Scholarship Initiative
The UNT College of Music is recognized nationally and internationally as a world-class training ground for musicians and has long been known for its ensembles, such as the One O’Clock Lab Band, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, A Cappella Choir, Opera program, and Baroque Orchestra. In fact they have constituted the leading edge of the College’s excellence, not only because of the focused professional preparation they provide, but also because of the very nature of the collaborative, student-centered learning experience, directed by our very best faculty.
The financial requirements both for attracting the very best students and for the broad dissemination of the ensembles’ accomplishments have escalated substantially, and resources for supporting the effort have not kept pace. UNT has invested significantly in leadership for its ensembles, but this alone is not sufficient. For ensembles to be the renewable student-centered resource that defines the quality of the institution beyond a particular student generation, they must attract to UNT a wide variety of populations representing many kinds of ethnic, social, and educational diversity.
The importance of the ensemble program is reflected in the College’s Campaign, the Fund for the Advancement of Musical Ensembles (F.A.M.E.). Distributions from the fund will be used for merit-based scholarship support for students participating in ensembles, costs associated with ensemble tours, opera production support, recordings and promotion. The $20 million F.A.M.E. initiative will assure the enhanced quality and reputation of the College of Music through its strongest traditional resource, its ensembles. Additionally, members of top ensembles are effective ambassadors, not just for the College of Music, but for the entire university in its mission.
