DrumMajorly09 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Tuesday was amazing. Dickinson reached a level it hasn't seen in years, and the whole journey to get there was so fun. This whole season has been a great, great experience and it has changed our band for the better. I'll never forget the feeling of hearing our show ringing through the Alamodome. The only other shows I saw were Poteet, Connally, Hendrickson, Vista Ridge and a little bit of Centennial (saw a side view from the famous tunnel). I absolutely enjoyed every one of those bands, and thought they had great shows. Great work, guys. It was an awesome competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonepit06-07 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 much agreed with DrumMajorly it was a great competition with a lot of suprises.. but anyway congrats to all bands that made finals regardless of who placed in the top 3.. the judges will always have different opinions but y should it matter as long as you come off the field knowing that it was your best show all year.. As for us (Connally) we just had a great boost of encouragment from our directors and we were ready to bring it no matter where we ended up in the rankings we came off the field knowing that it was our best performance and that is all that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becca Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Sorry, but I am not in agreement with the finals placements. Hendrickson, you guys completely pulled it out of the hat. Loved it, loved you, and I really was praying you would take it. I saw you, Poteet, Connally, Vista Ridge and Dripping Springs, and out of those 5, I can feel comfortable in saying that it was a very close call between Connally and Hendrickson as far as top from Area D, but I feel like those two both topped Poteet. I think what may have gotten to you was just Poteet's volume. They played really well and really extremely loud. While Hendrickson and Connally lacked the volume Poteet had, I think their musical clarity AT LEAST matched that of Poteet. I don't know. I was really shocked at the results. But congrats to everybody anyways!! Whoever you are, I love you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashBrownJM Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 After watching Hendrickson on video, I agree that they sounded great. I still haven't seen everyone, but I have a hard time believing that 9th in music was justified. However, they had some ensemble marching issues, even when some sections weren't playing. That is probably what kept them out of the top 3. Cleaner forms probably would have upped those marching scores. EDIT: Well scratch that. Even if both marching judges had Hendrickson 1st, they would have come in 4th. Everyone knows that band can play. Fourth in the State for the 4A Honor Band competition last year, that school has consistently had a very mature sound, even when that school had just opened. However, I can second the notion that some of their visual ensemble moments weren't as clean as they would have needed to be in order to contend for a medal. As for not marching as well as they coud have while not playing, I'm not sure how the judges here judged visual, but one thing I learned over the summer is that it's easy to get deducted from when you aren't marching as well as you could have when that's all you need to concentrate on. I think that's what you were saying up there, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSMAS Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 I think that all of the bands at state were great. I know that we (hendrickson) put everything we had into that performance, heart and soul. It was our best performance in the history of the school. We just wish that the judges had been able to see the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that went into just that performance. Oh well, we are happy for all of the bands that competed and 5th in state is not a bad place. Congrats to all of the bands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelsey_girl Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Hey Guys!! Congratulations to all the bands!! I'm still content with my band's placement...all of the bands were good and it was very tough competition! I think all of the bands did a spectacular job in the way they performed! We all wonder about the way the judges figure the scores...it will remain a mystery to all of us! Congratulations to EVERYONE!!!!! We all know what it takes to get to state now lets just push it next year!! See yall again soon!! Go SHS!!! ..::~Kelsey~::.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slw13 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 Everyone knows that band can play. Fourth in the State for the 4A Honor Band competition last year, that school has consistently had a very mature sound, even when that school had just opened. However, I can second the notion that some of their visual ensemble moments weren't as clean as they would have needed to be in order to contend for a medal. As for not marching as well as they coud have while not playing, I'm not sure how the judges here judged visual, but one thing I learned over the summer is that it's easy to get deducted from when you aren't marching as well as you could have when that's all you need to concentrate on. I think that's what you were saying up there, too. specifics on how the judges are supposed to critique bands at UIL can be found here: http://www.uil.utexas.edu/music/scoring_procedure.html 3 judges are supposed to judge nothing but music performance, while the other 2 judges are supposed to judge marching. In Marching there are 4 categories that each judge critiques (for a possible total of 1000 points) and in Music there are 5 categories (again for up to 1000 points). Once the judges post their scores, then they place each of the bands, for example in finals, on a rank of 1-10, based on the total points that they gave each band. The ranking that is posted on the UIL results page does not tell the "full" story of how each band has been graded. One would need to see the grade sheets as well as listen to the commentary of each judge to know what they were actually thinking when watching a performance. As a parent of a Hendrickson band member, I just want to say that we do understand that our marching has not always been the cleanest, but we usually score quite well in music. I want to emphasize that we are not upset by the results in terms of who won, ALL of the bands that performed Tuesday evening were VERY good and richly deserving. It is difficult to try to assess the bands at this level because of that. We are VERY proud of our kids and the job they did leading up to State, as I am sure all parents of all of the bands are. We are very happy for the winners, and especially happy for our "cross-town" friends from Connally, they are richly deserving. Indeed, we are still using some borrowed instruments from them after our bus accident back on Oct 14, and without their help we could not have made it as far as we did (and we also have to thank Dripping Springs and Vista Ridge for the same thing...perhaps some good karma to them also for their generosity). Still, we were a bit shocked at dropping from 2nd after prelims to 5th, especially after what we thought was one of the best performances we had all season (especially shocked that one judge had us 9th musically). PLEASE, that does not mean any sour grapes here. Finishing 5th in state is still a mighty accomplishment. Kudos to EVERY band student in the entire state, you are ALL amazing in the work you do and the performances you give. GO BAND! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LALAN2 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 we should make more triangles..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LALAN2 Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 maybe the triangle band will adopt a new shape then :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashBrownJM Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 specifics on how the judges are supposed to critique bands at UIL can be found here: http://www.uil.utexas.edu/music/scoring_procedure.html 3 judges are supposed to judge nothing but music performance, while the other 2 judges are supposed to judge marching. In Marching there are 4 categories that each judge critiques (for a possible total of 1000 points) and in Music there are 5 categories (again for up to 1000 points). Once the judges post their scores, then they place each of the bands, for example in finals, on a rank of 1-10, based on the total points that they gave each band. The ranking that is posted on the UIL results page does not tell the "full" story of how each band has been graded. One would need to see the grade sheets as well as listen to the commentary of each judge to know what they were actually thinking when watching a performance. As a parent of a Hendrickson band member, I just want to say that we do understand that our marching has not always been the cleanest, but we usually score quite well in music. I want to emphasize that we are not upset by the results in terms of who won, ALL of the bands that performed Tuesday evening were VERY good and richly deserving. It is difficult to try to assess the bands at this level because of that. We are VERY proud of our kids and the job they did leading up to State, as I am sure all parents of all of the bands are. We are very happy for the winners, and especially happy for our "cross-town" friends from Connally, they are richly deserving. Indeed, we are still using some borrowed instruments from them after our bus accident back on Oct 14, and without their help we could not have made it as far as we did (and we also have to thank Dripping Springs and Vista Ridge for the same thing...perhaps some good karma to them also for their generosity). Still, we were a bit shocked at dropping from 2nd after prelims to 5th, especially after what we thought was one of the best performances we had all season (especially shocked that one judge had us 9th musically). PLEASE, that does not mean any sour grapes here. Finishing 5th in state is still a mighty accomplishment. Kudos to EVERY band student in the entire state, you are ALL amazing in the work you do and the performances you give. GO BAND! Yeah, sorry, I should have been more clear. I know how the system works, I was reiterating the sentiment that we don't know what specific judges are looking for. And yes, 5th out of 10 is nothing to be ashamed of. It's better than 7th out of 12 (for those of you that know what I'm talking about ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aegis Fang Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 UIL- the only group in Texas that uses a scoring system that would allow for a band to win simply by marching a fairly difficult box drill to variations of the b-flat scale, so long as it's clean and sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceeblue2 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 UIL- the only group in Texas that uses a scoring system that would allow for a band to win simply by marching a fairly difficult box drill to variations of the b-flat scale, so long as it's clean and sounds good. and so everyone knows what UIL is looking for so if schools wish to go far in the UIL system then why not just concentrate on that type of show and save the "other" shows for BOA and other misc. competitions....There's something for everyone, ya just gotta know when to use it ...IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fata1 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 UIL- the only group in Texas that uses a scoring system that would allow for a band to win simply by marching a fairly difficult box drill to variations of the b-flat scale, so long as it's clean and sounds good. I think that's fine. I mean, if you're going to go to state, you have to have a difficult show. They may not care about having a production like Bell or Marcus. There's nothing wrong with them simply wanting flawless music and flawless marching. It allows less capable bands to perform easier music and still get a 1. They did what they could do well and were rewarded. They just won't go far into the real UIL competitions because they lack the level of difficulty that UIL does end up needing. UIL begs for perfected music and marching, not caring whether a band has all of the frosting that top BOA bands have. BOA wants it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borchnork Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 well part of the fact that they keep it the same would obviously be the recognition. When they march out w/ the same drum major walk/salute and opening set for 4 years in a row and like always 90% of their show is triangular, you KNOW which band you're about to see, and you know the reputation that the band has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borchnork Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 haha, I'd have adopted you! unless you wanna be adopted right now! even though marching season is basically over and I may not get a chance to see you now. =[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scl@connally Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 thank you very much for all the kind words. it was an honest shock to all of us when they announced our name to take the silver medal. congratulations to all of the awesome bands that were there on tuesday, especially to our sister school Hendrickson. we all understand that you guys worked your hearts out this season and was sad to notice your disappointment in the results, and in our eyes you deserved more. there's always another chance. scl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donezo Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 (edited) yeah but Poteets doesnt look difficult..NO offense to them.. Honestly.. But I mean they do about the same things every year.. Triangles.. They honestly need to surprise people and do something else.. More difficult then doing the same thing over and over again. They have got to be used to making diagonals.. Seriously. They ARE good though. I just think that when you do the same thing over and over again it becomes too easy. Especially when you do the same shape over and over again. Spice it up a bit.. Why don't they become triangle-free..? While Poteet does tend to recycle visuals and some "trademark" drill, I don't think it's accurate to call their show easy. Demand on the performer is VERY high. Those kids do not slow down and do not stop playing. On top of the physical demands of the show, they probably had one of the most difficult musical books of the finalist bands along with Dickinson and Friendswood. I would say the overall difficulty of the drill was probably on the high end with Friendswood. Of course, this is all based on videos of the bands from various points in the season, but I doubt overall design changed very much. The only area of the show that is not overly difficult is the guard work. They are very clean, but they do not use varied eqipment or perform tosses. Edited November 9, 2007 by Donezo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donezo Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 (edited) True, but Poteet's arrangement is faster, in a higher key, and includes many technical passages that Sherman's arrangement does not. Edited November 9, 2007 by Donezo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donezo Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Well, after briefly reviewing both shows it seems that you are correct about the keys. I think I was confused by the end of Poteet's show with the screaming double tonguing trumpets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSMAS Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I didn't get to see Poteet's show, was it really taht good? I'm sure that it was, but with all the critisims about their use of triangles, I'm not so sure anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aegis Fang Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I didn't get to see Poteet's show, was it really taht good? I'm sure that it was, but with all the critisims about their use of triangles, I'm not so sure anymore. From my seat, they couldn't keep a straight line to save their life in prelims. But their finals performance was nothing short of awesome. Even if they were one of three bands to play the music crown played in 06... kinda ridiculous, yet still fun to hear anyways =p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpod Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Wow.......alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSMAS Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 So, your opinion, who was the best band there. I personally liked Connally's performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarinot Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Their show was amazing..I'm just sooo sick and tired of triangles.. Its frustrating.. And quite frankly.. Annoying.. I can't stand it. I can't say that I have ever been annoyed by a shape, nor frustrated by a show that integrates the same theme consistently through the entire performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentwatch Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 As a parent of a Hendrickson band member, I just want to say that we do understand that our marching has not always been the cleanest, but we usually score quite well in music. I want to emphasize that we are not upset by the results in terms of who won, ALL of the bands that performed Tuesday evening were VERY good and richly deserving. It is difficult to try to assess the bands at this level because of that. We are VERY proud of our kids and the job they did leading up to State, as I am sure all parents of all of the bands are. We are very happy for the winners, and especially happy for our "cross-town" friends from Connally, they are richly deserving. Indeed, we are still using some borrowed instruments from them after our bus accident back on Oct 14, and without their help we could not have made it as far as we did (and we also have to thank Dripping Springs and Vista Ridge for the same thing...perhaps some good karma to them also for their generosity). Still, we were a bit shocked at dropping from 2nd after prelims to 5th, especially after what we thought was one of the best performances we had all season (especially shocked that one judge had us 9th musically). PLEASE, that does not mean any sour grapes here. Finishing 5th in state is still a mighty accomplishment. Kudos to EVERY band student in the entire state, you are ALL amazing in the work you do and the performances you give. GO BAND! As a parent of a DS band member, I have often told others I am a "Hendrickson Fan Magnet". LOL Seems every competition, I'd be sitting by myself and all of a sudden the Hawk fans come swooping down and I'm lost in a sea of blue. I didn't mind. I love Hendrickson fans. Everyone is so friendly. (I'm also close friends with a HHS Varsity football parent) I was actually really sad to see HHS drop to 5th. I was rooting for y'all to take it all! I didn't get to see your show at state, but I'd seen it enough throughout the season to know we could expect great things from y'all. (Except...those color guard uniforms??? umm...LOL) I think it's easy to forget what an honor it is to advance to State at all. Everyone gets so caught up in the competition and doing their best. But the top 24 bands in the state make up something like 8% of the entire state, so looking at it that way makes one realize exactly how "big" it is to be in San Antonio at all. I hope all the bands look at it that way. I am sorely going to miss all this. My band kid graduates in June and my others are not interested in band. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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