takigan

What makes Leander ISD so universally successful? 1. Strong administrative support. This is a given. Having all the instruments you need, the staff you need, the facilities you need....this comes in handy to streamlining instruction and increasing teaching effectiveness. 1. Strong elementary fine arts programs. LISD involves their kids in music but also in theatre (which not a lot of elementary schools have) as well as after school children's choirs and other programs. And the kids aren't just singing songs...they're being taught music theory from a very young age. By the time they go into band most kids can read a staff, subdivide rhythms and have a basic understanding of solfege. This allows for beginner band classes to move faster which leads to... 2. Strong middle school band programs. LISD has arguably the strongest middle school band in the country right now (Artie Henry MS), and 2 others have been Honor Band finalists in the last 5 years (Four Points and Stiles). Most of the varsity groups at these schools are capable of reading Grade 4 literature (which is the minimum standard for a 6A top band). When the majority of 9th graders at each High School are already playing at the minimum standard for bands made up of 11th and 12th graders, then there's no where else to go for the next 3 years but above and beyond...and this capability is exponentially multiplied by having.... 3. Visionary band directors...and lots of them. Everyone wants to work in Leander because of how well supported their programs are, which means they're able to hire the best teachers. And if everyone has the best teachers, someone ends up becoming the best band. 4. When the best band comes from a large district and every band has the desire to beat the best band, the best band inspires all the other bands to become even better. As a result, everyone becomes insanely good.

Gotta wait til all Areas are finished with their contests.

Not every school district in the United States treats 9th grade as a high school grade. There are even a few middle schools in Texas that are 7th-9th. Nearly all high schools have at least grade 10 though, and although there are plenty of High Schools that only have 11th-12th (Plano schools as well as the Tulsa, OK schools are a good example of this), almost all of those schools have either a 9th grade and 10th grade campus or combined 9-10 campus that makes enrollment calculation simple. There are virtually no 6th-10th schools or 8-10th schools. So 10th-12th ends up being the most practical standard to apply nationally.

You could also try asking. Crowd-sourcing is another useful feature of this site. Also this: http://www2.uiltexas.org/music/archives/

Merged Area A East Zone into this thread.

Centralizing results doesn't go over very well for those searching the Past Contests forum for old contest results. The first place you want to look is in the contest thread (Area D etc.), and if they aren't there because they were posted in a master thread like this one, they become harder to find. It also clutters things up since many people are only interested in the results from their Area. It also invites discussion for virtually every area which clutters things up even more. I renamed your thread the Area A thread, since we don't have one for all the zones and someone already posted results here. I think I'm going to merge the other zone thread into this one in just a sec.

Richland: 22nd out of 64. They had a Finals-tier Music score though. 14th in Music overall (receiving a higher music score than Lake Central (IN); who placed 8th overall in Finals). 4th Best Music in Class AAA (out of 17).

So while most of us (except for Area A and a few invitationals) are staying indoors this Saturday, I figured I'd maybe start a topic that's a bit different than other general band discussion topics while we wait out the rain . It's no secret who the best BOA AAA and AAAA are. But what about A and AA? UIL 4A Hidalgo HS from Area G has had a reputation for being the premier BOA class 1A band here in Texas. They went to Grand Nationals in '08 (getting a class placement of 4th out of 13 in Thursday prelims....missing Semi-Finals by 2 spots), they got 2nd last year in their class at BOA San Antonio, 1st in their class this year at McAllen. Great band, especially for their size. But the overwhelming majority of UIL 4A and smaller bands don't do BOA. If some of these bands were to do BOA, could any of them dethrone Hidalgo? Could any of these bands be a Grand National 1A class champion? The first band that obviously comes to mind is Argyle. They're the reigning UIL 4A State champion, and would be BOA 1A if they competed. I think with the right timeslot they could net a 1A Top 3 Class Placement in Semis. But are there others I'm sure I'm overlooking. Same for AA. Aledo was the BOA 2A champion at SA last year. But Dripping Springs is 2A as well and could easily be GN semi-finalists and would probably even make a push for GN finals (like how Wakeland almost made finals last year) if they competed. I could see them getting placed in class as well, though bands like Marian Catholic and Tarpon Springs would keep them away from the class gold medal. Again, I'm probably overlooking some others. Converting UIL 4A and 5A bands into BOA classes (9-12 -->10-12) can be pretty challenging (I search the TEA's AEIS database for 10-12 enrollment, though they run 2 years behind). Here's the UIL school list ranking every school by 9-12 enrollment for your own analysis (it's actually a pretty useful resource on its own). http://www.uiltexas.org/files/alignments/2014-RR-Rank-Order.pdf BOA enrollment (grades 10-12) 1A: 2A: 601-1200 3A: 1201-1700 4A: 1701+

Not all time is rehearsal time....especially for alternates who don't have a show spot. There are field entrance/exit rehearsals, time spent aligning and fine tuning wireless microphones, prop assembly, staging, synth programming.....the list goes on. And I was an alternate once my freshman year....the time spent sitting around was endless. It could also get done in July. It's only in the past decade or so that weather has had the ability to render most bands' shows completely useless because of all the electric equipment...I remember for awhile there used to be the problem of powering them on show days....Lots of bands had started using electronics, but they didn't plan on bringing a generator because they just assumed the stadium would provide them power. It didn't always work out that way, so they sometimes went without. Not anymore. We adapted. Now most bands have a generator on standby just in case a stadium doesn't provide power (which they almost all do now, because they all know we need it). We just haven't adapted appropriately for the rain yet...which we've been having more of in recent years; weather cycles and whatnot. There was a school a few years back where when their show started it wasn't even sprinkling. A couple minutes in they were caught in a squall.....ruined thousands of dollars of equipment because they weren't prepared. It shouldn't have to come to that and the risk isn't just something you take a chance on.....it's inevitable for many bands with the amount of time they spend outdoors with sensitive equipment. They've got these hydrophobic sprays for smartphones/tablets now which waterproof them. Not saying that'll work on synths and mics, but y'know...it gets ya thinkin'. These days an iPad can be used as a synth on its own.

With all the elaborate staging and props bands do, I'm surprised more bands haven't constructed rain contingencies and added them to part of the front ensemble setup rehearsal weeks in advance (ie. train your alternates to assemble and hoist a tent in 2 minutes.....put your mixer cart in it.). Get an EZ tent and hoist it over your synths, mics and wood percussion. Modify the speaker carts with special frames where you can easily throw a tarp over it without it actually touching the speaker itself, and still have an opening in the front for the sound and air pressure to escape.

Finals at Indy is tough to crack....Probably the hardest regional retreat to get into next to SA. But the quality drops pretty steeply to resemble the other midwestern regionals once the GN regulars have seated themselves in the Top 15, since Indy doesn't attract much of the GN talent from outside Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. I still think Richland is GN semis worthy...and thus I can see them in the 18-25th range at this contest, despite getting 21st at Arlington. I see Mansfield Timberview in the top half as well despite being 23/32 at Arlington. In other words, the finals tier at Indy is stronger than the finals tier at Arlington.....but Arlington is deeper than Indy top to bottom, which means even the lower ranking bands can do quite well at this contest.

Rain in general is going to be crazy all over the state. TxB is staying home (So no Live Blog ) Have fun kids! .....but in all seriousness though....stay safe.

Merged with the original Area B topic started by sike846 that got lost down the page earlier in the season.

Predictions are up!

Predictions are up!

B, C, and D 5A are up! Someone posted an Area A contest, though it's not indicated which zone it is (not to mention no one has submitted any of the other zones) but in any case, I ain't touching it. I'll let one of the other mods publish A's stuff (Xenon or LKendrick) since that ish' is confusing. Still need submissions for E, F and G. If you're going to submit them, get them done by tomorrow night since I'm not adding anymore after that. Instructions: 1. Click on Predictions 2. Select 'Add Event' 3. Enter in all the info. Please double check everything, especially the 'Date' format. 4. Enter the name of each band under 'Participating Bands'. Every band should be separated by a comma (that's how the system knows how to list them) 5. Double check everything again, submit.

I think the top 4 is sealed (Leander, CP, Vista, Vandy). The 5th will likely be DS, but Connally could contend. McCalllum probably won't be in the top 5 if they lost to Georgetown at VR (Georgetown hasn't been in Area D finals in either 5A or 6A in what...7-8 years? Though I think both them and Eastview have a shot this year.). I think next on the list would be LBJ, and after scoring pretty far behind DS at Westlake, I think they're out of the mix as well.

Hays making finals at DMI is more or less implied due to their reputation at other contests (Namely Area D Finals & the 5A SMBC). The reason they mentioned New Braunfels and O'Connor is that they're lesser known bands from the San Antonio area (New Braunfels specifically) who are actually quite good that aren't typically matched up against the Dallas/Austin bands that compete in DMI.

Added to Predictions. 2015 GMF Prelims Schedule Prelims: Angleton – 11:45 Clear Springs – 12:00 Pasadena Memorial – 12:15 Pearland HS – 12:30 Sam Rayburn – 12:45 Clear Falls – 1:00 Manvel – 1:15 Dulles – 1:30 BREAK Alvin – 2:00 Clear Brook – 2:15 Clements – 2:30 Clear Lake – 2:45 Dawson – 3:00 Friendswood – 3:15 Awards – 3:45

7th overall in Music....Ahead of Bronze Medalist Blue Springs (MO). That's Texas Bands for ya

Any band planning on attending in 2016 is basically beginning their planning stages right around now. I can't imagine Scott Morrison beginning to coordinate such a massive undertaking for Reagan in his first year at the helm (and also with 2016 being a state year). 2017 is certainly in the cards though, especially with their recent explosive success and the fact they went in 2007 & 2012.

Quite honestly I think an incomplete show can actually be more competitive than a complete show. Think about it, Band A spends 50 hours putting 8 minutes on the field, Band B spends 50 hours putting 6 1/2 minutes on the field.....which do you think is going to look and sound cleaner? The incomplete show might lose GE points if intended effects are lost without all the missing pieces in place, but if the show is designed to be performed in smaller iterations of the final product (ie. creating special "tag endings" that can be tacked on to the end of the incomplete show to give it a completed feel) the shorter show will look more polished and function as a completed project of its own.

[Moved to "Upcoming Contests"] Check out Lafayette's after-school rehearsal schedule for October. http://www.lhsband.net/?q=event 13 hours for Oct. 4-10 14.5 hours for Oct. 11-17, 13.75 hours for Oct. 18-25 ...Gotta love the 8 hour rule here in Texas

I still call it BOA Houston. It's a Houston area regional and it was called that back when it was held in Pearland... The stadium is not technically in Conroe, it's in Shenandoah, which was swallowed up by the Woodlands...though calling it "BOA The Woodlands" just sounds awkward. Students in Shenandoah attend the Woodlands: College Park and Oak Ridge HS, which are also both in the Woodlands, but are apart of Conroe ISD, which is HQ'd in Conroe, Tx who also owns the stadium. So to be outside the confusion I just call it BOA Houston.

My thoughts have changed on this over time, and if I may tangent a bit on the concept of time before getting to my real point....I'm sure this applies to the increasing number of fans of this activity that accumulate year after year since the 80s; when high school marching band competitions became a celebration of achievement as much as a test or measure of achievement. Audiences have changed....I was talking to Daniel about this at BOA Austin, but we both felt that in the time since we ourselves had been regularly attending BOA competitions (6 years for me, at least 10 for him), the audiences have gotten smarter. In 2005 there were multitudes of people who after losing would say things like "*grumble *grumble* Well THEIR show had props! That's why we lost!". If you look at forum posts from this era (90s - mid 2000s) this was a prevailing opinion. Now, you don't see it as much. If this were true, all the bands with props would be in finals, while the bands without them wouldn't....or at least there would be a concentration gradient that reflected that trend. In practice this isn't really the case...the distribution of props/no-props among bands in a prelims recap is actually pretty consistent 1st place to last. And the truly successful bands that only use props on some years still enjoy similar success on years where they don't use them. Social media made such observations accessible to everyone, and people became educated on the issue....and they quieted down about it. There also was a lot more inflow/outflow of spectators after each band....most people didn't care about the activity much beyond that their children were into it. Now we're seeing a lot more parents willing to sit through huge stints of prelims, post about it on social media and read other's opinions on it who had more insight than their own, and learn from the experience. Some parents who were in band themselves in communities with a long tradition of BOA attendance (NEISD, LISD, Spring ISD etc.) who've also staggered their family planning (3 or 4 kids over 8-12 years) and raised all their kids in competitive band programs have become extremely educated on the events and process....some could probably judge a marching contest themselves and it would resemble a judge scoresheet. But on to my point....my opinion has changed. I (and I assume many others) used to think GE had a lot to do with how "cool", "artsy" or "en vogue" the show was designed to be....that if you did something cutting edge, that it pushed the medium and raised your score. I now think it has more to do with how each moving part of a more complex show can serve to create a far more powerful, moving, product (visual or musical) if every student performs their specific role to its maximum potential....In the old days a single saxophone player had 3-5 separate short selections of music to learn that were part of an undefined overarching performance, and 40-70 sets of drill (averaging 16 counts per set) in a 7 1/2 minute "show" peaking at about 172 BPM....at the end of the season she might be given a half dozen different visual maneuvers to incorporate at various points in the show. Nowadays, that same saxophone players is given a single packet of music divided into several parts containing musical ideas from 6-9 different composers that are woven into a single 7-11 minute "production"...she'll perform music for about 8 minutes of it, the remaining 3 minutes consisting of 4 separate silent ballet-esque subsets performed to different instrumental groups carrying the melody, 17 different horn visuals taught by 2 different visual techs and a 45 second long interpretative dance number taught by the choreographer in tandem with the colorguard containing 20-30 individual visual ideas...she'll have to learn 75-200 sets of drill (averaging 8 counts per set) performed at speeds of up to 190 BPM. But I want to reiterate that it isn't the difficulty that makes these types of performances win out or the mere fact that there's "lots of notes" or "lots of different ideas".....it's that when executed at a high level, each small part resonates with the other small parts, which echo endlessly one idea to the next to enhance the effect the performance has on the audience moreso than a much simpler production. It's the broad spectrum of elements working together to create something more meaningful than what a single note or single step can do on its own. This applies to both every snippet of music written into every part by the show designer to give the most riveting grande climactic moment to the subtleist....and also to the drill and choreo; every step and every interpretive element written not only to enhance the music, but to portray the central theme, which, in turn gives meaning back to the individual parts.