<p>Our son went through a rock phase (while continuing classical and jazz studies), and it was rather unpleasant at that, since he liked a lot of screamo and metal.</p>
<p>My mantra during that time was, “This music is not a destination”. Other than that, we didn’t limit his playing in a rock band, or his listening to the music. However, we all were relieved that it was relatively short lived, and by mid-way through Sophomore year, he was finished with it, and back on a serious classical/jazz musical path.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether or not this will be true for your son, but we have known a lot of very good musicians who got caught up in rock for awhile, and many “grew out of it”, particularly when it becomes abundantly apparent that violence and drugs etc. can be an integral part of the whole scene. My son had two friends who were hurt in mosh pits (one is lucky that he didn’t lose his eye), and independently decided it wasn’t really how he wanted to spend his time, particularly with his talent in other musical arenas.</p>
<p>However, had he wanted to pursue only rock music, we would have insisted on a university education too, letting him know that he could go off to become a rich and famous rock start with a degree under his belt.</p>