You know the old saying: Money can’t guarantee happiness; but lack of money can guarantee misery. Academic ability can’t guarantee performance success; but lack of academic ability can guarantee a rough ride in college.
@perdad is right. If you think you are going to college to perform and play/sing all day…and can put your academic skills on coast…you will have a rude awakening. I honestly thought all the horrible struggles in those dark days of Junior and Senior year were done! I thought college was the reward…only to find out her crazy schedule persisted!
However I do think most kids/parents know that. I don’t think backing off the academics in senior year equates to lower academic effort in general. My D backed off 2nd semester of senior year. Her APs prior to that helped in undergrad and allowed her to be a part-time student second semester senior year of UG for grad school auditions. Again a needed respite to focus on auditions. The ebb and flow in her academic schedule was a reflection of serious planning (not coasting) and it worked.
Of course, you can always skip academics and just go out and perform in some art forms. I know ballet dancers (typical to get out young), musical theater performers and actors…who had no or a few semesters of college…and have done very well. Academics is not required for performance success…but in the case of classical music (and probs others) it is more expected.