USC Thornton School of Music, and other large Music programs

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hey! So I have a question about music majors in general at most universities, as well as, specifically, at the University of Southern California.</p>

<p>Background: I've been training with a voice teacher for over a year now and have been part of a choir since 4th grade. I can play guitar and piano, as well.</p>

<p>My main question is how easy it is to transfer between schools or colleges. My mom is a professor at a small liberal arts college and knows that it's very common for her advisees to switch major towards the end of their sophomore year. I'm very much dedicated to music, but I know it's a hard profession to succeed in. I also have a lot of other interests such as political science and genetics, and it's a possibility that I might want to switch either way about halfway through college.</p>

<p>I'd like to know whether once you're accepted into a music school, for example, the Thornton School of Music, it's still possible to switch later into the general education or science programs without having to stay at the University for six years, or something. That, financially, is definitely not an option for me. If you're accepted to a University's conservatory or music program, can you switch majors without much of a hassle? Or, if I went into something like the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, could I switch to the Music program by audition or something?</p>

<p>I'm not planning on changing senior year, or anything, but I'm wondering, in general, about the ease of switching should I change my mind about something. </p>

<p>Also, do double majors take more time in general? Might be a stupid question, but that's something that definitely interests me as well! Thanks! : )</p>

<ul>
<li>Sarah</li>
</ul>

2

<p>At most schools, if you start out in a BM degree program, most of the classes you will be taking will not be applicable to a BA degree in a subject other than music. After two years in a BM program, you may may be able to transfer one to two semester’s worth of credits toward a different major at another school. You would be adding at least a year to the time it takes to get the BA.</p>

<p>This is much less of a problem if you start out in a BA program in music and stay at the same school, because you will have the same core requirements for that BA as any other. If you have taken a few more advanced music courses toward a music major, they may still be able to be counted as free electives after you change majors. If you start out in a BA program and transfer to another school, the amount of transfer credit that applies must be determined on a case-by-case basis. You may get credit for nearly everything you have taken, or you may not, depending on the schools involved.</p>

<p>Note that the standard advice given to students considering a music major is not to start a BM program if you can see yourself in any other profession. The BM is an intense pre-professional program that is not designed to let you maintain flexibility to change majors. It starts training you to be a professional musician from the very first semester and does not leave a lot of time for much else.</p>

<p>If you must pursue music and a second major simultaneously, there are schools that will let you do that but they usually involve at least a fifth year of study to get everything in. There are many prior threads on this topic, so search for “Double Degree” or “Double Major” programs if this interests you. There are some good articles at the Peabody web site that explain the difference between these kinds of programs and suggest the types of students who would most benefit from them. See [Peabody</a> Institute - Conservatory Admissions: The Double Degree Dilemma](<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree]Peabody”>Double Degree | Peabody Institute) and [Peabody</a> Institute - Conservatory Admissions: The Articles](<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/787]Peabody”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/787) to read them.</p>

3

<p>If Los Angeles is one of the things that interests you about USC, UCLA’s music programs are BA’s not BM’s (unlike most of Thornton USC’s). If you want to do some research, note that at UCLA, music is in the Department of Arts and Architecture/Herb Alpert School of Music.</p>

4

<p>at USC you can do majors [BA or BM] or minors [ see below] in music,
‘Minor in Musical Studies
This 26-unit program in musical studies, with an emphasis in performance, incorporates the study of music theory, music history, performance, ensembles and electives. Students may enter the program in their freshman year. An audition is required for this minor, which is not available to music majors.’
[USC</a> Catalogue: The Schools: USC Thornton School of Music: Minors in Music](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/music/minors.html]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2009/schools/music/minors.html)</p>

<p>in addition to majors in other areas. USC encourage kids to combine diverse majors with the Renaissance Scholars program</p>

<p>[USC</a> Renaissance Scholars](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/renaissance/about.shtml]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/renaissance/about.shtml)</p>

5

<p>I don’t see a BA in music other than a minor in music on that link. It is my understanding that the “minors” in music must be interviewed and “approved” by Thornton to minor in music, but do not necessarily audition (depending on program) Apologies if I’m wrong, but I think all of Thornton’s major (as opposed to minor) “undergraduate degrees” are BM’s (or a possible BS in music industry).</p>

6

<p>Thornton offers a BA in Choral Music, a BA in Vocal Jazz and A BA in Performing & Visual Arts Studies. The Performing Arts BA is an interdisciplinary program involving the School of Theatre, Thornton School of Music and the School of Cinematic Arts.</p>

7

<p>Son is a freshman music major at Thornton and the music component is a lot of credits. He has taken only two generals his freshman year. Having said that I think the best way to approach the music is to try to be admitted to the music school. Admissions at Thornton indicated that it is possible to double major and some do, but most end up just going with Music after a short while. Once you are in Thornton it is not that difficult to transfer to CLAS. Viterbi, Marshall or Cinematic Arts would be very difficult unless you have strong resume/scores. Difficult to transfer from CLAS to Thornton, and if you do are probably starting out as a freshman in the music school. Son will use AP credits and maybe some summer school at a state school back home to pick up various credits if he chooses to later transfer out of Thornton. If you asked him about it he would look at you like him transferring out of Thornton is the dumbest thing he’s heard in a while. Good Luck!</p>

8

<p>Not specific to Thornton, but some past experiences with music transfers <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/869053-music-major-need-transfer-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/869053-music-major-need-transfer-advice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;