Music Major

@SDave03 I think re-reading that Double Degree dilemma essay at the top of this forum again would be worthwhile (FYI a BM/BS is a double degree, not a double major, and requires fulfilling all requirements of two different schools within a university, which normally takes 5 years). After that, look very carefully at the Web sites of each school you are considering. Many music schools or music departments will have undergraduate handbooks and/or advising sheets and/or course descriptions online that show a typical pattern of coursework, semester by semester, or at least a summary of coursework and what the graduation requirements are. They are worth diving into and looking at in detail so that you can see what type of classes you would be taking for each major/minor you are considering, how a BA in Music differs from a BM, and how much room might be available for pre-med prerequisites (not much, in many BM programs). Every school will be different. If you can’t find them online, email to ask.

Among the things you should look for at each school…

  1. What general education/core curriculum requirements do all students at that university have to take? Are there a lot of gen ed classes to take? Will you be able to fill some of them with your pre-med courses or music course work? Some schools have very specific classes and limited choices available for fulfilling gen eds, and there may be zero overlap with pre-med classes, other schools may be perfectly happy to count your pre-med science courses against any core science requirements. If there are a lot of gen eds required and no overlap with premed course work it will be much harder to do a BM plus finish all premed requirements in 4 years, if that is your goal.

  2. Will you be bringing a lot of AP credits to college and will the college give you credit for them? Will they fulfill any of the gen ed requirements? Most schools will have a page outlining what credit they give for various AP tests/scores. If you can replace some gen ed requirements with AP credit, that leaves more room in your schedule for the pre-med courses. Note that some BM programs (including my son’s) do not allow AP credits to replace gen ed course work, though sometimes they allow it for double degree students. Many good BM programs want you to take Music Theory there and will not even accept a 5 in AP Music Theory for credit, though at many public universities you might get credit for it and/or place out of a semester or two of theory, which would help create a bit of room in the schedule.

  3. If you are considering a double degree like a BM in performance and a BS outside the school of music, look for pages on the music school web site that address that situation and what is required for a double degree. This is generally a five-year program, and the cost of that extra year will be an issue for most people who are looking at med school. At some schools double degree students are common, at others, the school and/or many of the profs will not be supportive of a double degree. Even schools where double degree students are common may have individual profs that do not like having double degree students in their studio because they simply don’t have time to put in the practice time that BM-only students can manage.

If you are seriously considering the BM route, start thinking about professors on your instrument that you would like to study with if you have not already, because that is a major factor in narrowing down school choice for most BM students, and by junior year many prospective BM students are making music school visits and arranging sample lessons with professors to see if they are a good fit. Professor fit may limit your choice further. If you have a private teacher who has sent a good number of students on to college-level music programs, he or she will probably be a good resource for recommending profs and programs that might be a good fit for you and that are appropriate to your skill level, then you can do your homework on those schools to see if the type of degrees they offer will suit you.

Good luck with your research!