<p>I have much less personal knowledge about wind players, DesignDad. It becomes painfully clear when hearing any university orchestra how strong the wind students are, because the wind playing is so exposed in the repertory. If my child were a wind player, I would want to hear recordings and live performances of the orchestra. Wind ensembles, with their wide and rapidly developing repertory, are also revealing. It is possible to hear live-streaming of concerts from many of the major music schools. These concerts are not yet available in any kind of audio file, to my knowledge, so it will require diligence to check the performance schedule of any school under consideration, find out if this option is possible, and then listen in real time to the concerts. </p>
<p>If students are required to participate in marching bands, concert bands, etc., beyond their individual practice, chamber groups, orchestra, even wind ensemble, it is a disadvantage to their development as players, because of the wear and tear on the body and inevitable tiring. All musicians need to be fresh mentally and physically to be able to pay attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it at all times. I cannot speak to the issue of how important the level of playing in ones cohort is in a wind or brass studio. </p>
<p>None of this speaks to debt, of course, but rather which level and type of school can provide an appropriate education for ones goals, and how to figure that out. My personal opinion is that college debt should be minimized, and that it is unwise to shackle oneself to the financial burdens of unlikely to be achieved ambitions. An undergraduate education needs to be general enough to allow for a change of plans. Conservatories are trade schools for the most part, and unless they are tethered to an academic university with a strong core curriculum, the general education they offer is inadequate. So the goal, IMHO, should always be to find a teacher and situation that can help one explore their dreams without limiting their future options.</p>