The minor in Music (non-performance) consists of 20 units.

Required Courses

Eight units in music theory and aural skills:

• CFA MT 101 Music Theory 1 (3 units)
• CFA MT 102 Music Theory 2 (3 units)
• CFA MT 111 Aural Skills 1 (1 unit)
• CFA MT 112 Aural Skills 2 (1 unit)

A music theory placement exam is required before registering for the above courses; contact Barbara Raney at braney@bu.edu for more information. Based on the results of this exam these courses may be waived, but must be replaced by other courses in music as approved by the advisor for Music minors. Any external transfer courses in aural skills and/or music theory will be reviewed for elective units only, and the placement exam results will supersede any transfer course equivalents.

• A supplemental 12 units in music are chosen with the approval of the advisor for Music minors. Applied music and composition courses require an audition or departmental approval.
• CFA ME 2**, 3**, 4**; MH 1**, 2**, 4**; ML 5**; MP 1**–6**; MT 2**, 3 **, 4 **; MU 1**, 5**

No units toward the completion of the non-performance Music minor will be given for the following courses: CFA MH 105, MH 106, MT 105, and MT 106. Additionally, AP Music Theory units do not count toward the minor.

Detailed information can be found at the College of Fine Arts website.

The minor in Music Performance consists of 24 units.

This minor will provide Boston University undergraduates with high-level training in instrumental or vocal performance. Concentrated individual study will be required, in addition to multiple terms of ensemble participation and required coursework in music theory and music history. This minor is intended for student musicians with previous substantive music experiences: those who wish to expand upon established musical skills. It is not a viable option for those students wishing to experience an introduction to music study.

Admission to the minor in Performance is contingent upon the successful completion of a performance audition for members of the appropriate College of Fine Arts School of Music Performance department (Piano, Strings, Voice, or Woodwinds/Brass/Percussion). This audition will take place at the end of a term of private lessons taken for units (see Private Music Instruction below), with repertoire to be determined by the lesson instructor and department chair. No one will be admitted to the minor prior to the end of their first term of study at Boston University.

An additional placement audition is required for enrollment in Boston University ensembles. Audition information (dates and requirements) is established by the Ensembles office, and auditions are held the first week of the fall term. All information regarding ensemble auditions can be found on the BU Ensembles website.

The basic structure of this minor’s curriculum is as follows:

The term of private instruction that culminates in a successful audition counts toward the minor, as does any other academic and ensemble coursework toward the minor that is completed before admission to the minor.

Music Theory and Aural Skills

Advanced Placement units for Music Theory do not apply toward the course requirement for the Performance minor, nor does CFA MT 105 or MT 106. Placement exams for Music Theory and Aural Skills are given shortly before each term; information about specific dates, times, and locations are available by contacting Barb Raney in the School of Music. Any external transfer courses in aural skills and/or music theory will be reviewed for elective units only, and the placement exam results will supersede any transfer course equivalents.

Based on the results of the placement exams, students will be required to take one 3-unit course in Music Theory (CFA MT 101, MT 102, or MT 201) and one 1-unit course in Aural Skills (CFA MT 111, MT 112, MT 211, MT 212, or MT 311).

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Performance minors are required to take two 4-unit courses in Musicology and Ethnomusicology, drawn from among the following:

• CFA MH 211 History and Literature of Music 1
• CFA MH 212 History and Literature of Music 2
• CFA MH 403 Latinos Making Music
• CFA MH 404 Approaches to Sacred Music, East and West
• CFA MH 405 French Modernisms
• CFA MH 406 Nineteenth-Century Virtuosos
• CFA MH 407 Sonic and Visual Culture and Modern East Asia
• CFA MH 408 Bob Dylan: Music and Words
• CFA MH 409 Music of Black Americans
• CFA MH 410 The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
• CFA MH 411 Race, Memory, and Diaspora in US Popular Music
• CFA MH 412 Popular, Forgotten, & Misunderstood: Popular Music of the 1950s
• CFA MH 413 Restagings
• CFA MH 420 Western Composers and Bali
• CFA MH 425 Music of Africa
• CFA MH 431 Topics in World Music
• CFA MH 432 Jazz Music
• CFA MH 433 Popular Music and Culture
• CFA MH 434 Interdisciplinary Topics in Music History
• CFA MH 436 Musical Cultures of the World

Private Music Instruction

Students are required to pass four levels of 1-unit lessons appropriate to their instrument or voice:

• CFA MP 115–piano
• CFA MP 135–voice
• CFA MP 145–strings, including harp
• CFA MP 155–woodwinds
• CFA MP 165–brass
• CFA MP 175–percussion
• CFA MP 185–other, including guitar

There is an Applied Music Fee of $1,200 per term for private lessons. Students seeking to register for the first time for lessons toward the Music Performance minor should contact the Minor Advisor, who will direct them to the appropriate department chair for assignment to an instructor.

All Music Performance minors are required to take jury examinations during each term of lessons to pass each performance level (Performance Minor Levels 1–4); the first such examination will count as the admission audition to the Performance minor. The faculty may issue a failing evaluation for a student, but cannot demote a student to a lower level; however, lesson units from terms which do not culminate in a successful jury examination will not count toward the Performance minor. If a student’s performance deteriorates, they may be advised to withdraw from the minor.

Ensemble Participation

Each student is required to take six 1-unit terms of ensembles, drawn from the following categories:

Musical Organizations

• CFA MP 600 BU Symphony Orchestra (by audition only)
• CFA MP 602 BU Wind Ensemble (by audition only)
• CFA MP 604 BU Singers (by audition only)
• CFA MU 191 Marching Band
• CFA MU 192 Concert Band
• CFA MU 194 Jazz Ensemble
• CFA MU 197 All-Campus Orchestra
• CFA MU 199 Symphonic Chorus

Other Ensembles

• CFA MH 561 World Music Ensemble
• CFA MP 553 Saxophone Ensemble (by audition only)
• CFA MP 563 Trombone Choir (by audition only)
• CFA MP 607 Time’s Arrow New Music Ensemble
• CFA MP 609 Baroque Chamber Music (by audition only)
• CFA MP 610 Ensemble for Pianists
• CFA MP 621 Accompaniment Skills
• CFA MP 671 Percussion Ensemble
• CFA MU 190 Chamber Music (strings, winds/brass/percussion, or jazz)

All units for Voice minors must come from CFA MU 199 and/or MP 604. Pianists must earn at least 2 units from the Musical Organizations list. Instrumentalists other than pianists must earn at least 4 units from the Musical Organizations list.

Approved Electives

Any course in music (prefixes ME, MH, MP, MT, and MU), including units beyond listed requirements, as well as CAS PY 231 (The Physics in Music, 4 units) may count as elective units toward the Music Performance minor.