Thank you - you have laid it out very clearly and succinctly. DS/DD are not talented or committed enough to follow the conservatory route nor do I want or expect that of them. They just want to be/remain competitive enough for All-County and All-State bands/orchestras. In my mind, I see 60 minutes of practice five days a week as a reasonable average to try to keep pace with weekly 60-minute lessons. I would even be okay if they aren't always ready for the next lesson if being ready would have required more than five hours of practice a week. It's also the issue of the financial sacrifice to pay for those lessons.