<p>My D is a senior and finishing her 4th year in marching band, last 2 as a section leader. I can tell you our experience: Marching Band was not about the music. Are we glad D did it? Absolutely. Several of her private teachers tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. The personal growth and leadership skills she developed from this experience were tremendous. She now has an amazing ability to get a large group of very diverse people to work well together. But I cannot really say her musical skills improved much.</p>
<p>I think the marching band experience is probably more valuable for a potential music education major than a music performance major, as far as the music part of it. If your S wants to conduct, that may be another good reason to do marching band, as there are not many opportunities for a high school student to conduct. (I have heard, though, that there are very few undergraduate conducting programs…others would know more about this). But the time management has to be very good, especially during band season, to be able to keep up with the “serious” music practice. This would be similar to trying to be a serious musician while playing a sport. Our band season is in the fall also, while D was trying to prepare for auditions. Her grades took a hit.</p>
<p>We are so glad our D did marching band. We have met the most incredible teachers, students, and other families. Would she have been farther ahead with her music if she did not do this? Maybe. I think about that especially now, in the application aftermath. But the experience for her was priceless, and she had so much fun.</p>