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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/30/2021 in all areas

  1. So happy that I decided to stay in San Antonio for Band Week San Antonio. 5A is going to be spicy and I'll be glued to my seat for the entireity. The 3 LISD bands, Weiss, Highland Park, Wakeland, Lebanon Trail, Wylie East are my favorites for finals. Who knows how these shows are going to develop throughout the season but it is going to be epic and every bit as competitive as 6A.
    3 points
  2. Alrighty. I've had enough. Here are where the Texas groups going to Nationals stand at the moment. The way-too-early September rankings. ? The Woodlands Claudia Taylor Johnson Flower Mound Ronald Reagan Vista Ridge Marcus Round Rock I feel like 2-4 might be pretty interchangeable. Very difficult shows. A lot of it will come down to how clean those groups are able to get. Will CTJ be able to achieve the clarity of a typical Eagle show this year and connect all the dots in their very engaging and eclectic show? Will Flower Mound get the rest of their show looking and sounding like that amazing opening statement? Will Reagan be able to reach a level of performance near what we saw in 2019 with a show that seems to have the magic of that show? As for the others, I'm imagining Vista Ridge's show with less Katy Perry, and I like it quite a bit. ? Let's just pretend there will be less Katy Perry over a month from now! Oh, what a great show! In terms of excitement, I probably would have Round Rock ahead of Marcus, but Marcus is pretty polished, so... TWHS is playing it very smart. So far, they've got a production that's both very effective and that they can get clean. Maybe their closer will be a total, inconsistent mess. Maybe the others will catch up. Maybe this time they'll win. Not sure. I believe the closer is based around that other song from Chicago everyone can hum. I'm imagining a real toe-tapping finish, but will it touch us on a more serious emotional level the way that most Eagle shows do? Does it need to?
    2 points
  3. If I had to mention every program to look out for this year and should be in contention for Area finals: AndersonLiberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA)McCallumBastropComal CanyonDripping SpringsGeorgetownBuda JohnsonLehmanConnallyHendricksonPflugervilleWeiss Seguin That's 14 very solid programs and we've already seen some great showings from a good handful of them this season so far. I'll split them up into a few groups. Austin ISD: Anderson had a stellar show at BOA Austin, best I think they have sounded in nearly 8 years. Fix some timing issues and this program should have a good shot at state. LASA is in their first year as a standalone campus (formally combined with Austin LBJ) and while they are noticeably smaller, they still have a great sound. McCallum just won CapCity for the second year in a row and you can tell why if you go to the CapCity instagram and watch their full run (you can see all of finals there in surprisingly good quality). Pflugerville ISD: Connally is coming off a strong 3rd place finish at CapCity, they seem to have shrunken since 2019 but still have a really round and controlled sound. We saw Hendrickson miss finals by a fairly narrow margin at BOA Austin with a much improved performance from 2019; we'll be them seeing again this weekend at Midland where they will be in the running for the gold. Pflugerville has always been competitive at UIL regardless of what classification they are and it's safe to assume they'll remain that way this year after a solid performance at BOA Austin. Weiss is off to a fantastic start to this marching season, with a 2nd place finish at BOA McAllen and a finalist appearance at BOA Austin; they are one of the few bands I'd consider to be a lock for state so far. Other Newcomers: Whether they're a new school or have moved down because of a new school in their district pulling enrollment, we have a couple new names that could really make a splash. Starting off this group is Canyon, who has had a significant portion of their enrollment taken by the new Comal ISD school Davenport (currently 4A); they nearly made Area finals in 2018 in 6A, so needless to say they should do very well in 5A. Next is Buda Johnson, a new school in Hays CISD in their 3rd year and their first with seniors; in 2019 they had a fantastic showing at BOA Austin with just freshmen and sophomores, and so far this year they won the Charger Marching Classic and I've only heard good things about them. Lehman is also from Hays CISD and was a significant enrollment pull for Johnson, they have been a very solid program at times and with a good year they could really make an impact at this contest. Old Faces: Dripping Springs has been a consistent state qualifier for many years, getting as high as 2nd at state in 2017; even if they aren't at the same level as they were, they are still a strong contender here. Georgetown was another program that made state in this Area in 2017 with a very entertaining show and after a 6th place finish at BOA McAllen this year, you can safely say that they will be a strong contender again. Dark Horses: I have two programs that I have my eyes on as dark horses, the first being Bastrop who made Area finals for the first time in 2017 and has grown as a program significantly since then; if you saw their performance at BOA Austin, you know the amount of potential these kids have. The other dark horse is Seguin, who I admittedly don't know a lot about but they did make Area finals in 2019; even with more competition, Seguin will more than likely be able to make a strong statement this year. Other Shout-outs: There are a couple programs that I wanna mention even though I don't quite consider them contenders in this competitive Area. First is Crockett, who has been recently been making a comeback of sorts; you can find their 2019 show on YouTube and I personally was very impressed with their sound, hopefully they have maintained that progress through COVID-19. The second group I want to shoutout is Lockhart, a band that was until fairly recently making 2s at UIL region; this program has been improving a lot and that can be seen most evidently through their fantastic guard, who just finished 2nd in the caption at CapCity.
    2 points
  4. Here is every school in this area signed up at the moment Aldine Davis Eisenhower MacArthur Nimitz West Brook College Park Conroe Grand Oaks Oak Ridge The Woodlands North Shore Atascocita Humble Kingwood Summer Creek Klein Klein Cain Klein Collins Klein Forest Klein Oak King Dekaney Spring Westfield Memorial Tomball Willis
    1 point
  5. slowbrass

    2021 BOA DFW (Oct. 9)

    My vibe from the show was kind of an Avon’s Black Gold (a show title and design that is somewhat self referential in nature) meets Blue Devils’ Ink (a theatrical telling of a more or less made up story thru guard members). The theme leans more towards writing than traditional art (like paintings) imo.
    1 point
  6. That opening Flower Mound hit. ? Big smile on my face for that. They sounded and looked like the next national champion. Such power, but without overblowing! Then the Seussian quirkiness came in (along with some dirt), and I was less sure. Why am I already getting this Edward Scissorhands ballad so early? Ah, okay, they're subverting my expectations here by putting a little ballad in the middle of their opener. Quirky stuff like that. Boing boing, the spring goes, and then onto the next movement. I think the biggest issue for me right now is that the visual program doesn't read Seuss. I'm guessing they probably have other bells and whistles to add, so maybe the look will come later. Musically, I don't really know what a Seussian show should sound like. The music book is definitely taking some chances. I'm not sure I'm in love with this show yet, but I could see it becoming something really great. Marcus just sounds excellent. Excellent, excellent, excellent. Is it supposed to be a Tetris theme? I feel like those white props on the field look like Tetris blocks. Both of these Flower Mound groups have significantly better than average guards, which is nice to see. They survived the pandemic! Visually, and just generally from a design standpoint, this is sort of a polite clap kind of show. Like, it's good, but maybe lacking that spark of life and originality. They seem smaller as well, which may again be a consequence of our times. I think it will be fine come late season; I just want to be moved or thrilled more. Like, a deeper emotional connection.
    1 point
  7. Also somewhat related, each of these schools are also in District 4-5A DI for football. And Summit and Richland face off the night before. Sorry for that random bit of knowledge (although if anyone in the DFW area is looking for a random game to go to on a Friday night, you can’t go wrong with District 4-5A DI for band and football).
    1 point
  8. I watched the live stream of the game last week. Before their performance they announced the rough size and unfortunately I can't remember it. I do remember being pleasantly surprised because in the past they always said "275 strong" and I think it was more than that this year. I'll be watching the stream again this week vs. Southlake Carroll. The quality of the stream isn't very good, but hopefully I can see roughly where they are at.
    1 point
  9. I feel like this comment has aged well. ?
    1 point
  10. Finals prediction based on nothing but reputation/guessing because of a lost marching season Duncanville Mansfield Summit Colleyville Heritage Richland Frisco Heritage Summit Liberty Highland Park Two other schools (just not sure)
    1 point
  11. I was bored so I timed the amount of show each band in finals had on the field. Unfortunately I couldn't time Bowie due to Box5's streaming issue that night. This includes any pre-show to the very last note. 1. CTJ - 12:14 2. Rouse - 7:44 3. Cedar Park - 7:28 4. Weiss - 7:18 5. Vandegrift - 6:56 6. Westwood - 6:55 7. Leander - 6:35 8. Cedar Ridge - 6:23 9. Vista Ridge - 6:12 10. Westlake - 5:54 11. Round Rock - 5:48
    1 point
  12. cjm715

    2021 BOA DFW (Oct. 9)

    From what i’ve heard about haltom they’re not doing so hot this year so I doubt that they would place over the likes of bell or even coppell or wax. Coppell is not to be underestimated, they have james bowie’s old band director now and have stepped up their game quite a bit. Still playing very very well but kinda dirty visually, however they look better compared to years passed so that will probably gain them some leverage. Really excited to see what they do. I’ve seen bell recently and they’re doing much better since that community performance vid dropped. Much cleaner musically and visually and just finished their ballad on the field and working on volume and balance with that. Now I do agree with you that they’re not ‘19 good, that group was bigger and is very different from this group but I personally don’t think that they have fallen off completely. Last two spots will most likely be keller central and southlake carroll.
    1 point
  13. Mansfield Summit will be attending according to their calendar. That lineup is tempting me to make the trek up there. But it's an hour-long drive on a good day...
    1 point
  14. This show was a much needed event. Wow! What a show! There were a lot of surprises and a lot of parents leaving with broken hearts. I am torn on Vandy and CTJ. I love Vandy's shows every year and this one is no different. I usually am not a big CTJ fan but I love, love, love this show. Those keyboard players can rip it. I was in attendance with a nationally ranked PhD competition pianist (I made him go to his first ever marching band contest tonight) and he was floored by what those players were laying down. Vandy and CTJ are going to have a great fight all year and we get to enjoy that benefit. CTJ's dynamics were incredible tonight. Rouse: every year they come out so clean and visually stunning. I'm excited to see how this show progresses. Cedar Park: They landed in the spot I predicted they would. The show is very well put together and challenging. They looked great in prelims and finals. The best front ensemble in show tonight. Vista Ridge: This is the first show by them that I really like. I like where it's going, I like where I think it can go. They have made massive progress on this show from the first time I saw it this season. They need some cleaning and early season contests really help with that. I don't get the voice overs in this show. Maybe it will all make sense as they complete the show. Cedar Ridge: That's a fun show! I really liked this one. Great sounds, great battery. Leander: I'm still not feeling this show when stacked in a contest. They have really made strides bringing it alive. Their ability to refine through a season is fantastic. Westlake: Nice show. I really enjoyed it. Kudos to the directors for challenging the students not only in marching but also with the music. Round Rock: They are on their program for a Grand Nats year. They sound great. This show will begin to score better as the season moves along. I love the entrance around the stage by the brass in the opener. Bowie: I conceptually don't get the show. Their finals performance was better than the prelims. Westwood: This should have scored higher. They had some ripping happening in prelims which mostly got fixed in finals. Big beautiful sounds. Entertaining show. Weiss: My wife and I have been rooting for Weiss for a few years. Great job in making finals! Making Austin finals is a different mindset. Tonight was a learning experience that will serve your organization very well. I loved the show in prelims. It was tight and flowing. Me thinks nerves got the best of the rookies tonight (and that's a good thing)!
    1 point
  15. Leander has done an amazing amount of work in 3 weeks. Wow! LISD has an amazing chance of sweeping 5A this year
    1 point
  16. O.K. - so I will spark up the conversation to tomorrows event. my prediction to BOA Austin - both for AAAA Prelims and for the Finals 1. CTJ 2. Vandegrift 3. Vista Ridge Music - CTJ Visual - Vandegrift G.E. - CTJ good chance all 3 medals top scores above 80 convince me I am wrong
    1 point
  17. I signed up for Box5 Media so I can see the early block in Austin before we drop off our son at CTJ around 10am and then head to Austin, I am thinking if I time it right, I can be sitting in the parking lot at Bucee's so I can log in and stream the Leander show at 11am and then head to Austin. heck, if I can get my wife to drive, I will just stream the event all the way up I-35. Right now the weather is going to be sunny and in the low 90's - (no raining on this parade) grab water and sun screen (and some Bush's chicken tenders.)
    1 point
  18. so - I will try to be the responsible grown-up here, please hang with me for just a second as I am kinda new to this. I have seen multiple comments about band kids in that program reading this - but we now have at least a dozen of this comments that are in short, debating their program and they are in the middle of that debate. can we PLEASE get back on the topic of BOA Austin and leave this alone - hands have been slapped, let's stop making this worst - TXBands moderators - do you have the ability to remove the last dozen or so comments that are dealing with this topic. can we PLEASE get back to talking about BOA Austin and stop dogging on each other. thank you all for your time and have a great day - see you in Austin
    1 point
  19. well put - I am just glad that it is not me in the doghouse this time
    1 point
  20. cedar ridge's hornline sounded amazing in warmup. blew me away with how much sound they were able to produce with that great of a size down. cant wait to see their full show
    1 point
  21. that would surprise me to see them in 3rd or 4th - I love the Rock Band and CR, but I think that the top 4 are a lock - in no order CTJ, Vandy, Vista Ridge and Leander
    1 point
  22. they have had a full show at BOA Austin since 2017 - I expect this year to be no different
    1 point
  23. These early season contests are really sort of a crap shot trying to make predictions. Rouse HS show is coming along really well. It's been kept pretty tightly under wraps so I'm not sure anyone has snuck any videos out of it. I'm going to guess that Rouse finishes higher than everyone is predicting. I'm really curious to see CTJ at BOA Austin. It blows my mind that they might have a full show ready this early.
    1 point
  24. I would agree - from what I have seen, CTJ will likely have a full show on the field in Austin as is their norm, Vandegrift will come loaded - I think that Vista Ridge will be in the hunt for a medal - Excited to see what CP and CR have and always excited to see what Round Rock will bring - should be an amazing event
    1 point
  25. I've seen videos of Leander, Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, and Cedar Park now. IMO Vandegrift is the best of the four right now, but I really like Leander's music book and think they have a lot of room to grow. Vista Ridge's show definitely seems like it's designed to peak late season, so it doesn't seem quite as polished as some of the others. Cedar Park looks larger than they have been in the past, but they sounded a little rough in the video that I watched of them, so I'm hoping they'll be cleaner by Austin. I've seen only a short clip of Cedar Ridge, and while they sound good, they're a lot smaller than I remember them being, so I hope the pandemic didn't affect them too harshly in terms of enrollment. Haven't seen a video of CTJ yet, but I've heard only good things about them.
    1 point
  26. A shame Tarpon Springs seemed to have dropped out since they haven't been back at Grand Nats since 2018, but this still looks like it'll be one of the strongest pools of bands in years. All seven Texas bands are strong contenders for finals, and with Broken Arrow and Blue Springs back this year along with the usual Midwestern bands this is going to be seriously competitive.
    1 point
  27. went to the CTJ Family and Friends Stadium night this evening. Amazing concept and design - bulk of the show is on the field and time to polish. I anticipate that it will be polished and morphed in the coming weeks prior to BOA Austin and will morph even more as they head through the season on their way to Indy. Great to see people back in the stadium, watching practice and then a full run to end the night. As always, they put on a heck of a show and I am very excited for my son's senior year -
    1 point
  28. I am rooting for all the #teamtexas schools this year - hoping for a strong showing at Grand Nationals. I would love to see all 3 of the San Antonio SR Medals to go to members of #teamtexas. TWHS took gold in 2013 at BOA-SA and took gold in Indy - Vandy took silver in 2019 and then won gold in Indy. as for CTJ - I love the show that they are putting together - amazing concept and while I know the concept of the show I am looking forward to their Friends and Family show this week and have no doubts that I will be amazed. the concept and music should have them in the medal hunts all season for both UIL and BOA. just a few more weeks and we get to see the real shows at Kelly Reeves.
    1 point
  29. BOA Austin Line Up BOA Austin Line Up.pdf
    1 point
  30. I have bolded the programs that I think are the likely finalist for BOA Austin - this is based on history and does not take into account the 2020 Covid pause. we still do not know what that impact will have, as all programs will have both a freshman and sophomore class that will be seeing their first real BOA marching season, and many will have 2 classes that have never marched competitively. Just my thoughts, but I think that the medal race at this event will be between (in Alpha Order) - the great thing will be seeing them again a few weeks later in the same stadium - plus Reagan - for the TMC Event - THAT will be the event to see Claudia Taylor Johnson H.S., TX Leander H.S., TX Vandegrift H.S., TX Vista Ridge H.S., TX Anderson H.S., TXAnn Richards School, TXBastrop H.S., TXBurleson Centennial H.S., TXBurnet H.S., TXCedar Park H.S., TXCedar Ridge H.S., TXClaudia Taylor Johnson H.S., TXEastview H.S., TXHendrickson H.S., TXJames Bowie H.S., TXLake Travis H.S., TXLeander H.S., TXLubbock-Cooper H.S., TXPflugerville H.S., TXPrinceton H.S., TXRound Rock H.S., TXRouse H.S., TXStony Point H.S., TXVandegrift H.S., TXVista Ridge H.S., TXWeiss H.S., TXWestlake H.S., TXWestwood H.S., TX
    1 point
  31. Bought my plane tickets to Indy this morning! Woo-hoo!
    1 point
  32. Texas UIL counts school enrollment of 9th - 12th graders. BOA only counts 10-12th grade students as they are a national circuit and while Texas middle schools are 6-8 and High School is 9-12, the west coast is 7/8th for middle school and in the east and others do middle school 7-9 and 10-12th for High School. When Texas schools open and explode with transfers and the new freshman class does not count for BOA you get some big programs that compete in the lower classes of BOA - it is usually an advantage as it is a smaller pool of schools that compete in those classes
    1 point
  33. Never have I EVER heard the CTJ band put other bands down. Ever.
    1 point
  34. Was somebody really putting somebody down? Or is somebody being overly sensitive and defensive? Inquiring minds want to know...
    1 point
  35. without a doubt - I am sure that there are many schools such as the ones in the West that do not have much BOA to speak due to where they are located that make the trek - but for a Texas band that has 6 regionals and a super regional within the state would not take advantage of those shows before making that kind of financial investment of Indy. again, just my thoughts
    1 point
  36. not sure if there has been but most directors that are going to Grand Nats want to get in front of the judges a few times in the season to get the judges comments on the show. many times the judges that are at the larger BOA events are also the judges that are at Grand Nats and that input is valuable as BOA does not judge/score the same as the non-BOA or UIL events
    1 point
  37. I don't mean to sound disrespectful to Wills Point, but all that I have looked shows that while we have never heard of them in the BOA world, I do not see that they have competed in BOA in DFW (their closest event) or at any BOA event in 2018 or 2019. to think that they are making a trek to Indy without tipping their toes into the BOA realm is not a likely event. - again, no disrespect intended, but I am just not buying that
    1 point
  38. Looks like Weiss just dropped the contest and I just realized O'Connor isn't listed either ?
    0 points
  39. Sad to hear that the Faith Lutheran HS band from Nevada has decided not to attend this contest.
    0 points
  40. Aaaaand, the streams are gone, only the awards presentations.
    0 points
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