Too long has "Basket Case" plagued the brass section of the Northwest Rankin High School Band. You can change this. Replace this exhaustingly repetitive, overly simple, and mediocre at best stand tune with an absolute classic like "Y.M.C.A." arranged by Michael Sweeney or "Sweet Caroline" arranged by Tim Waters. Other alternatives include "Thriller" arranged by Jay Bocook (would need arr. work), "Livin' on a Prayer," and "Crazy Train" both arranged by Paul Murtha.

     "Basket Case" is not a horrible song. Green Day's original vision was undoubtably first-rate. However, the mentally and emotionally draining patterns of our particular adaption are not desirable for an attention getting show piece. The organization of the sheet music itself is not done well either. The band directors have tried their best to make this "Basket Case" worth anything at all, but you can only fix so much. Questions naturally begin to arise concerning the quality of the arrangement itself, or at the very least its suitability as a stand tune in today's world.

     Whether the solution lies in rearranging the song, playing it less often, or even removing the piece from the stand repertoire entirely, something must be done. With your help and signature on this petition, we may be able to save innocent freshmen and veteran members alike. It is a human rights violation! Down with "Basket Case!"

     Also, even if the abomination (Basket Case) is here to stay, one or more of the earlier mentioned stand tunes would be greatly appreciated by the band as a regularly played addition anyway.