Minors

Classical Music

The Classical Music Minor is a specialised programme offered for students wishing to develop their historical, analytical and stylistic knowledge of western classical music from the 16th to 21st centuries. Students will acquire a high level of musical literacy as they undertake cumulative papers in the materials of music, as well as papers focussing on the social and historical and stylistic aspects of music. The programme has the flexibility to encompass a range of other subjects, while at the same time developing skills aimed at a deep intellectual and artistic engagement with classical music.

Classical Music Minor Requirements

Ethnomusicology

Otago offers a wide range of subjects covering diverse musics of the world. We examine the social and cultural meanings of any musical style of any culture, how to study music and the people performing it, how music fits into its cultural context, and specific music of Asian, Pacific, Latin American, and European cultures. We also offer students the chance to play Javanese gamelan (Indonesian percussion), Japanese koto (zither), and African drumming (djembe) as practical studies in ethnomusicology, either as stand alone papers or within a specific area study.

Ethnomusicology Minor Requirements

Music

A general introduction to music where students take several core papers and choose others within their areas of interest. Students can choose from a range of music subjects from analysis to history, classical to pop, technology to film, and New Zealand to the world.

Music Minor Requirements

Music Industry

The Music Industry Minor enables students to negotiate the modern music business and achieve success in their careers. The Department of Music now offers a Music Industry Minor pathway for those students wishing to gain a comprehensive foresight into the ways in which the creative industries work. Consisting of papers in music industry studies, music technology, songwriting, marketing and communication and popular culture studies, the Music Industry Minor reflects the plurality of creative and business skills necessary for achieving your goal as a performer, composer, producer or music industry professional. Knowledge is power, as the saying goes, and this new pathway provides a professional focus for students whose aim is to combine their artistic and creative abilities with practical and necessary commercial skills, and ensure success.

Music Industry Minor Requirements

Music Technology

The music world of today is comprised of overlapping media and technologies and new music professionals will need a plurality of skill-sets to make their mark. Desktop tools for music creation and production provide an unprecedented opportunity for people to create their music outside of traditional studio-system production houses. Along with this democratisation of the process comes a need for commensurate skill-sets in using the technology to create sophisticated and meaningful media products. The Music Technology Minor caters to any music genre or style, from classical to traditional folk music, jazz and beyond. The papers are designed to empower students with the tools necessary to create, perform, record and enjoy music on all levels, in the constantly expanding digital environment we experience today.

Music Technology Minor Requirements

Popular Music

The Popular Music Minor is an innovative programme for students interested in the diverse popular musics of the world and their cultural contexts. Suitable for students with or without a background in music performance, this Minor allows for a flexible combination of papers in film music, world music, and cultural studies, as well as marketing and industry papers to equip our graduates with the practical skills necessary to enter the creative industries. Popular music is a contemporary phenomenon and Otago's Popular Music Minor will provide you with the ability to critically evaluate its function in your everyday life and the world around you.

Popular Music Minor Requirements