After a seven-hour day at school and a four-hour band practice, students are expected to return home and finish their homework for class the next day. Time is precious when in the school band, but there is little of it. Balancing a busy schedule of activities and schoolwork for students in band is extremely difficult. This is especially true when students take AP or honors classes.

Band students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School practice from 3:15 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, as well as an 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. camp day on particular Saturdays. They also do performances at football games and competitions. This adds up to over 20 hours of practice time for the Eagle Regiment Marching Band, and students still have to find ways to complete their homework for the week.

Due to this rigorous schedule, band students may not go to bed until 12 a.m.–1 a.m., which negatively impacts their sleep schedules. The Center for Disease Control recommends teenagers get about 8–12 hours of sleep per night. On school nights, these 8–12 hours might be hard for band students to get, so they catch up on sleep on weekends when they do not have competitions.

Since all of their time outside of band is dedicated to schoolwork or catching up on sleep, they have less time to work on their music, as is expected of them. It is important for band members to practice on their own to perfect pitch and timing. The lack of time for individual practice can affect the quality of their performance in group practices and competitions.

When adding band to a busy academic schedule, it can be challenging to decide what classes a band student has to take every year. For instance, they have to factor in how much work the class might require and may not be able to add it to their schedule in fear of band interfering with the workload. Restraint from taking higher-level classes can hinder a student’s learning process.

Band students miss school in order to participate in competitions, which can cause them to fall behind. To prevent this from happening, they try to do as much work beforehand, on the bus to competitions or after they get back. The stress of catching up on missed schoolwork can overwhelm students and negatively impact their mental health.

When at practice, band students must put all the stress of school work and tests behind them in order to fully focus on their music. They will not have an effective practice if they are distracted by the schoolwork they will have to complete when they get home.

All of the pressure that accompanies balancing band with classes can be very draining; however, students are in band for a reason: they are passionate about it. High school can be difficult to navigate at times and band provides students with a community where they can be themselves and spend time with people that share their interests. For most, band is where lasting friendships are made and a second family is formed.

It is challenging to take honors and AP classes with a program as time-consuming as band is, but students come up with schedules that work for them. Whether it is doing their homework on the weekends or days that they do not have band practice, students find ways to balance their schedule. So, behind all of the awards and recognitions the band earns, there are tirelessly hardworking students behind it, doing everything they can to keep their grades up.