abtwitch

If I had to mention every program to look out for this year and should be in contention for Area finals: AndersonLiberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA)McCallumBastropComal CanyonDripping SpringsGeorgetownBuda JohnsonLehmanConnallyHendricksonPflugervilleWeiss Seguin That's 14 very solid programs and we've already seen some great showings from a good handful of them this season so far. I'll split them up into a few groups. Austin ISD: Anderson had a stellar show at BOA Austin, best I think they have sounded in nearly 8 years. Fix some timing issues and this program should have a good shot at state. LASA is in their first year as a standalone campus (formally combined with Austin LBJ) and while they are noticeably smaller, they still have a great sound. McCallum just won CapCity for the second year in a row and you can tell why if you go to the CapCity instagram and watch their full run (you can see all of finals there in surprisingly good quality). Pflugerville ISD: Connally is coming off a strong 3rd place finish at CapCity, they seem to have shrunken since 2019 but still have a really round and controlled sound. We saw Hendrickson miss finals by a fairly narrow margin at BOA Austin with a much improved performance from 2019; we'll be them seeing again this weekend at Midland where they will be in the running for the gold. Pflugerville has always been competitive at UIL regardless of what classification they are and it's safe to assume they'll remain that way this year after a solid performance at BOA Austin. Weiss is off to a fantastic start to this marching season, with a 2nd place finish at BOA McAllen and a finalist appearance at BOA Austin; they are one of the few bands I'd consider to be a lock for state so far. Other Newcomers: Whether they're a new school or have moved down because of a new school in their district pulling enrollment, we have a couple new names that could really make a splash. Starting off this group is Canyon, who has had a significant portion of their enrollment taken by the new Comal ISD school Davenport (currently 4A); they nearly made Area finals in 2018 in 6A, so needless to say they should do very well in 5A. Next is Buda Johnson, a new school in Hays CISD in their 3rd year and their first with seniors; in 2019 they had a fantastic showing at BOA Austin with just freshmen and sophomores, and so far this year they won the Charger Marching Classic and I've only heard good things about them. Lehman is also from Hays CISD and was a significant enrollment pull for Johnson, they have been a very solid program at times and with a good year they could really make an impact at this contest. Old Faces: Dripping Springs has been a consistent state qualifier for many years, getting as high as 2nd at state in 2017; even if they aren't at the same level as they were, they are still a strong contender here. Georgetown was another program that made state in this Area in 2017 with a very entertaining show and after a 6th place finish at BOA McAllen this year, you can safely say that they will be a strong contender again. Dark Horses: I have two programs that I have my eyes on as dark horses, the first being Bastrop who made Area finals for the first time in 2017 and has grown as a program significantly since then; if you saw their performance at BOA Austin, you know the amount of potential these kids have. The other dark horse is Seguin, who I admittedly don't know a lot about but they did make Area finals in 2019; even with more competition, Seguin will more than likely be able to make a strong statement this year. Other Shout-outs: There are a couple programs that I wanna mention even though I don't quite consider them contenders in this competitive Area. First is Crockett, who has been recently been making a comeback of sorts; you can find their 2019 show on YouTube and I personally was very impressed with their sound, hopefully they have maintained that progress through COVID-19. The second group I want to shoutout is Lockhart, a band that was until fairly recently making 2s at UIL region; this program has been improving a lot and that can be seen most evidently through their fantastic guard, who just finished 2nd in the caption at CapCity.

The spreadsheet nerd in me loves this and will 100% be using this

Gotta say, Roma that low is really confusing to me.

I really hope you're not calling the contest being delayed "lame" cause kids were getting hurt out there.

I'd imagine prelims, but I'm not positive. 90% sure prelims will work.

That would make sense as they are signed up for CapCity now

lemme check... uhhh... Don't think so ?

Think about it like this: Imagine if someone in the txbands.com live blog put "I'm extremely unimpressed with this program, next" when talking about a smaller program in a different position than the BOA powerhouses they're competing against. People would get outraged and rightfully so, some of the kids marching read that stuff and it often means more to them than their actual results. Less kids may read the forums, but they are definitely on here. I would know as someone who has teched at high schools in recent years and is heavily involved in the community. You can criticize any band program and I have plenty that I do voice on occasion, but when making those criticisms you have to put yourself in the shoes of those performers and think about how they would take them. Condescendingly saying a program "needs help" when you have positive things to say about every other program at an event is crossing that line. This isn't a "muh freedom of speech" thing, it's a "understand that your words do have an effect on others and you are to an extent responsible for those reactions" thing.

Absolutely, they'd have to improve drastically to qualify for finals this year, but based on what I've seen it's more likely than most would think.

The Indiana band I've got my eyes on this season is Brownsburg. Not only do they sound better than they ever have for this early in the season, but their show is by far my favorite out of what I've seen this year. Everything about the show just hits perfectly. Visually, they have some of the most striking and appealing uniforms I've ever seen and their props of the same color are like trees and move around the field with members climbing on top of them. Musically, they create a such a diverse soundscape that puts every section on show. And they only have half their show! Very excited to see what this program can achieve this year.

It's updated now, don't know what the issue was but it now lists both contests being at the Alamodome.

I have been notified Flower Mound will be at the HEB Marching Contest on October 2nd, are they doing both competitions?

The spreadsheet is updated to match the information on all of the calendars I have been able to get access too, as well as requests both in the replies and by email.

So I'll probably be going here, got a good friend who is student teaching with a program that will be in attendance. Really excited to finally see some more west Texas bands live after 4 years of being in Abilene.

Weiss over Westwood, bold

I did the spreadsheet in 2019 and started one for this season, but I'm a little burnt out so I haven't kept up with it super well. I gave editing permissions to a friend and I'll let him post it if he thinks it's properly up to date.

I'm pretty sure they will actually be a AA band in BOA

Now that I'm out of school for the summer and have more time on my hands, I have gone back to old spreadsheet ways. My project this time was creating a sheet to show every school in every region and what they have achieved at region in recent history, as well as tracking schools that are advancing to area and state. In the past I've seen various threads tracking results from individual or multiple regions, but never anything that has everything in a single thread. Once the season starts and region registration info comes in, I will update it to show which schools are attending. Later in the season I will grant editing access to trusted members who will be at region/area events and will be able to update the spreadsheet as the results come in live before they get posted online. Other than that, feel free to let me know if I have any errors in the spreadsheet as going through as much information as I have in relatively short amount of time there is bound to be some mistakes. If you have any other suggestions for info to add, let me know and I'll look into it. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hwEkOrRGGxd7ENvbbAb8tudAIFAIeY-ioz8M-xWiG2w/edit?usp=sharing EDIT: I made a second spreadsheet to track the region results by Area, it also has a calendar attached so it's easier to visualize when contests are happening. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zr5UfrRdfXCtw2f-DVBWbim6uTtCnG4zwFev_9MNdwU/edit?usp=sharing

Super glad to see Norwin back!

There's a very handy page on Facebook specifically for this! You can either search through posts from directors or advertise yourself. https://www.facebook.com/groups/301842433556327 You should just be able to request to join and post right away.

I had the privilege to see their wind ensemble perform live in 2020 weeks before the pandemic hit, so I also have been incredibly excited for what the future holds for them.

I definitely wouldn't be too surprised if that happened, but as of now I think it is a safe assumption that Friendswood will take first dominantly. Only band I could see surpassing them based on their current trajectory is Fulshear. Going from never making 5A state finals to beating a top 6 band is a HUGE stretch, but anything is possible in the world of high school band.

Not to diminish the outstanding performance of this incredible first year band, but for the sake of accuracy, no Jordan would have not qualified for state. Only 11 bands qualified for Area, meaning only 2 would advance to state. Not to mention the DNA band was Foster, and Friendswood abstained from UIL altogether. All my nitpicking aside, considering Area E will likely be taking 3 bands to state this year, Jordan is definitely in the conversation for being within that top 3. Barbers Hill, Churchill Fulshear, Friendswood, and Foster will definitely keep things interesting, however. I love the storylines coming out of the 5A Houston bands and want them all to succeed, so bringing it back around to the original topic of the thread: I am pumped to see [insert basically any 5A band in Area E or I here] this year. Edit: I completely forgot Kempner is 5A now! Gees Area E is gonna be a bloodbath for those last 2 spots behind Friendswood.

The 4As, if 2020 is what they can do during a pandemic, then I'm almost terrified what by what they can do this year. Some particulars: Burnet: Had a re-breakout year under a new director, going to be returning to BOA. Wills Point: They had an amazingly design show in 2020, makes me excited what they have planned for BOA Grand Nats. Melissa: This band just keeps getting better and better, probably my 4A favorite show from 2020. Canyon: Their state performance was underwhelming in the second half, but their opener was legitimate state champs material. Calallen: It's always great to see Corpus Christi bands in the spotlight and I hope to see them build on their success from the 2020 season. Argyle: This one's a given, their state performance was absolutely unreal and if they continue down that path they'll be competitive in 5A when the eventually move up. Lake Belton: Year 2 of this band in existence, I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on them.

Argyle. The entire show.