FARMINGTON, Minn -- The Farmington high school marching band has been accused of playing politics after a show last Friday rubbed some parents the wrong way.
“The theme of our show has been so misconstrued,” Farmington high school band director Erin Holmes says.
The band’s 2018 show titled “Dystopia” is a fictional story about an apocalyptic future where all forms of culture and expression are forbidden.
Holmes says the story is inspired by popular Hollywood films and books like The Hunger Games and the Divergent series.
“We wanted to find something that resonated with our students, something they’re into,” Holmes explains.
The show features several unique themes and symbols, but two in particular have drawn the ire of a handful of parents, a picture of a red fist and a sign that features the word “resist.”
"Different people see art different ways," principal Dan Pickens says.
After last Friday night’s performance Pickens received a half dozen emails and phone calls from concerned parents who interpreted those two symbols as visual protests against the current White House.
"If people are seeing it that way, we don't want that," Pickens says. “We don’t want people to be distracted from the hard work these kids put in.”
The band was scheduled to perform the show again during a home football game later that week, so Pickens decided to call a meeting.
Together, with a few school district officials, and Holmes, the group decided to make a few revisions to the show.
Instead of a red fist, Holmes decided to feature two hands clasped together.
And instead of the word “resist” she decided to feature the word “unite.”
The changes however, didn’t come easy. The band only had a few days before its next performance.
“Our band parents worked fast and hard to get our props redone,” Holmes says.
The students also had to get on board with the idea, which Holmes says went well, because most felt the new revisions actually make the show better.
Instead of finishing the show on a negative note, inspiring fictional characters to resist the dystopian world they live in, the show now ends with the uplifting message of coming together in unity.
“It’s also a connection to our community here on Friday nights, gathering on the football field together,” Holmes explains.
The new show was unveiled at half-time during Friday night’s football game against Shakopee.
The game itself ended in a 28-21 loss for Farmington, but the half-time performance received a standing ovation from fans.
Holmes says she’s never encountered a situation like this in her 19 years at the school.
She's hoping to not only learn from the incident herself, but is also hoping her students will learn something as well.
"We're really proud of how the kids have taken this adversity and worked through the negativity. We're going to be stronger because of it.”