Homecoming is an event that many students look forward to in their high school years. Though it may be less remarkable than prom, homecoming is still a night to remember.
Unfortunately, one thing about homecoming that usually ruins the experience is the music. The music during the event is an overall disappointment and needs improvement. Sure, some good songs are chosen, however, the ratio between hits and skips is heavier on the skip side.
There are so many ways to prevent a boring setlist, such as getting votes from students on what artists or songs they want, or getting a DJ that understands the crowd. Sadly, schools miss this opportunity, and “Yeah!” by Usher is played for the fifth time.
There should be an app where students can send song recommendations up to the queue, and if the song is validated by other students, the song will play. This could overcome the problem of everyone in the crowd having their own music preference, and each genre could eventually be played for variety.
A common mistake in homecoming music is that it sticks with one genre, and the students who sit out due to the overall vibe of said genre will most likely be out for a while.
One true yet controversial take is that foreign language songs should be somewhat limited. The thing is many students don’t understand a different language and it usually leads to a very split crowd, where half of the students are enjoying themselves while the other half are doing nothing, making the homecoming experience unsatisfactory.
Though there are some exceptions to foreign language songs, it should be a song that most students are familiar with. This wouldn’t be a problem with a recommendation app, where if students saw a song they liked regardless if it was in a different language, they would still enjoy the song being played.
The same thing goes for all types of niche music, however, having any type of music that’s considered underground ruins the vibe for most students. For example, one student may know an underground song they like, but everyone else listening either dislikes the song or doesn’t like the mood of it.
This is exemplified in hip-hop, which has many underground artists that people praise. It’s not worth killing the vibe of other students who don’t know or even like the song at all for the select few who might know the song.
The music played during homecoming is a challenge to choose, however, the music is not always to blame for poor experience. There will always be a particular section of students who don’t enjoy the music.
In the grand scope of things, ruining the homecoming experience for just a select few compared to the majority of the crowd that is experiencing the event just has to be done.
Music is such an important factor in homecoming because it dictates the crowd. If the music is the typical oldies music that students are tired of hearing, the crowd will respond with no energy at all, making the experience awkward and nonchalant.
If music that most of the crowd enjoys is played though, the outcome will be different. Students will give the energy back, some people will actually dance, and overall it’ll be a fun experience.
Though the music played during homecoming isn’t really everything, and there are other factors to homecoming that make it what it is, it’s still something that should be thought of.
