The UNCG Old Time Ensemble performs American folk music, focusing on the string band traditions of the North Carolina Piedmont and Southern Appalachia. The ensemble's mission is to give students an opportunity to learn songs and tunes that have been part of North Carolina’s culture for generations. Based on the idea that oral traditions should be part of every musician’s education, the group learns all its music by ear, through careful listening and repetition, the way traditional American music has been learned for centuries.