The Mitchell High School marching band finished eighth in the finals stage of the AAA category at the Festival of Bands competition in Sioux Falls, posting 69.3 points. mitchellrepublic.com reported the information.
Band director Joel Van Peursem said the students performed at a really high level at a competition featuring 22 bands from four states. The Kernels had placed fourth in their preliminary round.
Van Peursem said he was particularly pleased with the musical performance, especially since the class included many schools larger than Mitchell High School. Millard West High School in Omaha, which took first with 83.3 points, has a student body of over 2,500 students.
A weekend free of competition in late September gave students extra rehearsal time, though weather forced rehearsals indoors more than Van Peursem would have liked. He said students used that time to improve their musical quality.
The band will now focus on individual marching quality and techniques, including marching backward, as it prepares for the Dutchmen Field Championship in Orange City, Iowa. Van Peursem said that competition hires nationally known judges, providing valuable feedback.
On Oct. 10, the band will march in the Dakota Wesleyan University homecoming parade in downtown Mitchell before performing in the Dutchmen Field Championship preliminary round at 5:20 p.m. at Korver Field.
For more information, visit mitchellrepublic.com.