Indiana Lt. Gov. Calls School Band "Demonic," Stirring Controversy

How does music from a 19th-century French opera become a religious controversy in 2026? Ask the parents in Westfield, Indiana, whose high school percussion ensemble was just called "demonic" by their state's lieutenant governor.

The Lieutenant Governor's 'Demonic' Charge

Westfield High School's Indoor Percussion team recently wrapped up its competitive season with a program called "The Red Line," which pulled music from Bizet's Carmen and Ravel's Boléro. 

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith saw a clip of the students performing in red and black costumes and was apparently alarmed – enough so that he posted on Facebook accusing the school of disrespecting Christian conservative families.

He urged parents to use taxpayer-funded vouchers to leave the public school system:

On a recent radio appearance, Beckwith doubled down. "When I looked at it, I said, 'Yeah, this is demonic,'" he told the host. Beckwith explained this was due to his understanding of Carmen's plot: a "seductive witch" whose "whole goal is to try to get a man to cheat on his wife to destroy their family."

Critics noted that this isn't quite what happens in the opera – Don José, Carmen's love interest, is a single soldier with no wife or children. And in any case, they added, percussionists weren't acting out the story. They were playing music.

Here's a video of a recent performance:

A Director's Stand in the Gap

The response from Westfield was swift and largely unified. Mayor Scott Willis praised the students' achievements without addressing Beckwith directly. The Indiana Percussion Association called on the community to recognize the kids' work rather than ridicule it.

The most striking response came from the school's director of bands, Andrew Muth, who anchored his defense in his own Christian upbringing. Muth wrote that he was raised on Ezekiel 22:30 – the call to "stand in the gap" – and saw this moment as the kind of stand his faith asked him to take.

"It means doing what is right, even when it's difficult. It means choosing to care, to lead with integrity, and to protect the people around you... I am proud to lead this program. I am proud of our kids."

Interestingly, one Christian voice is citing scripture to defend high school students from another Christian leader's accusation that their performance was demonic. Religious conviction is on both sides of this disagreement.

From Apache Dancers to Animated Shows

It’s common to see things get labeled “demonic” – whether they’re literally celebrating Satan, or simply look like they are to concerned eyes.

A couple years ago, three Apache girls at a private Christian school were disciplined for participating in a traditional Sunrise Dance their school deemed Satanic. Animated TV shows,popular dolls, and viral birthday parties have all drawn similar accusations in recent years.

What makes this case more interesting is the simmering battle over the role of belief in public schools. Religious objections to school programming – from chaplaincy bills in Florida to fights over school library books – are a recurring flashpoint. Each case forces the same hard question: how much should the religious convictions of some students or families shape the public education of all?

Who Decides What's Demonic? 

More questions arise, too. How do you objectively evaluate an accusation of “demonic” activity? And should that content be prohibited in schools in the first place?

What gets called demonic often depends on who's doing the calling, and (in this case) how much they actually know about the source material. Communities around the country will have to decide where to draw the line between respecting the religious concerns and letting students express themselves.

What are your thoughts?