aaron067

Andy Sealy is still at Hebron. It was their third director who moved to Reagan. All I know about the former assistant is that he is now a third-year teacher; so, with that in mind, I'd be more worried about Reagan than Hebron.

I'm not sure about Lassiter's arranger, but I do know their director and Coppell's went to school together. I guess it makes sense that they have some similarities in their styles.

I find this very interesting, as Coppell is also performing music of Respighi: Shades of Victory Music of Ottorino Respighi featuring: St. Michael the Archangel from Church Windows, Selections from Belkis, Queen of Sheba, and Epiphany from Feste Romane with pre-show entertainment featuring The Pines of Rome. Music Arranged by Jay Bocook Drill designed by Nathaniel Nugent I'm definitely planning on attending the DMI this year, so I'm looking forwarding to seeing D-ville's interpretation of such a cinematic piece!

Isn't your marching band director taking over at the new school? I would call that a promotion, not a resignation.

I didn't make my last post as part of a debate. The portions of the rules that I posted are the rules in question. So, while the concept of penalization is extremely nebulous (as we all agree), the section that deals specifically with a director's transgression says nothing about penalizing the group as a whole (the parts you quoted are not from that portion of section 27). To open it up for debate, let me say this. The rules governing electronic sound equipment are fairly new, so what happened with bands before these rules were instituted? Have students always worked the mixer? If not, who did? Was the issue of adults working the equipment an issue then? If not, why are so many people (not necessarily on txbands) making such a huge deal out of this? If it were a lesser known band (and director) who had been reprimanded, I believe the arguments would be totally different. No one would have ever said it's based solely on director reputation or ego. In fact, of the 9 or 10 similar violations, I don't recall any similar debates... A comparison for you: why can a director conduct in some situations but not run a soundboard? Is conducting not a direct impact on the show? Even more so than running a soundboard, I would say. On the subject of rules, you would be surprised by how many minor infractions take place every year. They often go unnoticed, but those that are witnessed usually result in a simple reprimand. Obviously, it's not like there are hordes of bands who violate the rules, but accidents do happen. It's like breaking a rule in school. How many times have you seen someone suspended or expelled for breaking a dress code just once? I never have, and I've been through 12 years of public school, worked in public schools through college and am now teaching. The rule and situations in question cannot be judged based purely on fact. The rules themselves leave room for this. I think we all feel comfortable saying that neither Coppell nor Duncanville depend on electronics for their show to be effective and successful. If they did, then all of this debating would definitely have a basis for legitimacy. In these cases, however, the people making the decisions realize that neither group broke a rule on purpose nor did the violations affect the outcome of the contest. Hence, the spirit of the rules were not broken and neither was the contest invalidated. Yes, I realize some of you will say it's in the eye of the beholder, and, yes, we all agree that some more detail should be added to the rules. However, many rules in our society are rarely black and white. Even federal and state laws are left open to interpretation by the judiciary and the context of a violation is usually left to the interpretation of a jury. Do you really think that a marching band contest infraction should be penalized more stringently than a misdemeanor or felony if we consider context? I think not. A reprimand will ensure that neither band makes the same mistake again. On the subject of fairness, perhaps Rowlett should have been allowed to advance. I don't know, as I wasn't there. I do have a question for all of you who feel penalization should be strictly enforced. If Rowlett were allowed to continue, would you really still be arguing that the rules should be upheld, or would you be satisfied? Perhaps you will say, it doesn't matter. Rules are rules. Still, I can't help but wonder.

This is ridiculous. Many of you are throwing accusations and judgments around without (a) even knowing all the facts and (b ) knowing the rules. So, without further ado, here are the rules in the question:

I'm confused as to why so many people are dogging on Cedar Park. Have they not come out ahead of every other band in Ensemble Music or overall music at both of their contests? Didn't one of those include Marcus? There must be something there that degreed professionals hear and like. Obviously they still have a few things to correct, but it's still only the second week of contest. I saw some great bands at Westlake, and all of them deserve credit where credit is due. Visually, I think they also have one of the most demanding shows as well, so comments like "park and bark" and "too many halts" are a bit unjustified. As members of their organization have mentioned, the halts that are included in the show are appropriate for the music that's being played, and isn't that the most important aspect of marching band? The playing? I certainly will not accuse anyone of this, but it sounds as if there are some sour grapes. While I do have my favorites, I'm routing for all bands to perform well. You all know how much blood, sweat, and tears are put into this activity, and I think everyone deserves to be supported (not critiqued) by their high school peers. Students can't do much with "helpful comments" anyway; that's the responsibility of judges and directors. On a side note, I was very impressed with Dripping Springs last night. I've never had a chance to see them perform, and I have to say that I was very pleasantly. As an up-and-coming 4A program, they represented themselves well.

Cedar Park is marching 144 wind players, while Coppell generally marches anywhere from 160-180. Bear in mind that balance and intonation play a HUGE part in how well a band can project. Coppell doesn't focus on matching so much, Marcus focuses on a more symphonic sound, and Cedar Park takes the aggressive concert band approach. Coppell will no doubt be able to match Cedar Park's volume by State, but they'll be hard pressed to sound as good doing it.

The Poteet Pirates... : )

I had a chance to see Cedar Park perform a few weeks ago when they put nearly the entire show on the field. They can give Marcus a run for their money in the Music caption at the very least. For the middle of September they sounded phenomenal: super clean, very well balanced, fantastic pitch, great style, awesome tone. I'd go as far as to say they'll capture one of the top 2 spots for Music along with Marcus, barring any mishaps. Visually, they still had some things to work on, but they've had plenty of time to clean. In an ideal world, I'd place them in the top 3 very easily.

Since when does whether or a show is interesting or not determine the most successful group at this contest? It's always been about pure precision. Specifically concerning Coppell: 1) That's a negative comment that I'm sure no one from Coppell or even many people on these forums appreciate. 2) It's not even October, and they have their entire show on the field. Obviously, they haven't had time to get it up to the full tempo, so energy will no doubt come from a more fast-paced performance. 3) They have a GE caption award from a contest attended by several competitive BOA bands that disagrees with you. Please be careful before you post opinions online, as they can be inflammatory or misinterpreted. Sometimes it's best to either explain your reasoning fully or withhold the comment.

Cage was not composing a piece that was pure silence for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. The point was that people, in their concentration on the performer (who does things like get up to open and close the piano lid), would become very aware of every sound in the performance space during that time period. It is the sounds of the audience themselves that create the music: breathing, coughing, a creaking chair, etc. Aleotoric music at its best! : )

Just a little tidbit on SCV's closer. Their drill writer was extremely late in getting the sets to them, so they took out all the stops and put the entire closer on the field in less than 48 hours. The first run of the entire show was the performance at the end of the second day, and they've only just now gotten a chance to rehearse again after several days of nothing but traveling and performing. With that said, they're also tweaking the overall design of Soul. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do this evening in Idaho now that they've had time to clean. Also, just an interesting piece of trivia, they have a total of 207 sets this year...

The full results for Area D 2C: Grisham MS Bailey MS Forbes MS Coppell MS West Coppell MS East Tomball MS

...the audition cuts that are passed out to those who qualify AT the Area audition are from the actual concert pieces.

Might I also add that, by judge's preference, Midlothian was 4th and Heath was 5th. The tie was not broken, and the bands were listed in performance order rather than actual place order.

Area C 4A Finalists: Forney Lindale Midlothian North Lamar J.J. Pearce Poteet Rockwall Heath Biggest surprise to me was that Waxahachie, who usually advances to State, didn't advance to finals. Rockwall Heath has an incredibly demanding visual program and performed well all around. Midlothian was the cleanest I've ever seen them, and Lindale (who marched and played very well) seem as though they could be in the middle of a transition from military-style to corps-style. I didn't get a chance to see Poteet or Pearce, but I imagine they will both put forth strong performances. The bad news: only 2 bands advance from Area C this year due to some DNAs.

Would anyone who was there care to fill me in on all the gory details of Coppell's performance? I wouldn't mind hearing about Bell either. Thanks!

That was the BOA Fall Preview. This was a totally separate contest...one of three Midlothian is now hosting. When I was there 6 or so years ago we used to go to other schools and actually compete. We even won a few of them...I just can't imagine why a director would not want his band competing, especially on a State year.

If anything, I would say that Bell's arrangements were more complex. Marcus had fairly simple arrangements of straightforward, classical pieces. The kids at Marcus played the crap out of the show, but it wasn't a difficult show. You must also consider what physical requirements are affecting the music. Bell was running around the field for most of their show (literally!). Marcus had fairly simple drill that didn't strain their musicianship. So, it really depends on where your preference lies. Do you like the solid concert band approach that Marcus takes, or do you prefer the all-out pageant approach of Bell?

Count 1 - I'm not sure about that Count 2 - Definitely not. Akins is in south Austin and Berkner (where Jed teched) is in Richardson.

That's terribly unfortunate, but it doesn't mean you're doomed. The school I worked with the past three years has over 300 and only just hired a full-time percussion instructor. Before that the percussion isntructor was paid for by the band boosters, and the Guard Instructor is still paid for by the boosters. So, there are always options if the parents are up to the challenge. Good luck at your school board meeting, though. SGP has had some noticable improvement in the past few years, and it would be a shame for you guys to repeat the whole director change process.

Berkner ranked 2nd and Poteet 4th.

Depends on what you want. I have two versions for band. One is by the US Air Force band performing the older arrangement, and the second is Coppell performing the new Patterson arrangement that University of Houston premiered last year at TMEA. I prefer the Patterson arrangement over the older version, but it's your choice.

I agree about concert band. The tape I heard of your top band at Area last summer was extemely well done. Unfortunately, the Area itself was full of other powerhouse bands, such as Duncanville, Haltom, Coppell, and to a certain extent Richland, so Martin was often overlooked. I bet we'll begin to see some tapes from Martin at the State Honor Band level now due to the new Area alignment.