Should I quit band?
Hello,
I'm a current junior, and I've done marching band for the past two years. I really enjoyed marching band the first year but enjoyed it significantly less this past year. Also, a requirement to be in the marching band is to be in a band class during the school year. The first year I did band as a sophomore, I got put into wind ensemble (the highest, honors credit) because of a scheduling conflict. I'm not new to music, so the music wasn't too hard, but I definitely didn't deserve to be in that class compared to the other people. Last year I talked to the band directors really before deciding classes for this year and got an exemption to not take a band class this year. I am in IB and the math options are really limiting for us, so I doubled up math. Also I didn't want to take IB Music as my IB elective because I heard bad things about the class from students last year, and I see myself pursuing computer science over music. Now it's time to start deciding classes for senior year, and I'm not sure if I want to stay in band. I know that if I quit my section in marching band would significantly suffer because there'd only be one other senior and everyone else is in their first year of band. I also have read that it's important to show commitment in your college apps, so I don't know if quitting would reflect poorly on me. I used to swim before I did band, but there was just a huge time commitment for band, so I quit swimming. On the other hand, my classes feel lighter without band even though they're heavier academically. Instead of band, I would probably take AP Bio or Pysch because I want to go into STEM over music. I just don't really know how to decide. Any advice would help
Hi, im also a junior in marching band, and im honestly having a similar problem, however, if your not enjoying band, and you don’t really want to make a career out of band, I would drop it. And yes, having that commitment does look good on your college application, but academics look so much better. And while i am having problems with band, my problems are due to the drama so I might stay if it goes away, but if your losing the passion for it, then there is no real need to continue with the class as it taking away from your academics, which are a lot more important comparatively, and will look better for a science or STEM based school/major.
Honestly, I would focus more on the AP/IB classes. Like you said, commitment is very important to colleges, and if you aren’t enjoying doing band, you’re not likely to continue once you’re in college. I think you should focus more on your possible future in STEM, rather than a hobby you’re likely to quit after or during college. You should listen to your heart. If you no longer enjoy band, don’t let it weigh you down. Let go, and enjoy your other, more STEM focused classes. I took band and I wasn’t very passionate about it either, so I quit. I also took AP psych and AP bio, and they were both very fun and a lot more interesting to me over band. You already have two years of band under your belt, which are sure to mean something to colleges, so why not follow your heart and focus more on your future career?
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!