MHS Band impresses at Community Preview Night

By Jacob Sturm
[email protected]

Bronco Stadium was overflowing with optimism, excitement and music throughout Community
Preview Night this past Friday.

The event featured the Mustang High School Marching Band, and showcased the first part of its
new Marching Show “Surely, You Jest” to the public for the first time.

Ryan Edgmon, the Band Director for the Mustang High School Marching Band, complemented
the large turnout from the community. By the end of the night, the buzz generated from the
community was clear. That’s a credit to the MHS Band’s hard work throughout the summer
even with less turf time and more challenges than in previous years.

“We’ve just been dramatically affected by heat this year,” Edgmon said. “There have been
plenty of days where we could maybe get out and do some work, but work like that doesn’t
happen in short spurts. It happens through time and patience… And so, to be in situations
where we have extended rehearsals scheduled… there were days where it was 8-8:15 p.m.
before we could get out. It’s not that we’re losing rehearsal time because we could definitely be
productive, but we’re losing turf time… It says a lot about the kids because they’ve worked so
hard to overcome some of the obstacles that they’ve been given. It’s a particularly great group
of kids.”

Edgmon said he has been really excited about what the band has completed so far, but hinted
at an exciting third and fourth production that was not revealed at the Community Preview
Night.

He said the show will crescendo to the end. There will also be some flashy aspects to the ending
of the show, too.

The band will be running at an unusually fast pace for marching band standards throughout the
show, clocked at 184 beats-per-minute when up to speed. Edgmon said the band has had to
train ahead of time to meet that speed.

Edgmon said Oct. 1 is a target for the band to be marching and playing the full show. That will
utilize props in a plethora of ways, which attendees of the Preview Night got a small glimpse of
during the performance.

MHS Band will be competing at Bands of America in Prosper, Texas and in the state
competition, before traveling to Indianapolis in November for the national competition.