The student body of Homewood-Flossmoor High School is in agreement that the music policy at HF is far too restrictive. Students are missing out on their favorite songs during events that they used to look forward to all year such as Homecoming, Turnabout, Prom, and the annual Lip Sync Contest. 

Trends constantly change, especially with music. Simply because the favorite songs of the students in 2015 has more vulgarity than those of 1975 does not mean that students should be stripped of their right to listen to them at their school dances. Many schools have policies in place that only allow the "clean" radio version of a song to be played, which is fair and just. However, HF Administration takes it one step further and created a blacklist of disapproved songs because of language and/or content. 

Disapproving certain songs to be played at school sponsored events is understandable, but what students and parents have difficulty understanding is, what exactly is the music policy? There is no clear, written rule of what is "appropriate" or "inappropriate"; the terms are completely relative to whom you are asking. 

Inconsistency within the approved list and disapproved list are common. For example, Editor-in-Chief of our school newspaper, Tia Baldwin, exposed these inconsistencies in her article "New Music 'Policy' Doesn't Add Up". She used the example of the two songs "Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly and "No Scrubs" by TLC. One made it on to the approved list-- R.Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)". Seems strange as the entire song is an allusion to sexual intercourse. Why was "No Scrubs" banned? According to HF's Director of Activities, Gail Smith, the song "says 'dead beat a**' once." These blurred lines of inappropriate and appropriate is just one of the many reasons that HF's Music Policy should be dismantled. You can read more about this in Baldwin's article at http://hfvoyager.com/1397/opinion/new-music-policy-doesnt-add-up/ .

Also, student journalists for The Voyager asked the DJ employed at our Homecoming Dance this fall what his opinion was on the new policy. He stated that the list was the most conservative he has ever had to work with. The experienced DJ claimed that it made his job difficult, as very few students were pleased with the music he was required to play. 

Something as innocent as Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" is not allowed to be played at an HF event. This is a song I sang along to in my mother's minivan on the way to school in third grade. The radio version of course, without the presence of an "F-bomb". But now, as I am a Senior in high school, this song, and its matching clean version, is far too inappropriate for my ears. Here is a list of the approved and banned songs, last updated on September 14, 2015, just before our Homecoming Dance. http://hfvoyager.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Music-List.pdf

This policy was implemented just before last years' Prom Dance. Many students left the dance with only one comment: "The music sucked." Prom is supposed to be a memorable night for Juniors and Seniors alike as they spend some of their last moments together before heading off to college. That atmosphere is poisoned with the sound of Justin Bieber's "Baby" piercing all our ears. 

The music policy at HF is overly conservative and in all honestly, silly. Students that are old enough to watch a PG-13 movie with vulgar language, and some old enough for Rated R, should be able to listen to Nicki Minaj's "Starships" just as they did in sixth grade. It is time we let this policy go, and allow students to listen to clean versions of their favorite songs at events they want to remember for the rest of their lives.