Are we wrong? - need some honest feedback....

punkeemunkee'smom wrote: We live in a small town-across from a school...Well the past few weekends the band has been practicing starting at 8 am. The drum core first followed by the rest of the band by around 10 and continuing until 9 PM eachnight starting back up again on Sunday at 8:30...Saturday is the ONLY day Bill has to sleep in and he has been getting woken up-we have put up with it(a little annoying) but we understand they want to practice....UNTIL lastnight when at 10 PM the constant drumming became a little much...at 11 PM Bill drove across to the school and told them enough was ENOUGH they needed to quit. Taylor couldn't sleep,We couldn't think anymore it was so loud and irritating. I don't know why it sounds so much louder in the cold clear night but it was !!! Are we the only ones who feel this is EXCESSIVE? I plan on making a formal complaint to the school tomorrow-11 PM went to far in our opinion. What do you guys think?

mckayleesmom replied: .....8am???.....I would be complaining...Maybe you can ask them to start a couple hours later or after school.

jacobsmama replied: Well I think 11pm is late for the kids to have to be out there anyway practicing. And If it was keeping everyone up and that loud then yes, I would also feel the same way. Sorry that you have to go through that, I live in the country So I completely forget about those things that would keep you up.

luvmykids replied: Check out noise ordinances in your town or county. Here things like that, construction, etc, can only do it btwn 7am (even earlier) until 6pm. Then you'd have something to back you up when you go to the school.

ITA, it's waaaay too late!!!!

My3LilMonkeys replied:
ITA. Our quiet ordinances are not quite so restrictive - 8am to 10pm - but at least it's something.

And as a former marching band member, I would personally NOT want to practice for that many hours straight!

Chiflata2003 replied: I was in the marching band at school and we too stayed out that late practicing. There were apartments acrossed the street, and I'm surprised no one complained. I don't think you are in the wrong, I would have complained too.

The only reason why we stayed out that late is because we were getting punished, btw.

my2monkeyboys replied: I agree. I think the school will understand and be willing to change up a bit too, so long as you're really nice when you go in there about it. I think after 9 is too late, esp. considering that there are kids that need to sleep, and 10 and 11 pm are WAY too late!
Good luck with it!

MyLuvBugs replied: Well, I love the sound of bands practicing, but that's b/c I was in the marching band all HS and College. So, it wouldn't bother me at all, but you are right. 11PM is WAY too late to be practicing outside at night. Does your town have a city ordinance about noise at all? I grew up in a small town of 320 people, and we had one. After 10pm, you could actually get arrested in my town for peeling your tires! It was pretty funny to try to get our town cop to actually catch the people.

I would take it up with the school board, and the music teacher, and principle/superintendant. Come to a compromise. They need to practice, but not at 11pm at night. I mean really, these are kids!! Weren't their parents worried about them that late at night? That's just irresponsible of the teacher to keep them that late.

MyLuvBugs replied:
We too would practice that late INSIDE though, and only when I was in College. Their a little stricter than my HS was, and when you have 5 days to learn a routine or song....Ya gotta stay and practice. But 11pm in a residential neighborhood is a bit much.

kimberley replied: i would definitely have an issue with it. they have a school... practice inside and make each other deaf... not the rest of the world

PrairieMom replied: What the heck are they particing for at this time of year? Anyway, is there some compitition they are ramping up for? maybe that is why they are praticing so much now, and they will be done soon. I agree tho, 11 PM is way to late for those kids to be praticing.

redchief replied:
If there's an ordinance concerning construction start times, or anything like that, unless it specifically indicates "other noise", it won't apply.

That being said and having spent four years as a "band dad" when John played for an award winning high school band, 11 PM is an outrageously late hour to keep the kids out playing. When the band was preparing for tournament season the band typically started rehearsal at 9 AM and was finished before 8 PM.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: No way are you in the wrong here. I would feel exactly as you do, Abbie. And you should say something to the school.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: We don't know if there is a contest or something coming up BUT still if you can't get it in 15 hours then you might want to re-think things! I did call the sheriff's office as they were still going at 15 minutes after Bill asked them to stop but while I was on the phone with the dispatcher they metronome(I believe that is what they are called) FINALLY quit ticking The dispatcher said that it was WAYYY to late and if we had a stereo going at that time we would have already been visited We are in a little town (blink and you miss it) I have talked to 3 other people that live here and they have all said the same thing-Could you believe the band lastnight? I guess nobody wants to be "The ONE" who causes a ruckus....As I am typing I am laughing they are playing the SAME song again right now they did for 15 hours yesterday! Taylor keeps saying Mom where is that parade???



That was our thought process lastnight as well. We wondered if it was again a case of nobody wanting to be the lone voice of reason!

luvmykids replied:
We have a general noise ordinance that applies to anything 5 decibles or higher.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: 5 decibels is very quiet. Here's a list of decibel levels.

Points of Reference *measured in dBA or decibels

0 The softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing

10 normal breathing

20 whispering at 5 feet

30 soft whisper

50 rainfall

60 normal conversation

110 shouting in ear

120 thunder

I got this from this site. Decibel Levels

ETA, it would be funny to arrest someone for breathing.

luvmykids replied:
OK, so I got the decibels wrong! But the point was that we have a general noise ordinance, not just a construction one.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
I looked on there and a band concert and football game are both listed at a pretty high decibel level so I can use that as a point of reference!

Some of the stuff listed seemed off though-A baby crying is louder than an electric drill That one was about Tay! LOL! ....and a jet plane(at gate) less than a a car stereo-Please don't let Bill find a stereo system louder than the sound of an airplane!

Edward's Mommy replied: When I was in Marching Band, the latest we practiced was 8 pm on weekdays. On Saturdays, we got there at 9 am and practiced until 1 pm. I don't think they should practice until 11 or even 10! I don't know how it is where you live, but in Colorado, kids under 18 have a curfew to be home by 12 mid on weekends and 11 on weekdays or they'll get a ticket from a cop. Even if they are walking around. And that late at night, it takes about 30 to 45 mins to get everything brought up from the field and put away and the band instructor to discuss a few things. By the time anyone got out of band practice, they'd all be getting tickets for being out past curfew!! If kids under 18 have curfew where you live, bring that up to the school as well. Because that's money the kids and/or their parents have to pay.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Way too late IMO! Hope they cool it for you guys!

A&A'smommy replied: I would!!!!! That is wrong they should be doing that in the afternoon after school like other bands do!!

CantWait replied: Around here, the noise can go on until 11:00 am, so I would definetly check on that. It definetly sounds quite annoying though.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Our noise ordonances are from 7am to 11pm, pretty much anything goes...unless there are enough complaints to be considered "destruction of the peace" (?? )

I remember once there was construction being done in front of my house.. it was like 6:35... I went out ther in my jammies with baby Emilie on my hip - and yelled at them because it wasn't 7 - and that i was putting in a complaint... i said that people were still sleeping before 7 - and that especially in a residential neighbourhood, they should respect the laws in place.

I went back inside, and when i was looki9ng for the # to call, they all left, I guess for cofee... they came back around 7:45am.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Well, I'm irritated rather easily by noises. I would complain in a heartbeat.

When we first got married we lived close to the high school and had the same problem. It was strange b/c even though they practiced pretty much every night there were some nights when we could hear them more clearly.

BAC'sMom replied: Your not wrong, I would call the school too.