Why add music as a minor

If you’re interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theater, you might also want to consider a minor in music. In fact, a music minor can be one of the most rewarding and effective ways to expand your knowledge and foster your musical talents.

But what is a music minor, exactly? It’s a series of specialized courses outside of your major that enables you to broaden your skills in music, performance and composition. All undergraduates at PennWest California, including theater majors, have the opportunity to pursue a 24-credit music minor that consists of:

  • Comprehensive instruction in reading and writing music.
  • Courses focusing on the historical role of musicin society.
  • Private music lessons on the instrument of your choice, including voice.
  • Opportunities to perform in live music ensembles with other musicians.

What can you do with a music minor ?

In addition to all of the amazing career opportunities that you can pursue with an undergraduate theater degree, a music minor will prepare you for positions such as:

  • Songwriter
  • Musical performer.
  • Film score composer.
  • Music therapist.
  • Music teacher.
  • Entertainment manager.

5 Key reasons to add a music minor to your PennWest California theater degree.

  1. Build community: As a theater major who is also pursuing a music minor, you’ll collaborate and perform with other musicians at PennWest California. The teamwork and social skills you’ll gain in these performance groups will serve you in all other areas of your life, and the communities you build will be invaluable, even after graduation. In fact, PennWest California theater alumni who have a music minor list their participation in instrumental and vocal performance groups as some of their most rewarding experiences in their entire college education.
  1. Boost Your Resume: A minor in music can give your theater degree a competitive edge by showing employers your versatility and adding specialization and performance skills to your resume. The benefits to your resume are boosted even further if your music minor is combined with a theater degree concentration that relates to music, such as PennWest California’s musical theater concentration. For students who pursue PennWest California’s design and entertainment technology concentration, a music minor can make you a top candidate for jobs in sound design for theater and film.

Read on to learn more benefits of adding a music minor to your theater degree.

  1. Get private music lessons: At PennWest California, all students pursuing a music minor have the option of taking one-on-one music lessonswith talented PennWest California instructors, many of whom are working performers. These private lessons are available regardless of your current musical abilities, as no auditions are required.
  2. Express yourself: Honing your musical talents — by playing a specific instrument, singing or composing music — can be a powerful way to express yourself. Music can be an outlet for your emotions; it can communicate your culture or identity; and it can be a way of sharing your experiences with the world. The self-expression you develop through music will build your creative and communicative abilities, which are life skills that lead to success in any field.
  1. Access to exceptional facilities: A music minor at PennWest California gives you an all-access pass to the University’s amazing music technology lab, as well as practice rooms in Gallagher Hall. These are the same facilities used by PennWest California's commercial music technology majors, and they include a recording studio, pianos, electronic and acoustic instruments, recording hardware and software, studio-quality microphones, and the latest music production software. 

Are you ready to take your musical skills to the next level while earning a theater degree?  Apply to PennWest California today!   

Why Add Music as a Minor

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