The J. J. Pearce High School Band, also known as the Mighty Mustang Band (MMB), is recognized as one of the premier educational performing ensembles in the United States. For more than forty-five years, the band has developed a reputation for mature performances of sophisticated wind literature. The band is known for the excellence of its performers and its commitment to artistic integrity.

​

The curriculum at Pearce places an emphasis on individual musicianship. A dedicated, applied faculty provided enrichment and guidance for individual musicians. Performing opportunities in chamber ensembles and as soloists are an important part of the musical instruction. Students from the J. J. Pearce Band have attended many of the most prestigious music schools in the country; several of ours students pursue careers as professional musicians, and many hold some of the top performing jobs in the country.

​

The band has been extremely successful competitively. Both the Wind Ensemble and the Wind Symphony have won every major festival in Texas, and the Wind Ensemble has twice been selected the Outstanding Wind Ensemble at the Texas State Wind Ensemble in Austin. The band has also represented the Texas Music educators Association as the Class AAAAA Honor Band in 1985 and the Class AAA Honor Band in 2002. The J. J. Pearce High School Band is one of only a few high school bands in the United States to have twice received the Sudler Flag of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. The Mighty Mustang Band has also advanced to the State Marching Contest twice over the past few years.

​

The focus of the music curriculum at Pearce, however, is not competitive. The Pearce Band performs frequent concerts in many different venues. Over the past twenty years, Pearce concert bands have performed on five separate occasions in New York’s Carnegie Hall. The band has twice been invited to perform at the Midwest Invitational Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The band also performs an annual concert in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, the result of an anonymous donation from the parents of former band students. This annual concert has allowed the students to perform in an environment conducive to sensitive music-making and has created many opportunities for musical experiences. The Pearce Band is proud to have premiered and commissioned new works for band from such composers as David Gillingham, Frank Ticheli, Brad Bodine, Nathan Langfit, Donald Grantham, and Elizabeth Hames.