Earlier this month, the PHMS marching band decided to change things up and travel to Beresford for their first competition outside of Sioux Falls. The new event was a great opportunity for students and teachers alike.

Gary Peterson, one of the directors of the PHMS band, was happy to expand the band’s horizons by traveling down to the Watchdog Marching Festival in Beresford, South Dakota. This marked the first time the band had participated in a marching competition.

“Every year we’ve gone to the festival of bands parade here in town,” said Peterson. “But this is the first year we’ve gone to a competition out of town.”

The trip took up most of a school day, but it was well worth it considering that the band received first place in the middle school division.

“I just thought we needed a little extra challenge,” said Peterson.

A quick trip to a nearby town may seem insignificant, but there is no doubt that the exposure to band competitions will better prepare the students for high school marching band.

“Before I didn’t really talk much about judges’ comments and exactly what they’re looking for but it made me emphasize marching skills more than before,” said Peterson.  “It gave me an opportunity to talk about what a visual judge [and] what a GE [General Effect] judge is. So they learned a little bit about that and kind of found out what that high school level of marching band is.”

Being introduced to the world of competitive judging will, without a doubt, get kids excited for high school marching band. One of the reasons kids drop out of band after middle school is because they are afraid and do not know what to expect in a different setting. The addition of a competition to the PHMS band schedule will hopefully keep students excited about staying in the activity.

Along with getting the sweet taste of victory in Beresford, the kids also got the chance to see other bands.

“They had a good time,” said Peterson. “It’s always fun to get out of school, of course. They got to watch other schools. They enjoyed seeing SDSU’s band perform for us. They enjoyed being there while we got the announcement that we were first place for our division.”

Thanks to the directors at PHMS, the marching community is growing even bigger in Sioux Falls. Hopefully, students will continue to be excited about staying in, or joining marching band. Great opportunities lay ahead for those who continue to march forward.