takigan

My mistake....You're right, I was thinking early in regards to Grand Nationals (and even then, I guess it wouldn't be appropriate to refer to SA as "early").....if Marcus were going to Grand Nationals there's a chance they would break the Nationals record....which I don't think should happen unless the band is clearly superior to the last record holder. That's what I was getting at.

My intent is not not to discredit the hard work of our state's kids (I can use 'our' now bc I'm no longer one of them). The kids of Texas are more dedicated than kids from any other state, this is why we can do so well even though we rehearse much less...but if you compare the level of discipline now with the level that existed 15-30 years ago....you'd know kids these days as a whole care less about excellence, care less about structure and tradition than ever before. More like they 'devolve'. As bands as a whole get sloppier they lower the standards to keep the scores high. The same way they dumbed down the SAT because too many kids were failing it and they wanted to raise the pass rate which had been slipping in recent years at that time. Kids these days don't study as much as they used to and teachers spend more time trying to invent new fun ways of presentation to get their kids into the material than they do actually TEACHING. I think this has trickled into the fine arts as well....though I'm not going to go as far to say that directors implemented design concepts purely to cover the increasing precision flaws of their bands? Of course I won't..... Shows have definitely evolved over the years. They're more about design now than about precision and quality. A band that's not perfect but has an incredible show concept, like Cypress Falls, can beat bands who are the epitome of perfection but are boring to watch, like Duncanville. The Duncanville kids don't take to show concept and visuals--that's their philosophy.....but who strived for perfection? Duncanville...but they were still defeated by Cy Falls at the Sam Houston festival. The ethics of this is always up in debate as the scoring philosophies of today's judges are challenged. Such is not the case with DCI and even more mainstream entertainment venues.....like the NFL. Just like with the Super Bowl, all that transpired will be almost entirely irrelevant within a few short years.....do football fans go on about how we should care less about the game and the teams and more about the hard work and dedication of the players who beat out thousands of other players to make the teams they are on today? No....leave that to the players and team managers to worry about how they got there and where they are going. Marching band and Drum Corps contains many different kinds of supporters....kids, who want to do the best they can and make their experience memorable, parents who want to encourage their children to be the best they can be, Staff who have the responsibilities of their position to worry about, but also care about the kids and want them to do well, because they were likely once in the same position, and then you have enthusiasts much like myself who watch the sport for its entertainment value.....it's a hobby; the scores, the predictions, getting to watch all different kinds of productions of art. I was once a competitor myself so I can appreciate the work that goes into these productions. So you shouldn't generalize the activity into just "those who are involved in fine arts".....there's another niche in the activity that appreciates it for its entertainment value, like Football and thus treats it as such. I care about the kids....but I also care about the scores and rankings. I understand the frivolity of it all, but it's still a hobby. I agree....'course personally I don't have any programs I don't like so that doesn't affect me much . I'm looking forward to seeing as many great shows as I can from this season.....Knowing the hard work that went into it just makes them that much more fun to watch.

Thehell? A 96.2 pre-nationals score? WTF? You're approaching Spring '93 Grand Nationals territory at a Super Regional. I haven't seen this show yet but I DOUBT it's Spring '93 or Lassiter '02 good--those bands are clean as heck, and they're marching incredibly hard drill, and their maintaining awesome sounds while they're at it.....I question any show that can approach these legends....Precision and dedication are the only means of attaining those record breaking scores and with how kids in Texas bands these days are sloppier and care less than back in the old days, I don't see how they could even be capable of creating something clean enough to break the old record--even a band as clean as Marcus...especially under the 8-hour rule (which I can't recall whether or not it existed yet in 1993). Giving a score that high this early is an insult to the legends of old that put forth miracles to earn those legendary scores.

Man I love old school breakbeats.....seemed ya'll's percussion arranger likes 'em too. It felt like there should have been one more power chord hit in the end though, the retransitioning from the final hits to the breakbeat should have culminated in the final chord, then a reinstatement to resolve the previous switch-offs from before....I felt like it was about to launch into another breakdown but that was actually the ending. Love the Nobuo Uematsu music......just wish people would choose some different stuff other than the Westfield '04/'05 lineup (FFX ballad was cool!).

This is nuts....you can take that red bar and drag it all the way down into the mid-20s, and you'd still be dealing with bands that are finals-worthy.....a lot of phenomenal bands are going to get the shrug from the judges and walk away from this contest without a finals spot.....heck, you're going to have GIANTS (Langham Creek, Berkner, Spring, Hebron, Cy Falls, Woodlands: College Park; just for example) that are going to be going all out, perform their best show all year and STILL not get a finals spot! Usually one well-versed in which schools are hot and which are not can generally pick 9 or 10 bands that are always going to make it and line them up for this contest leaving 4 or 5 spots that are up for grabs for whoever wants it the most....but this has to be the first regional where you have more surefire hits than there are finalist spots. Crazy!

Because some of the people on this site are so ugly their countenance has the ability to make young children wet their pants. Why don't they let Euphoniums and Saxophones play in Symphony Orchestras?

Or in Bowie's case: "Outdoor Performance Ensemble" hehe....I think that's awesome. And to the poster from earlier, that's not cool how Mr. Stein (Round Rock's BD) doesn't let Round Rock do BOA merely because he doesn't think they're good enough. Contests aren't about winning, and even if you're a band that can't win contests (which is definitely not the case with RR....they may not be BOA Finalist material but they're a very good band with a long tradition of excellence) BOA should be the last contest you should worry about not winning.....or even making finals.....because really (particulary with SA, since it's performed in a dome), it's more about the experience than placements. Bands of America is one of only a few contests that actually turns Band into a serious deal, drawing massive crowds and Marching Arts Enthusiasts into its walls to watch great bands perform....in most contests you have some parents come in, an announcer announces the their band in this boring monotonous slur, there's a light applause and a few 'yays', the band performs, then half the stands empty out as the next band comes in. At BOA, the kids march out into the field in front of 10,000 cheering fans in massive domes that reverberate their sound, a professional announcer excitedly introduces the band over a state-of-the-art sound system firing a surge of energy throughout the festival with each new band....even if they're the worst band in the competition, this is an unforgettable experience that shouldn't be denied these hardworking children if it can possibly be helped.

3 words: LMB (Lick My Balls).

Takigan is Japanese for hawk eye.....dead serious! Actually it's 'Takagan' but I didn't figure it out till later : / .

An asian dude who attended a High School that marched a show to music from an asian videogame, who's name I've seen more times than just about anybody on these forums. And my apologies to Grace....practically every home-schooled girl I've known plays Flute and studies Latin....they often go hand in hand so I entertained the possibility.

Goes to a 4A school with a very well reputed marching band.....she plays the Flute, based on this and her interest in Latin she might have been homeschooled at some point in her life (though I don't assume as much), and according to her profile, has lived through both World Wars and probably drinks a glass of red wine a day to maintain her health.

I don't see an option for "I have to be", which is true for me now (music majors at Sam Houston are required to take 4 semesters of marching band) as well as when I was in High School if I's wanted to be in the top ensemble in the Spring. I didn't like marching band at all in HS, I thought it was a waste of time....here at college it's a lot more fun (except for there's no competitions, which was pretty much high school marching's only redeeming quality), but it takes up a lot of free time and there's other things I could be doing here in college.

The red and magenta text gives off that vibe, no doubt .

Akins is a possibility....this band has come a long way in the past couple years (20 people predict them to make finals so far). umm.....Fossil Ridge? I've been hearing a thing or 2 about them lately (13 people predict them to make finals). Leander (21 people) Georgetown (17 people) Colleyville (42 people....would this really be a dark horse if 1 out of 7 people predicting are expecting them to make it? I think they've made it before too). ...those are a few potentials I think.

Honestly Mr. Sanchez, you flatter me . I almost didn't post it because I thought it made me sound like a snobby know-it-all that people with your level of experience in Marching Arts Criticism as well as some kids from the schools being criticized would knock me around for. I'm glad I posted it though, it was a great contest .

i would guess "narration" is synonymous with "speaking voice" and thus would have to be performed real time. So basically all electronically produced "voice" has to be performed in real-time. You know, even though this law exists, I think it would be really hard to enforce it. If a band uses a prerecorded sound, you'd have no way of knowing unless it were REALLY obvious (like, using a recording of some famous actor or political figure). You could always have someone lip sync to a voice recording to make it seem like they're producing the sound, or you could have several kids mulling over a keyboard all acting like they're working together to create this complex texture when it's actually prerecorded. The judges have no clue what kind of sound setup you're using, so they really can't tell. Besides, how do you classify prerecorded? I mean synthesizers can be programmed with instruments derived from real life samples so that every key you press is simply that recording, just raised or lowered in pitch. What's the difference between pressing a 'C#' black key and having an organ tone belt out, and pressing that same key and having a recording of some elaborate thunderstorm burst from the amplifiers in the key of C#? Most of the realistic built-in instrument tracks we hear from synthesizers were at least somewhat derived from a recorded sample. In reality, anything that doesn't sound like it came from a 1980s videogame is polyphonic (multiple-sound/voice) in texture.....so how do you differentiate between a polyphonic sound that was synthetically made or a reproduced sound (which is also polyphonic by definition)?

Well said!

My review (In Finals Performance Order): Cypress Fair: "The Mystery of the Hidden City" by Satoshi Nagisawa One thing I remember about this band, is that they were loud.....their drill was a tad shoddy and their upper body carriage could use quite a bit of work, but they had a good sound that carried. The stickler for this group was the Colorguard, I liked the color contrast in their outfits, their flag choice, their masks etc......this getup complimented their show very well in all of its chaos and elements of Asian mysticism. Cypress Springs: "Sol a Zu" Mad props to this band for their use of.....um.....props? This band gets the award for the most original look of the evening....I mean their uniforms are pretty much tribal garb....did their district purchase the uniforms exclusively for that show or are they going to be wearing those for awhile? I don't know, but this combined with their massive tribal "rigs" as I'll call them (basically; massive towers of scrap metal that had been reworked and fitted with animal skins/furs and strung up with world drums...which played an integral part in the show) made for a very unique look....did the judges agree? I don't know that either but nevertheless it was still a very entertaining show that I know must have been a lot of fun to put on. Tomball: "Square One" I saw this band perform a few weeks ago at the Buccaneer Marching Festival (a contest which they won) and their show definitely improved since then. I hadn't heard much about Tomball before, but combining what I've heard from students who attend/attended that school, and the 2 performances I've seen this season, they're definitely having one of the best years they've had in awhile. Their show is centered around different mathematical concepts which utilize the term "square". Their drill uses lots of square and angular formations and their visuals highlight this concept (like "tutting" the arms to form a "square root" sign)....it took me a second viewing to understand how this all fit together but in the end I liked it. Deer Park: "Pastime" Apologies to any of you from Deer Park but this was the one show in finals that I just couldn't get into. The drill was lackluster, a lot of unconfident marching/misteps/out of steps etc. ....the students didn't seem as into it as the other finalist bands. The GE was well used but seemed rather cliche'. The theme is basically a baseball game. The guard was decked out in baseball uniforms. The opening lick of the star spangled banner was very well played by the Trumpet, though the Horn/Euphonium duet not long after needed less Horn and more Euphonium (could barely hear the Euph). The music's redeeming quality was in the ballad, which was very well played and very moving. From a visual perspective; same-old, except for at the very end where a group of guard in the lower left corner of the field smacked a baseball over the band to the opposite right side corner...I wonder how often they had to practice that to make it 100% effective. Pasadena Memorial: "Clocks" Something about this band just screams drum corps....I can't figure out what it is or what corps they remind me of, though there's definitely some stabs at the Cavaliers in there....what with the feathered hats and that rotating box at the end that seems like it was ripped straight out of "Frameworks". Out of all the bands this evening this band was the quietest....they just weren't putting out the amount of sound that you'd expect from a band this size...which though not big, wasn't exactly small here. If I were to say, I'd say that this band hasn't spent a whole lot of time polishing their show as a whole as the drill, being as dirty and unconfident as it seemed, could be part of the explanation for the lack of sound. The lack of visuals in comparison to the other bands is also indicative of a more recently completed show. Oh and one more thing....the flags have pictures of clocks on them!.....lol, sorry I just thought this was funny. Cypress Woods: "X" What is it with bands and giant 7 foot rainsticks? There were 2 or 3 bands tonight in finals that had at least one giant rainstick in their pit. But that aside, I was EXTREMELY impressed with this band.....in your face with loud, intense hits and fast-paced energetic drill with uniform flashes, quick turns, waves....all that jazz! I don't know how they placed but I had them right behind the big 4 (CP, Langham, Falls and Duncanville), which if that turns out to be their placement, would be a great achievement for a band that's only a couple years old. Very nicely done! Duncanville: "Highlights from 'Flight of the Bumblebee', 'Aria', 'Festive Overture'" (there's another one I think I missed....Xenon or somebody fill me in) 8 years in the marching activity and I had never seen Duncanville live....until today, and I must say all the rumors about them are true; They're huge as heck, they're loud as heck, they're clean as heck, and they're.....conservative as heck Cedar Park: "The Pursuit of Happiness" I had heard from various sources that this was another off-year for Cedar Park and they weren't putting out what they're known for, but considering my impressions of this performance in addition to their first place finish in both prelims and finals (with a clean sweep of 1st place lock-ins--which I might add, I would not agree with in the least bit on this part so much that it almost seems political how it turned out) I'd have to disagree with them. This was an awesome and...classy performance, typical of what you'd expect from CP. 8 snares!....a lot, but they were clean. Claire de Lune was very well executed via Clarinet ensemble and the music performance as a whole was very impressive, noticeably in the loud to soft contrasts. The smiley face form with the applause cue from the pit was a nice classy finish ....and the frolicky field exit had the audience giggling . Well done... Cypress Falls: "The Shining" With Cedar Park's show; portraying the epitome of childhood bliss, Cy-Falls's show establishes a campaign to set out and suck all of those sugar and candy feelings straight from the holdings of your very soul! Reminiscent of LD Bell 2006, "The Shining" was definitely a show designed to make little children cry. It's scary! but definitely the crowd favorite for the night (and mine as well). With electronics out the @$$ (microphones on all of their Marimba and Bell resonators....I mean what'll they think of next?!) as well as props (doors!.....it had to be doors!....darn you Cadets 2k5 ) and visuals galore--not to mention the voiceovers (which were prerecorded Langham Creek: (didn't catch the show title) In terms of look and feel, this band and Cedar Park seemed like twins (school colors aside). They're similar in size, style and ability.....I'm not going to bother elaborating further but that's just the impression I get. Clarity with this band! Straight up. This band plays beautifully and with emotion. Their ballad was incredible! definitely the most moving part of the evening....brings a tear to my eye. The visual aspect of their Asian theme worked nicely...Geisha costumes in the guard, and an assortment of wooden poles riveted to the ground, which I assume were supposed to represent a bamboo forest of some sort. Musically and really as a whole I enjoyed this show more than Cedar Park's but I can understand why Cedar Park beat them out. Awesome!

edumacate yourself : http://myspace.com/ericwhitacre oh.....and for good measure: http://www.paradiselosttheopera.com/intro.html

1. Cedar Park 2. Langham Creek 3. Cypress Falls 4. Duncanville ....that's all they announced, though I'm sure someone will get ahold of the full scores sooner or later. I took some notes, so expect a review.....later.

All I know right now is that Cedar Park was first in prelims, Cy Falls came in second...from there I'm not sure, I wasn't paying attention, but I know Duncanville got like 4th or 5th which was really surprising. I'm in my apartment right now getting some grub, getting ready to head back there and watch finals....I think Tomball goes first at 7 or 7:15.

Eric Whitacre......his band stuff, his choir stuff, and his 3 Paradise Lost preview tracks (which I had to use some rather underhanded methods to obtain in mp3 form).....I also listen to a lot of modern piano music and Electronica, along with your typical BOA band or Drum Corps.

I'm extremely curious as to how well Georgetown is going to do. The poster above me posted Georgetown as an "Unknown"...understandable....but under the right circumstances, I do believe they have the possibility to make finals, or at least come really close. Politics is what's going to hold them back, as well as the nature of the BOA judging system.....why do I say that? In 2006 at Area D, 2 judges ranked Gtown 2nd overall in the competition....one judge had Gtown ahead of Cedar Park and Churchill, while the other had them ahead of Ronald Reagan and Churchill (3rd at UIL State)...finals screwed them over and they got 8th overall--how that happened is irrelevant (a similar outcome happened to CP at State).....this year Georgetown placed higher than Cedar Park at Westlake and placed only a tenth of a point behind Bowie--a BOA Grand National finalist....Georgetown's last appearance (and first) at BOA was in 2005 where they got slaughtered at Houston and barely got a first division at San Antonio....they were new to the activity, so they didn't have the political support or the feel for the competition (no one in the band had ever marched in a full-size dome for starters), not to mention they lacked GE elements (26th in music GE and 36th in Visual GE at SA 2k5). The thing with Georgetown is that they've always been a very strong musical band (with 5A Area and State Honor Band finals records under their belt) but like a lot of central texas bands, they basically just march to your typical store-bought show with easy in-house drill with very little creative visual elements which really hurts them in the GE department.....but starting with last year their show started to take on a whole different feel.....they're learning how to utilize GE in a different way than most name-brand bands....they're pulling a very Reaganish kind of approach (or maybe more like Marcus but on a less grand scale).....they're winning the crowd with colorful and intense percussion combined with very strong impact moments in the visual......stuff like suspending a chord in the winds as a sole guard member's sabre flies through the air, and as she catches it, instantly dropping the chord and doing something simple and petite like striking a triangle that stifles an entertained giggle and a hearty applause....basically the techniques the bands of old used to do to win GE before electronics and props became big. Less 'flashy' and more 'classy' I guess you might say. Consistent execution on the part of the band and the right panel of open-minded judges that aren't too caught up in all the amazing bands that have established reputations in the organization;...if these 2 factors line up, Georgetown has the potential to make finals. I could go on...but I'm sure I've said enough for now.

Somebody pulled out earlier today....I didn't get to ask who it was but the Director of Bands here at Sam mentioned it at marching band practice this evening......

lol, you seriously might be on to something Danpod .... one GIANT flag.....wielded by multiple colorguard members.....they'll bring in a couple of those giant, industry-strength Blow Dryers that they use at Truck barns to dry off 18-wheelers after running them through the wash, and use those to create their own synthetic wind so that their ungodly huge flag will have the wind it needs to billow majestically over the crowd.... ....then the ooing and ahhing will commence. You know.....there's a lot you can do visually with an ungodly massive fabric/tarp and the power of wind. I wonder if the white tarp will be making another appearance this year .