MONROE - The Monroe High School "marching band" has come under fire for riding on a flatbed trailer during the Swiss Colony Cheese Days parade Sept. 21 through downtown Monroe.
The online comments and criticisms began the day after the parade, when Gary Mueller of Clintonville posted the following remark on The Monroe Times' Web site, www.themonroetimes.com "A barb to the Monroe High School Band for taking a joy ride through the Cheese Days Parade instead of marching like all of the other high school bands. In a little over 700 days it will be time for me to make my tenth 3-hour trip down to explore the festivities, perhaps they will have learned to march by then."
Others were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Several people wrote in to say the MHS band should march in full dress uniform, just as other area school districts did.
Still others wrote that the band looked and sounded fine, and chastised critics for belittling the hard work and dedication the young musicians displayed by performing during Cheese Days.
The real issue, however, may be more a matter of semantics: In reality, there hasn't been a marching band at MHS in several years.
The students performing in the parade were actually juniors and seniors who volunteered to get together to perform for the last Cheese Days of their high school careers, explained Mark Burandt, MHS principal.
The marching band was dropped after the 2005-2006 school year as part of significant program cuts throughout the district due to budget concerns. Burandt, along with band instructors Tom Schilt and Dan Henkel, explained having a quality marching band takes time and financial backing.
The MHS band program is instead "geared toward the concert performance emphasis, not showmanship," Burandt said.
The philosophy of the band is music literacy and "giving the best music education possible," said Schilt, a long-time band teacher and department chairman.
Cheese Days wasn't the first time MHS bands have ridden during a parade.
The marching band, although officially disbanded, rode on a trailer during Cheese Days in September of 2006. The pep band, which plays at sporting events but does not march, has also ridden on a trailer during the last two Homecoming parades and plans to during this Friday's (Oct. 10) parade.
The band department talked with Cheese Days and parade organizers about how to approach this year's event without a marching band, Schilt said. Cheese Days and parade organizers were enthusiastic about having the ad-hoc Cheese Days band riding in the parade. Henkel was also recovering from hip surgery, which also supported the idea of using the truck and trailer.
The band was put together strictly for Cheese Days. Unlike the regular pep band, the Cheese Days Band was limited to junior and senior students, to make sure there would be room for all upperclassmen to perform in the last Cheese Days parade of their high school career. They wore the same Cheese Days shirts with the words to the Cheese Days song printed on the back that were available to the general public during the festival. Businesses donated money for the shirts and a local man donated the use of the truck and trailer and served as driver.
Students painted a banner that said "MHS Cheese Days Band" that hung on the side of the trailer during the parade. Students played just the Cheese Days Song, but repeated it 18 times, Henkel said.
Burandt said he was disappointed, but not completely surprised, that the lack of a marching band in the Cheese Days parade upset some people. His concern was for the number of negative comments the young musicians have received.
"I'm saddened the kids are being subjected to it," he said.
Schilt agreed that the negative comments have been hurtful. But he stressed looking at the big picture - there have been a lot of compliments and support for the band's performance, despite the handful of criticisms. Those negatives are "not much when 100,000 saw this parade," he said.
In retrospect, the men said putting together the special Cheese Days Band was the right thing to do.
"The kids smiled and enjoyed it," Henkel said. "They had a positive musical experience" and that's what the program is all about.
Claire Wyttenbach, a MHS band student agreed it was a memorable experience and chided critics in a comment she posted online.
"Yes we didn't march, didn't have the 'proper' uniforms, and read sheet music, but we sounded great and I was proud to be a member of the MHS band," she wrote. "Riding the float was so much fun, I would do it again in a heartbeat."
The online comments and criticisms began the day after the parade, when Gary Mueller of Clintonville posted the following remark on The Monroe Times' Web site, www.themonroetimes.com "A barb to the Monroe High School Band for taking a joy ride through the Cheese Days Parade instead of marching like all of the other high school bands. In a little over 700 days it will be time for me to make my tenth 3-hour trip down to explore the festivities, perhaps they will have learned to march by then."
Others were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Several people wrote in to say the MHS band should march in full dress uniform, just as other area school districts did.
Still others wrote that the band looked and sounded fine, and chastised critics for belittling the hard work and dedication the young musicians displayed by performing during Cheese Days.
The real issue, however, may be more a matter of semantics: In reality, there hasn't been a marching band at MHS in several years.
The students performing in the parade were actually juniors and seniors who volunteered to get together to perform for the last Cheese Days of their high school careers, explained Mark Burandt, MHS principal.
The marching band was dropped after the 2005-2006 school year as part of significant program cuts throughout the district due to budget concerns. Burandt, along with band instructors Tom Schilt and Dan Henkel, explained having a quality marching band takes time and financial backing.
The MHS band program is instead "geared toward the concert performance emphasis, not showmanship," Burandt said.
The philosophy of the band is music literacy and "giving the best music education possible," said Schilt, a long-time band teacher and department chairman.
Cheese Days wasn't the first time MHS bands have ridden during a parade.
The marching band, although officially disbanded, rode on a trailer during Cheese Days in September of 2006. The pep band, which plays at sporting events but does not march, has also ridden on a trailer during the last two Homecoming parades and plans to during this Friday's (Oct. 10) parade.
The band department talked with Cheese Days and parade organizers about how to approach this year's event without a marching band, Schilt said. Cheese Days and parade organizers were enthusiastic about having the ad-hoc Cheese Days band riding in the parade. Henkel was also recovering from hip surgery, which also supported the idea of using the truck and trailer.
The band was put together strictly for Cheese Days. Unlike the regular pep band, the Cheese Days Band was limited to junior and senior students, to make sure there would be room for all upperclassmen to perform in the last Cheese Days parade of their high school career. They wore the same Cheese Days shirts with the words to the Cheese Days song printed on the back that were available to the general public during the festival. Businesses donated money for the shirts and a local man donated the use of the truck and trailer and served as driver.
Students painted a banner that said "MHS Cheese Days Band" that hung on the side of the trailer during the parade. Students played just the Cheese Days Song, but repeated it 18 times, Henkel said.
Burandt said he was disappointed, but not completely surprised, that the lack of a marching band in the Cheese Days parade upset some people. His concern was for the number of negative comments the young musicians have received.
"I'm saddened the kids are being subjected to it," he said.
Schilt agreed that the negative comments have been hurtful. But he stressed looking at the big picture - there have been a lot of compliments and support for the band's performance, despite the handful of criticisms. Those negatives are "not much when 100,000 saw this parade," he said.
In retrospect, the men said putting together the special Cheese Days Band was the right thing to do.
"The kids smiled and enjoyed it," Henkel said. "They had a positive musical experience" and that's what the program is all about.
Claire Wyttenbach, a MHS band student agreed it was a memorable experience and chided critics in a comment she posted online.
"Yes we didn't march, didn't have the 'proper' uniforms, and read sheet music, but we sounded great and I was proud to be a member of the MHS band," she wrote. "Riding the float was so much fun, I would do it again in a heartbeat."