Jump to content

6A State Bands Video Megathread


Recommended Posts

I decided to accumulate all the most recent videos that I could find of all the 6A Bands advancing to State. It will be in order of Areas and placements and hopefully will allow for everyone to get acquainted with each band before the State contest.

 

Area A

 

Odessa Permian 1st Area A

 

El Paso Coronado

 

El Paso Franklin

 

El Paso Americas

 

 

Area B

 

Keller 1st Area B

 

Duncanville

[Can't find a video]

 

L.D. Bell

[Can't find a video]

 

Coppell

 

Plano East Senior - not the best angle but all I could find for now

 

 

Area C

 

Flower Mound 1st Area C - terrible quality for now

 

Hebron - terrible angle

 

Marcus - only a portion of the show

 

Berkner - only a video of their first performance

 

Wylie

[Can't find a video]

 
 

Area D

 

Ronald Reagan 1st Area D

[Can't find a video]

 

Austin Bowie

[Can't find a video]

 

Round Rock

[Can't find a video]

 

Hendrickson

[Can't find a video]

 

Cedar Ridge

 

Area E

 

Stephen F Austin 1st Area E

 

Cy-Fair

 

Brazoswood - low angle

 

Friendswood

[Can't find a video]

 

Clements - low angle

 

 

Clear Brook

 

Langham Creek

Cypress Falls

[Can't find a video]

 

 

Area F

 

North Shore Senior 1st Area F

 

Spring

 

The Woodlands College Park - low angle

 

The Woodlands

[Can't find a video]

 

Dawson

[Can't find a video]

 

 

Area G

 

Harlingen 1st Area G

 

Brownsville Hanna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0YjS_uOHNM

 

Laredo United

 

Halingen South

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD9-rWhTISk

 

 

Area H

 

Vandegrift 1st Area H

 

Leander

 

Westlake

 

Vista Ridge - low angle but still area

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really enjoyed Area C this weekend and saw a really impressive finals in which I thought 8 of the finalists could have been selected for state and you would not have heard a complaint.  The Wylie folks were going crazy and it was a really fun moment. I remember thinking that FloMo and Hebron were definitely 1-2. Marcus was definitely 3 and Berkner 4.  It was wide open after that.

 

There are some very good videos currently posted.  Below are FloMo and Hebron

 

Hebron

 

 

Flower Mound

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

north mesquite should have gone to state they were ranked 5th in prelims and had an even better performance in finals 

There was a LOT of movement between Prelims and finals. Very....odd. How Wylie jumped 3 spots and North Mesquite dropped 3 is questionable at best. After prelims 1 point separated Boyd (6) and North Mesquite (5), after finals 4 points separated Boyd (6) and Wylie (5) I am sorry Wylie did NOT play THAT much better and North Mesquite THAT much worse. Not to mention Boyd's final was also much better than the prelims and they did not move at all. But, unfortunately, it is what it is and nothing can be done about it. Closed door judging is always ify at best in my opinion.

 

 I personally am tired of having, in the case of this year, 21 bands fight for 2 spots since it's a forgone conclusion that Flower Mound, Marcus and Hebron will always go.  Sad to see BOA/DCI style of marches bleeding into UIL competitions. It used to be about the music and the march now it's about flash and solo performances. Hate seeing bands who march and play music WHILE marching constantly getting beat by bands who march while a soloist plays and then only play half the music the other bands play. UIL has all these rules regarding music, how long, how much solo limits....etc during concert season but not during marching...why? But, again, it is what it is and we all have to live with it I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you watched Hebron, Flower Mound, or Marcus objectively?

 

Particularly Hebron. I watched them last night and was absolutely floored at the musical demands they have while on the move, particularly in the closer. Was like this in their opener last year too. No one is doing what they are doing while marching, or a very select few. I mean the woodwinds are playing insane runs on the move and the brass is double and triple toungjng on the move. There is no lack of demand.

 

Also on the 3 you mentioned, 90% of their props are either backdrop/stage setting or not involved enough with the drill that you could strip them away and the show would still work very well.

 

But those two things aside they also march and play like very few can. You can hate the props, hate the style and hate the flashy stuff. But when you strip all that stuff away they are still performing like the best of the best. That is not BOA bleeding into UIL judging. It's just playing and marching the best. Give them a "UIL" style show and they'd probably still win.

 

I get the frustration. When I was in HS it was ALWAYS Azle, Boswell, and some El Paso bands that advanced. No one competed with them. But the fact of the matter is they were way better and deserved to advance because state is the best of the best.

 

No matter how you draw those Area lines there are always gonna be those bands that destroy everyone and someone is gonna get screwed. It's just how it works.

 

And in terms of prelims vs finals judging, of course bands are not gonna stay. When you only have 10 to manage rather than 25+ the results tighten and there are no wacky lower than 10th judges that can tank someone. Prelims to finals shifts are nothing new.

 

Yes I saw Flower Mound and Hebron...did not get to see Marcus from the stands. I want to be clear...I am in no way questioning their talent. Honestly all 3 compare more to college than high school. That being said...yes in Hebron's case their props were just back ground...Marcus and Flower Mound (especially flower mounds) not so much. Regardless, Marcus had several segments where 99% of the band marched not playing their instruments while the soloist did the work. Flower mound had a segement where the entire woodwind section sat behind the front screens and it was brass and drum (aka DCI). Last year Hebron's entire show was based around an INCREDIBLE sax player (this kid hopefully goes pro) but it was more a resume for him than it was for the band as a whole. I do not mean to "pick on" those 3 they are just obvious examples. You are right in the reason they win is when they DO play they play amazing, I would just like to see more of it. 

 

I am sure those from these schools will jump in and call me bitter or jealous or whatever and that's fine. I admit I am. Unfortunately I cheer for a school who has these 3 in Band and Allen in Football and am just wondering if there will ever be a time for the "little" guy to grab the brass ring. Mostly I am just venting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hebron probably not only has the hardest woodwind music, they're brass music is pretty darn hard (and really high this year), and they always do the hardest parts on the move. Usually the only holds they have are whole notes. It's incredible. I think flomo is a mix between Marcus and hebron, not too hard but not too easy, not saying Marcus plays easy stuff it just isn't really anything compared to hebron. It just amazes me that hebron has the hardest woodwind music, AND they do it on the move

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I saw Flower Mound and Hebron...did not get to see Marcus from the stands. I want to be clear...I am in no way questioning their talent. Honestly all 3 compare more to college than high school. That being said...yes in Hebron's case their props were just back ground...Marcus and Flower Mound (especially flower mounds) not so much. Regardless, Marcus had several segments where 99% of the band marched not playing their instruments while the soloist did the work. Flower mound had a segement where the entire woodwind section sat behind the front screens and it was brass and drum (aka DCI). Last year Hebron's entire show was based around an INCREDIBLE sax player (this kid hopefully goes pro) but it was more a resume for him than it was for the band as a whole. I do not mean to "pick on" those 3 they are just obvious examples. You are right in the reason they win is when they DO play they play amazing, I would just like to see more of it. 

 

I am sure those from these schools will jump in and call me bitter or jealous or whatever and that's fine. I admit I am. Unfortunately I cheer for a school who has these 3 in Band and Allen in Football and am just wondering if there will ever be a time for the "little" guy to grab the brass ring. Mostly I am just venting.

 

Thank you for clarifying some things. 

 

I understand.  We were the little guy when I was in high school. Like I said, same bands every year and we really didn't have much of a chance in heck of advancing until the lines were redrawn in 2013 and all the bands that advanced to state were no longer in our area and then suddenly boom in 2015 they swept and made it to state while some of the the other very good bands that used to be in the area did not.  I thought many of the same things at the time.  In retrospect though the scores don't mean jack.  Would it have been amazing to win and go to state?  Absolutely.  But that would have been just a mere cherry on top of my high school band experience. 5 years out only one marching season really still has an effect on me, and my best memories were growing as a band my senior year and one performance in particular where we got a HUGE crowd reaction. I probably couldn't remember most of our placements.  

 

I guess in the end I get it, it would be cool to win and advance, but some times its just not in the cards.  Always take pride in your performance and growth as a band, and after that everything is out of your control.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

350, that's pretty amazing. There are bands with around 270 including pit, guard etc, in 6A; it just shows the variability in 6a.

Wow those are huge numbers. I would think larger bands have a harder time keeping it all clean and tidy because there are so many different spots to take care of (I could be totally wrong, but this is just my gut feel). Kudos to Flower Mound, Duncanville(?*), Coppell(?*), Bell(?*) and the other 350+ bands out there for doing such a fantastic job with their clean precise marching shows.

 

*(?) because they seem larger than the other bands when you watch them but I don't know the numbers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a LOT of movement between Prelims and finals. Very....odd. How Wylie jumped 3 spots and North Mesquite dropped 3 is questionable at best. After prelims 1 point separated Boyd (6) and North Mesquite (5), after finals 4 points separated Boyd (6) and Wylie (5) I am sorry Wylie did NOT play THAT much better and North Mesquite THAT much worse. Not to mention Boyd's final was also much better than the prelims and they did not move at all. But, unfortunately, it is what it is and nothing can be done about it. Closed door judging is always ify at best in my opinion.

 

 I personally am tired of having, in the case of this year, 21 bands fight for 2 spots since it's a forgone conclusion that Flower Mound, Marcus and Hebron will always go.  Sad to see BOA/DCI style of marches bleeding into UIL competitions. It used to be about the music and the march now it's about flash and solo performances. Hate seeing bands who march and play music WHILE marching constantly getting beat by bands who march while a soloist plays and then only play half the music the other bands play. UIL has all these rules regarding music, how long, how much solo limits....etc during concert season but not during marching...why? But, again, it is what it is and we all have to live with it I guess.

 

I can tell you from many decades of going to marching contests that Flower Mound, Marcus, and Hebron (and many others past and present) have raised the difficulty of the marching band world to a level that it's hard for the large majority of the bands in Texas to compete with. They play at very high level of quality while marching very difficult drill and performing crazy body movements, all while playing at a higher level than most bands can do while sitting down. Their musicianship and athleticism is incredible. But if someone else comes along and is better, they be pushed down the chain as well. With new bands emerging as real players, it will happen to them some day. I can tell you this - disappointment for them is the same as it is for you. But what you do with that disappointment is what makes the difference. Use it as a motivator to better yourself and to encourage others around you. That is what will fuel you through life and give you success that lasts beyond a couple of years of marching band.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I saw Flower Mound and Hebron...did not get to see Marcus from the stands. I want to be clear...I am in no way questioning their talent. Honestly all 3 compare more to college than high school. That being said...yes in Hebron's case their props were just back ground...Marcus and Flower Mound (especially flower mounds) not so much. Regardless, Marcus had several segments where 99% of the band marched not playing their instruments while the soloist did the work. Flower mound had a segement where the entire woodwind section sat behind the front screens and it was brass and drum (aka DCI). Last year Hebron's entire show was based around an INCREDIBLE sax player (this kid hopefully goes pro) but it was more a resume for him than it was for the band as a whole. I do not mean to "pick on" those 3 they are just obvious examples. You are right in the reason they win is when they DO play they play amazing, I would just like to see more of it. 

 

I am sure those from these schools will jump in and call me bitter or jealous or whatever and that's fine. I admit I am. Unfortunately I cheer for a school who has these 3 in Band and Allen in Football and am just wondering if there will ever be a time for the "little" guy to grab the brass ring. Mostly I am just venting.

I kind of understand what you're saying. And in no way do I want to take away from what any of these bands have achieved because they are fantastic.

 

There seems to be an overall trend toward "parking and playing", solos that take over almost a full movement, a lot of running around/dancing/body movement while one section plays. Fewer bands seem to be actually marching while playing all the time. The style seems to be moving more toward a "grand show" and away from music+marching. Things have to evolve I suppose but its so very refreshing to see a school like Bell that comes out, without any props and marches a good old-fashioned show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...