<p>To put in my two cents:</p>
<p>I had a leadership position in band for my last two years (soph and junior). I was so sick of band that I decided not to take the class or participate in the marching band. </p>
<p>I was accepted into my first choice (UChicago). Just make sure he doesn’t completely quit. I taught myself a new instrument with all my free time.</p>
<p>I have several students who quit band for a variety of reasons – but academics played a huge role in the decision because we are a small school that requires band be one block all year for two credits. That becomes a problem for a kid who wants to take additional AP classes. My youngest son will be in our school next year, and he’s quite honest. He does not love band because he questions the commitment of some of his middle school buddies (yes, I know, it’s middle school). He also sees the problems with scheduling. Sure, he loves his music, but forcing him to stay in band could be a problem with the strength of his schedule. So, if your son is unhappy, let him leave the band. Tell him to continue to practice and play. Perhaps his thoughts will change when he gets to college.</p>
<p>My first bit of advice to most kids concurs with others: Follow your heart. Do what brings you pleasure or meaning. </p>
<p>But, we do have to look at the instrumental as well as the intrinsic value of activities. Does it matter enough to college admissions if your child does band for one more year or does something else that shows verve and passion? I’d say no. To the extent that EC’s are evaluated at all, some schools look for passion or and others look for well-roundedness. </p>
<p>On the passion side, at the high end, they are looking for “angular students who come together to form a well-rounded student body.” Do one thing extremely well and invest time and energy in it. If so, doing something you like but don’t love and your effort does not show something exceptional, skip it.</p>
<p>If on the other hand, a school is looking for well-roundedness, your child already has demonstrated that and substituting band for something interesting but less intense is unlikely to hurt.</p>
<p>So, for both intrinsic and instrumental reasons, I don’t see a compelling reason to continue.</p>