The arts and music are not just flashy subjects that spoiled rich kids go to college to study. They are key attributes of human life that allow us to find joy and connect with others. Whether it is listening to a song with friends, watching a movie or going to a museum, art and music are mediums that we as a society use not only to make sense of the world but also to make sense of ourselves. The culture of art and music exists and thrives on our campus, yet we so often fail to give it the respect and admiration it deserves.
We are not an arts school, and that is okay. When people talk about UNC Charlotte out in the world, the first things that come to mind are that we are a large urban research university focused heavily on STEM fields such as engineering, technology and business. We do have many artistic programs, such as a thriving film community, a theatre program that puts on many successful productions and an arts program with open studios that students and staff alike can explore, but they often fly under the radar.
However, as I have further explored Charlotte’s campus, I realized that neither I nor others really cared about the things our university brags about. When I walk through Colvard, I don’t think about the fact that we are a top-ranked research university. I notice the bright colors and the whiteboard drawings surrounding me. When I go to the Popp-Martin Student Union for lunch or a club meeting, I don’t think about the fact that we are one of the fastest-growing universities in the country; I am focused on listening to the songs playing on Rockbot and downvoting the ones higher than mine in the queue.
The arts and music culture of our school is what I notice before anything else, before the “prestigious” qualities Charlotte brags about and thrusts upon the surrounding community and us. There have been many experiences in my first year at Charlotte that have revealed to me how important and strong this culture is.
There have been days, and even weeks, of my college experience when I have felt what could only be described as “low.” There have been different reasons behind this; sometimes it is because I failed an important test, other times I answered a question wrong in class, and sometimes I just feel homesick. I walk around campus, stuck in my head, wondering what’s wrong with me, but then I get immersed in something that helps me get out of my own head. That something is art.
One week at the very beginning of this past fall semester, my homesickness was finally starting to hit me. Classes had started; I was making friends, but at the same time, I was desperately missing my home and family. I was walking back to my dorm from class when I noticed the smell of fried dough and the laughter of my fellow students. It was the Homecoming Carnival, and the entire event was flooded with art and music.
The carnival itself lifted me from my broken spirits through the art and music surrounding me. While I waited in line to get my caricature done, I met people I had never met before and listened to the music playing in the background. I even got to leave the event with a piece of art to keep, a caricature that now lives on the side of my wardrobe, being one of the first things I see when I wake. In college, life can be difficult and challenging. It helps to have something tangible to hold onto, whether that be good memories or a piece of art.
However, visual art is not the only factor that matters to me or to others at the University. Music has proven to be important, too.
When I walked out of the Collage Concert presented by the Charlotte Department of Music on Feb. 6, 2026, I was not the same person I was before entering. The event was not a simple musical performance from the department. It was an immersive experience that surrounded me and flooded my senses with pure musical joy. The performance featured 12 mini-concerts in one, allowing me to get a full sense of the high level of skill in our college’s music department.
This event not only gave me great joy and satisfaction, but also made me realize how important it is to foster and support Charlotte’s arts and music culture.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, Charlotte is a school that is built on art and music. This ranges from seeing a band practicing in the Star Quad to a colorful portrait on the whiteboards outside Colvard to a ballad being played on the piano inside SoVi. These are the aspects of our university that matter the most to my fellow students and me.
This artistic and musical culture at Charlotte is what brings us joy in the time of exams, when we fail a midterm or when we get homesick. It is not the recognition of our status as a large urban research university with many respected and prestigious programs. It is the color and liveliness of our school that keep us coming back and loving UNC Charlotte.