After every dance, students have something critical to say about the music: they think there’s too much rap, not enough rap, too fast, too slow; it seems like students will never be satisfied. And yet, they come back to the next dance. Given the fact that there is so much input, yet no improvement, students are wondering how we can democratize the music on the dance floor. 

First, it should be understood how songs are picked in the first place. Senior student council member, Anthea Goh, gives some insight, “The leadership class compiles a list of songs that is then sent to the student council for review. This time around, however, no one went through it.” When asked what became of that list, she further explained, “the list didn’t even matter because the DJ didn’t actually play any of the songs from that list.” Therein lies part of the issue; even if there’s a fair system in play for choosing songs, the DJ may take the creative liberty of choosing their own music.

Even if the DJ were playing songs from the list, who chooses the songs? Is it one, all-powerful member of leadership? How does the student council review? Goh offered detail, “There’s a google sheet for leadership. They add songs that they like. Afterwards, student council checks it for school appropriate content, as well as songs that we just don’t think will be popular among students.” Goh’s clarification should give our student body some semblance of solace– there is a process and series of checks and balances for these songs. 

What should also bring our student body peace of mind is the fact that the student council is actively trying to improve our dances. A council member who prefers to remain anonymous noted, “our DJ hasn’t always been the best. We hear the complaints. This time around, we thought a new DJ would be the right move!” 

Though remonstrance rings loudly in the ears of student council members, students also have positive notes. Junior Campbell Lawler shared her thoughts, “The lights were good, the vibe was good, and the sound was good too. The night was super fun, which is the most important part!”