Maintain Rolling Thunder Drumline tradition of excellence

This year with the passed referendum, the Dover High School band was able to purchase more equipment for the drumline. With this additional purchase, more students were allowed to enter the drumline. Six students passed their audition from Central and were accepted in to the Rolling Thunder Drumline. However, there are 10 students from Central being admitted.

There is a total of 15 new person entering the drumline and 5 outgoing members. This creates the need for an additional 10 instruments. While the referendum will provide those instruments, the allotted space of the drumline room does not. Additionally, the Rolling Thunder Drumline has always performed with a tradition of excellence and standard of precision. By allowing those who failed their auditions for what ever reason to join this elite group of percussionists, we are degrading the abilities as a whole to perform. Shows will not be as glamorous and the reputation of the best drumline around will diminish.

A certain skill level is required for all performance and competition teams and drumline is no exception. The rest of the band was not forced to take on additional students who failed but the premiere section is being forced in to just that. On top of the loss of skill, there is not enough space for all the drums, and perhaps most important to those accepted, there are simply not enough positions in the concert season for 30+ percussionists.

I propose that the four who failed their auditions be removed from the program. If Dover High School started accepting anyone who auditioned whether they passed or not, the reputation of the band would change from superior to embarrassing. Rules should not be changed because of complaints when it is in fact not a fault with the rules but with the preparation of the students.