As the marching arts continue to progress, more programs are pushing the boundaries of what a marching band show includes, and performers are certainly meeting the challenge. The performance from the Vista Ridge High School Ranger Band in their production of “Perfect Imperfections” is a “perfect” example. The performers had the freedom to showcase their extraordinary musicianship with very complex choreography coordinating with the music, and made it look effortless. The designer behind this show, Peter Beckhart, is known for his visual design work with many prominent marching bands and winter drumlines across the country, and the World Champion Blue Devils.

While organizing this year’s show for the Vista Ridge Ranger Band, Peter tapped into his knack for creative choreography and contemporary design. This prompted him to delve into a few features of Pyware 3D that would help transform his bold ideas into reality.

“The Vista Ridge show titled ‘Perfect Imperfections’ led me to explore a lot of organic, layered developments including structured forms dissolving to scatter, staggering step-offs, individuals being left out of forms, and choreographing in a way that distorts the human body, making it feel ‘imperfect.’ Without Pyware’s diverse set of tools that are constantly being updated and enhanced, this project would have been nearly impossible to put together.”

In addition to the suite of features in Pyware 3D that help unlock the designer’s creative potential, Peter also discussed the advantage of teaching students intricate drill with the UDB app. Regardless of how advanced the drill design and choreography, band directors can provide a comprehensible training tool for performers to master their roles in the show.

“The integration with UDB has truly changed the game for band directors, instructors, and students in understanding how to learn and teach organic layered visual developments effectively and efficiently. Also, the ability of myself and the other choreographers to be inspired in making the drill come to life through movement, rather than strictly marching dot-to-dot. This speaks volumes to the modern design approach that can now be handled on Pyware!”

The Vista Ridge Ranger Band came in second at the Texas Marching Classic with Outstanding Percussion and Outstanding Visual Performance awards and placed 6^th at the 6A UIL State Marching Contest. Their final performances were held at the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional – roughly 100 bands performed in the preliminary competition with just 14 advancing to the finals. The band topped off the ’25-’26 marching season earning 9^th place overall!

Congratulations to the Vista Ridge High School Director of Bands, Robert Herrings, the full band staff, and Drill Designer Peter Beckhart. And a special congratulations to the exceptional student performers for putting on a masterful, inspired performance in “Perfect Imperfections,” each time they took the field!