West High is ranked as the #1 high school in Iowa by U.S. News. This fact has been repeated over and over again, in announcements, articles and even the school motto: “Where excellence is a tradition.” It was decided based on graduation rates, diversity and test scores, but it doesn’t encapsulate the fact that West has that same rigor in non-academic programs. 

West’s music department has three main departments, 17 classes and at least seven related clubs. From band and orchestra to choir and theater, and the many programs in between, students have lots of options and opportunities to explore music the way they want to. 

 

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However, balancing music and academics that are both at such an intense level can be detrimental to students’ mental health. Spending nearly eight hours absorbing information and learning, just to spend more time rehearsing and eventually on homework, can put intense pressure on students. High pressure can lead to stress and burnout that hurts students’ relationships with music, so how do students continue to be involved and stay passionate?

72% of students have taken at least one AP test out of West’s 29 AP classes. At the same time, many students are involved in at least one music program at West.

As people continue to prioritize and educate themselves on mental health, it’s important to realize the role school has on stress.

How do students mitigate this stress on top of their extracurricular activities? Claire Lawler ’25 is heavily involved in musical extracurriculars. Lawler is in Wind Ensemble, West’s top concert band; show band for Good Time Company, the varsity show choir; Jazz Ensemble, West’s top jazz band; and Theatre West as an actor, but she’s previously played in its pit orchestra. On top of her many extracurriculars, Lawler is also balancing three AP classes this year. 

Even with her organized schedule, Lawler says stress can still find a way to creep in. “You end up getting exhausted from all of the activities you’re doing, but not from the school work itself,” she said.

Participating in lots of music activities outside of school, on top of school itself, Anjali Lodh ’25 shares her experience with being extremely busy as well. 

Participating in multiple ensembles across the extensive music program can be intense, as music directors can sometimes overbook concerts and rehearsals, which causes students to have busy weeks or back-to-back events. 

Lodh has been involved in music from a young age and has kept this passion for music into high school. 

“Violin was out of my control, but I’m pretty grateful my parents got me into music at a young age…playing violin fostered a love for music,” Lodh said. She started playing violin when she was five, and in fifth grade, she took up trumpet.

Now, Lodh plays violin in West’s Symphony Orchestra as well as for Preucil School of Music. She still plays trumpet in Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, too. She’s also an executive in Cadenza, a club focused on performing and organizing concerts for charity.

She hopes to continue playing these instruments in college as a part of a community or college band, orchestra or jazz band. 

“I definitely want to keep playing in college. I don’t really want to stop playing these instruments I’ve learned for so long….If there was something like Cadenza already existing at a college, then that would be cool,” Lodh said.

Oliver Miller ’25 is another prime example of a student heavily involved in music at West that wants to pursue it in the future. Similar to Lawler, he’s in Jazz Ensemble, Good Time Company and Theatre West, in which he’s starring as Captain Von Trapp in its spring performance of “The Sound of Music.” 

Along with being the male lead in the upcoming musical, he’s starred in community theater productions such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Peter Pan JR.” with Young Footliters. He’s been involved in community theater since he was eight years old.

“It’s one of my passions. I love theater so much, and it’s a big part of my life,” Miller said. “It’s always been a big time commitment for me, because having drum lessons and also having play practice, it’s [a] lot.”

However, participating in school and community theater leads to twice the number of rehearsals. “You’re basically called almost every single night for three hours,” Miller said. 

Sometimes, rehearsals keep him busy from after school until 9:30 p.m., especially when it’s tech week or close to a performance. He even devotes his evenings in the summer to rehearsals.

He also used his summer to go to a jazz camp, which helped him realize he wanted to pursue music in his future, specifically jazz studies.

“I’ve accomplished so much in music. I want to do this for the rest of my life, and I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I put those together, and I wanted to become a music teacher,” Miller said.

Balance is what makes these rigorous schedules possible for many students and staff. Choir Director David Haas was pursuing a PhD last year on top of working as a Choir Director for West Singers, West High’s top choir audition group. 

“[Balance is] something that I am trying to be better about, myself. A lot of people, if they are pursuing a PhD, quit whatever job they have, and then go to the school that they’re at. I chose to do it while I was teaching here,” Haas said.

To be able to work towards his PhD while still working at West High, Haas preaches balance and maintaining a schedule. 

“Scheduling was really important, because I knew during the school day I was obviously going to be teaching. I have expectations to plan for my lessons, rehearsals, concerts, and so [I was] scheduling in time every day where I not only had to go to class, but I also had to do my homework, readings and writing assignments,” Haas said. 

Although these Trojans make intense schedules appear easy, burnout is inevitable. 

To combat burnout and maintain passion, each person has a different strategy or motivation. 

Lawler turns to organization, Miller prioritizes sleep and stays motivated by his friends and Lodh reminds herself that it’s worth it.

“Especially in the mornings at 7 a.m., when I wake up and I really want to go back to sleep, I just think about the end result and…how it pays off,” Lodh said.

Even Haas takes walks during breaks to relax. But rather than recovering from burnout, he recommends preventing it.

“People [should be] smarter about pursuing the things that they are passionate about, rather than taking as many [classes] as they can because they think they’ll be perceived a certain way. I have lots of people in lots of clubs and activities [that they] are not necessarily very passionate about, but they feel like that’s the right answer to be perceived as a good student,” Haas said.

When choosing activities in the future, students should remember to keep their schedules light. They must remember to prioritize what they’re passionate about while maintaining a structured schedule and not overloading on classes and activities they don’t enjoy.