<p>You might want to take a look at the thread "Why I chose Yale over Harvard" in this forum. It has a lot of insights about Yale that are true independent of the Harvard comparison. Assuming you've already looked at that, I recommend looking into those other schools more deeply.
Columbia -- definitely a campus you need to VISIT. That was a prime decision-making factor in my case (to help me rule it out). The NYC setting is a love-hate as well.
Princeton -- considered the most conservative Ivy for good reason. This isn't a negative and it isn't just a simple political label.
Dartmouth -- it's rural and small. Preppy.</p>
<p>My one word descriptions probably make me sound like I'm stereotyping/being negative but I'm not, and most people would agree with my statements. Regardless of that, however, you should do your own research, either by visiting or talking to current students about atmosphere. I am focusing on atmosphere because really the education you get at any of these schools is very good and the difference in the quality of education between each one is not big enough to make a discussion out of.
As for music, I know nothing about that and I am not going to comment. But I will say this, Yale does not officially allow you to "minor" but I think the deal is that they just call it another name and in the end you do get to do it.</p>