My D had to drop music as a junior because of an academic scheduling conflict with her math class. It stinks that kids have to make those choices. IMO, high schools could do a better job of making sure those conflicts don’t exist.
I agree, @momofsenior! @socowonder, I really think that stinks in your daughter’s case, as AP ES is not even considered a rigorous course…sounds like something she just has to check off in order to have a certain number of APs. It’s especially sad considering all the studies showing the beneficial cognitive (and other) advantages of music on the growing brain. Will she continue music lessons independently? If that’s one of her main ECs I’d be equally concerned that dropping band would disadvantage her application.
You always hear that adcoms don’t want to see grade-and AP-grubbing students…they want to see kids who are alive and curious in their interests, so it’s all so confusing, the conflicting choices that students are required to make. In our case I’m ready to just throw up my hands and not care too much about college admissions in favor of having a happy child/young adult. She’ll go to a good school, if perhaps not an elite one. But I can say that, because D was lucky to have inherited college funds from deceased grandparents. I’m aware that other people have more to worry about (chasing merit).
In the case of Ds BF, I think he wouldn’t be terribly disadvantaged in college admissions if he chose band because he’s had honors chem already and will be taking AP Physics this year and Ap Bio next year. And the school counselor could verify that AP Chem is not offered every year. But it’s just a shame because he truly LIKES chemistry and is self-motivated to learn it (hopes to be a medical-research scientist one day). And music is one of his two strong ECs. I hope he doesn’t drop band (and maybe finds a way to do dual enrollment in chem next year though that’s not common to do here).
Completely agree with you – already realizing that an excellent college and a happy kid is the goal rather than a miserable kid that might squeak into a more elite institution. As an aside, we toured Pomona last year and my daughter said “no way” – far too much stress and pressure and she’s had enough of that already in high school.
My daughter will play bassoon in school orchestra (which is a club at our school) and so keep up her music interest/EC that way. It is one of her two main ECs (the other being newspaper). I hope that will be enough.
That’s good, @socowonder, it shows she’s motivated enough to do it (music) without course credit.
ah, that is good to know!
I would think bassoon is a difficult instrument and unusual/in-demand. Could she play it to accompany school musicals or local theater productions?
Funny story – she took bassoon partly because her sax teacher wanted her to and partly because it was difficult and so possibly a good musical EC – she joined the local youth symphony orchestra. At the beginning of her first year, she was first chair with one other bassoon, and then bassoon-players kept joining all year until they had a 6 - strong bassoon section – completely unheard of. They had a special mini-performance as a bassoon sextet and would garner oohs and ahs because no-one had ever seen 6 bassoons playing together before.
Kind of funny but kind of sad because you know most of these kids were playing the bassoon b/c word is out that it might help somewhat with college admissions.
Anyway, to your question, our school no longer has musicals for various (mostly budget) reasons. However, I will definitely look out for local opportunities for her because there are several. She has dropped youth orchestra because it was a massive time suck and she didn’t enjoy the competitive and strained “vibe”. However there are plenty of other non-school places she can play and enjoy herself while doing so and we should look out for them.
@socowonder our community has a nice, low-key community orchestra that practices once per week and performs twice per year. It’s mostly adult hobbyists that are pretty good but nothing like professional level (except for a smattering of music teachers). At most, 1/4 are teenagers. It’s a nice thing, not competitive at all. Is there anything like that where you live? LOL, outside of your youth orchestra I’d say basoonists will be in great demand everywhere!
Our kids both continued band all four years. And in both cases, they were unable to take some AP course because it conflicted with the band period schedule. The GC still checked off the most challenging courseload…and both got accepted to the colleges of their choice.
And both did precollege youth orchestra for all of high school as well.
yes, we do have one of those – dd played sax with the local commuity orchestra during middle school and as a freshman. She has since “dropped in” as an additional player for their concert performances – at memorial day and July 4th – and I will encourage her to keep up with that. I actually didn’t know that something like this would count as an EC so thanks for pointing it out.
We were lucky I guess that the culture of our high school was to take arts instead of getting into an AP arms race. I don’t think anyone took more than 8 or 9 APs and there was one post AP math course. They created a special arts program and you got an extra designation on your diploma if you were involved all four years. Because he was part of the program my younger son was in two orchestras all four years. He took six APs, and got into U of Chicago, Tufts and Vassar. For a kid who had quite a few B+'s on his transcript I consider that a pretty good result.
An EC is anything you do when you’re not in class/doing homework: caring for a sick parent, creating a robot with your robotics team, volunteering at the animal shelter, high school sports…
Thank you. Good to know.