Thornton Student Ambassadors: Pursuing a Minor Degree as a USC Thornton Major
By Madeline Clara Cheng & Julian Najah
Thornton Student Ambassadors Madeline Clara Cheng and Julian Najah share their experiences pursuing minor degrees.
MADELINE CLARA CHENG | BM COMPOSITION | BUSINESS LAW AND MUSIC INDUSTRY MINORS
My name is Madeline Clara Cheng, and I’m a junior majoring in Composition with minors in Business Law and Music Industry. What drew me to USC in the first place was its exceptional strengths across both its academic and artistic departments, opening up doors to satiate my variety of interests completely unfettered. Since my first day here, I knew I wanted to dive into the business and legal worlds, naturally leading to my discovery of the Business Law minor in the Marshall School of Business. My Music Industry minor in Thornton came about a year later as a way for me to synthesize both my musical and business/legal interests.
As a Business Law minor, I have had the opportunity to choose from a handful of courses in Marshall’s Finance and Business Economics department as well as the Gould School of Law. I was accepted to the minor in January 2023 of my freshman year, so I was thrilled to be taking one of the minor’s elective courses during that same spring semester. From employment law to real estate law, this minor offers an all-inclusive overview of the fascinating world of business law, with all-around phenomenal professors in every course to boot.
While I initially didn’t plan on adding the Music Industry minor, I realized that there were so many exciting music industry classes in which I intended to enroll that I actually would’ve ended up more than fulfilling the requirements either way. Due to its variety of offerings, this minor provides a comprehensive look into the music business with the option to specialize in areas like marketing, film/TV music, artist management, or even music law.
While most classes can be taken without a declared minor, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements listed on the applicable webpage, applying for a minor is usually as easy as filling out a brief online form. Thanks to USC’s Academic Achievement Award, which allows students with a secondary area of study to take a few extra units at no additional cost, I typically find myself taking around two classes per semester that fulfill requirements for one or both of my minors. Currently, I am taking two entertainment law classes that are taught from opposing perspectives—one primarily defending artists and talent, and the other defending larger corporations like studios and record labels. These classes happen to be scheduled back-to-back, making for an eye-opening (albeit whiplash-inducing) experience to go from one class to the other.
My pursuit of these minors has also benefited my career in my internship search. Recruiters sometimes narrowly categorize me when they hear my major, but upon noticing my other areas of study, they understand that my background and interests bring a bit more to the table. In addition to being incredible professional development opportunities, I fully consider my internship experiences to be part of my education, and I frequently find ways to connect the lecture material from my classes to their real-world applications. Throughout past internships in arts nonprofits to my current internship at Sony Pictures Entertainment, I have delighted in bringing questions from the classroom to the workplace and vice versa, inspiring new dialogues and chances to keep learning.
JULIAN NAJAH | BM JAZZ STUDIES | MUSIC PRODUCTION AND MUSIC INDUSTRY MINORS
As an introduction to my student life at the Thornton School of Music at USC, my name is Julian Najah, and my academic track is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies with minors in Music Industry and Music Production.
Pursuing minors has broadened my perspective and skills and opened up numerous opportunities for collaboration and networking. It’s been a truly enriching experience that has motivated me and excited me about the infinite possibilities in music.
To balance the undergrad major and minor requirements, I charted a map by creating a spreadsheet for all four years. I learned when specific courses are offered each year and fit them into an overall schedule. Using the listed minor requirements online, I enrolled in classes in the first year toward satisfying the minors and applied in my sophomore year. My Thornton academic advisor has been a crucial benefit in making sure I take courses in the correct order and, after carefully listening to my stated goals, advising me on which courses are the most valuable. I’ve also been able to sit in on classes at the beginning of each semester to get a sense of the faculty and curriculum before committing to my full enrollment.
By taking music production and music industry classes, I get the chance to see the infinite ways music connects my peers and audiences. I also gain a broader perspective through networking and hearing about what inspires classmates and teachers. Through my minor classes, I’m thankful I get more opportunities to collaborate to compose and arrange music for film, TV, and other media, as well as across music and media genres. Production classes have allowed me to pursue internships in major music production studios, gain hands-on, real-world experience, and learn if pursuing a career in this avenue feels right for me after graduation.
My advice for students coming into Thornton is to study both your undergraduate major and minor requirements early enough to try out classes in two to three minors. Make an effort to try out classes at the start of the semester. Ask a lot of questions about possible careers in music by getting to know faculty and other students. You never know until you try, and any of these connections might be people you can collaborate with in future projects.
One of my personal goals is to collaborate with a lot of different musicians and creatives since I have ample access to them at USC. That is the way of the future for musicians to be successful and fulfilled creatively. To successfully bring projects to life across genres within Thornton and other USC schools (like film, dance, theater, etc.), it’s important to be proactive and start early in building connections with students from different programs. Doing this will make your goals much more achievable. Personally, what keeps me motivated is the sense of gratitude I feel for being part of such an amazing community at Thornton, surrounded by talented faculty and students who are always supportive and collaborative.
