I was thinking about skipping Band in High School and coming back to band when go to college. Would there be any way for me to find the same type of curricular band experience I would in high school but somewhere else?

I continued with band all through high school, but I also took Art all through high school so I had to take summer school a couple summers to fit everything in. I feel like you have to be part of something in high school. I had great friends in band and felt like I was really part of something all through high school so I recommend staying in band. If you want to play outside of high school, maybe check to see if your community has a civic orchestra you can play in.

Hi Alexis,

Thanks for your great question about pursuing band in high school / college. I'm so glad to hear that you want to play in college! I played in my high school band and currently play in college as well. If you're looking for a space to continue playing your instrument in a group setting, I would recommend asking around to see if there are any active community bands in your area. Many people like you want to continue playing their instrument, and often times that leads to concert and jazz bands being formed.

If you're looking for a more committed experience, you could look into a drum corps. These are on an audition basis (colorguard, drumline, trumpets, horns, etc.) , and many drum corps travel around the country to compete. Here is a video of my favorite performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOMjdUhkH5E

If you're looking for more theory-based resources, you could pursue AP Music Theory: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-music-theory! With a quick Google search you'll find many books, videos, and other resources to help you pursue music theory.