The Mountain Home High School Band secured first place in its classification at the Pride of the Ozarks Marching Invitational, held Saturday in Ozark, Missouri. The band's performance earned the highest scores in Music, Visual, and General Effect categories within its class.
Competing against five other schools in their classification—Springfield Hillcrest, Carthage, Parkway Central (St. Louis), Willard, and Branson—the band excelled during preliminary competition, where they ranked second overall behind Nixa and ahead of Springfield Kickapoo. While the band's score improved during the finals, they ultimately finished fourth overall among 14 participating bands.
Led by drum majors Izzy Koehler and Maya Bizzle, along with guard captain Rebekah Lewis and drumline captain Josh Worman, the band showcased their 2023 production, "Cosmic Frontier." The show features a musical blend of "Mars" from *The Planets*, "Ecstasy of Gold" by Metallica, "Enterprising Young Men" from *Star Trek*, the main theme from the hit series *Yellowstone*, and Johnny Cash's "Ain’t No Grave."
The Mountain Home Band’s next performance will take place at the Branson Marching Invitational on October 10. Later that week, they will participate in the Arkansas School Band & Orchestra Association’s Region VI Marching Assessment in Rogers, scheduled for October 13.