Quitting Band in favor of another passion?

Applying to College
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Warning: This will be a long post which will include some controversial issues and an internal conflict I’ve been having. Some parts may sound overly poetic, but it’s what I have to do to explain how I feel. Please, if you have the time, read through it and give me your thoughts. I’m not sure what to do.

So I’m currently a Sophomore, #1 in my class, lots of E.C.s, All County/District Band, President of things, etc. I’ve been in Band since 6th grade, I’m section leader, brass coordinator, 1st chair in Band, Regional Orchestra, County Band, and District Band. My main goal is to get into Harvard (who would have guessed, right?), I have other colleges in mind as well.

Up until now, I’ve just been building up my stats sheet to look as good as possible. Take as many APs as possible, be #1 in everything, whatever. But recently, for whatever reason, I’ve experienced some sort of crisis. Band used to be my thing. I couldn’t wait to get to band everyday; there was always something new I can learn, something I could do. Recently, it’s become monotonous and I feel as though I have nowhere to go. Sure, I can still improve a ton, heck, I still haven’t made All State Band yet. But I feel like I’m at a point where no matter what the end result is, the effort I put in isn’t worth it. I have no clue how this happened. Like I said, I used to love band. But as band started to slip away, another passion quickly filled its void, and this time, I feel like the goals are endless, and everything is in my reach. Here’s how it all happened.

I recently became involved in government and politics. It all started with an AP Gov class I took, which got me interested. Around that time, some friends and I started a Young Democrats club. It started out small, but it quickly grew. 5 members to 10. 10 to 20. Soon, we were involved locally, getting name recognition, etc. Eventually, I was invited to Raleigh for a State Convention of Young Democrats. There I was elected to the NCTD board as Treasurer. Through my involvement in politics, I’ve done more than I could ever imagine. I meet with local leaders regularly, I’ve been elected to multiple statewide committees, I’m involved in several campaigns, I’m an upcoming state legislature page, and I’ve met Bernie Sanders. All of this happened because of an AP Gov class and some friends.

So as you can see, politics has taken me a long way. But it’s even more than that to me. With this new found passion, I’ve also seen a new, more attainable path to where I want to go. By studying government, I am able to connect all of my passions together (excluding band of course). English class is now fun because I can connect themes of speech with what I’ve dealt with in politics. History is now entirely applicable, because now I can use my historical knowledge to inform my opinion. Math, despite being another subject area all together, is more useful than ever before. My AP Stats class provided me with knowledge on how to conduct polls, and I am now in the process of polling my county on a local issue. Government/politics has brought everything together into this grand summation of passions which I deeply enjoy.

Now, here is my dilemma. As I said earlier, school for me has always been a race. A series of goals which I must achieve in order to get where I need to go. With this new passion, it has become something more for me. Not only is everything I learn applicable to what I do, I now see a path forward. However, I feel that classes like band are no longer useful to me. Band takes two period away from me a year, and countless hours after school. What if I spent all that time elsewhere, like getting involved in what I love to do? As you can see, I have a decision to make. Do I quit band in the hope that government/politics is what I like? Do I keep it just in case? Mainly, what will colleges think? Like I said before, I have the not-so-uncommon goal of getting into Harvard (for reasons I can discuss later). But will Harvard look down on me for doing this? I’m not asking anyone to be an admissions officer, but is there a general consensus on this topic? Just for the sake of more information, let me lay out how this decision would affect me.

Let’s say I quit band. Just like that, all my scheduling problems are gone. I no longer have to bend over backwards to cram all these extra courses in as extra periods over the summer and at home. No more independent studies, no more taking courses at different schools. So what do I do with this extra time? Well, I use it to specialize. Like I said before, I really want this time to pursue my passion. I could take more classes I enjoy, and I would have unlimited time after school to attend party functions and other stuff I had to skip before. Keep in mind, I would still maintain a rigorous course schedule and Extra Curricular cycle. I would maintain my commitment to my current clubs, and I would take as many courses as before, just more specialized this time. I could use all this time to make high school worth my time, not just four years I use to impress Harvard. The problem here is that quitting band could look poor on my application. What kind of commitment do I have if I couldn’t even do band for four years?

Or, let’s say I stay in band. I keep doing what I’m doing. I’ll graduate #1, maintain my clubs, band, etc. I’ll take all the APs or whatever. Sure, it’s a lot more stress on me, but don’t we all have to deal with that? Colleges can look at my application and say “Wow, there’s a committed student who made room for everything and is well rounded.” Good stuff, right? Except I have less time to pursue my passion. I can still be involved, but I’ll always feel limited, and not quite comfortable.

Those are my two options right now. I’ve never felt more conflicted over a decision, and to be honest, a lot of it is my future. I really want to pursue my passion, but is it foolish to give up a commitment like band for something I’m only beginning? Would colleges really place authenticity above commitment if it meant I had to quit band? To me, college admissions are the result of all your hard work in high school, and I don’t want to give up a shot at my top college for a dream. So what are your thoughts? I know this was a lengthy post, but if you’ve read this far, I really appreciate it. Once again, I’m not trying to get you to play the part of the admissions officer at Harvard, but in general, would my authenticity in something I love trump years worth of commitment and courses? Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

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I think I’ve met my clone! It’s actually quite frightening how similar our situations are. I’m in the same dilemma (sophomore) and I"m also thinking about quitting band. I’ve been in it since middle school like you have, am also at the top of my class, and I have leadership positions in STEM, classics, and other special interest and volunteering clubs that I"m super passionate about too. I realized that band isn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It stopped being fun for me, and I feel guilty for quitting because I’d be the only tenor in our pep band and one of two trumpets in our symphonic band. Although I do love music and playing in the band, I realized that this is too much of a time commitment for something that I’ll end up giving up in the future anyways. In your case, I think the real question you should be asking is whether band is something you can’t give up. Personally, I had to ask myself what I truly wanted out of the opportunities that were presented in front of me, because the important thing is that you don’t regret what you did throughout high school. Some of these opportunities will be hard to come by when we get older, and it’s just a question of which can’t you give up. Also, stop thinking about Harvard and colleges and stuff for a bit. Be you and do what you want, because everything else will follow. Don’t put so much weight on a name because it will show in your application if you only wanted to go to that school for what it was, and not what it had to offer you. Your identity shouldn’t include a school you want to go to; it should just be you and what you like, because that is what defines you.

P.S. I <3 Bernie and I’m super jealous, and also PM me if you want to talk more because I’m in the exact same situation. Also, this post may sound like I already quit band but I’ve actually just decided to, and I’m trying to muster up the courage to tell my band teacher at the end of the year lol

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@oPhilippos @jswani Oh my gosh you guys I’m in the same boat as well!! I’m a sophomore as well, and at the top of my class. I’ve been in orchestra since 5th grade and it’s honestly taking up too much of my time. As much as I like it, I would like to focus on other things I am interested in, such as teen court, the youth advisory board of a non-profit, debate, model un, and volunteering on political campaigns. I’m in the top chair in the top orchestra, and I feel like I have too much potential to quit…

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And I also feel the same way as you. I’m involved in all of these activities that are connected to a central theme, community service and advocacy. Orchestra is definitely an outlier.

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Read the book “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport. He would say that your discovery of AP Gov and your deeper dive into politics makes you more “interesting”…

That being said, I would talk to your Band director about this.There may be a 3rd option to keep doing what you are doing and quitting… I will bet Band is part of your social life and you may have second thoughts about just cutting it all off…BUT…talk to your band director to find out if there is a way to reduce your involvement…stay in band in school but don’t be the section leader/president and drop all county.

If you look strictly at “application” concerns…then you will have shown leadership and committment… “Section Leader, Brass” and “All County” can be on your application even if you aren’t in it anymore.

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I have the exact same problem too but with choir!! When I was in middle school, I DREAMED of being in the highest choir at my high school, and now that I’m in it, I absolutely hate it!! I say quit, because 2 more years of misery won’t compare to being happy and excelling in your club. I wish you all the best (and we should so be friends!!!)

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I think they key thing is that your passion for band has waned and it is getting in the way of pursuing your newfound passion for politics. You should not worry about what Harvard will think–worry about what YOU will think. In a year or two, will you be regretting dropping band? Will you wish you were marching on the field at halftime? Will you be kicking yourself for never having had the experience of going to all-state? Will you be sad sitting in the audience at a band concert, wishing you were up there?

Those are some of the most important questions, in my opinion. If you decide “no” on all of the above, you can make your decision to quit band with a clear conscience, and start investing more time in your newfound passion. You will be able to give the context for your decision in your college essays if you think it’s important that they understand why you quit band.