the William Mason High School Marching Band finished fourth in the nation at the 2015 Bands of America Grand National Championships in mid-November. Mason competed against 100 bands from across the country with its show “Somewhere,” based on the musical “West Side Story.”
The band earned a composite 93.35 score, its highest ever at a Grand Nationals competition, according to a news release. It was also the only band from Ohio that advanced to the finals.
Director Bob Bass said the highlight was when a judge told him Mason’s show was the first to make him cry.
“The complete silence in Lucas Oil Stadium at the end of our show told us that we had succeeded in impacting our audience,” Bass said.
Mason first competed at Grand Nationals in 2000, placing 55th. The band has improved every year since, cracking the top 10 in 2011, and making it to the finals in each subsequent season.
In December, the band, dubbed #thatwestboundband, will travel to Pasadena for the 2016 Rose Parade.