Watertown School Board’s Fear of Association Is Turning Music Education Into Censorship

The Watertown Unified School Board’s decision to pull Omar Thomas’s “A Mother of a Revolution!” from the Watertown Wind Symphony’s May 18 concert really concerns me. From everything I’ve seen, this was an instrumental piece with no lyrics, no slogans, and no political speeches built into the performance itself. The students weren’t being asked to campaign for a cause or endorse an ideology. They were performing a challenging contemporary concert work chosen for its musical and artistic value. 

What seems to have driven the decision was the piece’s association with Marsha P. Johnson and LGBTQ+ history. And honestly, that’s what troubles me most. If we start removing music, art, or literature simply because some people dislike the associations surrounding it, then where exactly does that stop? 

As someone who grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and went to high school in Oconomowoc — only about 13 miles from Watertown — this situation hits close to home for me. Watertown was our arch-rival in sports growing up, so I know the community and the culture of that area pretty well. These are towns that have traditionally taken pride in their schools, music programs, athletics, and community spirit. That’s part of why this whole thing feels disappointing and honestly a little sad to me. 

Because when you really think about it, a huge number of things we accept in everyday life have origins or historical associations that someone could object to. 

Take The Star-Spangled Banner for example. The melody originally came from an old British drinking song tied to a social club known for heavy drinking and entertainment. But nobody hears the national anthem today and thinks it’s promoting alcohol culture. 

Or consider the Christian Cross. Historically, it was a Roman torture and execution device — a symbol of suffering and death. Yet over time, Christians transformed it into a symbol of hope, faith, sacrifice, and redemption. Society understands that meanings can evolve far beyond their origins. 

Even wedding rings have origins that would probably make some modern people uncomfortable if judged purely by their historical context. In ancient cultures, rings were often tied to ideas of ownership and property within marriage arrangements. Yet today wedding rings symbolize love, commitment, loyalty, and partnership. Their meaning changed because society changed. 

The same principle applies throughout art and education. Schools still teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn despite controversial racial language because it remains an important work of American literature. Music departments still study Der Ring des Nibelungen despite Wagner’s antisemitism because the music itself is historically significant.

Even our monuments and institutions reflect complicated history. The Jefferson Memorial honors a man who wrote about liberty while owning slaves. Mount Rushmore remains controversial because it stands on land sacred to Native Americans. 

History is messy. Art is messy. Human beings are messy. Education is supposed to help students understand that complexity, not shelter them from it entirely. 

 That’s why this decision worries me. It feels less like protecting students and more like teaching them that uncomfortable associations should automatically disqualify something from being experienced or discussed. But if that standard were applied consistently, an enormous amount of our culture, history, religion, literature, and music would suddenly become unacceptable too. 

 Growing up in Wisconsin, band concerts were always one of those things communities rallied around no matter what people’s politics were. Kids worked hard, families showed up, and music brought people together. Seeing even instrumental music become a political battlefield feels like we’re losing something important.

 I don’t think performing “A Mother of a Revolution!” would have indoctrinated anyone. I think it would have challenged students musically, exposed them to contemporary art, and maybe encouraged people to think more deeply about history and culture. That’s what education is supposed to do.