After a strong 2015 competition season anchored by 18 now-graduated seniors, one might wonder whether The Rolling Meadows High School Marching Mustangs could replicate their success in their 2016 run. After a series of impressive performances in Chicagoland marching competitions this fall, any doubts on the matter have been put to rest.

Playing the arrangement Desert Winds, the Mustangs won their 3A division in Grayslake High School’s North Knights Marching Festival, winning best drum majors, drums and auxiliary. RMHS placed fourth at the Chicagoland Marching Band Festival and third at the Prospect Knight of Champions. Their marching season ended Oct. 16, when Rolling Meadows won their division at the Sandwich Musicfest, while also placing 3rd overall and

While picking Desert Winds for the marching season, Band and Color Guard Director Kevin Buti considered the strengths of this year’s band, such as its large pit, its woodwind section and an all-state trumpeter in senior Kailynn Muhr, the show’s featured soloist.

Also integral are Drum Majors, senior Alana Monterosa and junior Derek Prusener. Both are new to the role, having been selected through a rigorous audition process last spring. The two conduct the band through its pregame and halftime pieces, earning them recognition for their skill and hard work.

“[The drum majors] have really taken it upon themselves to come up with a lot of what their doing and refine their craft and it’s really obvious,” Buti said. “We had some clinicians come in to work with the band and he said a couple times, ‘Your drum majors are really good. They’re really focused. They’re really on top of it.”

What Prusener enjoys most about his position is being a role model to the younger band members and getting to know them. While maintaining unity is sometimes difficult with such a large group of people, the drum majors, as well as each section leader, try to foster as sense of community within the band.

“Bringing people together and getting them to interact is tough at the beginning, but once people get to know each other, it becomes really like a band family.” Prusener said.

The marching season will culminate in the annual Band-O-Rama concert, which will be held on Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the main gym. The concert will showcase the four movements of Desert Winds as well as all the Marching Mustangs’ pep tunes.