Locals Rally Around WI High School Band After School Board Bans Instrumental Piece Dedicated To Stonewall

Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate reports:

Composer Omar Thomas will travel to Watertown on Wednesday to conduct a performance of his original piece of music that has sparked a controversy in the area.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown, Wisconsin, will host a community performance of “A Mother of A Revolution!” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The ensemble will feature musicians with roots in the local community, including area students.

The event organizers say that they do not desire to be the center of attention and that this gathering is not a rally or protest. Instead, the musicians’ hope is for an audience to focus on the work they put into “A Mother of a Revolution!” and for the music to tell its own story.

Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate reports:

After more than a week of controversy, anger, and high emotions, Monday night was showtime in Watertown. The high school’s spring concert was held just days after the school board voted to pull a song from the program, claiming it’s too controversial. That decision sparked sharp criticism, accusations of censorship and an outpouring of support for the band.

More than 100 people lined the street near the entrance of the school in support of the high school musicians caught in the middle of a political battle. The board stood by its decision to pull the song, saying it violates policy. The supporters stood by the students.

Across town, another school board meeting was happening at the same time as the concert. There, dozens of people lined up to criticize the board members who voted to cut the song. It was in stark contrast to the backing for the musicians in the auditorium.

Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate reports:

A Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate has invited a high school band embroiled in controversy over a banned song to perform at his brewery. Kirk Bangstad announced in a Facebook post that he invited the Watertown band to play at Minocqua Brewing Company’s Madison location Saturday, May 23, with proceeds going back to the band.

Last week, high school and middle school students in Watertown walked out of class to protest the school board’s decision to ban students from performing a song dedicated to a Black trans activist at their spring concert. Bangstad’s post included a rallying message for the students. “Let them play. Let them play. Let them play,” Bangstad said.

In a statement Sunday, the Watertown School Board doubled down on its decision, calling the instrumental song a “celebration of violence.”

From last week’s report:

Watertown High School band students won’t be allowed to perform an instrumental piece of music tied to LGBTQ+ history at their spring concert. The Watertown school board voted 7-1 to remove “A Mother of A Revolution!” from the May 18 program, saying the piece violated the district’s controversial issues policy. Students in the Watertown Wind Symphony have been practicing the piece all school year. Board President Laurie Hoffmann voted against removing the music.

The board meeting Tuesday erupted in screaming matches and protests from parents and students. School board members called the piece “indoctrination” and said it could incite political violence. “This is a perfect example of what everyone here ran on, which was ending indoctrination and radical curriculum,” Board Vice President Sam Ouweneel said. Board member Christina DeGrave said political violence should not be celebrated through music or song.

“A Mother of A Revolution!” was composed in 2019 by Omar Thomas for contemporary wind ensembles and does not have lyrics. Thomas dedicated the work to transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, a key figure in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising against police raids in New York City.

The kids are alright.

The post Locals Rally Around WI High School Band After School Board Bans Instrumental Piece Dedicated To Stonewall appeared first on Joe.My.God..