<p>I'm going to be entering college in the fall and I got an email about signing up for band camp. Anyway, I did band and played sports throughout high school and I really enjoyed my time, but for college I'm not sure if I should continue with band. </p>
<p>If I were to join band, I believe the commitment would be 2 hour rehearsals, 2-3 days a week, depending on the specific band I join. I think I can manage the time commitment and it could be beneficial for having a group of friends to be with, and the fact that I get to move in earlier, which sounds awesome. I don't know about college, but in high school, band players were also given many benefits. I was allowed to skip some of my classes to attend recording sessions and off-campus concerts. It was also helped me to get out of certain required school events and fundraisers. Overall, I also think it could be a really fun experience and you get to travel and play at different concerts.</p>
<p>The reason I'm having second thoughts on continuing, however, is that I'm going to be studying engineering, which I know is going to take up a lot of time, and while I know band will work with my schedule, I am also thinking about continuing sports because I think it would be more beneficial since I could get outdoors more and stay in shape. To me, doing sports is a more relaxing/simpler activity than having to frequently practice my instrument. Throughout high school, I was also not the greatest player. Now that I'm in college, I'm also thinking about exploring my other hobbies that I really enjoy, but wasn't able to fully touch on in high school. If I were to pick up sports and other clubs, I'm not sure I would be able to manage doing band all at the same time. </p>
<p>With this being said, any thoughts on my situation?</p>
<p>What type of band do you do, a symphonic type or more marching band? I Just graduated from UConn and I was very involved in music groups. Do whatever you would like but I think music is a great hobby to have. The people I have met through music have been the best and most caring friends I have ever had. It probably depends on where you are going and how prominent the fine arts program is there but I would say try to stick with it, at least for the first semester and see how you like it!</p>
<p>@riqwnx: I am an incoming freshman at UConn this fall and am thinking about continuing to be involved in music (I play clarinet). What groups were you involved with?</p>
<p>@kt Hello! I was in:
Marching Band- 4 years
Pep Band- 4 years
Symphonic band- 3.5 years
Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra- 1 semester
I also took lessons with the horn teacher for all 4 years</p>
<p>I play french horn (mellophone in marching and pep band). UConn was a good school but I can easily say that joining the band made my college experience many many times better. What are you more interested in? I was one of the band captains for marching band last year if you’re interested let me know and I could tell you what to do/who to contact, even for any music-type thing I could find out for you!</p>
<p>I guess I can’t send you a private message since I don’t have more than 15 posts but I don’t want to clutter up this thread too much. Could you possibly send me your email so I could ask you some more questions?</p>
<p>@HDMADCK I’m planning to do club sports, but I believe the time commitment would be around 3 practices a week and occasional weekend competitions. </p>
<p>@riqwnx I’m thinking about either doing regular concert band or pep band. Do you have an opinion on either one? You were in 4 music groups throughout college? That’s impressive, were you a music major? Can you also tell me what you really enjoyed about band and how often you had rehearsal and playing events?</p>
<p>@ktfrancis94 If it’s convenient for you, feel free to post any of your questions. Even though it’s my thread, I think having more questions answered could be useful for other people who might be considering band next year too.</p>
<p>my email is riqwnx@g mail.com if you would like more info about UConn specifically. </p>
<p>@Light I graduated this year with a BS in Biology and Psychology. Marching band was the most time intensive and it was also my favorite group. A concert band is easier to manage, ~6 hours of rehearsal a week plus however much you want to practice. Pep band at my school was only in the spring and met once a week for 2.5 hours, usually 1-2 games a week. If you like basketball or football then pep band or marching band may be for you. I don’t know how good the teams are at your school but if they’re good you could travel with the basketball team and such, and you get free seats to the games you play in!</p>
<p>I personally enjoyed the time I could spend with other people and how close I could get with them. I love music, I’ve been playing horn for ~11 years now, it can really foster close relationships. I ended up joining a music service fraternity in college which made those bonds even stronger. I didn’t mind all the traveling I got to do with the marching and pep band either haha.</p>
<p>I was hugely involved with band in high school and I loved it, so I continued it freshman year (first and second semester).</p>
<p>I found that I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much, because I loved my band family in high school and I didn’t connect with the band students at USC.</p>
<p>With that being said, I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t of done band in college, I would have always had a nagging “what if…” in the back of my mind. I did it for a year, realized I didn’t enjoy it anymore and gave it up. I don’t miss it now, so it was the right decision for me.</p>
<p>I’d say give it a go for the first semester and see how you like it. You may want to continue, but you may decide to stop.</p>
<p>In high school, I was a band officer, was first chair in concert band, played in pep band, and played in jazz band. I also took AP Music Theory, was a music mentor to middle school students, participated in a drum line, and did several clinics. I also did Solo and Ensemble festivals every year. Band was my life in high school. All of my free time was spent with band kids and my most favorite memories were with the band.</p>
<p>With all of that involvement and time commitment, there was no way I could have just given it up cold-turkey. I had to literally decide for myself that it wasn’t fun anymore.</p>