Hi! I’m currently planning to be a doctor, but I seriously love music. I’ve played the piano for about 8 years, but I stopped this year since junior year at my high school is crazy. I want to continue pursuing music and learning more about it (which is why I’m taking AP music theory right now at school), so that’s why I want to do a music minor. However, I’m pretty confused on how I can go about doing that. Can someone give me more insight into possible schools and the process (do I have to audition?) or any information that would be helpful. Thank you!
You can simply choose to minor in music, much as you would in other academic disciplines.
This site can be helpful as a source of school suggestions:
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/the-experts-choice-colleges-with-great-pre-med-programs/199/
Since you’ll be premed, and THAT will be very demanding, you might want to consider a school that allows people who aren’t majoring or minoring in music to participate in ensembles, orchestras, etc.
Btw…is that biomedical major really BioMedEngineering?
If you were to attend a college with a generally flexible curriculum (such as Grinnell, Smith, Hamilton, Amherst, Brown, Vassar), your opportunities to pursue both pre-med and music could be enhanced.
Thanks for the information! And @mom2collegekids I’m not sure yet, I’m still deciding between biomedical engineering, biopsychology, and biochem :).
St Olaf should be a good for for you. Great track record in the sciences. Music is in their DNA. I call music the largest team on campus.
University of Rochester has both a conservatory and well respected programs in Science and engineering - with research.
Even outside their conservatory, UR’s music courses seem to be quite good.
Flurite, Hamilton doesn’t have a BME major. I not aware of any LACs that do.
We apparently had some alternative facts on the thread @CrewDad.
I second the recommendation for St. Olaf. Fits like a glove.
Good luck!
@merc In response to akabrowny’s interest in majoring in BME, Flurite stated in his post (that has since been deleted) that Hamilton offered BME.
As I said, I’m not aware of a LAC that offers BME. What alterative facts?
The deleted comment contained the alternative (and insincerely posted) facts. My post (#10) was not in any way directed at the substance of your accurate and helpful contribution.
This is one of the best written threads about the various ways to pursue music in college: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1948726-double-degree-dilemma-essay-written-by-david-lane.html. I highly recommend you read it.
In addition, lots of information about various ways to study music while in college - and not just majoring in it, can be found on the Music Major forum. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/
I forgot to tag you @CrewDad (#13)!
@merc Thank you for the clarification. 
Choose the school for your major. Larger schools will have a piano performance instructor, and some have where you can take private lesson for a grade and credit. Other instruments, ensembles as already said on this thread.
A music minor can be very involved. If your goal is to keep up your instrument(s) and enjoy learning more during UG, do not try to get a music minor. One DD was able to keep up with music private lesson each term for UG. The other was in some ensembles but did not have the time to put in the rehearsal time that a private lesson for grade and credit demanded at her U.
You can become a doctor without doing a premed major or even a science major as long as you take all the courses required to gain acceptance to med school. So, you could be a music major and take the premed courses. Maybe down the road you could combine your love for music with medicine by specializing in treating musician-specific injuries?
As for places to major/minor in music and do premed, what are your grades like and geographically, where do you want to go to school? Different schools will have different requirements for music majors. You could also opt for a dual degree program, in which case you would have to audition. Oberlin (in Ohio) offers a 5-year double-degree program - music one (Bachelor of Fine Arts?) from the Conservatory and A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) from the College. They have a very strong science program. If you want to be on the West Coast, there’s University of Puget Sound and Willamette, which both offer music degrees.
Thanks for the information everyone! Currently I live in California, and I’m fine with staying on the west coast or moving to the east. I go to a very competitive, STEM-oriented school with little emphasis on the arts, so I’ve become involved in AP music theory, orchestra, and I also have leadership positions on my yearbook team and the drill team. I have a weighted 4.3 GPA overall, all my class besides yearbook is weighted. I’m afraid to audition for programs only because I stopped playing piano this year, and I have basically no time outside of class and extracurricular activities :(. Without time to practice, I doubt I can get into any selective programs.