16 yr old DS - Giving piano lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS has played piano since he was 6, he plays it really well but doesn’t participate in any competitions etc. Twice a month he volunteers to teach piano underprivileged ES kids and twice a month he plays for a retirement community. He treats it more of a hobby and loves the fact that he is using it for some good in the community.

DH is a highly successful engineer and he thinks DS would be better served playing in competitions and overall proving his excellence. I differ here and think that DS is doing well for what he considers a hobby, DH also thinks that proving to be top notch at it will be good for his college application, again I differ.

DS’s true passion is mathematics, this is something he enjoys. Community aspect helps as he is a sensitive kid. Who do you agree with DH or DS?

Thanks in advance for res

This sounds like our DS (14). He is a rising high school freshman though and has been playing piano since he was 5. He is pretty good at it but doesn't like competitions much. He has participated in a few and has placed or earned honorable mentions or other accolades. His true passion is math as well and he managed to medal in USAJMO this year and will be taking AP Calc BC next year. It is probably too early to think about college yet but we would like for him to continue along some path for the piano.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll be in your shoes in a few years, OP, with my violinist child. If your son wants the slimmest chance at an Ivy, he needs BOTH competition wins AND community service. If he wants to be a shoe-in for a second-tier school, he needs both as well. Is he doing math competitions as well?

I know it's tragic to focus so much on how it looks for college apps, but I've got a high school senior who just went through the college admissions wringer and the stakes are high. My violinist kid does one competition a year. Her latest one landed her at Carnegie Hall. She would like to tutor kids one day, when she's older. I encourage her in all of these things because violin has built up her self-confidence and mental stamina in a wonderful way... but it's also good for college applications.

Good luck. Learning to time manage all these activities is also quite tricky.

There are kids in Ivies who don’t even play instruments. This is ridiculous.