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

Required Courses

Eight credits in music theory and aural skills:

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

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 credit only, and the placement exam results will supersede any transfer course equivalents.

• A supplemental 12 credits 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 credit 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 credits 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 credits.

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 semesters 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 semester of private lessons taken for credit (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 semester 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 semester. 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 semester 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 credit for Music Theory does not apply toward the course requirement for the Performance Minor, nor does MT 105 or MT 106. Placement exams for Music Theory and Aural Skills are given shortly before each semester; 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 credit 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-credit course in Music Theory (MT 101, MT 102, or MT 201) and one 1-credit course in Aural Skills (MT 111, MT 112, MT 211, MT 212, or MT 311).

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

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

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

Private Music Instruction

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

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

There is an Applied Music Fee of $1,200 per semester 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 semester 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 credits from semesters 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-credit semesters of ensembles, drawn from the following categories:

Musical Organizations

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

Other Ensembles

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

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

Approved Electives

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