There are many struggles and hardships incorporated into high school, but students are always driven by the hopes of an incredible senior year. So far, this year has had some positive aspects, but it has not met my expectations. These downfalls vary for most, but the upperclassmen of the 2011-2012 Cougar Band collectively agree that marching season has been the most disappointing part of senior year up to this point.

Some songs consistently played are “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago and “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. Despite the many suggestions from band members and parents about the aged music selection, the band program recycles outdated music rather than replacing it with current, popular hits. Besides one piece of music and the drill team tunes, all of the music performed at games has been played at least for the last four years. Not only is it difficult for this outdated music to motivate athletes and the crowd, consisting mostly of students, it also lacks enthusiasm.

Though the band department upgraded to a more modern look with last year’s black uniforms, the music is still old-fashioned. Other schools in the district like Katy and Katy Taylor play popular hits like “All I Do is Win” and well-known Lady Gaga songs. According to another band member, the football players prefer modern music because it is what they usually listen to and it pumps them up. Although football players and coaches every year stress their appreciation for the band’s dedication during games, it is unfortunate that they have to listen to songs that were released over 20 years before they were born. Every now and then, students listen to some songs in order to appreciate music from previous decades but “25 or 6 to 4” does not give a hype like “Party Rock Anthem” does.

Exemplifying the poor music selection, the marching show lacked spontaneity on many levels. Coming from a four-year member, this year’s marching show, “The Four Freedoms,” is ranked as the worst show of the past three years, which one fan mentioned was not memorable and had nothing that stood out. As far as band members are concerned, the reason behind the making of the show was to pay tribute to the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, but there were numerous aspects of the performance which could have been more entertaining for the audience.

Despite these grievances, I still have hope the band program will make the necessary changes to resurrect the energy that the band family has felt in previous years.