Unbeknownst to students not involved in band at De Soto High School, the environment is competitive year round. When not participating in large competitions such as solo and ensemble festival or state large group festival, students have the opportunity to challenge others to a chair challenge.

“A chair challenge is used when students feel they are capable of playing harder music. They can only challenge up one chair at a time, but they are able to challenge as many times as they want,” senior Liza Elwell said. “A few selections from a piece of music are selected so that neither student has an advantage over the other. Then the students then practice that music until the day of the challenge.”

When someone auditions for the upper level band, symphonic band, they are ranked in skill level, with first chair being the best.

“Normally, the higher chair has the harder music, so students that want to chair challenge have to earn the higher spot through the chair challenge process,” Elwell said.

Having the opportunity for students to chair challenge each other has both negative and positive influences on the band, but Elwell states that “Chair challenges are positive … they allow students to progress higher in the band and play harder music. This also keeps the other members motivated to stay on top of their practicing because this serves as motivation to keep them from getting challenged by a lower chair.”

DHS band director Matt Bradford agrees to a certain point, but shows that chair challenges can be problematic at times.

“Ideally it would help challenge students to be better because they are challenging each other and being able to move up in their rank. The problems are that sometimes it makes band more competitive in a negative way. I don’t draw attention to it or encourage it usually as I don’t want students doing it to be a competition of who is better than who,” Bradford said. “Sometimes it is not beneficial if it is before a concert or a trip and we have been preparing for a long time, and they want to switch right before then. At that time the answer is usually a no to chair challenge, but they can after the event is over.”

Overall, chair challenges will continue to be a part of the band as a way to encourage other students to constantly better themselves.