For the first time in three years, the OHS marching band competed in the Bands of America competition.

After traveling to Clarksville, Tennessee, last weekend, the band performed their 2015 show, “Band Together,” in front of a nationally accredited judging panel. OHS placed 21 out of 22 bands, but that doesn’t mean the trip was a failure.

“Overall, I was pretty happy with how the run went,” drum major RJ Martin (11) said. “I think [it] was great except for a minor slip-up towards the end of the show.”

In addition to performing for a large audience, OHS students also got to see some of the best bands in the region, including the O’Fallon Township, Castle, and Franklin high schools. Martin called the experience “extremely eye-opening.”

“Before we left, our directors told us that there would be some good bands there, but we never really knew how good they were until they performed,” Martin said.

The OHS band has performed well at local competitions in the past, but in recent years the band’s position has been slipping. The directors hope that having students see high-caliber bands will motivate them to try harder during rehearsal.

“It was great to see bands that were better than us so that we have a goal to work for,” Martin said.

The band’s next competition will be at Blue Springs on Saturday, Oct. 3.