Anonymous wrote:The truth is students need both if they want to be competitive for the ivies/elite privates. Top rigor/hardest Ap's possible and music/art. They need to maximize both in the context of their high school.
For schools in the T20-50 range it matters less.

truth. almost all dc-26's ivy peers fit this description. all the unhooked ones.

Anonymous wrote:Her APs were mixed - some hard and some easier. She could have taken AP Gov or Human AP Geo as a freshman allowing her to take AP Bio and AP Stats in addition to the APs she took later on. Maybe more she didn’t consider. She wasn’t eligible for AP Spanish because she only got to Honors Spanish 4.

She loved making music in school. It was a much needed break for her.

So why would you make your kid skip out on band that they love and that is such a good thing to be a part of your life?!?!?! Let her take band and don't worry. Part of life is enjoying it, and band is a good thing!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kinds of schools is she targeting OP?

Top choices are UMD, W&M, and GWU.

DS24 did marching and concert band all years except freshman (COVID), because he enjoyed music and the camaraderie. He’s a freshman at UMD in CS, doing marching and pep band. It’s a wonderful commmunity and a great distraction from the academics.

My kid’s not even that good and I’m still glad she’s taking four years of it. Come at me!

Anonymous wrote:The truth is students need both if they want to be competitive for the ivies/elite privates. Top rigor/hardest Ap's possible and music/art. They need to maximize both in the context of their high school.
For schools in the T20-50 range it matters less.

You forgot sports and volunteering!

What level of music?

Band 1-4 in high school is different from Band 1-2 in middle school and then advanced ensembles in high school. The advanced instrument classes are recognized as honors classes, and maybe one year you take AP Music Theory and do your instrument as a club instead of a class.

If you start the instrument in high school, what were you doing in your free time to better yourself in middle school?

Everything adds up to a whole picture. You can't answer "is X or Y more important" when they are both good things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It may benefit her on the condition she writes about her love of band in one of the essays. But she can't just say nothing about it, OP. Otherwise it makes no sense to pick an "easy" class 4 times in a row.

Only a non-musician would think being proficient in music, usually with more than one instrument along with writing and reading music is “easy”.

It's more that you can study your instrument at home while taking an academic class at school, but the reverse is more awkward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It may benefit her on the condition she writes about her love of band in one of the essays. But she can't just say nothing about it, OP. Otherwise it makes no sense to pick an "easy" class 4 times in a row.

She didn’t pick music because it was “easy” but it was a nice break in her day, and being part of the band was an important way for her to engage with her school. She mentioned playing her instrument in college in the “why us” essays and included her extracurricular musical training among her activities.

Some musicians take health and languages during the summer to make room for more APs, but she as otherwise inclined.

You know who has trouble getting into college? Kids have mental breakdowns because they take classes they hate to impress someone they will never meet and who will never care.

How strong of a musician is she?

Does she intend to major in music?

The top musicians (vocal and instrumental) at our high school who major in music seem to get accepted everywhere, including ivies, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Boston, Northwestern, Michigan, etc, etc.

The kids we know who submitted music supplements were accepted to places like UVA over kids with high stats who were not musicians.

Music helps. If the kid is good enough, music is as big of a boost as a recruited sport to the higher ranked schools.

OP here and thanks all for the comments. It’s too late to do anything differently anyway - DD is a senior and all the apps are in. She’s now in the destructive spiral of waiting and wondering about her chances. She’s enjoyed her four years of music and I hope she’ll have an opportunity to play in college at a similar level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kinds of schools is she targeting OP?

Top choices are UMD, W&M, and GWU.

For humanities, she should be fine with those.

+1

People. Please let your kids be kids and pursue what they love

The truth is students need both if they want to be competitive for the ivies/elite privates. Top rigor/hardest Ap's possible and music/art. They need to maximize both in the context of their high school.
For schools in the T20-50 range it matters less.

Anonymous wrote:It may benefit her on the condition she writes about her love of band in one of the essays. But she can't just say nothing about it, OP. Otherwise it makes no sense to pick an "easy" class 4 times in a row.

Only a non-musician would think being proficient in music, usually with more than one instrument along with writing and reading music is “easy”.

Definitely music. If she wants to play in a college ensemble she will be competing against committed musicians who prioritized their music.

APs are very common but dedication to music stands out. Even if it didn’t she should choose it.