The controversy between band and orchestra has been going around for a long time. Students in band and orchestra strongly insist that each one is better than the other, while choir, art, and theatre just stand by the sidelines. So which one really is better?

Band is more diverse than orchestra, but it doesn’t have any stringed instruments. Instead, it has french horns, trumpets, clarinets, flutes, percussion, and more. Last year, I went to a band performance, and I was impressed!

Orchestra, however, does have stringed instruments. I enjoy the sound of stringed instruments such as the violin and cello even more than the sounds of clarinets and flutes, but I haven’t heard any of our orchestra’s performances, yet, so I don’t know which is better.

Also, the styles of band and orchestra are different. Band could play a jazzy song(we actually have a Jazz Band), while I don’t know if orchestra could get the style of jazz down. Then again, nothing could really compare to the sound of a violin or cello.

Well, I took a small poll (really small; it consists of 33 people), but it’s fair. I asked some people that weren’t in band or orchestra which one they’d rather be in if they had to choose. Band had 19 votes and orchestra had 14 votes. When asked why they chose band over orchestra, they said band was more diverse, with more instruments.

So, the argument is over. For now, at least. Who knows if students may favor orchestra to band in the future.