My #2 son plays trumpet as well. He only finished with a 4.33 GPA. His girlfriend was the valedictorian with a 4.86 GPA. My son wrote the valedictorian speech as he was better at writing prose of that variety. He's a former Marine and CA real estate broker now.
Yeah, it is. When she joined the Academic Team in 10th grade, someone asked her if she was afraid of being labeled a nerd - she said "Nope, I'm already a band geek, it's not like I have social standing to worry about." That's pretty much her whole high school career, she didn't worry about standing, just her friends and the ability to talk with people she liked without worrying about having the 'right' cell phone or 'right' purse. Nat is just Nat...and she's not worried about what anyone on this world thinks about her as long as she is true to what she believes in.
Funny how high school isn't the 'real world' is it? Nerds do quite fine in areas where results are prized, not appearances.