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Keller coming back from early season disappointment to make finals at 6A State and BOA GN. I know that it's been well documented on this forum that they always seem to pull through at the end of the season when it counts, but I thought for sure this would be the year that they missed finals at the end. I'm not sure how they always seem to keep getting better until the last day, but they do.

Here is something I would love to know: Who are the designers for each of the 14 Finalists? Program Coordinator, Drill Writer, Arranger?

Music judge 2 putting Waxahachie in 8th overall and Keller 11th in brass.... I have some questions.

Keller may have the biggest difference between the quality of their performers and the quality of their show this year. Hearing them at Prosper, there is no question that they are still one of the best sounding and playing groups anywhere. You can count on one hand the number of brass sections that could pull off the finale of Mahler 2 on the field, and a couple of them are world class drum corps. They have a lot of really hard and mature content in their show, and will undoubtedly be much cleaner in a week or two. That being said, the quality of design for them is really lacking. The music book doesn't hit emotionally like some of their competitors (or like Keller shows in the past). Their 2nd movement, while technically proficient, is totally forgettable. The oboe duet in the ballad is fantastic, but that great brass section got stuffed in the back of the field for the big arrival. Their closer starts with a great brass feature, but the woodwind moment that follows is really rough. The drill looks as if it came from the mid-2000s. It's a real shame for a group that has all of the tools to be one of the top ensembles in the state that they have a show that just doesn't give them an opportunity to maximize their talents. UIL is a different animal though. Even with the design challenges, if they can really clean this week they have a chance to be one of the top groups at Area B. It's also worth remembering that at state, everything is caption based. They will be high in brass, and if they can clean they should be up there in individual and ensemble visual. Their percussion is playing much better this year as well. Don't count them out yet!

Not the best opening for Keller, but this is exactly the same thing that was said the last two years about them and by the end they still manage to find themselves in finals at the end of the season in SA. I don't think there is any question that Keller has been re-inventing themselves a bit post-covid. They have always played well, but seem to be trying to find their place design-wise in the activity. Having a little insight into their show, I can say that the best moments are in their closer, which wasn't performed on Saturday. That staff and those kids know how to clean and dig every bit out of a show, and I have no doubt that come GN they will find a place in finals on Saturday night.

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Keller was a mess at Area last year and they would be the first ones to tell you that. They turned into themselves when they got to San Antonio, hence the placement change. Early returns this year are that they feel this may be their best show to date. I saw a very early video, but they were moving better and sounding better than I can remember at this point.... ever.

Keller does ballads as well as anyone, but Keller 16 is an all-time great for me. Hebron 15 is legendary of course!

1/2 - Marcus or Keller 3. Wakeland 4. Forney 5. Timber Creek 6. Aledo 7. Haltom 8. Keller Central 9. James Martin 10. Azle 11. Boswell 12. Fossil Ridge Having seen videos of many of these groups, I would say this is my order for now. Marcus and Keller have different approaches with their shows, so we'll see who comes out cleaner. Marcus is a bit edgier than last year, which I love! Keller seems to be getting back to their roots so to speak of doing a big, beautiful show. I will say that they are moving WAY better than they have in the past at this point. As mentioned in other threads, Wakeland's show come across as not as difficult as last year's presentation, but will likely be quite clean. I've got Forney in the top 5 ahead of TC. They are coming on strong, and were a surprise group here last year. The TC video I saw was still pretty messy, so hopefully they can clean up a lot prior to HEB. Aledo always plays SO well, as does Haltom. Keller Central's show is HARD, and I would imagine that they will still have a lot of cleaning to do early in the season.

So now that just about everyone's shows are out there, which are the ones you are most excited to see??

Timber Creek and Keller both had director changes, so counting them as locks may be premature.

I think that BOA DFW and BOA Austin might disagree with you on this one. In terms of parity among the participants there are a LOT of bands that could make finals, but this is likely a two-horse race for the title between Wakeland and Keller. Ironically, both have new directors. I'll be interested to see which of them adapts to their new staff the fastest.

Confirmed Bands as of 7/13/23 Azle H.S., TX Berkner H.S., TX Creekview H.S., TX Duncanville H.S., TX Forney H.S., TX Fossil Ridge H.S., TX Glenn H.S., TX Grapevine H.S., TX Highland Park H.S., TX Keller Central H.S., TX Keller H.S., TX L.D. Bell H.S., TX Lake Highlands H.S., TX Lake Ridge H.S., TX McKinney Boyd H.S., TX McKinney H.S., TX McKinney North H.S., TX Midlothian H.S., TX Mustang H.S., OK Poteet H.S., TX Prosper H.S., TX Robert E. Hendrickson H.S., TX Rock Hill H.S., TX Rockwall H.S., TX Sachse H.S., TX Southlake Carroll H.S., TX Timber Creek H.S., TX Wakeland H.S., TX Walnut Grove H.S., TX Waxahachie H.S., TX Whitesboro H.S., TX

So, both Coppell and Keller had this date listed as a possible contest, and now have something called the Show of Shows on this date. Anyone know what/where that is? I'm guessing it's a local (DFW) contest, but I haven't heard of it before. It it's new, that's a big deal to pull two programs like that late season!

Keller High School (Keller, Tx) Elysium Musical Selections Violin Concerto No. 2 - Samuel Barber All Love Can Be - Charlotte Church (From "A Beautiful Mind") Symphony No. 2 - Gustav Mahler