Rubisco

Hebron produced 22 6A Band All-Staters this cycle. I think they're the front-runner for Honor Band again. I remember when producing 10+ was extremely rare. Actually, now that I've checked, it still is. I just typed in like 60 different schools, including a few of the 5A ones that have students audition in 6A, and I only found 4 double-digiters. Hebron (22), Vista Ridge (12), Westwood (12), and The Woodlands (10). Hebron really has just figured it out, I guess. My other pick for 6A Honor Band would be Vista Ridge. 12 All-Staters, but more importantly, their new director is middle school concert band king, Robert Herrings. The same principles apply to high school concert band, and he obviously has a great ear. Beyond those two, I would add the few that have done very well the past couple cycles, like Flower Mound, Coppell, and College Park. Vandegrift, too, although they sat it out last cycle.

Wylie blew me away this marching season! I was shocked they didn't advance to State. But that's just how deep that area is. I'm very much looking forward to whatever their guard does. I think they did the Cruella show last season. Placed 11th at Dayton.

Emerson has signed up for both of the DFW regionals. I'm unsure when that happened, but they're on the lists now. They have definitely not "imploded", either. I just watched a video of their marching show. The guard was very impressive! I wish they were returning to Dayton, but I understand it's costly.

Also, @packwick, I'm still kind of, sort of waiting on your marching band thoughts for this year. You have apparently already moved on to winter guard! 😅

I'm probably a bit quixotic, but I would love to see Texas guards sweep the golds on the Scholastic side this season. They came so close in 2025, and after promotions, there are several that you'd expect to see hanging near the top again in Open and A. The idea that Texas guards are behind the rest of the country is quickly becoming an old canard. Now, if only the marching band designers in Texas could stage them a little better!

I'll echo my post from the other thread: I'd love to hear your full thoughts! You've been less active on the socials than usual. I'm watching on and off. I still feel the same about placements as I did before. I don't often change my mind, though. Even when the results come out completely different, I don't change my mind. 😅

I still feel largely the same about this contest as I did a few weeks ago. We'll see what Bentonville and Blue Springs bring, but my top five as of now is unchanged. My pre-season predictions for finalists probably won't be all that shabby, either. Is it sad that anyone can predict something like 10 of the 12 finalists without having seen a single show? Such is (band) life. I think Flower Mound goes in as the default favorite here. I think they sound better than Avon, and that should bleed into the music effect captions. They posted very big visual numbers at San Antonio as well. I'm excited to see how it all plays out!

All that hand-wringing over trends for nothing! 😄

Yep. Westfield and Stephen F. Austin in 2003. I remember that well. In fact, you might even say I was there! Not as a performer, alas. I had graduated years before that. 😅 Did you watch this full contest? I did not catch any of it, unfortunately. Interested to hear what you think will happen at Nationals. 👀

Thank goodness for YouTube! I didn't get to watch anything at this contest. 😞

Definitely some interesting results after prelims. I'm excited to see how it all plays out tomorrow and for the rest of the season.

I guess there hasn't been enough pushback against BOA to get them to add the double panels that WGI and (sort of) DCI have. Either that, or they don't care. I find it a little surprising. I think the staff of the top independent WGI and DCI programs would flip out at the idea of a single judge controlling a full fifth of their unit's score at a major finals event. Doesn't US Bands have double panels sometimes, too? If they advertised that better, maybe they'd be able to draw some of the big dogs away from BOA. I like that they have percussion and guard captions, too. I don't recall who suggested it first, but I think the ideal system is DCI's, except with brass replaced by a winds caption. Separate awards for winds, percussion, and guard are unnecessary, however.

It's certainly possible! I think if they dominate in BOA SA finals like they did last year, I would view them as favored to win GN heading into the contest. They've got some of the stiffest competition in the country at San Antonio. To all the people who think Avon's visual will carry them here, I just want to point out that I thought the exact same thing in 2019. So, I was quite surprised when Vandy swept the 4A captions in semifinals. Of course, finals was more mixed, but I think it illustrates that, contrary to what some believe, BOA isn't all about the visuals. It's important, but the score is still music-skewed.

I think Flower Mound has given us more of a reason to be hot on them this year than in 2017 or 2021. I don't actually remember them being all that talked up in 2017. They lost the Dallas regional to Hebron that year, after CTJ had posted gigantic September scores. Then they were 6th at San Antonio, below 4th place Avon. In 2021, the "hype train" started a lot later. I feel like it wasn't really until Nationals itself that people predicted the show would win and were shocked it was quite far off the top. (I was not. Even my early season rankings of the Nationals bands were pretty accurate that year.) As I recall, the early- and mid-season hype train in 2021 was for CTJ, and I was not quite aboard that one either. I knew pretty much immediately Broken Arrow would win Nationals. I would be surprised if Flower Mound doesn't at least improve on their 5th place record at GN this year. They can beat at least one of Broken Arrow, Carmel, The Woodlands, and Avon. That's their biggest competition, as I see it. As I said in the San Antonio thread, Flower Mound has maybe the best designed show in Texas, along with TWHS. I feel more confident saying that after watching most of the "must-watch" UIL Area performances. (I have no opinion on the skirts.) I'm glad that Marcus is being brought up here, because we're not talking nearly enough about all the other Texas bands attending this event. I find Marcus's music this year really fascinating. Have they done this sort of minimalist Philip Glass music before? It's so different from traditional Marcus. I saw their Area J finals performance, and thought they played with wonderful control. Their percussion always gets singled out, and I think for good reason. Insane clarity and musicality on really difficult skills. I was surprised they didn't win that caption at Area, but Area results are often poor predictors of late-season results. Now their visual program, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. It pretty much dies for a period of time during the percussion break, and I'm wondering if they simply haven't filled that in with movement yet. They seem to bloom later these days. Reagan has me a little concerned whether they'll make finals here. Usually, I'm not worried about them. I think the show design is there again -- it has lots of really effective moments -- but since that first director change, the performances have gotten a little rickety. They need to rediscover some of that control they had in 2019. Dripping Springs, now that I think about it, I have NOT watched their Area video and need to go do that! Just out of curiosity, who designs for them now? I recall finding their WaLaLa theme very interesting. 😄

I love that you've seen these two bands in person. I find that perspective really valuable. I can't say I completely understand why you're that concerned. There are four different videos of TWHS from UIL Area finals on YouTube right now, and I think both the design and performance are outstanding -- hanging with the top in my mind. The new ending is awesome. Is it a bit dirty? Yes, but so are the other bands. I think in some ways the shows are less demanding, like drill velocity and step size, but then in other ways they're challenging. Somebody mentioned choreo, and I think that's true compared to at least a few of their peers. I think another challenge, which is related to being "big" all the time visually, is the listening environment being spread out across the field. Flower Mound also plays a lot of weird complex chords that can be hard to clean. I think they're great this year, yet again. Will they win Nationals? I don't know yet, and I probably won't until it's announced.

After watching several UIL Area competitions yesterday, I think this contest may be even more competitive from top to bottom than many people realize, if that's even possible. And I'm not even paying attention to the UIL results themselves, which I'm sure were very interesting. 😅 I'll try to watch the remaining three 6A areas tomorrow, but I'll be so very busy throughout the day.

@packwick I have no way of answering your question without examining every guard's schedule, and most of those are kept private. It might be kind of an unwanted spotlight on certain units, too, if they're rehearsing more than others and not achieving a certain level of success despite that. Because it was almost a decade ago, and I have no idea how they currently operate, I'll tell you that James Bowie rehearsed more than 8 hours a week for their absolutely amazing and tremendously difficult Anarchy of Silence show in 2016. The only reason I know that is from a school article saying that they sometimes had 12 hour rehearsals, and that specifically mentioned how the winter guard didn't have to follow the UIL 8 Hour Rule. Honestly, after looking up the TEA rule just now for the first time in a long time, I do find it a bit confusing. The top part makes it sound like extracurriculars are just UIL or school board sanctioned activities, but then below that the definition of extracurriculars seems to be broadened. I think it would be hard to enforce outside of UIL penalties anyway.

Perhaps I'm biased, too, but I would have all four of the Houston bands that made 6A state finals last year in finals at this event. Bridgeland is the one I'm most concerned about, but that has nothing to do with their show or any competitive results from this season; it's just their performance time and spot on the more loaded prelims panel makes me fear they may get lost in the mix. They'll have to demonstrate that they're hanging with the finals locks in their prelims block. I think Moe and Gene's success at BOA St. Louis speaks for itself. That finals adjudication panel was VERY experienced -- of the sort you would see judging national finals. Moe and Gene were 0.65 points behind 2023's 4th place national finalist, Blue Springs. And they were only 2 points behind last year's 3rd place national finalist, Broken Arrow. Now, does that mean they'll make top half in finals here? No, because the contest dynamics will be quite a bit more intense at San Antonio, and frankly, at this moment, I don't think Broken Arrow or Blue Springs are as strong year over year. But it's not outside the realm of possibility, and it feels increasingly likely Moe and Gene will at least land in finals here. I won't have a strong idea until I see all the bands in prelims performing at the same venue from the same upstairs angle.

I really enjoyed Broken Arrow's show from St. Louis. I get steampunk playground vibes from the costuming -- top hats with goggles -- and the cogwheels on the monkey bars. I love the colors with the white and gold on the band and reddish hues of the guard. The whole thing is very complex and layered, like the inner workings of a clock. I don't love it quite as much as last year's more evocative production, but I was consistently entertained from moment to moment and can acknowledge some of the quirky musical risks they take. Bentonville was very, very strong. I don't know if I would have had them ahead of Blue Springs, personally, but it's not some big shocking thing. The effect of the black and white costumes is very cool, especially when they turn in sequence, but like any effect, the more you use it, the less effective it gets -- at least in my mind. I actually think the concept is the most interesting part of the show, with the DNA motifs and sequins/sequence riffs. The ballad was beautiful, too.

There's a really good upstairs cam on YouTube of Hebron performing their full show at UIL region. They're technically dazzling -- whirlwinds of notes again -- although not quite as locked in as usual. I wonder if there's an opening for Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, or even Flower Mound again to take that caption in finals. (Prelims results have been rendered a big "whatever" for me with the two panel system.) I do really like Hebron's show overall -- the charming concept, the diverse musical landscapes, and the A+ drill at the end that's a wink-wink nudge-nudge that made me grin from ear to ear. Sometimes, though, I wish the visual focus were clearer, with all the stuff going on at once and the guard and band not being quite locked in with their timing. I'm sure they'll come back out swinging in a couple weeks. That's a lot of time for a band as enormously talented as Hebron!

I think it gets harder every year to think of a unique "visual hook". That might be part of the problem.

This took me entirely too long to understand, but I concur. 😅 If the judges couldn't agree, I don't know how I'm supposed to predict where they'll land, honestly. It seems like they could end up anywhere from just outside of finals to the top half of finals. My opinion of their show is that it's very well performed, but I'm questioning if the content is enough to make a big splash late season. I kind of agree. I also think that certain regions are just more gung-ho (I guess) about band in general. Austin is certainly one of those regions. And they have good reason to be! They have lots of fantastic bands. So does DFW! Those are really the two powerhouse regions in Texas. Maybe if Houston continues to climb, we'll see more chatter about them. Already in some of those UIL and local threads we're seeing more engagement and, well, conflict as the marching scene there grows. 😬

Now that I've seen a lot more bands, I think there's still a bit of a panel imbalance here in terms of locks. But in terms of strongest finalist possibilities, I got 11 in each panel going down the schedule. P1: Round Rock, Rouse*, CTJ, Wylie, Keller, TWHS*, Cedar Ridge, Wakeland, Leander, Dripping Springs, and Flower Mound* P2: Cedar Park*, Moe and Gene Johnson, Westlake, Bridgeland, McNeil, Reagan*, Vandegrift*, Vista Ridge*, Hebron*, Pearland*, and Seven Lakes So, panel 2 has 6 I'd be surprised to see miss finals; panel 1 has 3. Top 5 Panel 1 = Rouse, TWHS, Wakeland (?), Dripping Springs (?), and Flower Mound Top 5 Panel 2 = Cedar Park, Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, Hebron, and Pearland (?) Panel 1 champion will be between Flower Mound and TWHS, leaning towards Flower Mound. Panel 2 champion will be Vandegrift or Hebron, with a chance of Vista Ridge. Those 5 collectively will very likely be the top 5 here. I'm still leaning toward a Vandegrift win. Not my favorite show design, a little dated for my tastes, but the difficulty and achievement from the musicians are remarkable. And the show itself is an improvement year over year. Also, it's unusual for a band attending Nats to win here, and Vandy isn't, so there's that. Flower Mound and The Woodlands probably have the two best-designed shows in Texas -- FloMo a little more classic and formal, The Woodlands a little more modern and stagey. Flower Mound is performing theirs better right now, but The Woodlands has room for growth with their difficulty. I think they'll probably both get big effect scores. It is hard to write off bands that sound as good as Hebron and Vista Ridge do, however, so I'm not entirely sure whom I'd pick for top 3. Vista Ridge sounds spectacular, especially the brass. Hebron's show is wonderful, and a bucket of fun thematically, but doesn't quite impact me as strongly as last year's from moment to moment -- what they have so far, at least. And that's the thing: Several of the shows are still incomplete. It's hard to pass judgment. For finalists, I don't even know. BOA San Antonio often holds really big surprises, and I'm sure this year will be no different. I wonder if we get another out-of-left-field, surprise finalist, like Seven Lakes last year. Nobody was talking about them. What a huge rush that must have been for the kids and staff!

Flower Mound would have been my pick heading into this contest. As of last week, I just thought that Flower Mound's show was a bit better written, and their performance more well-rounded. The fact that they won both performance captions here could bode well for them down the road. They head into BOA San Antonio as a stronger favorite than they did last year, although my feeling is that Vandegrift and The Woodlands could challenge them, depending on what the rest of their shows look like. Add in Hebron, and I think that's your BOA San Antonio top four. Quelle surprise, I know.

Regarding the judging inconsistencies from week to week: I think with the proliferation of BOA regionals, BOA has had to do some major recruiting in recent years. We've seen a lot of new names on the panels. With that comes some growing pains, I guess you could call it -- or maybe even just new perspectives. Many of the newcomers do have experience from WGI or DCI, but it's not exactly the same. Of course, my heart goes out to bands like Cy-Fair, who bear the brunt of the bizarre shifts. They have every right to be frustrated and disappointed.