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The Music Minor

For those non-majors across the university whose involvement with the Department of Music forms an essential aspect of their undergraduate study, the undergraduate minor in music gives both formal recognition and structural coherence to their musical studies. The minor is designed to provide for breadth by requiring involvement in each of the three principal subdisciplines (music theory, music history, and musical performance), while at the same time permitting enough flexibility that each student can emphasize the area or areas that interest him or her most.

If interested please see below for instructions on how to enroll in the Minor in Music.

Core requirements

Students minoring in music are responsible for tracking and completing the required courses.

Music Theory (3-5 credits)

  • At least one three to five credit course in the category of Music Theory (Note: Students who take the Advance Standing Placement Exam and place out of Music 2101/2103 or Music 2102/2104 need to take a higher number theory course, as placement alone cannot fulfill the theory requirement).

Music History and Culture (3-4 credits)

  • At least one three to four credit course in the category of Music in History and Culture or Courses for Majors and Qualified Non-Majors.

Performance (4 credits)

  • At least four credits worth of courses in the category of Individual Instruction and/or Musical Organizations and Ensembles. Students may achieve the total of four credits in various ways:

­   Four semesters of 1 credit ensembles and/or lessons

­   Two semesters of 2 credit lessons

­   A combination of 1 credit ensembles and/or 1 and 2 credit lessons

Electives (8 credits)

  • Eight credits from any of the music sub-disciplines.  At least least three of these credits must come from a classroom (not performance) course.

Enrolling in the Minor

To enroll in the minor, please print and complete the Music Minor Enrollment form and submit it to 101 Lincoln Hall at least one month prior to graduation.

For the most current listing and course descriptions, please see the online Cornell University Courses of Study catalog (http://courses.cornell.edu/).