aaron067

Unfortunately, the UT School of Music website doesn't list any audition requirements for clarinet (it does for bassoon, flute, and oboe though). The requirements for the other woodwinds vary, but I would recommend that you prepare all of your major scales, your full range chromatic scale, and at least 3 movements (probably two solo selections and one etude) with contrasting style. While you work on that, I would get in contact with the music school and find out if there are any specifications for incoming freshman clarinet auditions. They'll most likely send out a packet with the necessary information in the not too distant future, but it can't hurt to show them that you have some initiative. Work on everything including style and dynamic contrast, but put your focus on tone, technical proficiency, and intonation. Musicianship is obviously important, but it will hardly be noticed if the auditionee is struggling with notes and rhythms; whereas the first three can definitely have a negative impact on the impression you give if they're lackluster. Go well-prepared and I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Can we now go back and see how competitive each area was for those bands? Marcus ended up with only 11, by the way. I originally counted twelve after their English horn player was selected, but the new number comes directly from Ms. Drinkwater.

Texas Music Educator's Association. TMEA hosts an annual convention in San Antonio for all music educators (elementary, band, choir, and orchestra) in conjunction with the Texas All-State Clinics, which is where those students who've made it through the rigorous audition process rehearse and perform with all other top musicians in the state. It's generally believed to be one of the highest honors a high school music student can achieve in Texas. The convention itself is very much like any other state convention, except on a much larger scale. Workshops for the educators are constantly in progress, and all of the Honor groups (band, orchestra, and choir) that were selected from the previous year are invited and required to perform. The convention room floors house hundreds upon hundreds of booths (literally--they're right on top of one another) occupied by all types of companies ranging from fundraising and music to instruments, all things marching band, CDs, flavored reeds, computer software, self-contained practice rooms, and clothing displays that feature some entertaining jokes with suggestions for methods of tuning multiple oboes . Oh! And I can't forget about the huge All-State patches. Those are very important. So, that's TMEA in a nutshell.

True, but I meant only that with Duncanville and Coppell entering the fray, the level of competition will be kicked up a notch or two. What bands were traded out of that Area to make room for two that have both recently won the contest and consistently rank in the finals? Add Westfield to that list, then consider the recent success of Spring and Cedar Park. Five possible contenders for the title in a single Area is just rediculous. Two is understandable, three is acceptable, but four or more makes you wonder what the alignment committee was thinking when they met at TMEA several years ago. Also consider the All-State process. The total number of 5A All-State students sent from each of those regions this past year numbers approximately 15 more than any one Area is capable of sending. So, not only are they screwing over those regions in the Honor Band contest, but there are a number of incredible individual players who won't make it to State just because the number of phenomenal players who will be competing has suddenly spiked upward. Simply put, Area D is the one and only power house Area in the state as far as TMEA is concerned. Sure, other Areas have great programs, but nowhere else is there such a strong conglomeration of outstanding band programs.

It actually makes plenty of sense when you know what districts the Area includes. For example, Area D stretches from Klein and Spring ISDs in the southeastern corner, over to Lake Travis and Marble Falls ISDs north of Austin in the southwestern corner, and all the way up to Duncanville and Coppell ISDs in the north. Baylor is the most centralized location for each of the extreme corners of the Area. What doesn't make sense is why TMEA would place three of the strongest regions in the entire state into a single Area. Can you imagine the bloodbath that will be Area for State Honor Band next year?

Actually, practice makes permanent.

How often do you see a band that ranks in the top 3 in both music and visual not rank within at least the top 5 overall? The musical and visual effects have to be performed accurately in order for the GE to come off. While I tend to agree with the thread, I also understand that GE is a result from both design and execution.

Simple Gifts is a traditional folk song originating I believe from the Quaker lifestyle, but Copland does utilize it in his ballet/concert suite Appalacian Spring. You may want to take a look at the variations he incorporates into the piece. If you're not interested in the classical variety, there are tons of pop/remix-type versions. Amazon.com is your friend!

Actually, I believe they have around 100 alternates, give or take 20. They also have people come and watch them rehearse (i.e. parents, kids doing homework, ect). There's apparently quite a bit of community support for the Allen band.

Some friendly Bell parents at State Finals explained the program to some of our parents: The Ascension The Remaining The Arrival The surprise GN Finals ending seems to fit the theme much better once you consider the finale to the series. I personally can't wait to see how it turns out!

How can any of you be upset over the Prelims results? Did any of you see all of the bands? I doubt it. At least 5 of the bands that made finals were expected to. Of the other 5, two made it two years ago, one has traditionally been in the finals at every SMC except two years ago, another has been impressing people all season, and the last was ranked third going into the finals. If you still want to argue, then think about whether you've seen all of these bands this year or not. Most of you hadn't seen even the top 10 before State, much less the top 15. Even if we were to starting dropping highest/lowest scores, the same ten would have been in the finals with only a few changes in order. The simple fact is that so many bands in Texas have improved over the last two years that there is no longer a small, elite group. There are individual bands that stick out, but the top tier of bands has grown quite a bit since the last 5A State Marching Contest. In the end, this can only mean that the level of achievement (and competition) is increasing throughout the state, which will do nothing but benefit high school band.

Berkner's show included arranged sections of Nimrod in it. As for the post by Moose, he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't know about Langham, but Coppell and Duncanville both had very similar drill by the same designer. Their primary difficult comes from playing music that maintains its original compositional integrity, which means they don't dumb it down to make marching and playing easier. I'm not insinuating that other bands play easier music, but marching band arrangements are written with drill and visual effects in mind. Bands like Coppell and Duncanville put the music first and then have drill designed that can be marched while playing the music. Considering this, both schools are lucky enough to have a drill designer that can write effective drill without making it seem overly complicated, but by no means did either of them have "retarted easy" drill. The simple truth is that they both have directors that know how to clean drill. I'm quite positive that both could play only 50% of the time and march like Bell the other 50% if they wanted to. Note that L.D. Bell is in a class of its own as far as difficulty and success are concerned, though. No one can touch them. Disclaimer: I am in no way supporting the traditional style of Coppell and Duncanville over bands that have chosen to pursue a more contemporary style, simply pointing out why Moose was incorrect in making his rediculuous assumption.

Bowie was making some very nice sounds during warm-up. I didn't hear Martin so I can't compare, but that one rogue marching score is what hurt them in finals.

Here are the results from the Duncanville Marching Invitational: Prelims: 5A- 1 - Coppell 2 - Berkner 3 - Summit 4A - 1 - Poteet 2 - Sherman 3 - J.J. Pearce Outstanding Winds: Coppell Outstanding Marching: Coppell Outstanding Percussion: Poteet Outstanding GE: Coppell Outstanding Guard: Poteet Finals: Coppell 1 1 1 1 2 Berkner 3 3 2 2 4 Summit 4 2 3 3 3 (tie - 3rd by Judge's Preference) Poteet 2 4 4 4 1 (tie - 4th by Judge's Preference) Bowie 7 5 7 5 5 Martin 6 6 5 6 10 Sherman 8 8 6 7 8 Pearce 5 10 9 9 7 Birdville 9 7 8 10 6 Centennial 10 9 10 8 9 Outstanding Music: Coppell Outstanding Visual: Coppell

I've heard the same thing about DeSoto. Sachse is playing well also, and I've heard that Rowlett executed just about everything better than Berkner at UIL. At this point, I wouldn't say anyone is guaranteed advancement except Duncanville because any one of those bands could end up as Alternate. At the moment I think the top six will be Berkner, Coppell, DeSoto, Duncanville, Rowlett, and Sachse.

Looks like the continuation of Bell's show from last year. I could be wrong of course, but it seems to fall into line with the theme. The Ascension...The Remaining. It sounds interesting, at least, no matter who it is.

Coppell's show is straight Hindemith: ----------------------------------- Symphony in E-flat, Mvt. 1 Oboe Sonata Mathis der Mahler, Mvt. 1 Bassoon Sonata Mathis der Mahler, Mvt. 1/Mvt. 3 Watch for a totally different visual side of Coppell this year...While still not Churchill, Bell, or Reagan, they're using a new drill designer with almost half of their show set at a tempo of 180. They're not there yet, but it'll be interesting to see what they can do at BOA on the 8th.

Westfield has had several amplified bassoon solos: '03 was Dead Elvis and '99 was the Rite of Spring. I recall Mesquite opening with Lonely Beach in '01 with an All-State bassoonist, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a recording of that. I'm sure there are plenty of other tonally characteristic bassoon features in marching shows, but I'm not familiar enough with past contest shows from bands statewide. Why do you ask?

I would think so, especially since Cedar Park was originally scheduled to perform at the BOA Arlington Regional before they announced their own contest on the same date.

I had heard that, but remember that I'm also making a small comparison between the middle schools in Duncanville and those in Midlothian where I grew up. Both top groups from the schools in Midlothian were given straight 1's, but, as I've said before, UIL ratings just aren't fantastic tools for measuring actual ability and performance levels because they're almost entirely subjective. Also, Byrd's sightreading ratings were 1 1 1. They're stage ratings, on the other hand, were 1 3 1. Obviously that 3 wasn't deserved, but you also have to wonder if maybe the 1s weren't deserved. Still, that's just one concert out of the year and it could have very well been like Coppell MS North's performance at their contest in San Antonio where they fell apart. You wouldn't expect that from the band that was to be named CC State Honor Band later that year, but it happens.

Well, at the risk of creating an even longer post I'm going to continue our friendly sparring match.

Well, that's good to know. I was worried that we might not be able to expect the same type of sound they've produced in past years. As for their decline, there has definitely been a difference in marching performance quality over the past few years. Honestly, they didn't deserve 3rd at State two years ago. After seeing them perform four times tha year I can say they were certainly top 10 material, but not 3rd. In fact, they were beaten by a 4A band at a contest earlier that year. On the subject of Midwest, well...that was their Wind Ensemble, and you can't judge an entire program by just the top ensemble (though I hope that performance was better than their Honor Band concert last year). The Wind Ensemble may be just as good as it's been in past years, but several of the lower ensembles are not. The middle schools are falling far behind their usual standards, and that will transfer over to the high school within the next few years. Their private lesson program is dwindling, their numbers are decreasing (yes, they have put more than 165 winds on the field in past years), their success in the All-State and State Solo/Ensemble tracks isn't quite what it used to be (although the clarinets are still maintaining their gorgeous sounds and superb technique), and their percussion was pitiful for a band with such an excellent reputation when they performed at the Lone Star percussion contest last Fall. This all may seem a little harsh, but I competed against Duncanville when I was in high school, and I've watched them over the past four years as a Music Ed major. As a whole band program, they just aren't what they used to be. And while I wish it weren't true, I still say the loss of Brian Merrill, who was an associate director there for 25+ years, will not help matters. Unfortunately, there just comes a time when the reign of a powerhouse comes to an end. Take Permian HS. They used to have an incredible program. MacArthur HS in San Antonio won the State Marching contest how many times in a row when it was first initiated? Is that band on anyone's radar anymore? The fact is that Duncanville just isn't the same type of city that it used to be, nor are the standards held as high. I believe the high school was ranked around 60 in the top 100 High Schools in the metroplex this past year when it used to be very near the top. Still, I'd like to be proven wrong. Region 20 can't lose one of only two strong programs, but I suppose only time will tell.

This is second-hand information from a guard director working with a DFW school, so I'm not entirely sure how reliable it is but here goes... Their drill writer, who also writes for Duncanville, told him that Duncanville is marching about 70 less than his largest band, which is only marching around 230 (guard and drumline included). I can think of a few ways to interpret this: 1) Duncanville is marching around 160 minus the guard or guard/percussion, which puts them around 230-240, as well, or 2) Duncanville is marching around 160 total, which includes the massive drill team they use for a guard. Now, I knew D-ville was on the decline with the change in demographics and all (plus they lost the assistant director who acted as the backbone for the program--incidently, he'll now be on the Music Ed staff at SMU), but it's still shocking to think that they could only be putting a band of 160 on the field this year. Perhaps they chose their very best, the select few, to make a push at winning the State Marching Contest again... Thoughts?

I'm afraid you have. Area C doesn't have a list of front runners nearly as long as Area B, though. And it's certainly not the competitive blood bath Coppell and Duncanville came from. Berkner Coppell Duncanville Lake Highlands Rowlett Hm...that's about all I can think of, and all of those come from Regions 3 and 20. Anyone else know anything about Regions 4 and 21?