I kind of feel like our big mistake was the opposite. There were music opportunities for my second child that were challenging to work in because the first child was a year older and also busy in music, so we passed on them. I kind of feel like in the end that might have hurt his chances. He had 5 auditions. 4 were at better schools. He ended up with 3 rejections and one wait list. He also got a full ride at the decent state school where he applied as his 5th option. While in the big picture, the full ride is a wonderful opportunity, and he will have chances for all the Summer festivals, and help with grad school. I know he would rather be attending any of the other 4. Academically, he is competitive with all of the top students going for the prestigious schools, and is a NMF. We did not invest soon enough in his music.