There should be plenty of time to find musical outlets unless it really takes everything you’ve got just to pass. There are a handful of people like that, but most are able to comfortably pass with a reasonable full time effort.
I made my living as a musician for about 10 years prior to med school and I was able to keep it going all through med school. Sure, I wasn’t putting in the time I did before when it was my job, but I found enough time to have some stable local paid work all through school and did some occasional regional travel for gigs. I also started and conducted a med student choir and orchestra at one point that was also a lot of fun. Residency put a much bigger damper on performing, though was still able to do a bit especially during research blocks. Now as an attending I perform a lot locally with all of our professional arts organizations here.
You will definitely have time to practice for your own enjoyment. Don’t do too much more for the first month or two until you have an exam and see what it will take for you to comfortably pass. Once you know how much time it really takes you, if you’re like most and have some time to spare then look into local community orchestras. Just get a copy of their rehearsal schedule and compare with your school calendar and see if it’s doable. It probably will be since community groups pull in people with day jobs so most rehearsals are in the evening when you won’t have many school obligations.
You may even put out feelers at your school and see if you have enough players for a small chamber ensemble. My class and those above/below me were full of really good players so you might be surprised when you start looking.
