For artists: how much do academics count?

Students aiming at an arts or conservatory higher-education program are a specialized bunch, I realize. I happen to be around a lot of them because my son and his classmates at San Francisco School of the Arts are among them.

Except, of course, for those truly impressive kids who excel in their art, their GPA AND their SAT/ACT scores, these future applicants wonder about the weight of audition vs. grades vs. test scores on admissions decisions. I'm trying to do some legwork on that issue, which definitely affects my own family.

I did find this language on Oberlin College's Conservatory Admissions page:

It is generally true that candidates who show great promise as musicians have also performed at a high level in academic courses in secondary school. On occasion, however, the demands on a talented musician are so great as to affect performance in the classroom. This should not be of great concern to applicants, since musical talent, as demonstrated in an audition, is more important than academic achievement in determining admission to the Conservatory.