It doesn’t sound to me as if the cello is your problem.
If you are dropping all your ECs due to grades, even getting better grades won’t help you b/c you will leave yourself one-dimensional. You need to own whatever GPA you earn and be as well-rounded as possible with that grade to be the most attractive candidate. Do not quit cello, especially since it sounds like a bit of a passion for you. What may have to happen though is a re-evaluation of your target list for colleges.
Now if you played the viola… 
Even if your parents prevail, remember that plenty of people have taken a break from lessons and serious practicing and restarted happily and successfully as adults.
Perhaps if you worked with them to come up with a schedule that would reassure them that you’re following through on their expectations for study time etc that might help ease their concerns.
I was reading this thread with interest, as we have been talking to our son about quitting cello as well. The reason, coincidentally, is about improving “grades”. Not academic grades, mind you, but music “grades”, in piano and composition.
Once more with vigor. We have no idea whether this student quitting the cello will actually increase his GPA in any way…sorry,mew aren’t soothsayers.
But this kid likes his music. And it is something he can do the rest of his life. Almost every civic orchestra or community theater group that uses an orchestra will love having him.
I was a singer in HS. I never gave up my singing, and continue to do it as an adult. I was not a 4.0 student, but so what? I did get into college and had a great career in a profession I loved. I doubt that giving up my music would have made me change my career or college plans.
Music really is something you can do for the rest of your life if you like it.
Sorry, I do not advocate giving this up. In fact, we had two “must do” things for HS for our kids. One was that they would participate on one sport per year (note…not per season…per year), and each would choose an instrument and take lessons, and play in their HS ensembles.
Both got accepted to the college of choice.
It takes so much focus and dedication to learn an instrument. I began piano at age 5, and I think I’m more focused and more intelligent due to it. Without the focus piano gave me, I wouldn’t have made it in to the elite prep school I’m at now. Stay with it.
@mylifeisgone195 – could you talk to your counselor and parents about getting evaluated for the distractibility issues? There are a fair number of students who have a lot of trouble maintaining focus on anything that isn’t their passion, and there might be some techniques or support that could help you be less distracted and more efficient with your studies. (Many students with ADD have no trouble focusing on the thing that is their passion, but a lot of trouble staying focused on other areas.)
Commitment in music is a good sign for the student even without getting any award. My younger D also not at the level of winning any prize in viola but she worked hard to enter the symphony orchestra at her school which has one the top music program in the country. Unless it really hurts your grade or you simply hates the instrument, I don’t see the reason why you should quit it. However, I agree with your parents on not submitting art supplement to college. Unless you have an outstanding performance in that instrument, it would not help your application at all.
I don’t see any evidence that quitting cello will mean that the student will suddenly study more.
And, as far as school apps are concerned, admissions aren’t really based much on senior fall semester grades anyway.
Agree about getting tested for ADHD or disabilities. Agree about not giving up the cello!
You are obviously a good player and you really like the cello. Even if you don’t practice a lot some times, so what?
My two oldest boys are/were strings players (violin and cello). Wow, I am so glad they chose to keep up their music! What our lives would have been like without it, I don’t even want to think about it. My oldest has ADHD and he played violin for 12 years. I think the most he ever practiced was 45 minutes a day. That was great for him, and he had a great violin “career” 'cause he was a fast learner. He now plays other instruments. You don’t need to practice hours a day to improve.
Neither of my guys were into competitions; one did two competitions (hated them), one did one (hated it). Both are working musicians, getting gigs, busking, playing in chamber groups, doing weddings, recording, musicials, etc. Playing a string instrument is cool! And it travels well, it’s a social instrument, etc. I could go on and on.
OP, my high school senior just finished applications and cello was the main activity. He did robotics for one year (junior) and bowling for four years. Otherwise, almost all his other acitivites involved music in some way including playing cello as community service for various fund raisers.
He did not have perfect grades, though he didn’t have any Cs. But he was a fairly weak academic candidate, though he had some college classes and good SATs.
He was accepted to Penn, though for Fine Arts. He is a creative guy. Perhaps you should think about more creative schools and majors than Wharton. The music in your head is suggesting something else to me, but then, I don’t know you at all, so I could be totally off base.
We have been able to tell that the OP is a good Cello player and should be diagnosed for ADHD (with a 3.7 GPA) via this thread? Really?
EDad, I think the main reason why they brought up this is because I can’t focus. It takes a lot of time for me to focus on homework and studying etc because I always have some music stuck in my brain and I end up listening to that piece instead of studying. I’ve been trying to fix it since 10th grade, when it started getting really bad…however little progress. He quit clubs, says he doesn’t practice so much. Etc.
This just doesn’t come across (so far) as the kid so into music that it is his life. He may have some varied music activities, but I don’t see he’s a dedicated music major sort. (The warning we got about conservatory was the number of hours these kids dedicate. It’s more than the music running through one’s head.) Then he throws in, “My top school was Upenn Wharton, but I dunno anymore because sophomore and junior year just academically sucked.”
OP has some thinking to do. No I don’t think he should quit. But I do think he can look at the issues holding him back. And, look for the right tier of schools.
So true. A friend of mine told me that he thinks if a person has enough discipline to learn music (instrument or others) well, more likely than not he or she can pick up and master some other subject if he or she put his/her mind on it.
It is also my observation that, if the parents who want their child to learn music solely for its “practical” values like winning awards for helping him to get into a pretigious major/school (e.g., Upenn Wharton – I had to ask: What does Upenn Wharton have anything to do with music?), it could increase the odds that their child is not successful in learning the music well in the end – this is because there could be little intrinsic motivation there. (I do not claim OP is such a kid. But his parents could be such parents.)
I recently learned that the younger brother of Sarah Chang plays cello. He was graduated from Princeton about 5 years ago. She said he actually plays cello quite well but, after having seen his sister’s life, he thinks that kind of career is too demanding for him. (In my wild guess, he likely entered a career that a Upenn Wharton graduate might get into because his major was related to “finance engineering” at his school. If this is true, this is an example that being good at playing cello did not interfere with his academic work. But we could also speculate that he might have some kind of “mini-hook” by being the sibling of his famous sister - in his freshman year, his sister was invited there to perform and his friends had an opportunity to have a late dinner with her after the performance. Which college would not welcome such a “free” event?! I also heard both Harvard’s music department and Yale’s music department gave her some “award” even though she has never been studying there. Also, even though Isaac Stern was not her teacher (but he could be one of her mentors), he volunteered to help find her full-size instrument. In the end, it is his own instrument which she inherits. But I have side-tracked to other topic here.)
Hi everyone,
Thank you (seriously) for all the responses. I’ll talk to my parents as soon as I can because this week is the last week of APs and I have one more exam.
I have never considered ADHD/ADD before because I didn’t think I had it. But I was just thinking for a very long time today and I’m very positive it’s not ADD/ADHD. I believe it is just a laziness because I know I can focus. (Ex. Tests at school or the SAT). So hopefully I can fix that REALLY soon. But then again, my parents will probably know me better and suggest something.
Second one is not turning in a supplement. My question is, what makes a good supplement? I think my pieces are of the most basic conservatory level- Boccherini Concerto and Bach #2- but i know there are many talented kids who also play cello, and they’re probably doing Dvorak, Shosty, etc. I’m not sure what an acceptable level is.
Lastly, are other things I do with cello count as another EC? I have been in a chamber music program for 4 yrs now, school orch (section leader for 2 years now, but it’s a school orchestra haha), community orchestra in 9th grade (I like chamber music better). I have also done some gigs/ concerts with my friends. But are these all under the umbrella of cello or are they separate?
Thanks again everyone. 
Laziness? If it is laziness, why would quitting the cello help?
Yes, if they are different ECs involving music, they all count. My son plays a woodwind, and had marching band, jazz band, and honors band separately as ECs. The hours for each were pretty high, and all three had different group and individual awards.
“gigs” with your friends count if they are paid engagements, but I wouldn’t list them if there were only one or two.
And ADD doesn’t mean you can’t focus on anything - often a hallmark of ADD is hyperfocus on certain things and the inability to focus well on other things. My son has been diagnosed with ADD, and he hyperfocuses in certain areas (sports and music, and standardized testing) but flakes on homework and certain classwork. He has to use a lot of energy to pay attention in class but he doesn’t even practice music at home and he is in the highest level of music at school and in leadership positions.
Definitely ask about what to pick on the Music forum.