As a senior, I have witnessed a drastic and disturbing change over the course of my four years in the band. Slowly but surely on Friday nights during the home football games we have been forced out of the regular routine, as most of our playing time has been covered by loud music played over the speaker.

The band is an integral part of the Friday night experience: we play the fight song, perform the national anthem and march during halftime. However, that is the extent of what we are allowed to do during the games.

Throughout the night, at every opportunity we have to play, we are played over by recorded music from the press box. Not only is this loud, it is also demeaning, as some of the songs played are the same exact songs we have in our repertoire. According to junior Isabel Crain, who kept time at the recent Homecoming game, the CD was played for 18 minutes and 47 seconds, and the band played for approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds, not counting the fight song or at half time.

This routine, as a longtime member of the band, is frustrating. We cannot succeed in performing on Friday nights if we are expected to play over the professional recordings.

We have even been played over when playing the fight song after a touchdown, one of the few instances we are still allowed to play. Instead, such classics as “Party Rock Anthem” are played from the loud speaker. Last I had checked, this is not our fight song.

This is also an unusual practice. No other high school in this area, including De Soto High School, plays over their band during football games. It is not fair to allow the DHS band to plays, but not the MVHS band.

Many people do not know that for the band, Friday nights are also academic; we are graded on participation and attendance. I personally love the idea of Friday night football, so I don’t mind the required attendance. However, I do not enjoy being required to attend and then not be needed.

The band spends hours of practice in and out of class to make sure that we can perform at an acceptable level on Friday nights. We go to contest, get one ratings and work hard only to be silenced. The administration should consider how playing loud recorded music on Friday night home football games affects the students in the band.