When is it too much?

I will be the first to admit that I am a band nerd. That could easily be the reason why I am becoming a music educator. Anyway... I went to watch the Rocky Mountain Percussion Association (RMPA) Indoor Percussion Championships this weekend. I saw kids perform and give their all for something they had dedicated their life to for the past five months (or so). But I wonder if those kids that aren't like me, if they ever get burnt out. I was a kid who did everything I could, even though I had to drive ninety miles into Denver to do it. I did the Blue Knights Open Ensemble (2003) and the World Ensemble (2004-2006), while also marching in the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (2003-2008 {it's my age-out year}), and still did honor bands with my school. Maybe the difference comes from the fact that I didn't come from a strong marching band program that I dedicated myself to in the fall. Yes, we had a marching band, but we just did football half-time shows, and it wasn't exactly the best quality. Yesterday, though, there were ensembles from very strong marching band schools, who were also very strong percussion ensemble schools. Here's the thing... they go basically straight from one venue into the other (marching band normally starts in the spring for the following fall at highly competitive schools). So, how do these kids not burn out? OR.... is that why few of them pursue music after high school? They're just tired... This is one thing I am going to have to make sure I don't do to my students because, while I can handle it, I don't know that every student could.