Montoya

Welcome to the newest series on Sketchbook titled, Yearbook. Listen to Jameil Brown and me take a look back at shows, contests, schools, eras, highlights, records, or whatever marching arts-related topic we decide we want to talk about. In this episode, we discuss the Leander Independent School District. Yearbook, w/Jameil Brown: Leander ISD

In 2019, the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band from San Antonio, TX won the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional for the third time with a record score of 97.30 winning outstanding visual performance and outstanding general effect with their show, ‘Secret World.’ After bursting onto the scene in 2000, the Reagan Rattler Band has won countless contests & Bands of America Regionals and placed in finals 5 times at the BOA Grand Nationals Championships in Indianapolis, IN., including two second-place finishes and one class AAA championship. The Reagan marching band has also been a consistent UIL State Marching Band finalist since 2004 and was selected to march in the 2018 rose parade in Pasadena, CA, and the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. In 2005 the Reagan Band was the recipient of the prestigious International Sudler Shield. The wind ensemble has also been a consistent TMEA state honor band finalist and was invited to perform at the 2018 Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. In 1999 Ronald Reagan High School opened, splitting from the nationally-known Winston Churchill High School in the North East Independent School District, and the Ronald Reagan marching band began competing in the year 2000. Their 2000 production featured Smetana Fanfare by Karel Husa, Molto Ritmico & Lento for Brass, from Dance Movements by Philip Sparke, & original music by Mark Higginbotham. On October 7th in San Antonio’s Alamodome, the band placed 3rd in prelims and 3rd in finals at their very first BOA regional. And on November 4th at Alief Stadium in Houston, TX, the Reagan band placed 2nd in prelims winning their first caption in school history, outstanding general effect, and finished in 5th place in finals. Joining me today is Mark Chambers who was the director of bands for Ronald Reagan HS from 1999-2006, where he and his team became arguably the single largest driving force in spearheading a change in sound, visual, aesthetic, flow, design, and theatrics within TX marching band. On this episode of Storybook, we discuss The Ronald Reagan High School's 2000 production, “Perpetual Motion.” Storybook | "Perpetual Motion" - Ronald Reagan High School (2000), with Mark Chambers (Director of Bands, 1999-2006)

In 2019, the Vandegrift High School Marching Band from Austin, TX won the Bands of America Grand National Class 4A Championship sweeping all captions and was named Grand National Champion with a score of 97.18 winning the award for Outstanding General Effect with their show, ‘Aria: Queen of the Night.’ After bursting onto the scene in 2010, the Vandegrift Viper Band has won countless contests & Bands of America Regionals and has also been a consistent UIL State Marching Band finalist winning bronze in 2018, silver in 2015, and gold in 2013. In 2019 the Vandegrift Band was the recipient of the prestigious International Sudler Shield. The wind ensemble has also been a consistent TMEA state honor band finalist culminating in being named the 2018 TMEA 6A Honor Band. The Vandegrift wind ensemble was also invited to perform at the 2020 Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. In 2009 Vandegrift High School opened, splitting from the nationally-known Cedar Park High School in the Leander Independent School District, and the Vandegrift marching band began competing in their first year as a school. Their 2009 production featured "Finale, The Promise of Living from The Tender Land," and "Third Symphony" by Aaron Copland. On October 24th at Hays High School, the band placed 5th in prelims and 5th in finals, earning State Alternate, at their very first Area D Marching Contest. Joining me today is Jeremy Spicer who was the director of bands for Vandegrift HS from 2009-2014 and prior to his appointment at Vandegrift, he spent eight years as a member of the staff at Cedar Park High School. On this episode of Storybook, we discuss the Vandegrift High School's 2009 production, “Remembered.” Storybook | "Remembered" - Vandegrift High School (2009), with Jeremy Spicer (Director of Bands, 2009-2014)

“Proud, Loud, and Pleasing the Crowd.” This is the mantra of the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle corps. And it’s safe to say that since 1938, the Scouts have consistently brought audiences to their feet with their entertainment-focused programs. And while the corps had won two DCI world championships, in 1975 & 1988, for some, it was the shows of the 1990s that really solidified the Madison Explorer Scouts as one of, if not the favorite corps in all of DCI. Whether you were an alum of the corps, had a friend or family member that marched the corps, or just a normal fan with or without ties to other drum corps, the Scouts of Madison, Wisconsin was the corps you were always excited to see. Fans didn’t leave their seats to get a hot dog or go to the restroom when the Green & White took the field. The Madison Scouts have had many crowd-pleasing shows throughout their history; we could fill an entire season of episodes focusing on each and every one of these shows. But perhaps no Scouts’ production is more loved than the 1995 production. This show has widely been considered one of the most entertaining drum corps shows of all time and for some, is the hands-down favorite. This opinion was in fact proven scientifically accurate with fans and alums voting the 1995 show as the winner of the 2020 Virtual Drums Along the Parade, with the 1998 championship show coming in 2nd. Joining me today is composer and arranger Scott Boerma, who was the brass composer & arranger for 20+ shows over a span of 4 decades! And who without a doubt I consider to be one of the "Four Horseman of DCI Arrangers.” If there was a Mount Rushmore for DCI Music Arrangers, his face would be one of the first 3 carved. Hey, I can’t seem too biased on these episodes! On this episode of Musicbook, we discuss the Madison Scouts’ 1995 production, “A Drum Corps Fan’s Dream: A Day in the Life of a Bullfighter.” https://anchor.fm/sketchbookpodcast/episodes/Musicbook--A-Drum-Corps-Fans-Dream-A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Bullfighter---Madison-Scouts-Drum--Bugle-Corps-1995--with-Scott-Boerma-Brass-Composer--Arranger-ekk4js

For almost a year now I've had a lot of fun interviewing designers, educators, & artists for my podcast, Sketchbook Podcast. Throughout that time there have been 40 guest interviews and two additional series; 'Matchbook' with Jen Barton & 'Sound Advice' with Erik Kosman. Over the last two weeks, I debuted two series; 'Musicbook,' which focused on The Cavaliers 2002 production, "Frameworks," with brass composer & arranger Richard Saucedo and 'Storybook,' which focused on The Cavaliers 2004 production, "007," with program coordinator Scott Koter. Today we continue the '-book' series with 'Dotbook.' My goal with this series is to discuss a show, production, or work and focus on the programming, design, and/or coordination aspect. I would talk with the programmer/coordinator and we could discuss the inspiration, process, edits, cuts, or any other behind the scenes aspects to the show. The first episode of 'Dotbook' focuses on The Cavaliers 2003 production, "Spin Cycle" and my guest is drill designer and visual coordinator Michael Gaines. For anyone out there wanting a more "inside baseball" look at the creative process behind that 2003 championship-worthy show, as well as some insight into Michael's process, you won't want to miss this! https://anchor.fm/sketchbookpodcast/episodes/Dotbook--Spin-Cycle---The-Cavaliers-Drum--Bugle-Corps-2003--with-Michael-Gaines-Drill-Designer--Visual-Coordinator-eju81u

For almost a year now I've had a lot of fun interviewing designers, educators, & artists for my podcast, Sketchbook Podcast. Throughout that time there have been 40 guest interviews and two additional series; 'Matchbook' with Jen Barton & 'Sound Advice' with Erik Kosman. Last week a third series debuted, 'Musicbook,' which focused on The Cavaliers 2002 production, "Frameworks," and featured brass composer & arranger Richard Saucedo. Today we continue the '-book' series with 'Storybook.' My goal with this series is to discuss a show, production, or work and focus on the programming, design, and/or coordination aspect. I would talk with the programmer/coordinator and we could discuss the inspiration, process, edits, cuts, or any other behind the scenes aspects to the show. The first episode of 'Storybook' focuses on The Cavaliers 2004 production, "007" and my guest is program coordinator Scott Koter. For anyone out there wanting a more "inside baseball" look at the creative process behind that 2004 championship show, as well as some insight into Scott's process, you won't want to miss this! Oh, and there is one more series that will be debuting later this month. If you are a creative, you won't want to miss any of these! Storybook | "007" - The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps (2004), with Scott Koter (Program Coordinator)

For almost a year now I've had a lot of fun interviewing designers, educators, & artists for my podcast, Sketchbook Podcast. Throughout that time there have been 40 guest interviews and two additional series; 'Matchbook' with Jen Barton & 'Sound Advice' with Erik Kosman. Today I am excited to debut a third series, 'Musicbook.' My goal with this series is to discuss a show, production, or work and focus on the music aspect. I would talk with the composer/arranger and we could discuss the music theory, inspiration, process, edits, cuts, or any other behind the scenes aspects to the music. The first episode of 'Musicbook' focuses on the 2002 The Cavaliers production, "Frameworks" and my guest is brass composer & arranger Richard Saucedo. For anyone out there wanting a more "inside baseball" look at the creative process behind that 2002 masterpiece, as well as some insight into Richard's process, you won't want to miss this! There are two more series that will be debuting later this month. If you are a creative, you won't want to miss any of these! Musicbook | "Frameworks" - The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps (2002), with Richard Saucedo (Brass Composer & Arranger)

Sketchbook Podcast welcomes Daniel "Danpod" Valdez for the 1st annual Sketchie Awards where together they present nominations and winners for the 2019 marching band season. The Sketchies are awarded for performance, production, and design in marching band. For this first year, a small group of marching band fans, designers, commentators, & bloggers from all over geographically voted for and nominated bands from all over the country. This is NOT a Bands of America Grand Nationals only award show. If your band performed and one of our voters saw you live or on video, you were eligible to be nominated. The First Annual Sketchie Awards, w/Dan Valdez

Greetings all! For those that don't know, I started a podcast last year called Sketchbook. It's described as "A discussion about inspiration and process, with artists, creators, and designers." I have had band directors, designers, audio engineers, and others on the podcast up till this point. But I wanted to let everyone know that Dr. Brad Kent came on the podcast and Part 1 of his episode released today! Ep. 16, Part 1: Dr. Brad Kent As is custom on the podcast, the first third is a personal profile. We talk about food, sports, life, etc. and we discuss Dr. Kent's education and teaching experience. And we dive into his role as State Director of Music at the UIL. Then we really dig into Concert & Sight-Reading and the Prescribed Music List! Dr. Kent was very forthcoming with all the questions and he shed lots of light on the process, committees, and how changes are made. If you haven't listened to the podcast before, I assure you that Dr. Kent's episodes are not to be missed! Next week Part 2 releases which focuses entirely on marching band. This is a great warm-up for his presentation at TMEA on the new State Marching Band Contest sheets. Sketchbook Podcast can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and wherever you download your podcasts. Thanks and happy listening!

2019 was a great year for Mike Howard and the Vandegrift HS Band program. In February the Vandegrift HS Wind Ensemble performed their 6a State Honor Band Concert in San Antonio, TX at TMEA. In the summer, Howard and Paul Pape won their division in the Texas Water Safari. In November the Vandegrift marching band won the Bands of America Class 4A championship and is the Grand National Champion. Finally, in December the Vandegrift Band was awarded the 2019 Sudler Shield, an international award recognizing high school, you, and international marching bands of world class excellence. Listen to Mike talk about all of this and more in his episode of Sketchbook Podcast! Ep. 14: Mike Howard (Vandegrift HS)

Welcome to the newest series on Sketchbook titled, Sound Advice. Listen to Erik Kosman and I discuss all things related to audio as it pertains to music, pageantry, and production. In this episode, Erik and I break down the ins and the outs of this past weekend's 2020 DCI Rules Congress! Sound Advice, w/Erik Kosman - 2020 DCI Rules Congress

Welcome to the newest series on Sketchbook titled, Sound Advice. Listen to Erik Kosman and I discuss all things related to audio as it pertains to music, pageantry, and production. In this episode, we discuss the 2020 DCI Rules Change Proposals that are audio related. Sound Advice, w/Erik Kosman: 2020 DCI Audio Rules Change Proposals

My Christmas gift to every(one) is the newest episode of Sketchbook Podcast featuring Dan Morrison! Be sure to loop this insight into the secret world of the Ronald Reagan Band and learn that’s it not always us vs them, but more often than not, it’s one love. Sketchbook, Ep. 11: Dan Morrison (Ronald Reagan HS)

Welcome to another segment of Sketchbook called Matchbook where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes! You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, Taking the Field. Or the wonderfully entertaining 4th episode of Sketchbook found here on Anchor & wherever you listen to your podcasts. Today we are rethinking the Bands of America Grand National Championship experience! Matchbook, w/Jen Barton: Rethinking the Grand Nationals Experience

Welcome to another segment of Sketchbook called Matchbook where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes! You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, Taking the Field. Or the wonderfully entertaining 5th episode of Sketchbook found on Anchor & wherever you listen to your podcasts. Today we are talking about the 2019 Bands of America Grand National Championship! Part 1 (Overview & Non-Finalists) Part 2 (9th-12th place) Part 3 (5th-8th place) Part 4 (1st-4th place)

Welcome to another segment of Sketchbook called Matchbook where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes! You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, Taking the Field. Or the wonderfully entertaining 5th episode of Sketchbook found here on Anchor & wherever you listen to your podcasts. This morning we are talking about the University Interscholastic League & the 2019 Texas UIL State Marching Band Championships! Texas UIL State Marching Band Championships 2k19

By popular demand... Here is the first episode of "Matchbook." Where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes! You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, "Taking the Field." Or the wonderfully entertaining 5th episode of Sketchbook. This morning we are talking about band... marching band... marching Bands of America: the San Antonio Slaughter Regional! BOA-SAN ANTONIO SUPER REGIONAL 2K19

Not satisfied with writing music, starting a clothing brand, or creating videos for my YouTube Channel, I've started a podcast! SKETCHBOOK is a discussion about inspiration & process, with artists, creators, & designers. My next guest is Jude Boughton! Anchor Google Podcasts Spotify Breaker Pocket Casts RadioPublic

In between full Episodes of Sketchbook where I interview guests, I will be releasing shorter podcasts where I discuss news in the marching arts, things that pop out to me, or just reactions to the weekend's events. These shorter episodes are called, Doodles. The first episode is uploaded now, and in it I discuss: HornRank BOA Bedford Regional BOA Katy Regional Vista Ridge Marching Festival BOA Mid-Atlantic Regional Mandarins D&BC Spirit of Atlanta D&BC Anchor Spotify Breaker Pocket Casts RadioPublic Enjoy!

Not satisfied with writing music, starting a clothing brand, or creating videos for my YouTube Channel, I've started a podcast! SKETCHBOOK is a discussion about inspiration & process, with artists, creators, & designers. My first guest is Evan VanDoren of VanDoren Music! Sketchbook, Ep. 1: Evan VanDoren Anchor Spotify

Great Luck to all the groups using Montoya Music this season!

GENERAL EFFECT is about culture. It's a lifestyle. It's art. It's what we listen to. It's what we eat. It's what we wear. It's how we feel & how we live. It's creating and performing; representing a story, narrative, or an adventure. This is not merch. This is Fashion. This is Streetwear. This is GENERAL EFFECT. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ALL ELEMENTS So what’s the deal with General Effect... Well in short, I am starting a clothing brand. If you really know me and follow me musings and ongoings, you know this is (somewhat) a logical direction in my life. But even for those that keep up with me, and especially for those who don’t, this is what General Effect is all about. Warning, this is a LONG post! When I turned 25 I made my first five-year plan. Before I turned 30, 35, & 40 I made a new five-year plan. The majority of these plans had to do with career, finances, life goals, etc. I have been fortunate to accomplish quite a bit of these plans, such as being able to survive on composing & arranging music by the time I was 30. CHECK MARK! And of course some goals, I was not able to complete. Such as my concert compositions accounting for 50% of my income by 35. FAIL! What can I say, marching band is far more lucrative than concert band (for me, anyways). But it was a few years ago that I started to consider my five-year plan for when I turned 40. And I quickly realized that part of this new plan would consist of a direction NOT having to do with music. I have loved and enjoyed fashion for a great deal of my life. I can still remember my first pairs of Z Cavaricci and Girbaud jeans, the first Polo shirt I wore, my first pairs of Timberland’s, and many other fashion trends that came and went as I grew from middle school, to high school, to college, and beyond. I remember wearing a blazer to an elementary picture day. I remember wearing button-down shirts and ties almost every day of my senior year. heck, my college nickname stemmed from the fact that I wore slacks to marching band rehearsals! And if you have known me for sometime, you know that to this day fashion is a big part of my life. It was only a matter of time before I started looking into fashion and seeing what I could create. I have designed my own personal man purses, looked into creating my own shoes, and even have sketches for backpacks/messenger bags. I knew that I wanted to start with a shirt, as I felt that there was hole in men’s fashion between the t-shirt, polo, and button-down. The problem was I don’t sew, I don’t know anything about patterns, and I have no idea about anything having to do with the actual creation part of making clothes! So I called my friend Jennifer Pritchardwho worked in the fashion world after working as a band director around the state. She also earned her masters in horn performance as well as receiving an MBA. A well informed source of knowledge and expertise, that's for sure! After what probably seemed like rambling for a while, Jenn advised me to harness my network of music folks. She wisely reminded me that there was this vast web of students, teachers, and colleagues that were connected to me by my compositions and arrangements. Her theory was that those people would be more inclined to support me because they knew and supported my music. My first target audience had been found. But what was I going to do and how was I going to do it? Inspired by previous artists appropriating pop culture, corporate logos, and graphics, I decided that I wanted to have shirts that advertised Montoya Music. I wanted to create a limited amount of shirts that would create an air of exclusivity. Not only would these shirts advertise my music, but they would actually be a cool design that others would want and covet. My first shirt was a TMEA exclusive that one could only obtain by finding me at TMEA. This white Gildan shirt was pretty plain and only featured my logo and tagline. Not exactly a must have, but it was the first shirt and it got the ball rolling on what I was trying to do with fashion and music. Shout out to Eddie Lopez for his assistance in printing and delivery! When it came time to release the next shirt, I had an idea to utilize the adidas logo. Not only was this because of my love for the three stripes, but I noticed just how many students in drum corps, marching band, and winter guard wore adidas track pants and shorts. It was a no brainer! But I needed someone to make my visual ideas come to life. During my time at Guardians I came to know Bryan Odom, a parent of a snare drummer in 2016-2017. It was a fateful meeting as he and I have continuously worked together since that time. Bryan answered every question I would have about ink, shirts, materials, costs, etc. Once we decided on the heather grey shirt with white ink, it was off to the printer. The shirt was quite a hit and the hype was building. The second shirt was a black shirt which featured Montoya Music in the font and style of Marilyn Manson. This would prove to be my least successful shirt in terms of want and desire. I chalk this up to the fact that while many still knew who the group was, many didn’t get the design and how it played off of Manson. But I think people still wanted the shirt to support me and to feel part of an exclusive club. My third shirt, the Montopoly shirt where a cartoon image of me replaced Mr. Moneybags and Montoya replaced Monopoly proved to be the favorite shirt of folks BY FAR. I had people texting, emailing, and messaging me asking how they could get a shirt. To this day I have people asking for me to release those shirts again! Worry not, for that’s coming down the pipeline (Joe Nuñez). The last shirt released for the general public (salutes) was my favorite of the bunch. I call this shirt and design “aniMontoya,” for the design of yet another cartoon character of me but this time, in anime form. For this design I commissioned John Suh to create this design. And to say he hit it out the park would be an understatement! I LOVE this design and use it throughout all social media, my YouTube channel, and even have the design on my hoody and jacket! John is another person that I continue to work with and challenge to this day. His talent, professionalism, and quality is top notch! It was during this time that the idea for my own brand started to materialize. I realized that this whole subculture of band, drum corps, and colorguard folks was very underutilized and there wasn’t a huge market present to them yet. I decided that I was going to continue to use the network I had been using and market clothing directly to those affiliated with the marching arts. When Stüssy and Supreme started they designed for skaters and then it blew up. But what to call it? In thinking of what to call the brand, I knew I wanted it to be separate from Montoya Music. I wanted it to not feel specific to band, percussion, guard, etc. and I knew I wanted it to sound cool and professional. Lots of names came and went but when I started to think about what they all had in common, it hit me like a box full of 6’s. BOA, WGI, & DCI all share a similar caption. This was the link that connected everyone and it was going to be the name of the clothing line I designed for them: GENERAL EFFECT | The Effectiveness of All Elements My clothing line wasn’t going to be “merch.” You weren’t going to see clothes that said “just toss it,” or “one more time.” This was going to be apparel more in line with streetwear brands and fashion houses. This was going to be a clothing line FOR the marching arts, BY the marching arts (shoutout FUBU). The clothing would be high quality, unique, and current with the trends of the fashion world. It would be something one could wear with Nike, adidas, Puma, etc. And it would be something that anyone whose played an instrument, spun a flag, or even a just a general fan (salutes) could wear. Once the name and mission of the brand was set, it was on to designing. Once again I called upon John to assist and even brought in Couchmen Drum and Bugle Corps' own, Zach Ashcraft to help make my doodles come to life. It is he is responsible for the finalization of the GE logo that adorns the website, marketing, and clothing. I went through dozens of designs, fonts, files, sketches, etc. until I finally got it right. And then came the actual clothing and materials! I must’ve ordered dozens of shirts, hoodies, sweaters, pants, materials, etc. until I finally discovered the material I wanted for my first shirt. #TheGirl and I tried on every article of clothing, poured over every material, and discussed every detail regarding the clothing, graphics, rollout, etc. This wasn’t just going to be a Gildan shirt, or Hanes, or even the District shirts that I used for my Montoya Music shirts. This was going to be something of the highest of quality and something that would be very unique to my brand. And while the clothing isn’t 100% designed, created, and manufactured exclusively for GE (if/when that happen, I have the plan and pipeline in place), the distributors I found in Colorado met all of my requirements and produce a shirt that is unlike any other I have found. The quality of the shirt is unlike anything geared towards the marching arts, I can tell you that. Trust me when I say the comfort of this clothing line will be standard setting! And that brings us to the present. Thanks to Heather Jenna New, paperwork has long been filed for General Effect, LLC and my partnership with Bryan Odom continues as his Mesquite Print House is the exclusive printer for General Effect. #TheGirl is basically the silent partner in this venture. I run every idea by her. I would be a fool not to utilize her fashion & marketing acumen. And let's face it, without her full support, I would not be able to move forward with this new path. In my research it seems lots of streetwear brands start off with a t-shirt. And who am I to mess with what works?! So the first item released by General Effect is a black vanity logo t-shirt that can be pre-ordered through November 1. The next item will be a black long sleeve shirt, followed by a black sweatshirt, and finally a black hooded sweatshirt. All four of these items will feature the same GE | General Effect logo and branding. I already have designs, colors, and items ready for future releases. I do plan to move into other areas of fashion like pants, hats, accessories, and a few surprises along the way. though I will not be following the traditional fashion seasons, I will be marketing towards the three seasons of pageantry; winter guard/percussion, drum corps, and marching band! So there it is, my next venture and the biggest goal in my latest five-year plan. Just to be clear, I don’t intend to stop composing and arranging music. That is still my passion and that will continue to be my “day job.” I will also continue my YouTube channel where I discuss and review fashion. And I will also continue to release Montoya Music/Documontary shirts for fans, friends, & family! While yes, I do have dreams of becoming a fashion mogul, I will settle for just making enough to pay for my harmless shoe addiction and paying the IRS every year for both Montoya Music & General Effect. :-) And with that, I say, ARE YOU EFFECTED? #GeneralEffect

Excited about March Madness but also miss marching band and wish there was a way you could combine the two of them? Well fear not, because the nerdz at TxBands, IndianaMarching (RIP), HornRank, & other well-respected bandos got together and created the 2018 Marching Bandness Tournament Bracket! We have created a 64-band bracket of Grand National and Super-Regional champion bands spanning the entire history of Bands of America/Music for All! So print it out, fill it out, and share it for all to see. Who is YOUR Grand-Grand National Champion?!?! All 33 Grand National (GN) champions received automatic bids. We then took all 45 Super Regional (SR) champion bands that did NOT WIN Grand Nationals and added them to their own bracket. For example, CTJ 2017 was in because of winning BOA-SA. Though they attended GN, Reagan 2005 was in because of winning SA but not winning GN. The BOA-ATL 2014 representative just happened to also be the 2014 GN champion, so no need to also rank them in the 45 SR group. Make sense? This gave us 78 total. The top 33 (GN) bands were then ranked based on merit (who had the “better” show). The only stipulation was the Carmel 2017 - “Serenity,” be overall #1 due to being first band in GN history to win the Eagle and sweep all captions. The 45 SR bands were then ranked based on merit. Using the Ordinal system (count up the rankings, 1+1+2+etc., and then the lowest score is the highest ranking band) we seeded the 33 GN bands. The Ordinal system was then used for the 45 SR champions. We took the 31 highest ranking SR bands and seeded them 34-64. We decided that attending and winning GN carried more weight than winning a SR and not attending GN or winning a SR and not winning GN. Think of this as “strength of schedule.” We dropped the 14 lowest ranked bands in order to come to our group of 64. And now we have our Championship Bracket! 2018 Marching Bandness 11x17.pdf 2018 Marching Bandness Legal.pdf 2018 Marching Bandness Letter.pdf

I get asked a lot about how I got started as a composer/arranger, advice for younger musicians, and how I balance my work & personal life. While I don’t go into heavy detail, this podcast answers these questions and more! Take a listen!! http://directory.libsyn.com/…/in…/id/6246739/tdest_id/500283

#CommitToBand