High School Extracurriculars and College

Thinking back, applying for college is somewhat annoying.  Why?  Well, colleges want to see that you are doing every possible activity you can so that you are well-rounded, but they also want you to have a solid foundation, and great potential, in the field in which you are applying to earn a degree (especially in music).

When I was in high school, I was required to maintain honor roll and participate in a sport or some activity every season...and this was a requirement by my parents.  So I made honor roll, played in every band ensemble and the orchestra, played tennis in the fall, did gymnastics in the winter, danced almost 10 hours a week the whole year, and took flute and clarinet lessons.  Oh, I also participated in a youth orchestra junior and senior year.  My mom's philosophy, and now mine, is that you should leave every door open to you.  If you have the opportunity to do something and you can do it, you probably should.  Open doors are infinitely better, and more useful to you, than closed ones.

But when is too much, too much?  I knew I wanted to play flute.  Did all these other activities take away from my flute playing?  Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it since most of my activities were flute-related.  Most importantly, not only was I in a handful of ensembles that met every week,  I seldom missed a lesson.  

With college expectations only seeming to grow, how do you find the balance of doing all the extracurriculars admissions like to see on an application, and still show that your main focus is playing flute?  Yes talent is important, but surely it must go beyond talent.

I am not sure I have the clear answer to this dilemma, because I like to have more than one thing going on in my life at any given time.  In high school, I thrived on being busy and honestly, being busy probably helped me focus.  Because I didn't have a lot of free time I had to manage time efficiently.  All that being said, here are my thoughts on being in all those clubs and sports at school when you could be playing flute.

- Do what makes you happy.  If Spanish Club and playing soccer are just part of who you are, don't drop them from your schedule because you are worried some college's school of music admissions person will think you aren't focused enough on your flute.  Yes, practicing is important, but you need to have a life outside of flute.  A happy life outside of the flute world will only make you happier in the flute world.

- As always, be honest with yourself.  If you aren't someone who thrives on being busy, know when you are taking on too much.  Quality over quantity.  You can't be amazing at everything.  No one can.  Pick the activities that are important to you and leave behind the others that are just "would-be-nice".

- Which relates to the main thought I have about all this: PRIORITIZE.  Some activities are more important than others, fact.  Getting good grades and practicing flute need to be at the top of your list if you want to go to college for music.  However, these need not be the only priorities, just remember they should be in the top three if not top two (not counting family time and down time, both also very important...and you know, eating).

You need to figure out the perfect balance for you.  Prioritizing your activities/commitments should help you succeed overall.  Be open-minded and don't burn bridges, but be mindful of your limits.  Mainly, do what makes you happy...and practice flute everyday.  :)