The stage was set, the speakers were on, and members of the first band of our new concert series were psyched to perform. As soon as they started playing their first song, that football field became a dance floor hopping with action. However, the fun didn't last long because those red and blue lights began to flash, and soon the dance floor was quiet. "We had a noise complaint from a neighbor," a police officer explained. The police, as usual, were as friendly as could be, but, because of the complaint, we had to turn down the volume. Things never recovered after that, and soon the crowd shrank to a pathetic cluster. The future of the concert series is currently unknown. Once again, neighbors can pat themselves on the back for helping to ruin a perfectly good program. Rather than having fun at the school football field with the support of school security, we might have to go elsewhere. Do community members really think that is a good idea? More than likely, all they are concerned with is their selfish desire for pure silence and 8:00 P. M. bedtimes. As students, we don't complain when our neighbors wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to cut down their trees with chain saws. If they choose to use chain saws on their property, they have the right, and we completely respect that right. But apparently these same neighbors do not respect our right to have fun on school property.

The uncertain future of the concert series is a shame. Our school has a lot of talented musicians, and the waiting list to play is three pages long. Now, rather than having the chance to play before a crowd, students might have to put down their guitars and stop singing. Do we have to play the harp to win our neighbors' approval? Everyone knows that older people prefer to listen to soft, classical music, not popular music like rock or rap. These are the types of music we choose to play to entertain others; if the neighbors cannot stand our music, they should plug their ears.