May 23 at 5 p.m., Minocqua Brewing’s Madison taproom will host Watertown High School band students to perform “Mother of a Revolution,” which the school board removed from the school spring concert.
A 7-1 board vote Tuesday barred the piece after members said it promoted indoctrination and violated district policy on controversial classroom issues; one board member called it praise for political violence tied to Stonewall.
Students had practiced the song for months, and some walked out of classes Wednesday to protest the ban.
Kirk Bangstad, the brewery owner and a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said a band parent contacted him after the vote; the brewery is also seeking $20,000 for the music boosters and has pledged at least $1,000 plus ticket-sale proceeds.
The concert will be livestreamed on social media, and the school board’s next meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, the same day as the performance.
How did a dispute over a lyric-less song reveal a community's deep divisions on history and student expression?
What precedent was set for artistic freedom in public education after a school board censored an instrumental piece?