The band or the team: a rite of passage through high school

The reason why high school exerts such a lasting impact on the consciousness of so many individuals is not because of its academic rigors, but because of how it provides individuals with a holistic experience that is full of fun, thrill, and vitality. As such, high school is not just about studying but about undertaking fulfilling experiences that stimulate students emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

Towards this end, schools typically offer their students a host of extracurricular opportunities, which allow them to pursue different kinds of activities and refine their talents in athletics, speech, dancing, music, or writing. As such, the rite of passage through high school becomes all the more meaningful if one has ventured to participate in these enriching opportunities to expand their creative and critical thinking skills, along with refining their analytical and problem-solving abilities. 

In fact, research has shown that students who participate in extracurricular activities also do better at academics, and achieve higher scores. This is because extracurricular activities allow one to take a break and come back with a reinvigorated approach to academics, thereby succeeding at whatever it is they want to do. Further, taking part in extra-curricular activities allows one to reduce their stress and improve their mood. 

Some of the skills that one can nurture through consistent participation in extracurricular activities include building up their communication skills, their sense of teamwork and leadership, along refining their ability to manage time through multitasking. By allowing students to work with others, extracurricular activities expose students to diverse perspectives and communication skills.

Generally, extracurricular activities take the form of either sports, subject-based groups, or social clubs based on a shared interest in a specific activity. Therefore, whether you wanna join the band, or a sports team, depends on what your specific interests are. While participating in an activity like music allows you to improve your brain-muscle coordination, in addition to stimulating your cognition, and enhancing your creativity, participating in some form of sports is instrumental in improving your skills at teamwork, and enhancing your physical fitness.

No matter what your preferred activity is, undertaking regular practice in your activity helps you become a better and more resilient individual who is able to take failure in its stride, instead of being overwhelmed by loss. The important thing of course is to be malleable enough throughout one’s high school so that one is able to participate in a variety of opportunities and gain diverse skill sets.