June 2, 2026

By Reese Allen

The East Mississippi Community College Mighty Lion Band found success this year through its indoor percussion and winter guard ensembles, collectively known as EM-Pact.

In mid-April, the EM-Pact indoor percussion ensemble traveled to Dayton, Ohio to compete at the Winter Guard International World Championships against schools across the nation. Competing in the Independent Marching A Division, the ensemble advanced from preliminaries to finals the following day and finished among the top 15 groups in the nation. EM-Pact was the only Mississippi junior college to compete at the national championship level, bringing national recognition to the Mighty Lion Band and EMCC.

“We are extremely proud of our student success, their hard work and dedication to the indoor ensembles within the Mighty Lion Band,” Director of Bands Daniel Wade said.

For the Mighty Lion Band, this marked the second official year of the EM-Pact indoor percussion ensemble and the first official year of the EM-Pact winter guard ensemble. The percussion ensemble is directed by Wade and Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Percussion Ben Neal. The winter guard ensemble is directed by Assistant Band Director Maggie Hardin. Students auditioned in the fall and winter of 2025 to compete in one or both ensembles. Members of the ensembles began practicing as early as fall of 2025 with weekly schedules to prepare for performances and competitions.

Highlighting the EM-Pact indoor percussion and winter guard ensembles to students has contributed to an increased enrollment at EMCC and the band program throughout the district, beyond the district and even out of state.

“EM-Pact is one of the strongest recruitment tools we use because indoor activity is so large and we are able to offer this opportunity for students,” Wade said. “It is one of the main factors that help boost the growth of numbers and quality of students within our band program.”

In early April 2026, the EM-Pact indoor percussion and winter guard ensembles competed at the Mississippi Indoor Association Championships at the University of Mississippi. The MIA championships are the premier competitive circuit in Mississippi for winter guards, indoor percussion and indoor winds. The percussion ensemble, competing in the Independent A Division, placed second. The winter guard ensemble, whose performance highlighted music by Aretha Franklin, placed first and won the state championship in the College A Division.

“This is only the beginning of success that these ensembles and students have encountered, and they will continue to grow and thrive, and it will attract more students to join the Mighty Lion Band,” Wade said.