I believe there should be 50:50 ratio of practical and academic courses throughout the degree program. You can read as much as you want about running an instrument but until you actually run it, you’re not proficient enough. You could read as much as you want about lifting weights or swimming but until you actually do it, you wouldn’t grasp it completely. There has to be a balance in obtaining theoretical and practical knowledge. One should not outweigh the other. Academic education gives you deeper understanding of the concepts whereas practical education comes through the act of doing. There are things you can’t learn without actually doing it.