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Other bands performing our old shows....


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Today I saw where two different Leander shows were performed by California bands last year. Rancho Bandero did our 2016 show. Ours was called The 4th Dimension and they called theirs The Grid. Then, as I was looking at one of the contests Rancho Bandero was in, I happened upon our 2015 Color Study show being performed by Poway High School. Obviously our drill was different from the CA schools, but there were also plenty of similarities. I knew that designers would sell their shows to more than one school, but it felt so weird to see and hear two of our shows being performed by other schools. Almost wrong, somehow.

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I saw a show in 2016 that was entitled something like "7 Minutes" performed by a smaller Indiana band where a girl on the field had 7 minutes to "escape" and had a large countdown clock on the field.  This was actually a pretty engaging show with good music.  Ran across this same show, with the same title, by another small Indiana band in 2017.  First thought, was that no way was it the same, just had the same title.  Nope, both were the same, similar drill and same music, but no clock on the field.  The sad part is that I was missing the clock from last years band and of course, here come the comparisons.  I do find it interesting when different bands perform the same musical piece and see how they interpret it on the field.  Two years ago I believe it was Lawrence Township, then Carmel performed the same closure music back to back in state finals.  Last year Leander played a song that Avon had in 2013 and I think it was Vandegrift that had music that was in our 2010 show.  You know you are a band geek when you start recognizing music that someone else played a few years ago.  :)

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Today I saw where two different Leander shows were performed by California bands last year. Rancho Bandero did our 2016 show. Ours was called The 4th Dimension and they called theirs The Grid. Then, as I was looking at one of the contests Rancho Bandero was in, I happened upon our 2015 Color Study show being performed by Poway High School. Obviously our drill was different from the CA schools, but there were also plenty of similarities. I knew that designers would sell their shows to more than one school, but it felt so weird to see and hear two of our shows being performed by other schools. Almost wrong, somehow. Especially since they were first written for Leander. I know it’s just how things are done in the marching band world....but still, it feels a little bit strange!

 

It happens all the time.  The music for the show my Senior year was originally composed/commissioned for us.  The piece was sold the following year to a program in Kentucky that actually won a State Championship with it!  There's a program or two in the Valley that will buy up Tarpon Springs shows year after year.  

 

Many programs do this for a number of reasons.  It is significantly less expensive to buy an existing marching music arrangement than it is to have a new composition/arrangement created specifically for your band program. This process saves a ton of time as well.  You buy the show off the "shelf" and the composer emails you the parts.  At that point, you are pretty much done.  In some cases, existing arrangements may even come with some Pyware drill templates from the original show.  Also, the composer may steer the program to a drill writer very familiar with the work.

 

Composers are willing to share the fruits of their labor.  Programs are eager to buy a show that awesome programs have performed before them.  I used to think this process was short-changing the activity, but if both sides of the transaction are satisfied, I'm cool. 

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It happens all the time. The music for the show my Senior year was originally composed/commissioned for us. The piece was sold the following year to a program in Kentucky that actually won a State Championship with it! There's a program or two in the Valley that will buy up Tarpon Springs shows year after year.

 

Many programs do this for a number of reasons. It is significantly less expensive to buy an existing marching music arrangement than it is to have a new composition/arrangement created specifically for your band program. This process saves a ton of time as well. You buy the show off the "shelf" and the composer emails you the parts. At that point, you are pretty much done. In some cases, existing arrangements may even come with some Pyware drill templates from the original show. Also, the composer may steer the program to a drill writer very familiar with the work.

 

Composers are willing to share the fruits of their labor. Programs are eager to buy a show that awesome programs have performed before them. I used to think this process was short-changing the activity, but if both sides of the transaction are satisfied, I'm cool.

Well you’re right, it is exciting when a band excels using a recycled show. Rancho Bandero did well with our 4th Dimension music and similar drill and so did Leander, so that’s great. And I was definitely aware that this was a thing. It was just weird running across not one but two of our old shows in the same competition! And it felt strange somehow. But I understand reasoning behind it, and I don’t begrudge the other bands their use of the same musical arrangement. I’m just curious what others experiences were, and if they felt the same way. I guess my first feelings were very possessive ones!

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It is not just the music and drill - in some cases it includes flags and/or props from those shows- I have seen our marching or WGI props end up on the field a few years later by another band.

I’ve definitely seen props make their way around the state and even the country. It’s kind of fun trying to remember where you have seen them before. Like those spinning giant S’s Hendrickson got from somewhere. Can’t remember now! The longer I watch, the more often I notice when props reappear. I wonder if designers and/or band directors see props and say, “hey I can design a show around those,” and then offer to buy them, or if they design the shows and look for props later. And how competitive is the prop selling market? Is there a category on Craigslist called Used Band Props For Sale? eBay? These are the dumb kinds of things I wonder about.

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One interesting twist is that recently, a GN finalist band in Texas played a show that was way, way too similar musically to a show performed a few years prior by a kind of mid-range California band. The source music was an hour long, but both bands' 8 minute shows were eerily similar in composition. The design take, overall, was quite different.

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I’ve definitely seen props make their way around the state and even the country. It’s kind of fun trying to remember where you have seen them before. Like those spinning giant S’s Hendrickson got from somewhere. Can’t remember now! The longer I watch, the more often I notice when props reappear. I wonder if designers and/or band directors see props and say, “hey I can design a show around those,” and then offer to buy them, or if they design the shows and look for props later. And how competitive is the prop selling market? Is there a category on Craigslist called Used Band Props For Sale? eBay? These are the dumb kinds of things I wonder about.

I remember Vista's pyramids from 3 years ago?  (the year before the 4th dimension cubes) were sold to Lake Travis HS band and used in their show the next year.  Those props if I remember right were deer stands originally.

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I remember Vista's pyramids from 3 years ago? (the year before the 4th dimension cubes) were sold to Lake Travis HS band and used in their show the next year. Those props if I remember right were deer stands originally.

Oh I definitely remember those pyramids from 2015. I absolutely loved it when the girls spun from them! That was my favorite Vista show in recent memory tho I also loved the 2013 & 14 shows featuring that awesome violin player.

 

And I definitely noticed that the pyramids migrated into Lake Travis 2016 show. :)

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Oh I definitely remember those pyramids from 2015. I absolutely loved it when the girls spun from them! That was my favorite Vista show in recent memory tho I also loved the 2013 & 14 shows featuring that awesome violin player.

 

And I definitely noticed that the pyramids migrated into Lake Travis 2016 show. :)

That Violin play is on this forum :-)  We will see if he chimes in.

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  • 1 month later...

The PESH band director sent out a note the other week wondering if anyone knew what happened to "The Bells" Props from 
their 2012 show, I guess someone is interested in and/or doing the PESH show from that year and was wondering if
they still had them. 

 

My first thought was that if someone had room in their house to store those things,  I want to see their house, LOL. 

 

But not sure how I feel about another band doing that show!   PESH made state and the BOA Finals (San Antonio) with that
show, I ,kind of feel possessive about it!    And if the other band does it better, I don't want to know about it :) 

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The PESH band director sent out a note the other week wondering if anyone knew what happened to "The Bells" Props from

their 2012 show, I guess someone is interested in and/or doing the PESH show from that year and was wondering if

they still had them.

 

My first thought was that if someone had room in their house to store those things, I want to see their house, LOL.

 

But not sure how I feel about another band doing that show! PESH made state and the BOA Finals (San Antonio) with that

show, I ,kind of feel possessive about it! And if the other band does it better, I don't want to know about it :)

Ha, I’d like to see their house too! And what about those massive props Marcus always comes up with? Can you imagine storing THOSE puppies?

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Ha, I’d like to see their house too! And what about those massive props Marcus always comes up with? Can you imagine storing THOSE puppies?

 

Your possessive feelings about PESH’s old show and if it were sold to another band are exactly what I was talking about when I saw two different bands performing some of our old shows. I was like, “No! You can’t do that, they’re OURS!”

 

At least Marcus seems to re-purpose those props.    I think I've seen several different props come from their "Gilded Melodies" show (not sure that was the exact name, I just remember the large gold gates).  Loved that show.    I do wonder where they store them though...  maybe they keep them in the band trucks over the winter?   

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The show that my school did was "The Shining" and Oregon Crusaders are doing the same theme for their show. The pictures they used for their release were the exact same as ours, and they are using two of the same songs we did. Definitely not salty about it (I am actually very excited to see how their season goes) but it's just funny to me.

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The show that my school did was "The Shining" and Oregon Crusaders are doing the same theme for their show. The pictures they used for their release were the exact same as ours, and they are using two of the same songs we did. Definitely not salty about it (I am actually very excited to see how their season goes) but it's just funny to me.

 

Was that Seven lakes show from last year?  Very cool show!  

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