Do you dream of pursuing music as a college program and a career? While the music industry can be competitive, a successful career is entirely possible with dedication and consistent growth. One of the best ways to build your skills and experience is by getting involved in music-related activities outside of academics. In this blog, we’ve listed 5 of the best music extracurricular activities and explain their benefits.
- Youth Orchestra
- Music Theory & Composition
- Music Competitions & Festivals
- Summer Music Intensives/Camps
- Music-Related Leadership & Service
- Which Music Extracurricular Activities Should I Choose?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Takeaways
Youth Orchestra
Typically made up of talented young musicians, a youth orchestra is a formal ensemble where members rehearse and perform challenging repertoire under the direction of a conductor, often mirroring the structure and expectations of a professional orchestra.
A youth orchestra provides an immersive environment that goes beyond what individual lessons or school-based groups can offer, making it one of the best music extracurricular activities.
Benefits of joining a youth orchestra
Youth orchestras give advanced training and performance opportunities that improve your musical and collaborative skills.
Mastering advanced repertoire and orchestral skills
Youth orchestras typically perform more challenging and extensive repertoire than high school orchestras. You gain exposure to major symphonic works, concertos, and overtures from various periods, training you to handle complex rhythmic patterns, intricate melodic lines, and sophisticated harmonic structures.
Intensive training and professional mentorship
Many youth orchestras are either affiliated with professional symphony orchestras or employ professional musicians as coaches and section leaders. These coaches offer insights into orchestral etiquette, common performance practices, and specific instrumental techniques that you might not get in a typical school setting.
For example, if you’re a cellist, you might get specialized advice on bowing techniques for a particular passage in a Beethoven symphony or how to achieve a unified sound across the section.
Building discipline and collaborative musicianship
Youth orchestras require long, regular rehearsals, weekend performances, and the expectation of independent practice, which instills a strong sense of discipline and time management.
The many performance opportunities also build confidence and experience performing under pressure. You learn to manage performance anxiety while listening across sections, adjusting your intonation to blend with others, and balancing your sound so that no single instrument overpowers another.
Youth orchestra activities for high school students
Most major cities and regions have their own youth orchestra system, such as the New York Youth Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Other options include:
- National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). This is a highly selective summer program for instrumentalists ages 16-19, organized by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. It involves an intensive residency at a university campus followed by national and international tours.
- Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI). BUTI offers various programs for high school students, where you’ll receive intense orchestral and chamber music training from top faculty and Boston Symphony Orchestra members.
Music Theory & Composition
Performing an instrument or singing in an ensemble develops practical skills. However, theory and composition help cultivate a deeper, more analytical understanding of music, making it one of the best music extracurricular activities.
Benefits of studying music theory & composition
Studying music theory & composition is a must if you’re planning to be a serious music student.
Developing a deep understanding of musical language
You can think of music theory as the grammar of music. Learning theory allows you to understand why music sounds the way it does and how pitches, rhythms, and harmonies relate to one another.
This theoretical knowledge directly affects your performance, letting you “speak” the language of music more fluently. For example, if you’re a pianist, understanding the harmonic progression of a Chopin Nocturne can help you interpret it with better insight and expression.
Practicing creativity and original thought
Composition is the practical application of music theory, where you create original musical works. This extracurricular pushes you to think creatively, solve musical problems, and develop your unique artistic voice.
Composing also encourages critical self-evaluation since you learn to analyze your own work, identify strengths and weaknesses, and refine your ideas. Programs focused on composition typically include opportunities for your pieces to be performed by peers, providing feedback and the experience of bringing your music to life.
Improving performance and improvisation skills
Understanding theory directly improves your performance. When you can analyze a score, you can also grasp the composer’s intentions more fully. You recognize patterns, predict harmonic changes, and understand the structural significance of different sections.
Improvisation particularly relies on an immediate understanding of harmony, scales, and form. Studying composition helps you internalize these concepts to the point where you can spontaneously generate musically coherent ideas.
Music theory & composition activities for high school students
Many high schools offer an AP Music Theory course, which covers college-level fundamentals of harmony, counterpoint, form, and ear training. If your school doesn’t have this AP class, or you’re looking for additional opportunities, here are some of the best music extracurricular activities:
- Walden School Young Musicians Program. This program teaches musical training, composition, and improvisation.
- Penn State Young Composers Institute. This is a virtual program where you’ll study instrumentation, orchestration, notation, and digital engraving, among other topics that composers must know.
- Private composition lessons. Working one-on-one with a composition teacher provides personalized feedback and guidance, helping you develop your unique compositional voice and build a portfolio of works.
Music Competitions & Festivals
Participating in music competitions and festivals can help push you beyond your comfort zone, provide feedback, and offer exposure to the bigger world of music. Thanks to that, they’re some of the best music extracurricular activities.
Benefits of participating in music competitions and festivals
Winning is great. But participating in music competitions and festivals is also about the intense process of preparation, the experience of performing under pressure, and the exposure to a broader musical world.
Elevating performance and technical proficiency
Preparing for a music competition or festival requires intense focus and dedication to polish a specific piece or set of pieces to an extremely high standard. Through this rigorous practice, you’ll cultivate a meticulous attention to detail, refining your technique, intonation, rhythm, and musicality to a level typically not achieved in regular lessons or casual ensemble playing.
For example, if you’re a singer, you might spend countless hours perfecting breath control, vocal agility, diction, and expressive delivery.
Gaining performance experience under pressure
Performing in a competition or at a festival like the Bowdoin International Music Festival is different from a casual school concert. After all, you’ll perform for a panel of expert judges, usually in an unfamiliar venue, and against other highly skilled musicians.
You’ll learn to develop stage presence and confidence, adapt to the acoustics of a room, and have the ability to “bounce back” from small errors without derailing your entire performance.
Receiving constructive feedback from experts
One of the most valuable aspects of competitions and festivals is the feedback you receive from judges—who are often accomplished musicians, educators, or professional performers.
They can mention your strengths and identify specific areas for improvement, from technical flaws to interpretive choices. For example, they might suggest a different approach to phrasing a particular melody or recommend exercises to strengthen a specific technical weakness.
Broadening repertoire and musical horizons
Competitions often have specific repertoire requirements, which can expose you to pieces you might not have otherwise studied. This broadens your understanding of different composers, styles, and historical periods. Festivals, especially those with masterclasses, also introduce you to new interpretations and pedagogical approaches from guest artists and renowned educators.
Observing other participants at competitions and festivals also provides a valuable learning experience. You hear different interpretations of the same pieces and gain insights into various performance styles.
Music competitions & festivals for high school students
You can participate in individual or ensemble competitions like the following:
- Schmidt Vocal Arts Competition. This competition has two rounds, and while you’re waiting between them, you can participate in master classes.
- Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. This competition is divided into several age categories and disciplines. There’s also a chamber music category.
- Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. This is the largest and oldest continuous chamber music competition in the country, featuring a Junior Division for musicians aged 18 and younger, focusing on string and wind ensembles.
Summer Music Intensives/Camps
Summer music intensives and camps offer a concentrated, immersive environment that significantly accelerates your musical growth and provides a realistic preview of collegiate music study.
Benefits of participating in summer music intensives and camps
Participating in a music program significantly boosts your readiness for college-level music study and future musical pursuits.
Intensive skill development and focused learning
Summer music intensives provide focused, daily instruction that’s hard to get during the busy academic year. You’ll spend hours each day immersed in music, allowing for rapid skill development in a shorter timeframe.
Let’s say you’re a violinist attending a two-week strings intensive. You might have daily private lessons, participate in a string quartet, play in an orchestra, attend masterclasses with guest artists, and take classes in music history or theory. This comprehensive approach ensures that all facets of your musicianship develop simultaneously.
Learning from world-class faculty and guest artists
Many top-tier summer music programs employ faculty from prestigious conservatories and universities and active professional musicians. This gives you the opportunity to study with experts who have deep knowledge of their instrument, performance practices, and pedagogy. These instructors provide insights on performance, technique, and career paths.
Exposure to diverse musical styles and disciplines
Many summer programs offer specialized tracks or electives beyond your primary instrument or ensemble. You might explore music production, composition, jazz improvisation, music history, or world music. This can broaden your musical horizons, spark new interests, or even reveal alternative career paths within music.
Summer music intensives/camps for high school students
There are many summer programs that you can consider. Some of the best music extracurricular activities you can consider are:
- Interlochen Arts Camp. This is perhaps one of the most renowned and comprehensive summer arts programs in the world. It offers diverse programs for instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, and conductors across various genres and skill levels, with options for one, three, or six-week sessions.
- California State Summer School for the Arts. Although it has limited slots for out-of-state students, CSSSA’s music program will put you in a class that’s appropriate for your level. You’ll also have an ensemble placement.
- Carnegie Mellon University Summer Music Pre-College. This program gives a college-like experience with options in instrumental performance, vocal performance, composition, and music technology, taught by conservatory professors.
Music-Related Leadership & Service
Developing instrumental or vocal proficiency and performing in ensembles is great. But engaging in music-related leadership and service roles is also one of the best music extracurricular activities.
Benefits of engaging in music-related leadership and service
Taking on these types of activities shows that outside of being a musician, you’re also a contributor, organizer, and leader in the music world.
Developing essential leadership skills
Taking on a leadership role in a musical context can teach you to inspire your peers, encourage their efforts, and maintain morale, especially during challenging rehearsals or performances.
Many leadership roles involve organizational tasks that can build strong time management, planning, and problem-solving abilities. This could include managing sheet music, scheduling sectional rehearsals, coordinating logistics for performances or trips, or overseeing instrument inventory.
Unexpected challenges may also arise in any group setting. A leader must think quickly to address issues like a missing instrument, a conflict between members, or a sudden change in a rehearsal schedule.
Cultivating a service mindset and community engagement
Taking on service roles within music shows a commitment to using your talents for the benefit of others. This can involve:
- Mentoring younger musicians
- Organizing outreach performances to bring music to those who might not otherwise experience live performance, such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools, or community events.
- Participating in efforts to raise money for your music program, instruments, or music education initiatives in underserved communities
- Taking on roles that support the behind-the-scenes operations of music ensembles, such as stage crew for concerts, sound technicians for performances, or equipment managers
Demonstrating maturity
Top colleges look for applicants who are talented performers and well-rounded individuals with leadership potential and a commitment to their community. Music-related leadership and service show that your interest in music extends beyond your personal performance aspirations and that you’re also invested in the broader musical community and the art form itself.
The leadership, organizational, and communication skills honed in these roles are also highly transferable to academic coursework, group projects, and future professional careers, even outside of music.
Music-related leadership & service roles for high school students
There are many music-related leadership & service roles you can take on as a high school student, such as:
- Section leader/principal player. In a school band, orchestra, or choir, you’ll be leading your instrument section or vocal part. Responsibilities often include running sectional rehearsals, helping peers with challenging passages, and communicating with the conductor.
- Student conductor/assistant conductor. In a choir or smaller ensemble, you’ll take on responsibilities for leading warm-ups, running rehearsals, or even conducting pieces under the supervision of the main director.
- Ensemble manager/librarian. You’ll be in charge of the organizational aspects of an ensemble, such as distributing and collecting music, managing instrument inventory, setting up equipment for rehearsals and performances, or coordinating attendance.
Which Music Extracurricular Activities Should I Choose?
When it comes to extracurriculars, more doesn’t necessarily mean better. Here are some tips to help you choose which activities you should commit to.
1. Define your musical goals.
Before you even look at a list of activities, think about what you want to achieve musically. Ask yourself:
- What instrument or voice do you want to specialize in? If you’re a trumpeter, would you like to be in a concert band, jazz band, or marching band? If you’re a singer, do you prefer choir or vocal ensemble?
- What area of music do you want to study in college? Do you see yourself as a performer, composer, or working in music production? If you’re an aspiring composer, you’ll benefit from composition classes. If you want to be a music educator, take on leadership roles, like teaching younger students.
- What are your current strengths and weaknesses? Do you need to improve your sight-reading, ensemble playing, improvisation, or theoretical understanding? Choose activities that will challenge you in areas where you need growth.
2. Prioritize core performance experiences.
Performing should be a non-negotiable if you’re hoping to be an instrumentalist. But these are also helpful for aspiring composers to help them experience music as well. If your school has a school band, orchestra, or choir, these are a good entryway to performance opportunities.
You can also look for a regional youth orchestra or an elite community ensemble so you can be exposed to more challenging repertoire, higher-level coaching, and a more competitive peer group.
3. Consider specialized areas of interest.
You should also consider activities that deepen your skills in areas you’re passionate about or that are relevant to your specific major interest.
If you’re interested in composing or simply want a deeper understanding of musical structure, take an AP Music Theory class, private theory lessons, or join a young composers program. If you’re drawn to jazz, join a jazz ensemble to develop improvisation skills, harmonic understanding, and a different rhythmic sensibility than classical ensembles.
4. Evaluate time commitment and balance.
Be realistic about how much time you can dedicate without compromising your academic performance or overall well-being. Colleges prefer to see sustained commitment in a few meaningful activities rather than superficial involvement in many.
5. Consult with your music teacher and counselor.
Your private music teacher, school music director, and guidance counselor can point you to the right activities. Music teachers can recommend specific programs or competitions based on your skill level and areas for improvement.
Meanwhile, your school counselor can help you balance extracurriculars with your academic schedule and provide insight into what colleges look for on applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is music an extracurricular activity?
Yes, music is generally considered an extracurricular activity. It includes any musical pursuits outside of regular school coursework, like playing an instrument, composing, or participating in ensembles. These activities demonstrate passion, discipline, teamwork, and creativity beyond the classroom.
2. What is the best place to study music?
Some of the best places to study music in the US include Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and Berklee College of Music.
3. What is the most prestigious music competition in the US?
The Grammys are widely considered the most prestigious music awards in the US, recognizing outstanding achievements across all genres. For high schoolers, the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Competitions are among the most prestigious in the country.
4. What is the hardest music school to get into?
The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia is the hardest music school to get into in the US, with its acceptance rate of only 4%.
Takeaways
- There are many music extracurriculars for high school students. Some of the activities you should definitely consider are youth orchestra, music theory and composition, music competitions and festivals, summer music intensives/camps, and music-related leadership and service.
- Rather than signing up for many activities, choose just a few that resonate with you the most. Define your musical goals, prioritize core performance experiences, consider specialized areas of interest, evaluate time commitment and balance, and consult with your music teacher and counselor to help you choose the best activities for you.
- Need more guidance on which extracurricular activities you should commit to? Get your profile evaluated to give you an idea of which opportunities align with your goals the most.
