Everyone loves football games: school spirit, a good time, a band that you can’t hear…wait – what?

That’s right: the worst part of home football games is that you can’t hear our own band, and something needs to be done about it.

Football players complain that they can’t hear the band during games. Cheerleaders can’t cheer on their team. Band parents can’t tell what their kids are doing. Even band members themselves (and this is reflective of my personal opinion as a band member) feel like they’re on their own little island in the sea of Lumpkins Stadium. On top of all that, the visiting band is often louder than our own!

So, what do we do? We need to move our band closer to the home side, which is all the better to support our team. However, there have been claims that there is not enough space in the home stands to fit a 230-member ensemble. Judging from recent attendance, there is more than enough space available for the band to move.

Another complaint is that if the band were to sit above the student section, it would be a distraction to them. The band doesn’t have to sit on the home side – they could simply sit in the vistors’ bleachers across from the students. The visitors’ side is never full anyway.

Admittedly, there is not a perfect solution to this problem. But if it’s life or death, the band should move to the visitors’ side. It’s time to make a change for good.