With music you hear all kinds of things with guidance counselors and schools, most of them simply are clueless that arts admissions are different than academic ones. Some of the classic ones I have heard over the years, either personally or from other people I trust
“Music schools have even tougher academic criteria then academic admits, you better improve your SAT scores and increase your AP tests”
“Well, if you are really interested in doing music performance in college, you should take a rigorous academic load in high school, and work closely with the school music program, and when the time comes her (the music director’s) and my (the guidance counselor) letters of recommendation will get you into any program you could want to apply to, I can almost guarantee that”
“Music in high school is a great hobby, and if you get serious, you can do that in college or at a conservatory…why, Yo Yo Ma never went to a music school”
“You shouldn’t major in music in college, like any kind of arts curricula it is not rigorous, and you come out maybe knowing how to play the instrument, but little else” (this one was a direct quote from a guidance counselor I met, he supposedly worked for a well known private school in NYC…
:“I don’t recommend majoring in music, not only is it extremely unlikely you will make it in music, but having a music degree will be a black mark if you decide not to do music”
What bothers me the most is it is okay not to know about music, I understand that it is its own world, but rather than admit that, and maybe actually do some research, they claim knowledge, and I know kids who might otherwise have a chance at getting into a good school for performance, totally got screwed up by advice like the above.