And the Band Plays On!

Earlier this month, the Watertown Wisconsin Unified School District Board of Education voted to ban an instrumental song, A Mother of a Revolution! by Omar Thomas, from the high school band’s spring concert. The song honors Marsha P. Johnson and the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, and students had been practicing it all year.

The school board said the song’s history broke rules against teaching “radical curricula” or political views. They also claimed the lesson plan promoted violence and disagreed with the opt-out process, even though only three families chose not to participate.

The ban sparked protests. Hundreds of students walked out, and community members rallied at the concert, which went on without the banned song. The school board stayed silent during meetings, only offering a press release date May 17, 2026. Legal groups are looking into whether the ban broke First Amendment rights.

The controversy brought even more attention to the song. Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown hosted an independent performance, and composer Omar Thomas came to conduct it.

To help student musicians perform the piece without school resources, community fundraisers have raised over $65,000 (still climbing!) to buy new instruments. The money is managed by a local nonprofit so the school district can’t control it.

A second community performance is set for Saturday, May 23rd at the Minocqua Brewing Company’s Madison taproom. Because tickets sold out fast, the event will be live-streamed for free online, and viewers can donate to the fund under the "GetTickets" button.

Special fundraising t-shirts and apparel are also being sold to help pay for new instruments, with part of the money going directly to the independent fund.

You can stream the concert live on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM CDT through the following official channels:

Facebook Live: Watch the main video broadcast on the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook Page.

YouTube: Access the high-definition stream on the Minocqua Brewing Company YouTube Channel.