Shadow Weaver

You bring up some intriguing points, because I think here is where we broach a terribly interesting topic: what is it that we are really judging? BOA and UIL play off each other so well when the topic of biased judging comes into play because two biases, both valid in their own ways, can find themselves at odds. I love both judging systems and appreciate their differences, but they have to be recognized. I believe that BOA approaches their judging with an emphasis on the artistic and creative advancement of Marching Band Arts. This is a lofty goal that yields many fascinating interpretations and stretches the more subjective aspects of art and taste. Innovation and boldness is encouraged and admired such that events are always dynamic. UIL seems to me more cerebral and less interested in artistry past a commitment to teaching the fundamental art of performance in the moment. In that respect, UIL focuses much more on the interaction between student and teacher as well as the product of discipline, dedication, and technique. Great bands have both creative artistry and technique, but in a teaching environment, how much emphasis should be focused on the artistic sensibilities of the director? Depending on how each of us personally judges a band, we will often draw different conclusions as to how we might rank a particular band, but it is useful to remind ourselves of how we might approach our opinions of the bands while also remembering that there are other, valid ways to think about any group in particular. Just another tangent as we approach UIL 6A State and the judging disparities that are bound to occur.

Strangely, I felt as though I didn't agree so much with the placements of the finals panel of judges. I'm willing to bet that placements for the bands at BOA SA going to State will be markedly different for some groups.

Strangely, I felt as though I didn't agree so much with the placements of the finals panel of judges. I'm willing to bet that placements for the bands at BOA SA going to State will be markedly different for some groups.

Dirt can kill, but I wouldn't say regardless of difficulty. Churchill and New Braunfels were two good examples at Area D Finals. Churchill had a difficult program that was short on execution whereas New Braunfels had a slightly less difficult program executed very well and ended up tying with Churchill for 7th in Finals. After the tie-breaker, Churchill came out on top. However, if you start to compare CTJ and RR directly, their difficulty levels are comparable, but Reagan was executing at a higher level, hence their final placements. I'm not saying that CTJ can't or won't catch up, but given that both RR and CTJ were scoring very similarly at earlier competitions, it would seem that CTJ will need have a focused week.

After having seen the Area D competition, I believe that, barring major cleaning and refinement (and maybe more than 8 hours of practice), C.T. Johnson will not be fifth place at BOA San Antonio, nor will Hendrickson be so low. CTJ's show is so fun and creative, but it seems to have fallen behind in terms of execution. They were a solid 5th at Area D.

My favorite shows were easily Hendrickson and Ronald Reagan. Solid sounds, beautiful execution, and great technique. Cedar Ridge had an excellent finals run after being late to preliminaries due to a transportation mishap, and Westwood can really play. Round Rock and James Bowie are such talented ensemble groups. There was not a weak band in finals, and even preliminaries was filled with strong performances. All in all a fun day of band.

As the only band never to have made finals in the former 5A/now 6A Area D, New Braunfels looked really great! I hope to see more performances from them of that caliber.

1st Alternate: Westwood 2nd Alternate: Winston Churchill

State qualifiers (random order): Ronald Reagan James Bowie Round Rock Hendrickson Cedar Ridge

Contest is over, and state advancers will be announced soon. So many good bands!

Area D Finalists: 8:00pm Hendrickson 8:15pm Winston Churchill 8:30pm Pflugerville 8:45pm Round Rock 9:00pm Anderson 9:30pm New Braunfels 9:45pm Westwood 10:00pm James Bowie 10:15pm Cedar Ridge 10:30pm Ronald Reagan

Finalists won't be announced till 7pm

I arrived halfway through, and of the band's I've seen, CTJ, Reagan, Cedar Ridge, and New Braunfels have been standouts, with Stony Point, Churchill, and Lehman to come. Of those, Cedar Ridge had transportation issues, arrived after their performance time, and had a bit of a rough run, though still very good. I also heard that Bowie, Round Rock, Hendrickson, Pflugerville, and Westwood were standouts during the first half of the day.

wow, well color me surprised. I hadn't seen that link. Getting additional confirmation seals the deal, but it's definitely some of the most surprising news I've heard in many years.

And further proof that CTJ has no plans to pull out of finals: " UIL Area D Competition Meal Deadline, Wednesday, Oct. 26: The meal committee has put together a new meal order for the upcoming UIL Area D competition in Austin on Saturday, October 29. These meals are an optional purchase but we are encouraging everyone to order because students won't have an opportunity to purchase food until the finals competition later that evening (students will be allowed to purchase items from the concession stand while they are watching finals). If you don't want to order a meal, please send food or snacks with your band member for the day and/or send money with them. If you have any questions please contact Kim Freund at jjbandmeals@gmail.com. Please click on the link below to order. Also, if you have a meal credit from last year's playoff games please contact Kim." This is from the Johnson Band Booster page. Sorry guys! Wishful thinking. http://www.johnsonjaguarband.org/web/page.aspx?title=CTJ+Band+Parent+Association

Truly, it makes absolutely no sense for Johnson to perform in Area Prelims but to not attend the finals. Given the prestige attached to a UIL State Title, I'm choosing to wait until the Area D prelims schedule is announced before assuming that we can count CTJ out of an Area Finals/State Berth running.

New Braunfels hasn't generally beat any of the band's on that list with the exception of Hays, Canyon, and Lehman. Their only BOA finals appearance was in 1998, though they did appear at 4A State and Finals a couple of times in the early to mid-2000's. I think their best showing at Area D was in 2008 where they placed 11th just shy of Finals. Needless to say, they would be a surprise group should they advance this year, though they are performing at a higher level this year than years past.

Leander's show was absolutely fantastic, and Claudia Taylor Johnson really stepped up their already high level of performance from Area D last week to overtake an impeccable James Bowie band. What a great finals! All the bands put on a great show, and I really enjoyed my most recent BOA Regional experience. Shout outs are merited for Dripping Springs as well for placing 6th at the Atlanta Super Regional, which Tarpon Springs won. UIL 6A State should be a good show.

My point is that they are different scoring systems that take different factors into consideration. Naturally, a very good marching band will perfom strongly in both circuits, regardless of the criteria. However, bands will move up and down in the rankings of both circuits based on the show's intended audience. Am I the only one that remembers the early parts of this millenium when performing bands like Ronald Reagan would do significantly better at BOA (even ranking top 3 at BOA Houston) the same year in which they failed to advance to state (or maybe it was state finals)? The same can be said about Duncanville in the early 90's before they stopped participating in BOA altogether. Even Shine himself has stated the educational vs. design focus of the two circuits as a major reason for his desire to stop participating in BOA. It's also notable that bands that have introduced new design elements into shows have surpassed better performing ensembles over the course of BOA competitions (Center Grove 1995, Ronald Reagan 2000, 2001). That BOA has a bent toward design is not a knock on the system but a statement of fact.

You're right in saying that design is out of the kids' hands, but the fun with BOA is that there is a greater focus on the artistry, pomp, and pageantry of marching band. Sounds like enjoying the UIL State Marching Band competitions is the way for you to go. Being a more educationally-focused competition, you can enjoy the rewarding of excellence and perfection in performance. You have to approach both unique adjudication systems with the fact in mind that they have a distinct place in the marching band world. Once you are comfortable with that fact, you can enjoy each of the performances that much more.

Some food for thought... The consequences for having an ineligible participant for Poteet could have been much worse had this not been divulged but instead discovered. There are consequences to breaking the rules (however unintentional), and Poteet received the minimum punishment available to schools who, for one reason or another, march an ineligible player or play an ineligible football player etc. While not great for the kids who wished to march at State, the self-reporting and the disqualification were absolutely the best course of action for all involved given the circumstances.

It doesn't hurt to remind the venters about the big picture, though. It was a truly great show!

It can be a lot of fun if you've never done it before. The best thing about a regional like this is that essentially all the bands perform at a high level of competition, finalists or not.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that Tech will be performing in exhibition at the conclusion of Saturday's finals bands.

memorable rivalry stretches... Spring/Westfield in the 90's Churchill/Reagan early 2000's Am I just imagining a Bell/Marcus rivalry?