principalagent

So if a band skips UIL, they’re still governed by TEA. So they still only have eight hours during the school week, but it’s a free for all during class time and on the weekends—UIL guides the weekend time, specifically. Westfield and Spring were the last two bands to completely eschew UIL and had regular weekend practices. Further, TEA drives the grade standards too, which is reincorporated in UIL and carries over to BOA.

They do. I think every band from a high school that has a separate freshman center marches those freshmen too. It’s only different in schools with separate “junior” high schools like in Plano ISD, or where junior high goes from 7-9, like HEB ISD.

They revamped the alignments this year in 5A, and now Area H 5A mimics 6A: https://align.tmea.org/align_1820/index.php

The ninth graders at TWHS are at a separate campus.

Cedar Park is in a different area.

Texas is the only state with practice limits. If I remember correctly, Avon and Carmel are in the area of 10-14 hours a week. I think one was on the high end and the other on the low. Also, they might have long practices on show days too. I know Tarpon and BA both get up to 20 hours a week.

https://texasmarching.home.blog/2018/11/12/awarding-points/#more-33 Seems Leander got the points by cleaning up captions in 3A all fall.

Just to be clear, VanDoren resigned before the end of last school year, and his replacement was in place well before Cedar Park's marching season started.

Areas do have scores which convert to ranks/ordinals. I’ve liked the idea that each area gets an extra advancer for each band that medals at state from their area. Or even an extra advancer if every band in that area makes state finals. That way, the strongest areas do get to send more bands after proving they should, in a sense.

Yes!!! I love this map! I actually added it to my google maps on my phone, so when I was traveling for work, I found myself close to some bands when I didn't expect it!

Off cycle for the first two. Doubt Prosper wants to go three times in a row.

Would LOVE Coppell to go and make finals. I think they're totally capable of doing it - even in a heavy Texas year!

Texas’s big problem is that the top four bands right now are between somewhat and really inconsistent, and that inconsistency shows up primarily on Grand National years. I also tend to believe that’s because of show design that just doesn’t work. The top 10 or so bands are all good enough that making finals at Lucas Oil isn’t a question - good show or bad show, easy year or hard year. The problem is that for a variety of reasons, the four bands at the obvious top right now that have the highest chance of winning GN (let’s just say Hebron, Flower Mound, Johnson and Reagan, with LISD-South and The Woodlands right behind) can’t find the same juice in Indy (Hebron excepted obviously on this one point). I think points like travel or UIL week have salience, but it isn’t the whole story. I think Texas bands don’t, to take a line from sorority girls, “throw what you know.” Even what Texas bands brought in a UIL year this year, which is supposed to be stale, would have complicated Indy dramatically. More of that, less of the Indy flops. Now my personal belief is that band is just getting better and better in Texas and band almost everywhere else in the country is stagnant at best. It’s probably a matter of time until even a slightly mediocre band can walk into St. Louis or Indy Super finals. Or bands in the 20s at SA slipping into GN finals on weak years unattended by Texas bands. (Prosper was 7th in semis!!! I honestly think every band through Seven Lakes had a chance—and a GOOD one.) Likewise, I do think that eventually the tippy-top echelon isn’t all that far from making it so that each one could just win GN without really thinking about it much, and the next four or five bands after them could win with a particularly good show. The year over year growth of Texas bands is a rising tide that lifts all boats, and sooner or later bands across the country won’t really be able to deal with it anymore. Even Carmel and Avon and BA.

I think a not insignificant number of directors would defect from UIL if it weren't for administration/school board/community pressure to stay in.

Yeah Homestead and Castle are both not bands I would describe as having sophisticated show designs - especially the former. I would agree that Carmel probably does have hands down the most sophisticated shows in the nation on average. (They do have some stinkers too - 2015 anyone?)

Here are my thoughts. I am not quite sure if Carmel could get away with some of their music performance in Texas surrounded by the Texas approach to music education. I also think at this time, when guard proficiency is higher in Texas and visual packages are dramatically improving, I'm not convinced Carmel can pop crazy margins in visual like they probably could have in even 2014 or 2015. Some of these Texas shows are also turning into GE monsters, which hurts Carmel. In short, Carmel may have the highest discrete possibility of winning San Antonio of any single band barring FloMo, but I would take the field over Carmel any day.

I'm not a fan of the argument (mostly on structural and breadth rationale) but it's now at the point where every year where I'm getting more and more impressed by San Antonio and less and less impressed by Grand Nationals. There was some absolute garbage today in the Top 22 that would not even SNIFF San Antonio finals, or any regional in Texas barring Midland or MAYBE McAllen. I'm going to be thinking for the next couple of days if I truly think Flower Mound and Reagan would have beaten Carmel, but I am dang sure they would put up quite the fight and prevent a sweep.

Carmel's margin though

BLUE SPRINGS!!!!!! PLEASE COME BACK TO TEXAS STAT!!

And that school will only affect Leander's boundaries passively at best. It's meant to relieve Rouse and Vista Ridge.

I’m full on Blue Springs tonight. Vista Ridge has gotten the desire of an upset all deep in my bones.

The idea of Avon and BA BOTH not medaling in the same year is absolutely BONKERS to me. 2018 is a wild year.

holy omg Marian missed I'M SHOCKED. and YESSSSSSS BLUE SPRINGS!!!!!!! And of course, go Prosper!!!!

Yeah, at this point I wish any of the top 4 from San Antonio were here.