No Music In Class

Benjamin Werner – Web Editor

Teachers have varying regulations about music in class as it can either be a distraction or study tool for many students like senior Andrea Guerrero, who listens to music to block out the environment.

“I kept thinking about other things that are not really important,” Guerrero said. “You can hear people writing, little clicks [and] the air conditioning.”

Homework is a time-consuming part of a student’s career, so Guerrero calls upon upbeat tunes to ease this process.

“Sometimes I put on pop music to get into a happy mood,” she said. “That’s when I do my math homework.”

Though she visits various genres, to fully concentrate, Guerrero said there are times she listens to tunes without words, but in the grand scheme of things, she said she attends to music 24/7.

In a previous September 2024 article over the phone policy, technology teacher Dwight Williams supports music as a positive effect to student education. However, other educators may point to the phone caddies as a reason to expel students from tune-producing devices.

With the phone caddies as the culprit and mask to the district’s policy, it is ultimately up to the teacher’s leniency for students to enjoy music. in the classroom.

Fan Boys

Lailah Pulley – Staff Writer

While many BV students have hobbies such as sports or art, others have a passion for music. Senior William Fraser has brought his hobby to life by forming a band. Accompanied by co-members Mike Leach and Andrew Monahan, the group makes rap songs for their own entertainment.

“The Fanboys,” Fraser said. “It’s an experimental, creative collective where we produce and create music.”

Fraser explains how they make rap songs  as a way to spend their free time. It’s a fun way to bond. However, they take their group very seriously.

“There’s a goal,” Fraser said. “We want to meet that goal. I want to give the people what they need.”

They have ideas and aspirations for their group, but in the end it’s all for the fun of it.

“The end goal is to make something we can look back at in retrospect and just [say] ‘Wow, we did that,’” Fraser said.

Keeping Tempo

Sami Sandler – Editor-in-Chief

Blue Valley is a singular school filled with several personalities. Just like tigers have unique stripes, so do our students. At the end of the day, something brings them together as one family.

For the musically inclined students, band, choir, orchestra and the musical are things that bring them together. Being a part of groups like these incorporates students into the school and helps them find their enclave within the jungle that is BV.

Coming into BV for the first time can seem scary, and finding your crew can be hard; however, for freshman Paula Quirindongo, music brought her instant connections.

“Being in orchestra helps me connect with a bunch of students that are not in my grade,” she said. “It definitely gave me a spot here in BV. It’s something I can always look forward to at the end of school. Going to rehearsal and doing my job — I feel like I’m contributing to the school.”

Junior and violinist Myra Richey feels this same sentiment as part of the school’s top orchestra class.

“Choir and orchestra are my community, where I feel connected to the school,” Richey said. “It’s something that I’m contributing to.”

While the relationships within each of the classes is close knit, there is a lag between choir, band and orchestra.

Richey feels that the groups don’t really mingle and said that’s the goal of Tri-M: “to actually get the groups to connect.”

“Tri-M is [BV’s] Music National Honor Society,” Richey said. “It’s trying to bring [musically inclined students] together to make music and foster a sense of community with the small group of music kids that we have in the school.”

Band is another outlet for students to come together and share something spectacular.

“In band, you meet a lot of great people,” senior Hayden Leong said. “There’s that good sense of community.”

Leong said that the individual sections that make up the Tiger Band have their own traditions and hangouts.

“In my section, the flutes, we go out to eat at places, like Freddy’s,” Leong said. “We get to know each other more.”

They also come together for fun things.

“For example, the entire band, [has] something called ‘secret pals,’” he said. “It’s like secret Santa.”

Overall, being a part of this music community fosters healthy competition and inclusivity, teaching students many things such as teamwork and self-reflection.

The students shared that they gained confidence amidst their time in band, orchestra and choir.

“You have this sense to strive for better because you want the whole team to improve.” Leong said.

“It’s taught me to appreciate the opportunities I have now,” Richey said. “In the future, it’s going to be harder for me to have the opportunities to go to competitions and perform. It’s taught me to treasure the moments I have in high school.”

2025 BV Wrapped

Top Music Platforms

1. Spotify- 63.6%

2. Apple Music- 18.2%

3. YouTube- 9.1%

4. Amazon Music- 4.5%

5. Other- 4.7%

Music Involvement

1. None- 56.8%

2. Choir- 15.2%

3. Band- 15.2%

4. Musical- 12.1%

5. Orchestra- 11.4%

6. Tri-M- 9.1%

Popular Music Genres