Pride Bands Alliance rallied around the Watertown High School Wind Symphony
June 8, 2026
When the Watertown, WI Unified School District Board of Education voted to remove A Mother of a Revolution! from the Watertown High School Wind Symphony’s upcoming concert, they removed more than a piece of music. They removed a work of profound artistic and historical significance, commissioned by the Desert Winds Freedom Band, a member organization of Pride Bands Alliance, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Composed by Omar Thomas, it honors the bravery of trans women, including the legendary Marsha P. Johnson, and the lives of those who have demanded to be seen.
Pride Bands Alliance responded with a public statement, and we want our community to know exactly where we stand: this is not provocative art. This is art that heals, educates, and honors. You can read our full statement at pridebands.org.
But our response didn’t stop at words.
The Encore That Became a Movement
After the Wind Symphony’s performance at a local church, we reached out to a parent helping organize performances of A Mother of a Revolution!. It was shared with us that students and volunteers were experiencing backlash; those who had committed to perform were stepping back, no longer feeling safe to participate. The encore, originally planned for a local venue, moved to the Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI.
We reached out to our Pride Bands Alliance, and the call was answered.
What Showing Up Looks Like
Twelve of the 28 musicians on the Barrymore Theater stage that night were from Pride Bands Alliance, joining from Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and California. Consider what that represents: 96 hours from request to curtain. Five to 14 hours of travel, depending on where each musician was coming from. One hour of rehearsal. Thirty minutes on stage. A five-minute song.
Those numbers tell a story about what our community is willing to do when it matters.
The event raised $85,000 for the band booster nonprofit Let Them Play, giving the Wind Symphony independent resources and freeing students from reliance on school-owned instruments. Our community also generously contributed over $1,200 to help offset travel and participation costs for our performers.
Visibility in Action
Music. Visibility. Pride. These are more than the words that guide our organization. They are the decisions we make, and that Thursday night in Madison was a clear example of all three.
This is what visibility looks like: musicians crossing state lines, taking the stage alongside students and volunteers who had every reason to step back and chose courage instead. It looks like a community showing up at the Barrymore Theater, and students looking out from that stage see that they are not alone.
Gratitude That Goes Deep
This moment belongs to many people. A specific thank you goes to Brandon Strawn and Melissa Terrell of Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, who coordinated the musician roster and all the logistics that made this possible with grace and care. Their work is what allowed our alliance to show up well-organized.
Thank you to the twelve Pride Bands musicians who made the trip. Thank you to everyone who shared the word, donated to offset travel, and helped fill those seats. And our deepest admiration to the students of the Watertown High School Wind Symphony, who prepared this piece for months and chose to keep playing.
This Is Where It Starts
It would be easy to think this story ended at the Barrymore Theater. The media cycle moved on, but the impact of this school board’s decision continues. The band director’s professional judgment is questioned by their school board, the students face backlash for doing something brave, and LGBTQ+ musicians and educators everywhere are now asking which songs are safe to program.
When a piece written by our community and about our community is banned, the question that follows is: which others are next? How many songs and songwriters in our community will be commissioned and celebrated, and how many will be silenced? How many educators will choose silence? How many other school boards will follow?
Pride Bands Alliance has always used music to bridge communities and to advance LGBTQ+ visibility and pride. Thursday night in Madison, we used it as a vehicle for something even more specific: for students to feel what it means to have a community stand behind them and support an inclusive world.
This is not where it ends. Our advocacy continues. And we will continue to support visibility and pride through music.
About Pride Bands Alliance:
The Pride Bands Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting LGBTQ+ musical ensembles. Through performance opportunities, educational initiatives, and community outreach, the Alliance strives to create a world where all musicians, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can express themselves freely through music.
Pride Bands Alliance DEIAB Initiatives
Contact:
Board of Directors, Pride Bands Alliance
