A band group from up north stops by McDonald County High School for a visit to get some extra practice.

McDonald County High School hosted special guests on its football field for a day.

“They’ve been out here for hours and my students get to come in and watch people that are really serious on their instruments and see what it takes to be that good,” explained MCHS Band Director Laurie Kinder-Lang.

The visitors are the “Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps,” a summer traveling marching band from Wisconsin.

“We spend our entire summer practicing and working hard on one show and then we go throughout the summer and compete and show off what we’ve worked hard on,” said Chloe Ziegler with the Pioneer Drum Corp.

And on their journey down to Arkansas for a competition, the group enjoyed the hospitality of McDonald County’s locker rooms, gym and field.

“It’s very important because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to have rehearsal before our shows and this is the process of us getting better and completing what we want to do everyday. If we didn’t have a field, we wouldn’t be able to do what we love,” Ziegler added.

This opportunity not only helped the Pioneer Drum Corp, but also McDonald County Band students to explore ways to pursue their music dreams.

“It sparks a lot of curiosity and they’re asking more questions and their parents are asking more questions, so I think we will definitely have a better chance brining someone in the future,” said Kinder-Lang.