Division I state rating reflects quick growth of A-P Marching Band program

Early morning practices and countless steps paid off for the Aplington- Parkersburg Marching Band as it secured a Division I rating at the Iowa High School Music Association’s Marching Band Festival last week.

Director Thom Mahler said the rating reflected the band’s hard work and attention to even the most minor of details. Just two weeks before the state competition, the band received a Division II rating at a clinic contest in Ft. Dodge.

The 46-member marching band’s total score increased by nearly 16 points.

“There was a lot of sometimes painstaking, picky cleanup,” he said. “We make sure it’s 100 percent of people doing everything right, every time.”

Read the full story in the October 18 edition.