School activities have increased in competitiveness each year as high schools develop and modernize. Reaching high standards and making a strong commitment are a vital aspect of success, but how much time or work is really involved?

Band and athletics are two of the most prominent activities which have high participation during the high school experience. They are quite diverse, but both involve a major level of dedication. Band and athletics require after school practices, weekend practices, and prolonged days consisting of competitions and tournaments. But which involves more commitment?

Band Schedule consists of:

Daily-Band practices at the start of 2nd period to the end of lunch.

Weekly- Students practice every Thursday evening from 3 to 8 p.m. ,and only practice on one Saturday a month, averaging about 10 hours a week.

Competitions- Band members, according to Matthew Peluso, have competitions Saturdays once a month for 5 hours.

Extra work outside of practices-Even though band practice takes up most of the student’s down time, band members still have to practice their instrument during their free time and have to calculate and remember their steps according to the rhythm to ensure unity with other band members.

Athletic activities and band practices consists of practices Monday through Saturday. Practices are long and tiring, according to Matthew Peluso and Jake Werner.

“My team tries to swim 4,000- 5,000 yards per practice, which is about 300 laps,” says Paris Binard, band member and athlete.

“During band practice, we walk up to 2,000 yard each day,” claims Jake Werner, a band member.

Athletics schedule involves:

Daily- High school practices are usually every night from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., not including club sports practices, notes Mackie Tate Tygart, who is involved in Varsity tennis and cross country.

Weekly- Athletes practice every day of the week after school and on Saturdays for 2 hours. averaging 12 hours a week.

Competitions- Student athletes usually have competitions on Tuesdays or Thursdays, depending on the sport, which takes a minimum of 4 hours each competition.

Extra work out of practice- Students who participate in a sport have the choice to also be involved in a club sport, which involves more hours of their time. Athletes also have to make sure their grades are high enough to be eligible for their sport.

“In the end, I would have to say band is more commitment because practices are every day, not including weekend practices I have to attend. Band takes up a lot of my own time, and competitions are long and hard. They both involve lots of commitment, but in the end, they are both very fun and something I will never forget,” says Matthew Peluso, band member.

Both band and athletics require a large amount of dedication and hard work, but the result for some students could be a collegiate scholarship or achieving higher goals. The Olympics is an ultimate goal for those in sports and band students often strive to participate in a college band.