<p>Band or choir? I know, KNOW for a fact band is harder(at least at my school). Which is why I’m asking the question. I’m taking band this year and it is the most time-consuming thing ever. Not to mention ‘band camp’(we do it in the summer) is really boot camp disguised(yeah, push ups and laps for this or that). The choir has no (boot) ‘camp’ thing, and it costs hundreds of dollars less than band, and they don’t have a ton of after school practices(during marching season the only day you have off is wednesday and sunday, and they explicitly tell you that). </p>
<p>Anyway, enough of my complaining(as you can tell I just finished another sore day of band) and I wanted to ask you guys, which is the better EC? Does band look a lot better on college applications to top schools(HYPSM)? Or would it have as equal an effect if I took choir, since they’re both music? Because if band is no ‘better’ an EC than choir, I think I’m going to drop band and save myself a lot of money and time. I would’ve taken choir in the first place but I’ve been told my a couple of people that band looks way better because colleges know it’s harder, but I don’t think that’s always the case because different schools have harder/easier band/choir programs. And has anyone here taken choir/band? I’m talking about marching band by the way, and after marching season comes concert season, which I think is the better season. What schools are you aiming for/already got in? Thanks!</p>
<p>do whichever one you like more and fits your schedule better. I’ve never heard of band>choir, personally. if you’re accomplished in one of them it’s no worse or better than the other, so im calling shenanigans on your friends</p>
<p>I like them both, but I like choir better only because of how much more FREEDOM you have. I hope I can come up with some excuse for the director because he’s not so easy on letting people slide out of band even though there is a MASSIVE amount of people. Will it look bad if I do band for one year and switch to choir for the next years?</p>
<p>I took band and choir at one point, and I was in an outside orchestra. Here are my thoughts:
You MUST love whichever you pick. Either way, there’s a time commitment involved.
Band had much better bonding experiences than choir or orchestra. Everyone was very connected. Some of my best friends were the band people! In choir, we talked, but we weren’t close. I only talk to one person with whom I was in choir. Orchestra actually had some good bonding, but NOTHING compares to band bonding.
Unless you’re talking about a very advanced choir, your classmates may not be very serious about music. Not sure how serious you are, though.
Each experience had its ups and downs-I think you just need to decide which you prefer. </p>
<p>Now, my personal opinion aside, I don’t think one looks better than the other, nor do I think that one or the other is necessary for elite admissions. After all, you should be doing it because you ENJOY it.</p>
<p>It’s unlikely to make much of a difference either way unless you’re particularly gifted in either and can send in a supplement or join All-County/State.</p>
<p>I agree with glassesarechic. In addition, most colleges don’t factor ECs into admissions. The ones that do are places like Harvard that have such high stat and strong EC students that neither band nor choir is going to stand out as an EC in that pool.</p>
<p>Northstarmom is right in that neither of these ECs will help for colleges that factor ECs into admission. However, if you enjoy doing them, it would be foolish to stop doing them because of their lack of impressing adcoms at some schools. If you love being in the band, be in the band. If you find choir to be tons of fun, do choir. Don’t let college dictate what you do outside the classroom; pick a few things you enjoy most and do them. Besides, no EC is going to help much for a school like Harvard unless you’ve been recognized on a state or national level for it.</p>
<p>Do you actually believe that the difference maker between your being accepted into a HYPMS school is band vs. choir?!?</p>
<p>Do you truly envision a scenario where the Admissions Committee at one of the HYPMS wil sit around a table and say: “Well it’s time to vote on untitledlol, I think it’s a great profile and he’d be a super addition to…hold on. Did anyone else just notice that he dropped band for choir? CHOIR! How did this slacker get through the initial screens? I think I speak for everyone when I say, rejected!”</p>
<p>I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference, just go with whichever you prefer. But if you go with choir, I think it’d look really good if you continued playing whatever you played in band. For instance, maybe play a few times somewhere like church, or go play for the elderly in nursing homes (if that’s feasible). Maybe join the orchestra pit for a local musical. That way you can show that you made time for both, and that you continued playing your instrument. If none of those work, you could take private lessons and include that, too.</p>
<p>Well ok thanks guys, I didn’t know what was a stupid question here because people ask that a lot at school and the choir people tell you to do choir and the band people seem to want to saw your head if you don’t do band. I think I’ll switch next year if it’s too time consuming. I like then both. I keep getting the 'do what you like" but I like them equally. It’s just band takes up buckets of time compared to choir, but some people told me not to join choir because it’ll look like you’re lazy on applications and band looks much better, which is why I bothered asking here.
and @ victoriaheidi: lol I play the fiddle(violin), clarinet, and I had to drop piano after a few lessons because I couldn’t afford it anymore, but I still actively play what I can. And I like to sing opera arias, hymns, chorales and such which is why I like choir too. WE don’t have an orchestra here because when we were trying to make an orchestra we found only four violinists out of the whole school.</p>