AllenBandDad

While we’re still awestruck at what the LISD bands are doing, let’s not ignore what’s happening in Frisco.
Lone Star to Wakeland is 2.8 miles door to door.
Lone Star to Panther Creek (4A silver, will be 5A by ‘25) is 2.3 miles door to door.
Lebanon Trail is just across town.
While we salute the kids and these programs, let’s not ignore the feeder schools — those three schools (LS, Wake, PCreek) actually SHARE kids from some middle schools, which is stunning in its own right — that instill this love of music and band.
just an incredible few nights for these neighborhood kids.
Congrats to all …

Four Frisco bands in state finals if you include 4A Panther Creek.

Four Frisco bands in state finals if you include 4A Panther Creek.

Four Frisco bands in state finals if you include 4A Panther Creek.

This story is from last May.  My son is the new assistant band director at this school now, and is excited to be working with both a terrific head director and at a school where the administration supports and really understands the value of music education:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/i-truly-went-in-as-a-beginner-frisco-middle-school-principal-has-been-learning-clarinet-all-school-year-with-6th-graders/287-fda2d06d-d40d-4129-a57f-8e884b8fe0a2

This story is from last May.  My son is the new assistant band director at this school now, and is excited to be working with both a terrific head director and at a school where the administration supports and really understands the value of music education:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/i-truly-went-in-as-a-beginner-frisco-middle-school-principal-has-been-learning-clarinet-all-school-year-with-6th-graders/287-fda2d06d-d40d-4129-a57f-8e884b8fe0a2

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

If (when) the UIL creates 7A, they will also have to decide if 7A will be separate division for marching band.  I assume they will do so, and potentially create Division I and II for the lower classifications as well.  I think the 7A classification will be at most 125 schools (i.e. roughly half the size of other classifications), and maybe even smaller.
I wonder, though, if only school size is the best way to classify for marching band.  The UIL has already added a state contest for military marching bands.  USBands held the inaugural "Show Up and Show Out" contest this year for Traditional/Showstyle marching bands (which was won by Cedar Hill, who are an outstanding showstyle band.  They got a standing ovation from the Allen crowd after their halftime show when CH visited Allen this year).  Maybe it would make sense for the UIL to have three marching style state champion contest tracks (Corp, Show, and Military) instead of creating 2 divisions in each classification.  I'm betting there are a fair number of high schools that are currently doing corp style shows that would change to show style if there was a UIL contest path that supported it.  Like military, show style would have it's own rules/rubric.  For example, the military band rubric specifies no props or electronics are allowed in the show.

The UIL hasn't announced it yet.  After getting all of the enrollment numbers, they will then follow this process:
1) 6A will have at least 220-250 schools (historically always close to 250) + opt ups
2) 5A will be at least 200 schools, with the biggest school being no more than 2X the size of the smallest school
If I remember correctly, the UIL will release the school enrollment numbers and conference cutoff numbers in early December, but they can be revised up until the new district alignments are released in January/February.
My best guess is that 5A will be around 2250 (since Highland Park turned in 2245.5 😉) at the top end, and around 1125 at the bottom.

The UIL hasn't announced it yet.  After getting all of the enrollment numbers, they will then follow this process:
1) 6A will have at least 220-250 schools (historically always close to 250) + opt ups
2) 5A will be at least 200 schools, with the biggest school being no more than 2X the size of the smallest school
If I remember correctly, the UIL will release the school enrollment numbers and conference cutoff numbers in early December, but they can be revised up until the new district alignments are released in January/February.
My best guess is that 5A will be around 2250 (since Highland Park turned in 2245.5 😉) at the top end, and around 1125 at the bottom.

The UIL hasn't announced it yet.  After getting all of the enrollment numbers, they will then follow this process:
1) 6A will have at least 220-250 schools (historically always close to 250) + opt ups
2) 5A will be at least 200 schools, with the biggest school being no more than 2X the size of the smallest school
If I remember correctly, the UIL will release the school enrollment numbers and conference cutoff numbers in early December, but they can be revised up until the new district alignments are released in January/February.
My best guess is that 5A will be around 2250 (since Highland Park turned in 2245.5 😉) at the top end, and around 1125 at the bottom.

If (when) the UIL creates 7A, they will also have to decide if 7A will be separate division for marching band.  I assume they will do so, and potentially create Division I and II for the lower classifications as well.  I think the 7A classification will be at most 125 schools (i.e. roughly half the size of other classifications), and maybe even smaller.
I wonder, though, if only school size is the best way to classify for marching band.  The UIL has already added a state contest for military marching bands.  USBands held the inaugural "Show Up and Show Out" contest this year for Traditional/Showstyle marching bands (which was won by Cedar Hill, who are an outstanding showstyle band.  They got a standing ovation from the Allen crowd after their halftime show when CH visited Allen this year).  Maybe it would make sense for the UIL to have three marching style state champion contest tracks (Corp, Show, and Military) instead of creating 2 divisions in each classification.  I'm betting there are a fair number of high schools that are currently doing corp style shows that would change to show style if there was a UIL contest path that supported it.  Like military, show style would have it's own rules/rubric.  For example, the military band rubric specifies no props or electronics are allowed in the show.

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

A historical aside about Allen High: Back in the late 1990's, the old Allen High building was beyond capacity and the district had to decide on building a second high school or stay with a single high school, just really big.  At that time, Lovejoy ISD did not have a high school, but instead paid Allen ISD to send all of their 9-12 students to Allen High.  As Lovejoy was growing, there had been talk about building their own school, but nothing concrete.  Allen couldn't plan on Lovejoy students coming to Allen High permanently, which made the decision about number and size of a new high school building impossible.  So, Allen basically told Lovejoy ISD that they either had to permanently merge with the Allen ISD or build their own high school.  They decided to build their own school, which then allowed Allen to stay with the one (giant) high school model.
If the districts had merged, Allen would have built a second high school.  Considering the current enrollment of Allen High is 7102, and Lovejoy High is around 1500, the two Allen High schools would each have enrollments of ~4300 students, making them both in the top 10 biggest schools in Texas.

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

It's not going to happen this round (22-24), but the UIL is most likely going to create a 7A classification in the 24-26 realignment round.  This is necessary to relieve the 4A and 5A classifications where most all of the new high schools opening every year are going.  Since 6A is limited to a max of 250 schools, larger and larger schools keep getting pushed down into 5A and 4A.  I would expect 7A will include the 100 or so biggest schools (about half the size of the other classifications).
The interesting thing will be how TMEA/UIL handles the addition of 7A for band.  Will they treat them completely separately, with their own marching band region/area/state track, or lump 6A and 7A together?  With more schools growing out of ATSSB (4A and below) into TMEA, will they add an additional All-State band?  If so, will it be a 7A track, with the option for 5A and 6A students to opt up?

You know, with all due respect, I'm really tired of these kind of back-handed complements for the Allen band.  There is no reason why they can't be competitive at the size they are.  They are putting shows on the field with designs that would be impossible for a smaller sized band.  Instead of trying to do what everyone else does, just at larger scale, they are using their size as an asset.

I'm just hoping that my daughter gets to have some semblance of the college marching band experience this fall during her freshman year at Stephen F. Austin.  My son had already decided to not be in the Texas Tech Goin' Band this coming fall before all the COVID-19 mess hit.  I'm really glad he still has two more years left before having to find his first band director job.  I'd hate for him to be looking for a job right now.

At Texas Tech (where my son is a Music Ed major), there are four concert bands, with band placement by open audition.  Non-music majors are welcome to audition.  The four bands are Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and University Band.  The University band is generally made up of non majors.  It is less demanding in terms of rehearsal and performance time commitment.  At lot of marching band members do University Band in the spring semester.  The other three concert bands are almost exclusively music majors because 1) the music majors place higher in the blind auditions and 2) non majors, even when they have the chops to make a higher band, don't have the time to commit to it.  My son is in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.  It is a 1 hour credit class, but they rehearse 6 hours per week, have at least 3 performances each semester (with at least 1 hour of music programmed), and are expected to practice individually several hours per week.
My daughter will be attending Stephen F Austin this fall (not majoring in music).  She is planning to be in the Lumberjack Marching Band in the fall, and the SFE equivalent of Tech's University Band in the spring.

I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Allen High will remain in 6A 

In region 25, they have a separate 9th grade All-Region band. Since Region participation is so high, they set this up so that more 9th graders have a chance to experience the region clinic and concert. 9th graders can also audition for regular high school All-Region, which happens a few weeks later. If they make 9th grade AR band, then make High School AR, they give up their chair in the 9th grade band, and everyone else moves up a chair. Typically, 9th graders who initially make top chair placements in the 9th AR band end up making it into High School AR.

Yep.  The UIL broke with their precedent of always maxing out 6A at 250 schools plus opt ups.  They originally had it at 248, which conveniently kept Highland Park out of 6A.  Then when the McAllen schools were corrected, they set 6A to 245, again seemingly to keep HP out of 6A.  

Great story from Allen: High schooler with vision impairment marches with Allen band