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Area G marching contest

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rpd Newbie

rpd

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I know NOTHING about any of the south texas (ie, valley) bands, so can anyone give feedback on the bands playing and who they project for finals? Anyone have a guess who will advance to state?

 

Area G is a pretty consistent area. Donna, Harlingen, and Hanna have been historically the safest bets.

 

Bands I see making state...

 

Hanna

Harlingen

Donna

Lopez

O'Connor

San Benito

Harlingen South

Edinburg

United

 

I think there are a few bands that could be considered bubble bands. SA Taft, Alexander, Edinburg North, Sharyland, PSJA North, and possibly a couple more SA bands I think will be fighting for those last few finals spots.

 

My dark horse of the evening: SA Stevens.

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gunther Newbie

gunther

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Area G is a pretty consistent area. Donna, Harlingen, and Hanna have been historically the safest bets.

 

Bands I see making state...

 

Hanna

Harlingen

Donna

Lopez

O'Connor

San Benito

Harlingen South

Edinburg

United

 

I think there are a few bands that could be considered bubble bands. SA Taft, Alexander, Edinburg North, Sharyland, PSJA North, and possibly a couple more SA bands I think will be fighting for those last few finals spots.

 

My dark horse of the evening: SA Stevens.

 

you think Marshall stands a chance at finals?

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Guitarplayer1002 Newbie

Guitarplayer1002

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you think Marshall stands a chance at finals?

no, but what do i know, i saw marshall in the middle of the season and i was not impressed with their show, spacing issues, phasing, if they want to make finals their really gonna have to step it up for area but it will be very tough for them.

but best of luck to them and any other bands competing

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numeroUNO Newbie

numeroUNO

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no, but what do i know, i saw marshall in the middle of the season and i was not impressed with their show, spacing issues, phasing, if they want to make finals their really gonna have to step it up for area but it will be very tough for them.

but best of luck to them and any other bands competing

 

 

Out of NISD I think the schools to watch out for are O'Connor, Clark, Taft, and Brandeis. (I think Brandeis is pretty new, but they are good.) Don't know about Marshall. I saw them a while back but I can't remember much. Who knows though. It all depends on which bands can peak right around this time.

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horn_r1 Newbie

horn_r1

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Area G prelims results.

 

1. Harlingen

2. O'Connor

3. Donna

4. La Joya

5. Lopez

6. Sharyland

7. Hanna

8. Alexander

9. William H. Taft

10. PSJA North

11. Marshall

12. United

13. McAllen

14. Brandeis

15. Pace

16. San Benito

17. Palmview

17. Los Fresnos

17. Harlingen South

20. Clark

21. PSJA Memorial

22. Warren

23. Rivera

24. Edinburg North

25. Eagle Pass

26. McAllen Memorial

27. Southwest

28. Del Rio

29. Economedes

30. Edinburg

31. United South

32. Nixon

33. CC Winn

34. Stevens

35. LBJ

36. King

37. Carroll

38. South San Antonio

 

 

This contest will be a late one. The last finalist performs at 11:15.

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HechYeah08 Newbie

HechYeah08

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Area G FINALS Recap/Review

 

A quick caveat before I begin this review: I am about 6-7 years removed from high school band but I was (and still am!) a huge band nerd. I'm originally from a large North Texas band so, naturally, I am a bit biased towards the style of marching and music selection that I was used to in High School. However, I've been attending region, area, state and BOA contests for the last 8 years (younger sibling in band, too) so I feel like I've seen a great variety of show styles and concepts. Although I was a drum major for two years, I am in no way an expert and have no experience adjudicating, nor am I one of the TXBands rockstars who do amazing reviews (y'all are awesome!). My comments are simply observations from someone who enjoyed participating in and now enjoys watching marching band! So here we go...

 

*General Observations*

As I mentioned above, I hail from North Texas and Area C specifically. I honestly did not know what to expect at Area G but I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with what I saw! There are some fine marching bands down here in South Texas and they will represent this area well at State! The weather here was beautiful last night, although a strong breeze did give some guards the fits. Sometimes the wind also revealed some phasing issues with the larger bands, as well. Otherwise, the bands were full of energy for such a late contest and the crowd was amped up as well... this was marching band just as I remembered it!

 

1) Donna HS (Donna, TX)

Unfortunately I was a bit late to the contest and I only got to see the end of this show from the video booth downstairs. That being said, I could tell from the monitors that this is a quality program. There were beautiful drill sets towards the end of the show and some great guard work to go along with it. I was especially impressed by the power and sound of this band, which I could easily hear as I walked towards the stadium from the parking lot. I wish I could have seen the full show!

 

2) Sharyland HS (Mission, TX)

One of my favorite bands of the night! And now that I know the finals results, I must say that I had this group easily in my top 7. The low brass in this band was just phenomenal, some great sounds that really showed off their hard work. The ballad was beautiful, as well. I especially enjoyed the Sharyland guard; definitely one of the best groups of the night! There was a fantastic drumline feature that featured the guard with blue flags that was very well performed and got the crowd cheering! Spacing in some of the larger drill sets was a bit off, but otherwise a show very well done.

 

3) PSJA HS (Pharr, TX) - "Computer vs. Man"

Talk about a crowd pleaser! This show's theme was all about computers and electronics and their battle with humans. An interesting computer prop was on the 20 or 30 yard line which lit up and eventually produced a guard member with a computer for a head... and boy could this kid dance! The show featured a beautiful alto sax solo and some creative drill. Phasing was an issue at times and the full band's tone was a bit forced during the big hits. Otherwise, a very creative show which really got the crowd going!

 

4) Harlingen HS (Harlingen, TX) - "Entrapment"

This show featured a neat theme of entrapment all throughout the show. The drill and guardwork all played to this theme and it was very effective from a general effect standpoint. The trumpet feature at the beginning was remarkable... such mature sounds and tone from the trumpet section that could definitely rival some of the bands upstate! The marching was very clean, as well, with many rotating blocks that were executed with perfection. A flute solo leading int the ballad was just gorgeous, and the guard work with the purple flags in the ballad was very well done. I'm not a huge fan of narration during shows (can you tell what band I'm from, haha!) so I wasn't too big on the voice overs. Other than that, I can see why this show received high marks for its clean music and marching execution.

 

5) O'Connor HS (Helotes, TX) - "Phobia"

With original Poulan music, this show captures you from the very first eerie notes and keeps your attention through the very end. A narrator (again, not the biggest fan) introduces each movement by defining a certain "phobia" for the audience. Some of these"phobias" are very fitting and lend themselves well to the overall general effect of the show. The fear of heights featured some neat guard work with very long neon green sticks. The fear of love produced a beautiful ballad with neat heart-shaped drill and gorgeous flag work. There was also an impressive drumline feature which led into what, I think, was the most exciting closer of the night. Tons of big hits and fast drill and it was all performed fairly clean with no major tears or mistakes. This was definitely a well-designed show and one of the most exciting of the night.

 

6) Lopez HS (Brownsville, TX) - "Rite of Spring" and other selections

If you couldn't already tell, I'm not a big fan of narration. However, if I had to pick a band that pulled off the narration, it would be Lopez. The guard or band member who was the focal point of the show had a very dramatic tone of voice and performed his narrations so that it was very believable, albeit at times somewhat loud and forced. At the beginning, I did think this show was a bit of "narration with full band accompaniment." However, with time the band proved itself, especially the woodwind section! As a former clarinet player, I was very proud of the Lopez clarinet section! They had great tone as an entire group and were just as loud as some of the brass sections in other bands! The hornline of this group was also one of my favorites of the night. The show had a very somber and quiet ending, and I was particularly worried about timing (does timing apply at Area Finals? I forget) since the official time clock was right at 6 seconds when the show finished. Definitely a strong performance by a great band.

 

7) Hanna HS (Hanna, TX) - "Equus, Lux Aurumque, Sleep" and other selections

Hanna wins the award for loudest and proudest crowd of the night! The stadium absolutely erupted in cheering once Hanna was announced as the next band to perform! I was immediately drawn into the show from the very first big hit of the show with the beautiful grand tone of the entire band highlighted with the guard with huge yellow flags. This ended up being one of my favorite performances of the night, as this band really exemplified solid music and marching and great sounds. I especially enjoyed how they used the entire field; a great example is in their ballad which really showcases the band and the entire guard as they spread from endzone to endzone and maintain beautiful sounds. Great performance!

 

8) Alexander HS (Laredo, TX) - "Classical in Toon"

This group had some of my favorite musical selections of the evening (Barber of Seville, Flight of the Bumblebee, etc.). The music was performed well and I have to give mad props to the pit who performed all of Bumblebee while the band and guard marched for visual effect in the background. Speaking of marching, it seemed as if a lot of the footwork was a bit dirty, but I might have to attribute this to the uniform. Don't get me wrong, I love the uniforms... the white coats and white shakos/plumes are beautiful (I guess I just gave away what band I was in in HS!) but the pants with the different colored legs seemed to only highlight some inconsistent footwork. Anyways, this was a very pleasant and playful show with cartoon characters popping up throughout the movements to entertain the crowd! I was concerned about timing with this group, as well, because there was a little sax quartet that played a little jingle after the show ended... interestingly they hit their last note as the official timeclock hit 00.1 seconds!

 

9) La Joya HS (La Joya, TX) - "Firebird" (not sure if this was the actual title of the show...)

Another one of my favorites of the night. For such a small band (as compared to the other finalists), La Joya really captured the audience with a huge opener complete with huge red flags and equally as huge full sounds from the band. I was very impressed with the musical technicality throughout Firebird... this is a tough piece to play sitting down, much less marching at 140-160bpm! The ballad with the male and female guard member was beautiful and the Firebird closer was excellent. Some of the big musical hits were a bit overblown, maybe the "smaller band" felt they had to overplay to compensate... but there were times when this small band actually had some of the most mature full band sounds of the night! Maybe I like rooting for the underdog, but I had this band in my top 7.

 

10) Taft HS (San Antonio, TX) - "Cathedrals of Our Mind"

This show featured all original music with a theme that sold itself with the large cathedral props and with narration as well. It was neat to see about half the band suddenly emerge from behind the 12 or so huge white cathedral windows/arches at the beginning of the show. I must say, I was not at all expecting the sudden change of colors when all of the white windows turned around and revealed bright colors of stained glass. To be brutally honest, it seemed like a bit too much color that might have distracted from the band. That being said, I truly enjoyed the musical performance. I'd say this band had the most "jazz" feel to it complete with a trapset and a bunch of synthesizer effects throughout the show. Some of the large full-band sounds were a bit forced but it wasn't at all a consistent mistake. If anything, I wonder if the band suffered from such a late performance time (11:15pm!). I love the "flash" of this band... their shiny uniforms and instruments really glistened in the stadium lights.

 

 

**FINAL COMMENTS**

 

Overall, I am so glad that I drove over to McAllen to watch the Area G finals. These are some top notch bands and I have no doubt they will represent south Texas well in the Alamadome next week! I must say, having been in the North Texas side of things for many years, I can honestly say that there are some bands from Area G that could definitely compete for a few of those finals spots! I don't think anyone should ever be so complacent or arrogant to completely "write-off" an Area G band from making State Finals. Having been in their shoes, I really value and appreciate the hard work and dedication of these high school students... it really brought back some great memories from back in the day!

 

As far as placements go, I'd say I agree for the most part. However, if you want my personal opinion, I think that Sharyland and La Joya could definitely have had one of those top 7 spots. I'm no expert and I have no intention of offending anyone so I won't share which two bands in the top 7 could have been switched out for these two. Again, I hope y'all appreciate these comments for what they are worth. A huge round of applause to all of the bands that I had the pleasure of watching last night!!

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OCPantherSnare Newbie

OCPantherSnare

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Area G FINALS Recap/Review...

 

...**FINAL COMMENTS**

 

Overall, I am so glad that I drove over to McAllen to watch the Area G finals. These are some top notch bands and I have no doubt they will represent south Texas well in the Alamadome next week! I must say, having been in the North Texas side of things for many years, I can honestly say that there are some bands from Area G that could definitely compete for a few of those finals spots! I don't think anyone should ever be so complacent or arrogant to completely "write-off" an Area G band from making State Finals. Having been in their shoes, I really value and appreciate the hard work and dedication of these high school students... it really brought back some great memories from back in the day!

 

As far as placements go, I'd say I agree for the most part. However, if you want my personal opinion, I think that Sharyland and La Joya could definitely have had one of those top 7 spots. I'm no expert and I have no intention of offending anyone so I won't share which two bands in the top 7 could have been switched out for these two. Again, I hope y'all appreciate these comments for what they are worth. A huge round of applause to all of the bands that I had the pleasure of watching last night!!

 

I have to politely disagree with your opinion that La Joya should have advanced. I'm in the O'Connor band, and we were able to watch La Joya's finals performance, as well as Taft's. I don't have nearly as much experience as you do as far as knowing what makes a band good, I'm just a sophomore, but I felt that Taft performed at least as clean as La Joya, if not cleaner, and La Joya had a considerably smaller band. And I'm only assuming you that you think that Taft was one of the bands that could have been "switched out" for La Joya because Taft was not in the top 7 after Prelims. As far as Sharyland not advancing, I cannot give my opinion as I have never heard them play.

 

Us O'Connor folks were very pleased with our finals performance, although it was a bit of a bummer to move down from 2nd in Prelims to 4th in finals, but that's the name of the game sometimes. We're all really excited for state and hope to represent our school as one of the top tier bands in Area G. Best of luck to every band performing in the dome on Tuesday, it's going to be a great showing :)

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HechYeah08 Newbie

HechYeah08

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I have to politely disagree with your opinion that La Joya should have advanced. I'm in the O'Connor band, and we were able to watch La Joya's finals performance, as well as Taft's. I don't have nearly as much experience as you do as far as knowing what makes a band good, I'm just a sophomore, but I felt that Taft performed at least as clean as La Joya, if not cleaner, and La Joya had a considerably smaller band. And I'm only assuming you that you think that Taft was one of the bands that could have been "switched out" for La Joya because Taft was not in the top 7 after Prelims. As far as Sharyland not advancing, I cannot give my opinion as I have never heard them play.

 

Us O'Connor folks were very pleased with our finals performance, although it was a bit of a bummer to move down from 2nd in Prelims to 4th in finals, but that's the name of the game sometimes. We're all really excited for state and hope to represent our school as one of the top tier bands in Area G. Best of luck to every band performing in the dome on Tuesday, it's going to be a great showing :)

 

 

You were in the audience so your opinion is just as valid as mine! From a music and marching standpoint, I just felt like La Joya delivered a clean and well-executed package... in my opinion deserving of a top 7 spot. Sometimes I feel that the size of the band (in this case a smaller band than its competition) is frowned upon for no justifiable reason. Though they were smaller, they had just as mature and powerful a sound as some of their larger counterparts. That all being said... I'm no expert myself=)

 

Judging from your screenname, I'm guessing you are in O'Connor drumline... way to go this weekend! As I mentioned in my review, your drumline was one of the most impressive and definitely added a lot to the excitement of the show. Good luck in San Antonio! (By the way, I was rooting for O'Connor as my "home team" Saturday night because I'm in school in San Antonio in the med center!)

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