We’ve heard many things about high school marching band uniforms, but we can’t say we’ve ever heard they were controversial. That’s where the Indian River High School Marching Band comes in. The high school marching band in Dagsboro, Del., is currently at the center of a controversy that might leave it without uniforms when it takes the field this fall.
According to The News Journal, the Board of Education failed to approve the school’s new marching band uniforms. Band director Nathan Mohler spoke to the board to get the approval, but he said without a vote on Monday night, it would be almost impossible for the students to get their new uniforms in time for the 2018 season.
New uniforms for Indian River's HS marching band were shot down by the school board last night after members said there was too much of the color black, and not enough green and gold: https://t.co/SppSljCiqG #netDE
— Brittany Horn (@brittanyhorn) February 27, 2018
Indian River High School Band Boosters president Linda Bird urged the board to support Mohler’s uniform design.
“He knows more about this than all of you and everyone else in this room combined,” she said.
So what would cause a school board to disapprove of high school marching band uniforms? In this case, it’s the colors, or lack thereof. The board felt that the new design lacks a prominent display of the school’s green and gold colors. Instead of using a typical white accent, Mohler used black, which some members pointed to as the problem, because it overpowers the school’s colors.
In response, Mohler told the board he hoped they would understand and trust his artistic choice. The marching band members also did not see a problem with the black accents.
“If you allow white, what’s the issue with black?” asked Kathleen Carter, a junior in the marching band, according to The News Journal.
Other board members worried that the lack of the school’s colors would make them indistinguishable from other schools during parades.
We’ll see if the marching band makes it to the home opener with its new uniforms, but for uniform suppliers and distributors, there might be an important lesson to learn here. When creating new uniforms, make sure you have everyone’s approval before signing off on a new design. One person might not see the importance in certain prominent color-ways, but it might make a big difference.
