Marching Band Too Noisy For Town Resident

There was a time when something like this would just be dismissed as the grouchiness of an old man.
I can't believe someone didn't just say "then put in earplugs and deal with it."
To actually bring in an environmental specialist.....that's crazy.


Marching Band Too Noisy For Town Resident

POSTED: 5:28 pm EDT September 11, 2007
UPDATED: 6:56 pm EDT September 11, 2007

ELDERSBURG, Md. -- A Carroll County man who complained about hearing a high school band practice close to his home has gotten the county sheriff's office involved.

An Eldersburg resident that lives on the edge of Liberty High School's property and within listening distance to the parking lot where the school's marching band rehearses has complained about the noise.

The local sheriff's department and the county attorney are currently trying to help adjust the noise levels made by the 32-member band, which is the smallest high school band in Carroll County.

"No citations have been issued, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed," said Lt. Philip Kasten of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department.

But after the man complained, a deputy was dispatched to a neighborhood near the school parking lot to take noise readings.

"The average overall readings were found to be in compliance with the decibel rating between 60 and 65 decibels. However, there were peak ratings that exceeded the 65-decibel range. But at that level, the average person would not be able to hear that difference," Kasten said.

School Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker said he met with the county attorney about the band noise coming from the school.

"We're going to have their environmental specialist go down and see where the band practices and see if we can resolve it," he said.
School officials said that according to the county ordinance, the band is not limited on how loud it can play during events such as football games, but there are noise levels for practices, which can run as late as 9 p.m.

"I think the band members are feeling a little bit defensive about it, and are not all interested in curtailing their practice because they recognize it takes a lot of practice to perform at the levels that they perform at," said Dewayne Piper, the school's principal.