Stuck on Replay

Chapter 11

Day by day, Stuck On Replay got more and more popular. January passed into February and more gigs popped up. We were now playing twice a week, and every Friday at Lunch. We started selling EPs (Provided by Josh) and they sold out at each show. People just wanted more.

    Meanwhile, the school board announced that the music program was diminishing and would be taken away shortly before spring break. This was followed by an outrage from the parents, and students. Students held walkouts during school hours, and hung up protest signs all over the halls. Teachers had begun to lose their patience more easily. One even managed to push everything on his desk onto the floor in one swipe, then flip his desk without busting all of his fingers. Another constantly yelled at everybody.

    The school board meeting was scheduled for February 5th, and I was supposed to be the representative for the band. I had 2 minutes to say everything I needed to before the buzzer went off. I practiced the speech constantly- at lunch, at "home" (We were still at the Golds), before class, during passing period.

    Finally, after what seemed like forever, the day came to deliver the speech. I was nervous, slightly excited, but mainly, nervous.

    I had dressed up in a blue pencil skirt and a white blouse and was ready to give my speech. The lady in front of me who was giving her speech was sobbing, and the buzzer went off. She started walking, then started running out of the room, pouring her eyes out.

    "Hello, my name is Melody Cameron, and I am here on behalf of WestWard High." Breathe. Just breathe. "While I do understand that there is no money for the music program, I also disagree that the music program is unwanted. So many kids can't express themselves, and they use music to do that. There might be a brilliant violinist stuck in a class that she doesn't find interesting, and she feels like that if she has no interest in it, she will never be successful, as told by her teachers and parents. I respect your decision in any way, but ask that you do look into how removing the music program will help in any way for WestWard High. Thank you for listening." I stepped off the podium just as the buzzer rang.

    Perfect timing.

~~~

       Westward High, Wave Goodbye to the Arts!

    It seemed so when the school board announced the removal of electives last Saturday, February 5th. When asked why, Judy Rivera, Glennwood School Board president, replied, "No one needs to know the arts, they're extra classes. They're outdated, and singers, however, have absolutely no education, and we would not like to teach our students that abandoning your education in order to follow your dreams is critical to the path of fame."

    As this may be true, about three-fourths of the singers in this world have gone through college and have a degree they can settle on once they retire from fame.

    However, students and parents disagree with Rivera, saying, "The arts are important, and they help with a student's education." One parent I had interviewed, Kay Peterson, had an extremely strong opinion on this topic. "The arts are important, alright. It gives something for my son to look forward to in his day. His grades have improved rather quickly since last year when he got a C average. Now he maintains a high A+ average, last I saw his grades."

    At last Saturday's board meeting, where students and parents gathered to express their opinions on the removal of the music program, one speech struck me the most: Melody Cameron's. The fourteen year old lead singer of the newly arising band, Stuck On Replay, gave a well delivered speech without a tear in her eye, unlike most who had spoken before herself. In her speech, she stated that,"So many kids can't express themselves, and they use music to do that." She also suggested that before the removal, to do some more research before finalizing the decision. Her speech was short, as the buzzer rang after she stepped off the podium. She walked out, her heels clicking against the floor. The room was silent before Rivera dismissed everyone in the auditorium, and the board members filed out into another room where they discussed what Melody had said.

    The conclusion of the private meeting has not been made public.

    John Rivers, Glennwood News.    

~~~

I don't know how it happened. One day, I deliver a speech. The next, I'm in the headlining section of the paper.

    The paper also did an interview with us the next week on Monday. It was short and quick, and we were all nervous, but answered the questions with ease, and on Tuesday, the interview joined the headlining news.

    We were at our strongest point. Until everything started to slowly crumble into pieces. 

Stuck On Replay: The Next Big Thing

     The audience of teenagers is quite overwhelming at the best teen club in town - Under 21. There, teens can hang out, listen to some sweet music played by the DJ or better yet, a local band.

    Which brings us to the next big thing: the rising star, "Stuck On Replay." The band formed at Westward High in the middle of October of last year, and since then has taken nothing but success.

    "It's quite odd, actually." James Anderson, the electric guitarist, explained. "We were all reluctant at first and thought it wouldn't work out. It was really Band Club that drew us together."

    And Band Club, it seems, was the only thing that really made them stick together, besides Harmony Gold, the keyboardist. "She was really persistent on this whole thing. From the start, she knew she wanted to do this, and she would get us to do it, no matter what she had to do. I remember that she dragged me down to the basement and made me stay even if it looked like the band wasn't going to work out." Melody Cameron recalled. "She's the glue that keeps us together."

    When asked about the decisions, gigs and management, all fingers pointed to Harmony. "I usually take control." She replied nonchalantly. "I can be bossy at times though, as told by the others."

    In a private concert in the closing hours of Under 21, I must say that the performance was amazing and advanced for people of their age. They mixed all genres, and created a completely new sound with it. They were very interesting people to meet, with each having a personality unique to the role they play in the band.

    "I'm the one that cracks all of the jokes." Michael Patterson, the drummer, announced. "Kate is more of the quiet one, Melody is the one that usually is smiling and brings her cheery mood to each practice, James is the athletic one who's really popular, but also can play a mean chord, and Harmony is the glue that keeps us stuck together. We fight a lot, but you know, personalities clash."

    "We're all a different type of music too." Kate Hastings mentioned. "Harmony's leaning to the classical side, Melody's a pop type of person, James is R&B, Michael is rap, and alternative rock, and I'm mainly a rock and heavy metal person. But aside from that, we're all pretty much the same fourteen year olds as anyone else."

    Well, extraordinary teenagers they are, and fame is looking up for them.

    Avery Kilicat, Glennwood Music.