Music
An 18-credit minor that pairs music theory and ear training with applied lessons, ensemble performance, and your choice of instruction or production electives.
About the Minor
ACU’s Music Minor is built for non-music majors who want substantial musical engagement — not a single survey course, but the real combination of theory, ear training, applied lessons, and ensemble performance that musicians actually practice. The 18-credit minor includes a 5-credit core (Class Piano I or its equivalent, Music Theory I, Sight Singing and Dictation I), six credits of instruction electives from a deep shelf, three credits of applied one-on-one lessons, and four credits of ensemble work.
The instruction elective shelf is unusually broad. Choose from conducting, pedagogy, music education methods, worship leadership (MMN 300, 301, 424), music technology and production (MTE 220 through 440), composition (MTC 240), additional theory and ear training (MUS 293–494), music history (MUS 341–342), pop/rock/jazz/worship/musical-theater voice (MUP 302–305), and more. Six of those credits must be upper division.
Pairs especially naturally with Christian Ministries (worship leadership), Communication, Education, Business (music industry pathways), and any major where music will be part of your life and work after ACU.
What You'll Learn
Read and Hear Music
Build foundational music theory and ear training through Music Theory I and Sight Singing and Dictation I.
Play With Skill
Take three credits of applied one-on-one lessons on the instrument or voice you want to develop.
Perform in Ensembles
Spend four credits in ACU's instrumental and vocal ensembles — chorale, jazz, praise band, chamber, or others.
Specialize Through Instruction Electives
Shape six credits toward conducting, pedagogy, music education methods, worship leadership, production, theory, history, or composition.
Connect Music to Vocation
Bring serious musical engagement into ministry, teaching, communication, business, and creative careers.
Music Through a Biblical Worldview
A Biblical Worldview treats music as a craft worth doing well — a way of engaging beauty, skill, and worship with the seriousness any vocation deserves.
Music as Sub-Creation
Musicians create — combining sound, structure, and feeling into work that didn't exist before. A Biblical Worldview treats that creative work as reflecting the image of a Creator God, not as mere entertainment or expression.
Equips you to take your music-making seriously as meaningful work.Skill as Stewardship
Developing musical skill — through theory, ear training, applied lessons, and ensemble work — is itself a form of stewardship. The minor's structured progression treats craft as a worthwhile pursuit, not just talent left to luck.
Grounds your daily practice in the conviction that the work matters.Music in the Life of the Church
From the Psalms forward, music has been central to Christian worship. ACU's Music Minor includes worship leadership and theology of worship as elective options — taking seriously that musicians shape congregational life as much as they perform.
Prepares you to contribute to the church's musical life with both skill and theological awareness.Where This Minor Takes You
The Music Minor opens doors across performance, worship leadership, teaching, music industry, and any career where musical engagement is part of the work.
Worship Leader and Music Ministry
Lead worship at churches, parachurch organizations, and Christian schools with formal musical training behind you.
Studio and Performance Musician
Continue performing and recording — strengthened by applied lessons, ensemble experience, and theory.
Music Educator (with Education Major)
Pair the minor with ACU's Secondary Education degree to teach music in K-12 settings.
Christian School Music Director
Lead choirs, ensembles, and music programs at Christian schools where ACU graduates have a strong pipeline.
Music Industry and Production
Combine the minor with Business or Communication for music industry, label, management, or production roles.
Recording and Songwriting
Use the elective shelf's MTE (music technology) and MUP (performance/composition) options to build toward studio and creative work.
Why Students Choose This Minor
The Music Minor at ACU stands out for the depth of its applied and ensemble components — most minors leave one or both out entirely.
Three Credits of Applied Lessons
One-on-one lessons on your instrument or voice — three semester-credits' worth, not a single elective.
Four Credits of Ensembles
Real ensemble work — chorale, jazz, praise band, chamber, instrumental, or vocal — built into the required structure.
Deep Instruction Elective Shelf
Choose six credits from a long list — conducting, pedagogy, methods, worship leadership, technology, theory, history, composition.
Six Credits Must Be Upper Division
The minor requires real depth, not just introductory courses — half your elective work is upper-division.
Same Faculty as the BS Music
Music Minor students work with the same professors and ensemble directors as ACU's music majors.
Getting Started
The Music Minor has placement-based prerequisites — talk with the Music Department early to plan your applied lesson, ensemble, and core-course pathway.
Talk With the Music Department
The Department of Music will help you place into the right applied lesson level, ensemble, and theory sequence. Reach out before scheduling your first semester of the minor.
Complete the Placement Exam
The minor's core (MUP 101, MUS 193, MUS 194) requires a placement exam — confirm timing with the department.
Audition for Ensembles
Ensembles require audition or instructor approval. Plan to audition early in your ACU career to lock in placements.
Choose Your Instruction Electives Strategically
Pick six credits of electives that match where you're heading — worship leadership for ministry students, production (MTE) for music-industry students, conducting/pedagogy for future music teachers.
Explore More Options
Ready to Take Music Seriously Alongside Your Major?
The Music Minor pairs applied lessons, ensembles, and a deep instruction elective shelf with the theory and ear training real musicianship requires. Apply or reach out today.
