Hard Core Band Fan

I never gamble, but I'd consider putting real money that CTJ doesn't land in 5th. Not at their level of performance and consistency. Barring a catastrophe, of course.

I quite agree and remember, I am an old guy that came from the military world. I've been going to competitions for 50+ years and grew up in band halls, auditoriums, and stadiums.

You missed the point completely. First, I stated that they were a very good band at one time, but that is no longer true. Style has nothing to do with that. Then I stated that it was a widely held opinion of many that some of the newer ratings were inflated. This opinion is held by people (educated and experienced band people) that know the difference and have the ability to make that determination. Some of them are seasoned marching judges. At no point did I state that military was "not worthwhile". My real point was that a streak isn't valid unless it was legitimate. You presented this as a record that we should measure other bands in the state against. My question is why should we? What purpose is served? Especially since the three bands you've listed aren't considered top tier bands today. As far as what I like, I like quality bands, regardless of style. And as far as keeping my opinions to myself, this is a discussion forum. It's kind of what we do here and most everything here is someone's opinion. Some right, some wrong.

We're all biased! But, I was raised to ask myself the question "If it wasn't your band, what would you think?". I try hard to base my opinions on that, but my bias is always there a little bit. I find this helpful when judging a band I just don't care for. It's the only way I can make a valid assessment. There are a couple of the top bands I just don't like and one in particular that just fields shows that will score well. Easy drill, not much marching, and rarely march and play at the same time. But, when I remove my bias from the equation, I can judge them on how well they do what they do and can understand why that works so well for them and why they place where they do.

My guess at this point: 1) CTJ 2) Vandegrift 3) Leander 4) Bowie 5) Cedar Park 6) Hendrickson 7) Round Rock 8) Cedar Ridge 9) Vista Ridge 10) Churchill or Westwood CTJ, Vandegrift, and Leander - These all seem to have a really good start and their shows likely have the point potential to score higher. Bowie - I expect them to be a real player again this year. I think they will start here and possibly move up by San Antonio. Cedar Park and Hendrickson - These guys typically start a little lower early in the season. I expect them to both do well and possibly climb up, especially Cedar Park. Round Rock, Cedar Ridge, Vista Ridge, and Churchill (or Westwood) - These are usually slow starters and less prepared at this point historically. Also, what I've seen so far from them this year would place them in the bottom third. Order for these could easily be different. Westwood has had untapped potential for many years and the director change could release that potential, so we could see them entering the finals and staying there in the future.

I'm not saying they will be in any finals, that's yet to be seen. What I was saying is that it is way too early to tell. What I can tell about them at this point is that the music that they are playing is difficult to play well on the field. Grainger is hard! I hear great potential at this point and hear a lot that is fixable. Much can be accomplished in the next couple of months. At this point, what I am listening for and watching for is potential. And as far as the drill, it is very hard to know what the finished product will be. It looks simple now, but there may be much more added to it throughout the season. Note: I will say that bagpipes are intonation kryptonite. Those things are so out of tune and I don't know how those kids are able to find and center pitch after the sonic disaster of that intro. They would be better served with a synthesized production that is closer to being in tune (as much as that is possible). There is a reason that these things aren't used with other instruments very often.

You clearly lack any real experience or knowledge about this and it shows in your statement. I heard one of those bands that is in this category last week and they are nowhere near amazing either in sound or with the precision of their drill. They have a long way to go and by the end of the season, they will very likely be a serious competitor. It's not where you start, but where you end and a great staff of band directors can work miracles. I understand thinking that a band has no chance to achieve a high level of performance at the beginning of the season, but over decades of time, I have seen programs make great leaps in progress throughout the season. It happens every year and often.

That didn't likely help, but they just didn't perform well enough to make the cut. Things were very different at that time and Round Rock was 9th, Reagan was 11th, Vandegrift was 12th, Cedar Park was 13th, Cedar Ridge was 14th, Leander was 15th (the first one out of finals), Flower Mound was 18th, Keller was 28th, and Hendrickson was 29th. What a drastic landscape we have today! Round Rock would have very a hard time beating any of these bands today.

Okay, I just have to say a couple of things. First, I don't know about Plainview or Odessa, but I'm from East Texas and know a lot about the Longview program. During the 70's and 80's, Longview was one of the finest programs in the country. They were absolutely one of the very best at that time. However, in the last couple of decades, they have fallen in quality substantially. Of course they are very traditional and still march military, but the real tradition now is making sure that Longview never receives a second division. It is a "good old boys" network there and is like no other area in the state. I have personally witnessed them deserve a 2 and not receive one on multiple occasions. I'm a band directors son, was a music major in college, and have grown up in a community of band directors and it has been known by us all that Longview has received many gifts at marching contest and concert contest. If you are protected, it's easy to keep the streak going. Second, what Longview does musically and drill-wise doesn't even come close to what is being done by the better corps style bands. Marching up and down the field playing almost nothing but marches pales in comparison to what's being performed today. The difficulty of the music being fielded by the top 20 or so bands at BOA San Antonio and the high quality at which it is being performed is a stark contrast to what Longview is doing now. There is also no comparison to the difficulty of the drill of the corps bands as well. The requirements of the corps style drill on the performers is way more demanding than the military style performer. Longview's drill has had very little change in the last 40 years and they are literally doing the same thing that their parents and grandparents did when they were in the Longview band. The corps style drill has been evolving and has had growing demand on the performer over this same time period. Counter-marches and popping turns doesn't begin to compare to marching backwards, with varying sized steps, with different bell positions, etc. and in something other than a straight line. They just don't compare. I've marched both styles and have 50+ of experience on which to base my opinion. Finally, it's not how long you've been doing something, but how well you are doing it now and if you are improving and really competing. I don't want to take anything away from Longview when they were one of the best and they were. But that time has been gone a long time and what's being done today by so many is what is truly impressive to me now. And if you don't believe me, watch some videos on Youtube of what's considered the better military bands like Longview or Henderson. The only innovative band in that area is Spring Hill and they still don't perform at the level of the majority of corps style bands.

It depends what your district or principal requires you to do. Ours always required us to come back for the game. Hopefully, they will not have to do the same.

Some of us never have had the opportunity to perform in prelims on Saturday. We've always had to travel to SA on Friday, perform in prelims, and go back home and perform at the football game. It was required!

In case you don't recognize this personality from elementary school, this is the person that always told the teacher on you! She has tattletale written all over her...

I am against using dangerous weapons on the field!

Ditto! I got my tickets and hotel room a couple of weeks ago. Got my BOA Austin tickets as well.

The best value, at least last year, was to purchase the yearly subscription. I was able to get all of the BOA season and DCI season for $150.

1 Santa Clara Vanguard 98.625 2 Blue Devils 97.350 3 Bluecoats 96.950 4 Carolina Crown 95.500 5 Boston Crusaders 94.313 6 The Cavaliers 93.213 7 The Cadets 92.225 8 Blue Stars 90.050 9 Blue Knights 88.925 10 Mandarins 88.150 11 Phantom Regiment 86.950 12 Crossmen 86.750

It's a sports company. It had sound and I'm sure that they feel they met the requirements. It was for more than a minute and affected the stream for other corps as well.

Yep, couldn't hear the Mandarins baritone solo - 3rd time in a row. Flo Marching doesn't compensate for the groups that place their speakers further toward the crowd, so they have their mics behind the speakers and the solos are virtually unheard. Sadly, the DVD's and CD's for this season will likely have this flaw. This will really suck for Santa Clara.

Same here! I just hope they can get the mics placed so that we don't miss do many of the group's soloist. Kind of a drag not getting to really hear Santa Clara's soloist very well in the prelims and semis. Same with Mandarins and a few others.

I can think of a couple of bands that could be negatively affected, especially the ones without a color guard.

I'm glad you mentioned Pearland. I've been impressed with them in the last couple of years and wonder if they might be one of the next bands to break out of the pack. I hope that their results last year at BOA San Antonio will motivate them to keep pushing ahead.

No, not so much that, but meaning that it doesn't matter what you did last year or previous years. The slate is clean and what you are doing now is the only thing that matters.

I've been around for a long time, but that doesn't mean that I am old! I like innovation and try my best to keep my mind open to changes. If something just sucks, then it's always a bad thing, but I like it when people push the envelope in a quality way. I'm ready for woodwinds in DCI!

I think one lesson at least several of the bands learned last year, for sure, is that if you stay at the same level as in previous years, you will be passed up. It is no longer good enough to maintain your current standard of performance and expect to have the same success. Round Rock, in particular, learned this the hard way. At least I hope they learned this. It's a different game every year and you are either moving forward or sliding backwards.

This is such an amazing year in DCI. I can't think of another year that has had the bar raised like it has this year. The demands required of the performers is at a level not seen before. I've been a DCI fan since the mid 1970's and this is truly a special year. Another thing I am happy about this year is that there is a lot of movement among the corps and several jumping up to new levels for their organization. I have been waiting for this to happen for years. I'm wishing for the same to happen in BOA this fall as well.