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The Kingwood Mighty Mustang Military Marching Band (KM4B), "The Pride of Kingwood", is the 6A varsity marching band for Kingwood High School in Kingwood, TX. KM4B marches in military style, in contrast to drum corps style employed by most high schools. Since the opening of Kingwood High School in 1979, KM4B has received superior ratings for 28 consecutive years at the UIL Regional Marching Contest.
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History
KM4B was founded upon the opening of Kingwood High School in 1979 under the leadership of director Linda Tiner, who helped usher in the style of military marching. From 1986–1994, Ronald Todd served as Director of Bands, and led the band to its first Texas State Marching Contest in 1988 – joining Longview High School(1984) as the only two AAAAA (school-size classification) military-style bands to achieve this in the modern era. Under the direction of Larry Ward, the band went to the 1998 State Marching Contest, where they took first place in marching, and 9th place overall.
In 2001, KM4B was split into 2 marching bands, the varsity (10–12) band and the freshman (9) band. Larry Ward continued to be the director of the varsity band, and Destry Balch came in and took over the 9th grade band, which was located at the Kingwood 9th Grade Campus, now known as Kingwood Park High School. Then, in 2005, Larry Ward left KHS and took the head band director post at Athens High School, in Athens, TX. It was then that Destry Balch took over the head position of KM4B. Taking over the 9th grade band was John Nielsen, former head director of the Creekwood Middle School band program, and Randy Countryman, a former director at KHS. Beginning in August 2008 upon the formation of Kingwood Park High School, the band expanded to include 9th graders once again. The first four-year class graduated in 2012. It is a tradition for the band to take a biannual trip, which will usually include a major performance. Recent trips include Disney Magic Music Days (2004), 118th Tournament of Roses Parade (2007), Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade (2009), concert in the Lincoln Center in NYC (2011), the San Diego Veterans Day parade (2012), and a performance at Pearl Harbor (2015). In 2017, they will travel back to New York City.
Uniforms
In 2016, Kingwood got new black marching shoes and a new dark blue uniforms. Their old uniform was recycled to another school. The uniforms have a distinctive patch on each arm, displaying the mascot of Kingwood High School, the Mustang. Every spring, each graduating senior receives one of these patches as a keepsake for their service in the band.Leadership
The current band is led through the marching season by its two directors: Destry Balch and Tyler Morrison. These directors are responsible for rehearsing the band during school hours, when the band is divided into four concert bands. During these rehearsals, the directors not only work on the music for the field, but also train the students in fundamentals and basic music skills. After school, the marching band rehearses for two hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays on the practice field in the parking lot. Student leadership positions include two/three drum majors, "Lode Croo" (Load Crew; spelled differently as a tradition) captain and lieutenants, uniform captain, Drumline captain, section leaders, and the Flag Line.