<p>How time consuming is participating in band? My S is a bass guitarist, so he won’t be marching.</p>
<p>I understand that there are a lot of engineering students in band, so I assume it’s manageable, even in tough academic programs.</p>
<p>riprorin: I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you asking about your S being in the front ensemble (ie not marching) of the Million Dollar Band as a bass guitarist or about a jazz band?</p>
<p>He was thinking Front ensemble for the Million Dollar Band and pep band.</p>
<p>My D really like both the band director and the percussion director when she talked to them on her visit last month. The band as a whole rehearses 4-5:30 M-F but you have to be aware that the percussion (both drumline and front ensemble) does an additional 6-9:30 or so on Wednesdays (which makes a huge commitment that day) and probably needs more time for setup/takedown than other sections. I can’t give you a real feel for how much additional time is spent on weekends with home/away games or other activities.</p>
<p>When we visited, both the computer science professor that D talked to and the Dean of Engineering stressed how important they think it is for even engineering students to get out of the classroom/library/lab and do other things. If D goes to Alabama, I’m sure she’ll audition for marching band (front ensemble also) but she may take a lighter load in the fall semester to accommodate the time commitment.</p>
<p>My freshman drumline son regrets doing MDB and will not be participating next year. He LOVES gameday and has made some great friends but the time commitment is too much for him. He is not a big fan of the percussion director either, which doesn’t help. In addition to the weekly sectional STEMFamily mentioned, the percussionists usually have to report earlier than the rest of the band for weekday practices. We visited him in September and got a taste of how much of his weekend is dedicated to band. Friday practice didn’t end until almost 6 and then he still had to put equipment away, shower and change before we could go to dinner. It was an 8pm game but he had practice Saturday morning then had to report back around 6pm. The game was over by 11:30 but they are among the last to leave the stadium and still have to walk back to Moody to undress, etc. It was about 1:30am before we were going to get pizza on the Strip. Needless to say, he sleeps late on Sundays. I will miss trying to spot him in the stands on Saturdays but academics before extracurriculars.</p>
<p>^^^That was a very honest report which will be helpful to many prospective students, especially scholarship students. While many parents want to see their students actively engaged in extracurricular activities, it is important not to over stretch when a scholarship is involved. That is why picking one or two activities is usually enough to meet friends and get involved.</p>
<p>My freshman percussionist son decided against the MDB but selected instead to participate in one of the band ensembles. He enjoys being in concert band as it meets only one night a week which gives him his music ‘fix’ but allows plenty of time for academics and other extra-curricular activities. He is VERY happy with his decision although I, admittedly, wish I could watch him march on TV each week.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I’m not going to push it. My S is a good musician, but it’s not his passion. Sounds like too much of a commitment for something he’s not that interested in. The PC gaming club on the other hand…</p>
<p>RTRmom2: Right, it’s good that you pointed out that there are other options for musically inclined students. There are classes for non-majors, there are ensembles for both instrument and voice, and there are open-mic nights on campus, all of which can give kids their musical enjoyment “fix”.</p>
<p>RTRMom2, even if your son were in the MDB, you probably would not see him marching on TV each week. TV rarerly shows the band. Maybe a few quick shots during the game, and a split-second shot or two during half-time as they go to commercials. You can see more on YouTube than on network TV or ESPN.</p>
<p>That’s one of the beauties of the DVR’s and HD TV. We have managed to freeze the TV picture and pick out DS every game except one so far this year. Makes it nice for mama to see him and know that everything appears to be going well.</p>
<p>As for the time needed for the MDB, it is a lot. As mentioned before standard (non drumline) band is about 2 hours a day every day. On game day you can figure all day Saturday for a home game and Friday mid-day through Sunday morning for an away game if the full band travels. Two away games were pep band only this year.</p>
<p>On the “other” side of the coin, DS has LOVED every minute of it. The games are electric, having the built in base of friends is great and the band is actually treated with respect (in comparison to how a high school band is treated). DS has had nothing but great experiences with the MDB. He is holding down 18 hours (including band) as a first term Freshman and is managing to maintain A’s in all classes so it can be done. (BioChem Engr major, so the classes are not pushovers)</p>
<p>My son played percussion, bass guitar, and double bass in pep band, pit band, marching band, jazz band, and orchestra for 4 years. Pit band was particularly time consuming. They started practicing months before the show and in the weeks leading up to the performance he was going to school at 7:30 and coming home at 10, plus practicing on the weekend.</p>
<p>I think he’s a little burned out, and the teacher didn’t make it fun.</p>
<p>He’s able to do well in HS taking the most challenging classes doing a minimal amount of study, but I don’t know how much more demanding college will be.</p>
<p>My advice as a music parent would be to encourage your students to sign up for as many things as they think they can handle that they are passionate about. The busier someone is, the better they seem to handle being busy, especially if they enjoy what they are doing. I believe that our modern day HS students are quite overloaded by activities, and this prepares them well for handling the pressures of college. When they get to college, they seem to have a lot of “free” time. It is spread out differently throughout the week than in HS, but they really do have substantial amounts of unstructured time in college. Keeping busy at UA early on has helped my S manage his time. </p>
<p>Like any great opportunity, MDB can no doubt be a huge commitment, but also such a huge reward. Do not be afraid that things will be too much - you can always drop out of something if it can no longer be managed. Ask your student if they DON’T apply or go for something, will they always be disappointed in what might have been? When I ask that of my S, he usually goes for things, and never looks back.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t get into CBH I’m going to strongly encourage him to try it. If he gets into CBH I’m thinking that we will have enough on his plate.</p>
<p>Remember for those traveling down in late Jan/early Feb, there is some sort of Honor Band thing to try and get in on, if you’re serious about band. That was the time frame last year - check University Bands site for more info. University Bands has its own scholarship program…and there are participation scholarships (or small stipends) for students. (I’m an orchestra parent from the School of Music and don’t know more; the MDB falls under the University Bands umbrella. They are two separate entities.)</p>
<p>@riprorin - Agreed on the CBH statement. DS interviewed for CBH but it just wasn’t a fit. Looking back he is pleased with the decision. Still has a few friends in the program from interview weekend and he said that they are putting in a good number of hours this term. He is happy with his decision to join the MDB and is has “freed” him up to choose from other research areas that don’t participate with CBH.</p>
<p>Well, of course you want your students engaged and active. When I said “over stretched”, I was emphasizing the “over” part. The amount of classes/study/activity that any one student can handle is extremely personal. If a student is taking fifteen credits or nineteen credits, that will make a quite a difference. If the classes are heavy writing and research classes, that will also make a difference. After all, college and HS are very different, and both class work and study time can take up many more hours than a student was previously accustomed to. Even a very strong academic student can find the work load heavier than they thought it would be. </p>
<p>As a freshman student, time management can become a difficult task in itself. In addition to the extracurricular activities that the student chooses, there are the regular classroom hours, the study and homework hours, the time needed to do laundry, to keep their suite/room clean, to go food shopping, to cook some meals, to make friends, to get to know their way around campus, to work a part time job (yes, some students do this), so all these hours can add up rather quickly. Sometimes with all this activity, the college routine can become very hard for a new student to juggle. This is not meant to discourage anyone from trying new things, it is just meant to illustrate that freshman students have more on their plate than just school work. I am all for keeping busy (even very busy), however, this is just a reminder that freshmen, particularly during their first semester, are vulnerable to becoming overwhelmed. </p>
<p>A simple way to see if everything fits is to estimate the number of hours needed for the following: class time, study time, homework time, end of semester project/finals time, chore time, and activities time. It is generally estimated that for every credit hour, a student will spend approximately two to three hours outside of class studying, please make sure to consider this when planning a student’s schedule. This way your student can selectively plan their own schedule and start the semester with a time management plan in hand. All those hours really do add up quickly!</p>
<p>Yes, you can take on most activities or programs and then decide to quit, if the time constraints prove too much, but dropping a class or dropping an activity shouldn’t be in the same category. In my opinion, academics have to come first especially for scholarship students. If a student is not having enough time to do well in a class, they need to reassess their out of class activities. Classes undoubtably should come first.</p>
<p>There are certain programs like CBH (academic/minor) or MDB (marching band) which are highly competitive and take up much of the student’s time. Programs such as these, should not be taken on lightly. MDB is a most worthwhile opportunity, as is any other “extreme time” commitment program like CBH, but they often do not work well in conjunction with each other. In my opinion CBH, which only selects 40 students a year, should be a commitment that is respected. I am sure that the same is true of MDB because of the need for each member to be a fully active participant. It would not be fair to other students to just “try” these particular programs on. The student should be fully committed to these programs before accepting their place in them A student needs to be dedicated to these program choices to truly benefit from them. Of course, if there are extenuating circumstances and it is necessary, students can drop out, but I would think that that would be a last resort for programs such as these. I simply don’t place these competitive programs in the same category as other extracurricular activity.</p>
<p>Although the goal of college life is to be fully engaged while doing well academically, I do not think that overextending “just to be busy” is such a great idea. If necessary, a student may have to overextend (for a short time) if a unique opportunity arises. However, if careful planning of the student’s time and schedule were done prior to the semester’s start, this will probably be a moot point. Students who have planned well should have enough time and energy to take on any new challenge. Don’t forget to consider downtime and exercise when planning a student’s schedule. They will need time to just relax and unwind.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add the MDB is a class so you are required to be at rehearsals, shows etc. It is not the same thing as being in an extracurricular club. It is probably the most time intensive one credit class on campus.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore chemical engineering/pre-med major. He is in his second year playing trumpet in the MDB and is also in CBH. He has been super busy this fall, but wouldn’t trade it for anything. He is a huge football fan if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>Robin is he happy with the major? Does he think that band + this major equates to a stressful life?</p>