensembles.
Instead of choosing voice or instrumental study for all four years, majors are encouraged to shift focus periodically. Secondary emphasis areas include music business, jazz studies, sacred music, musical theater, opera, music technology and music education.
The degree totals 128 credits, with 48 in the major and 36 to 44 in electives, which makes a double major workable.
What Music Students Study
Music coursework includes:
- Aural skills and music theory (MUS 1001, MUS 1002). Sight-singing, rhythm reading and dictation alongside the fundamentals of tonal music, counterpoint and diatonic harmony.
- Musicianship I, Improvisation (MUS 2001). Functional improvisation and keyboard harmony, from scales and arpeggios to lead sheet accompaniment.
- Musicianship II, Arranging (MUS 2101). Students read commercial chord symbols and write and perform arrangements for a range of ensembles.
- Musicianship III, Narratives (MUS 3000). Connects music and storytelling in instrumental, vocal, theater and dance works, from the Hero’s Journey to narrative tension.
- Musicianship IV, Communication (MUS 3100). Covers musical communication and leadership, from programming to rehearsal and performance, as students mentor Musicianship II peers.
- Vocal pedagogy (MUS 3400). Surveys vocal teaching concepts, with structured opportunities to teach studio lessons.
- Conducting (MUS 3410). Teaches basic conducting, score preparation and rehearsal technique, along with major choral and instrumental literature.
- Capstone research and senior capstone (MUS 4000, MUS 4100). Students build an ePortfolio and a capstone proposal, then complete and present a public-facing project.
Every major also keeps a Music Major ePortfolio (MUS 0999). Voice majors give a half recital at the 3000 level and a full recital at the 4000 level and pass a keyboard proficiency exam.
Read full course descriptions in the HPU Undergraduate Bulletin.
Ensembles and Performance Abroad
Fourteen instrumental ensembles rehearse on campus, from the Wind Ensemble, University Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble to chamber groups for brass, strings, flute, clarinet, saxophone, guitar, cello and percussion. Singers choose from Chamber Singers, Chapel Choir, University Singers, Women’s Chorus, Opera Scenes and Musical Theatre Scenes.
On the HPU Global Experience tour An American Celebration of Music in Italy, students perform in St. Peter’s Basilica, Siena Cathedral, Florence Cathedral and St. Mark’s Basilica. Choral and instrumental tours have also traveled to Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, England and Scotland.
Undergraduate Research in Music
The department works with HPU’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works to support student projects and student and faculty collaborations. Its College Music Society chapter mentors research, writing and proposal submission inside the Musicianship courses, and HPU students have presented at CMS regional conferences since 2016.
At the 14th annual High-PURCS symposium in April 2026, more than 410 undergraduates worked with 88 faculty mentors to deliver 260 presentations across 40 disciplines.
The department also hosts an annual international piano competition and brings guest artists from the concert, opera, music theater, jazz and popular music stages to work with students.
The Princeton Review gives High Point University a 95 out of 99 rating for professor accessibility, based on its student surveys.
How Music Students Describe the Coursework
Music students and graduates describe the classes and mentors behind their work.
Brittney Meadors
Music major · Master of Music graduate program, Howard University
“Classes such as diction, opera scenes and vocal pedagogy, which were taught by knowledgeable professors, made me feel comfortable auditioning for master’s level music performance degrees.”
Nick Pierle
Music major · Choral Conducting graduate program, East Carolina University
“HPU helped me get to where I am now through the HPU Chamber Singers and other university choirs.”
Reyna Alston
Music major · Master of Music in Conducting student
“The Department of Music faculty have an array of knowledge cultivated through research and performance experience with leading conductors, vocalists and instrumentalists around the world.”
Music in the News
Louis Raymond-Kolker
HPU Welcomes New Faculty
“Over the past two years, we’ve revamped the Music Technology Lab and instituted a concert series for new music called Fresh Picked.”
HPU Chamber Singers Perform “Silent Night” During FOX News Christmas Special
The High Point University Chamber Singers gave a special performance of “Silent Night” during FOX News’ fifth annual “All-American Christmas Tree Lighting” on Nov. 22, 2024.
Explore Music at High Point University
See how HPU music ranks and where its graduates go next.
Accreditation & Awards Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Marc Foster, chair of the Department of Music, at [email protected].