<p>Teachers are not always the most objective when it comes to their own students, but that is neither here nor there right now.</p>
<p>If a gap year, with lots of practicing and lessons, would make a big difference in your son’s admissions chances, it might make sense. The best way to know that though, would be to take him to NU or IU and have one of the percussion faculty independently assess his talent. I’d ask directly what they think his chances would be if he did a gap year, what to work on, etc. If you get positive feedback (and most of the professors are quite professional and honest), it might be a good option.</p>
<p>The other thing would be to contact NIU and see what your son’s chances are of getting off the waitlist. Is it a large list, and where is he on it? I’d also inquire as to whether it looks possible to transfer in, if your S decided to start in another program.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>