The Grapevine High School Mustang Band had a tremendous 2024-2025 season, filled with Bands of America and UIL awards, and once-in-a-lifetime performances. A few of the band’s achievements this season include finishing first in class for outstanding music, visual, and general effect at the BOA Waco Regional Championships, advancing to the UIL 5A Area F finals, and UIL Region 31 Sweepstakes.

 

 

There were two performance opportunities especially noteworthy and high points of the students’ season, one being the invitation from the mayor of Dublin to participate in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The 2025 parade turned out to be one of Dublin’s largest parades to date. The exclusive privilege of representing not only their school district and state of Texas, but American marching band on an international stage is a special memory students can carry with them forever.

 

 

 

Secondly, the band was surprised by global artist and Grapevine High School alum, Post Malone, with an opportunity that guaranteed huge bragging rights for the students. In a video that went viral, Director James Rees delivered the exciting news to his students that they would be performing outside the AT&T Stadium before the Post Malone concert. Crowds of fans arrived at the stadium early to watch the band perform several of Posty’s most popular hits.

 

(Director James Rees and Grapevine Seniors with Fox 4 News following the performance announcement)

 

 

Director Rees has taught band for 17 years, the past six for Grapevine. He explained how truly special this year was for the program.

“My favorite memory of this year was watching the students have a one-of-a-kind experience. Being able to be with them when they were in a moment that they will remember for the rest of their lives is so special and is the driving force behind all that we do at Grapevine.”

 

Throughout Rees’s teaching career, he has led several marching bands to consistent high-ranking seasons, and he stated every drill he’s taught was designed in Pyware 3D. The ability for directors and designers to collaborate in an efficient, streamlined manner is something the Pyware Team continually strives to improve upon. For example, with tools such as the Design Team feature and the Mobile Editor app. Aside from effective collaboration and the capability for all members of the staff to view the completed show prior to rehearsal, the way in which the performers learn the drill is critical. This is why Pyware teamed up with Ultimate Drill Book. Now, every aspect of creating the show, editing, and teaching the drill is covered, ensuring a successful production in all respects.

“Every marching band drill I’ve taught has been designed in Pyware! It’s the industry standard, and for good reason. At Grapevine we use Pyware alongside Ultimate Drill Book to teach the drill. Pyware 3D is especially valuable for helping both our staff and students visualize the show before we ever step onto the field. It makes it easier for everyone to understand spacing, step size, and transitions, which sets us up for success once we start rehearsing.”

 

Drill designer Andy Ebert works with the Grapevine Mustang Band to create the shows that helped afford them incredible performance opportunities this past year. His design work, Director Rees’s leadership, and talented, hard-working students resulted in an epic 2024-2025 season for Grapevine.

“It has been a lot of fun to be a part of building the program at Grapevine. We’ve seen tremendous growth in both student enrollment and student achievement, and that’s thanks to the dedication of our band staff, the support of our administration, and the commitment of our incredible band parents and community. So much has changed in the six years I’ve been here, and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come. I can’t wait to see what’s next; the best is yet to come!” said Director Rees.

 

The Pyware Team would like to wish the Grapevine Mustang Band many more seasons of one-of-a-kind opportunities and great success!