TWHSParent

I did think they are gearing the show more for UIL. It's the first thing I thought about when seeing it. Not so much safe, but more of what the UIL judges will like. Nothing wrong with that!

They have their best show for several years - not "safe" like some of their recent shows. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Flower Mound was too "safe" with this show to knock off Hebron at a BOA contest. I'm not surprised they took visual. They are focusing on UIL, and I think it shows. This Flower Mound show will be a beast for UIL state.

I don't mean "safe" in a negative way. To me "safe" means designing to what UIL rewards, and it is safe because Texas bands do that type of design all the time. They will still do well in BOA (obviously), but it won't knock off the top shows with a BOA focus.

They have their best show for several years - not "safe" like some of their recent shows. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Flower Mound was too "safe" with this show to knock off Hebron at a BOA contest. I'm not surprised they took visual. They are focusing on UIL, and I think it shows. This Flower Mound show will be a beast for UIL state.

They have their best show for several years - not "safe" like some of their recent shows. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Flower Mound was too "safe" with this show to knock off Hebron at a BOA contest. I'm not surprised they took visual. They are focusing on UIL, and I think it shows. This Flower Mound show will be a beast for UIL state.

sorry i hauled a** after Reagan. they were excellent!! id have it bw them and twhs, which prob means it'll be a ctj sweep lol. hoping to see both Pearland and B-land in top half!!!

twhs was great!! guard pulled most of their tosses alas but understandable. windy.

So, the Leander Festival of Bands is one of my favorite shows of the year. Not a contest but this is a great thing. The students are loose and the crowd is generally even more supportive than at most contests. 

 Here's links to each band's performance in order of performance (I may have swapped Tom Glenn and Leander) from 10/2/2023

Vista Ridge Rangers Hornrank #12:  
Rouse Raiders Hornrank #6
Cedar Park Timberwolves  Hornrank #15
 
Tom Glenn Grizzlies:
 
Leander Lions Hornrank #31

Vandegrift Vipers Hornrank #6
Now, I don't watch the video as I am videoing so if something goes out of screen I apologize. I'd just rather watch the show than watch the show through a screen when I am in the stadium. 

Foster was AAA at Shenandoah this past weekend. So likely to be there here as well.

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Oak Ridge H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Foster H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
8:30 p.m. – Seven Lakes H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Wylie East H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Clear Brook H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Dawson H.S., TX
9:30 p.m. – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Friendswood H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Klein Oak H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – College Park H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Midland H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Frenship H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Randall H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Loveland H.S., CO
8:30 p.m. – Lubbock-Cooper H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Colleyville Heritage H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Permian H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Mustang H.S., OK
9:30 p.m. – Robert E. Hendrickson H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Sachse H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Braswell H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – Clovis H.S., NM
10:30 p.m. – Class A: Greenwood H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Midland H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Frenship H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Randall H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Loveland H.S., CO
8:30 p.m. – Lubbock-Cooper H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Colleyville Heritage H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Permian H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Mustang H.S., OK
9:30 p.m. – Robert E. Hendrickson H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Sachse H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Braswell H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – Clovis H.S., NM
10:30 p.m. – Class A: Greenwood H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Oak Ridge H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Foster H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
8:30 p.m. – Seven Lakes H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Wylie East H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Clear Brook H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Dawson H.S., TX
9:30 p.m. – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Friendswood H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Klein Oak H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – College Park H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Oak Ridge H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Foster H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
8:30 p.m. – Seven Lakes H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Wylie East H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Clear Brook H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Dawson H.S., TX
9:30 p.m. – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Friendswood H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Klein Oak H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – College Park H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Oak Ridge H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Foster H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
8:30 p.m. – Seven Lakes H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Wylie East H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Clear Brook H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Dawson H.S., TX
9:30 p.m. – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Friendswood H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Klein Oak H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – College Park H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Oak Ridge H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Foster H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
8:30 p.m. – Seven Lakes H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Wylie East H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Clear Brook H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Dawson H.S., TX
9:30 p.m. – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Friendswood H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Klein Oak H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – College Park H.S., TX

This is only the second 3 way tie for a caption in BOA history, the first one being at BOA San Antonio 2010 where LD Bell, Marcus and James Bowie tied for Outstanding Visual in prelims.

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Midland H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Frenship H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Randall H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Loveland H.S., CO
8:30 p.m. – Lubbock-Cooper H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Colleyville Heritage H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Permian H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Mustang H.S., OK
9:30 p.m. – Robert E. Hendrickson H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Sachse H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Braswell H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – Clovis H.S., NM
10:30 p.m. – Class A: Greenwood H.S., TX

Finals Schedule
7:30 p.m. – Midland H.S., TX
7:45 p.m. – Frenship H.S., TX
8:00 p.m. – Randall H.S., TX
8:15 p.m. – Loveland H.S., CO
8:30 p.m. – Lubbock-Cooper H.S., TX
8:45 p.m. – Colleyville Heritage H.S., TX
9:00 p.m. – Permian H.S., TX
9:15 p.m. – Mustang H.S., OK
9:30 p.m. – Robert E. Hendrickson H.S., TX
9:45 p.m. – Sachse H.S., TX
10:00 p.m. – Braswell H.S., TX
10:15 p.m. – Clovis H.S., NM
10:30 p.m. – Class A: Greenwood H.S., TX

Yes, it is (we seem to love cross-country moving - NOT). We are closing on a house in Greendale, IN in mid-October.
I did just purchase tickets for Grand Nationals semi-finals and finals, so it looks like I will be there!

not sure of champ yet. i think twhs, ctj, reagan, and prooobably pearland will be safe in the top 4 tho im hoping for some upsets. bridgeland looks top half+ finals good but no idea about their music, will prob be battling cy woods, cy fair, and seven lakes for top half. be surprised if any of those 4 miss finals entirely. haven't seen seven lakes yet, theyve been performing a football show instead of their competitive show, seen that one, not very useful lol. conroe stream + results should help.
hoping bowie improves on their 12th place from last weekend, just need to clean clean cleeeean. still early season, they've got time to clean for Nats.
haven't heard friendswood but seen the vis. really eye popping w/ everyone in red + the ramp/stage upfront. guard is fab, def strong open class. this a Vanderkolff program? gettin' those vibes. show is called Follies! features Sondheim music. should be a good time.
so those 10 probably in finals w/ 2 spots left but H-town is notoooriously hard to predict, tho i think we're gonna start seeing some stability + improvements that'll turn some heads. lots of programs in this area that are pretty well rounded w/ both strong band members + guard.
oh also there's one judge on panel who gives me pause LOL. but i also haven't seen this judge on a tx panel (any panel?) in like 20 years, + it's really just one super out of step result etched into my memory lol. ill cut him some slack.

That clarinet feature in Cy-Fair's show is so impressive, even with the poor audio quality! That technique! Wow! This is a fascinating show. It seems to be about metamorphosis, but instead of your typical beautiful butterfly emerging, we get a white moth. 😄 This all seems a bit darker and more subversive than what we usually see. We could be merrily frolicking in the fields with caterpillars or whatever, but the music here is often quite anxious. Just listen to that opening brass statement. Crawling in my skin, indeed! Even that color scheme in the 2nd video -- the black uniforms with the red "hooks" -- it's a little unsettling. Is that what they're supposed to be? Hooks? I'm not sure, but they're interesting.
I have no idea what Cy Woods' show is about just watching it, but it's all very clearly performed, musically and visually, at least considering the date it was performed. The guard continues their rise. I love the groovy second section with the spinning circles on side 1 and collapsing triangles on side 2. That middle section of the triangle that simply shrinks, it's just kinda dynamic. That oboe soloist in the ballad is wonderful -- the piece is Danse Bacchanale by Saint-Saens. The climax here with the spiraling swing flags interspersed with the band as it's stretched out all across the field is pretty breathtaking. There's just a control and balance to the design overall that I really like. You're not left guessing about the designer's intentions, at least at the level of the drill.
I think this Flower Mound show will end up being a stronger vehicle for them than last year. Obviously, without sound, it's hard to tell, but already the visual program is more appealing. Last year, the band was quite literally boxed in with brick walls. 😄 This year everything just breathes more, it feels like they're making fuller use of the field, even though it probably has the same coverage. Like in previous years, they're often stretched across the field doing some lovely, dynamic folding drill. It's a little more of an old-fashioned, more symmetric approach to drill design, as others have noted but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The splash of color from the set pieces is beautiful. I love when they pull them apart -- it's very dimensional, very interesting when mixed with the marching members. The guard is strong, and is frequently staged front and center. This is a smart decision because they have one of the strongest guards in the country. If you've got it, flaunt it! These gals are attempting some very tricky spinning skills, very fast with those flags. It's not quite clean yet, but I think they'll have it within a couple weeks.
Hebron's show, I'm just imagining it with the outstanding music I heard a few weeks ago, the heroic Wagner brass followed by that tricky Gavin Greenaway Disney firework piece with its ever shifting meters -- 2/8, 3/8, 4/8, 5/8, 6/8 -- Greenaway just wanted to use them all, I think. 😄 Hebron has black monoliths backfield. Get it? Monomyth, monolith. I'm not sure what the 4 large circles are supposed to represent. Perhaps it's the cycle of the hero's journey? His eventual return home? Or perhaps each represents a stage of the journey? Hero leaves home, encounters some trial, comes back changed -- that's the gist of it. Anyway, the drill performance is excellent for early season, truly impressive, and it's pretty consistently engaging as well. It works nicely with the set pieces on the field, like when the soloist is wheeled forward on one of the circles through the marching members. Guard is still a little bit weaker, execution is a little lacking. I think the main priority should just be to get the work clean for upstairs rather than dazzling with difficulty, because at the end of the day, I think there are a lot of visual judges who won't care how difficult your guard work is, or won't really be able to tell. Trust me, I know a few. 😄 
Marcus, this is another soundless one. It starts out very clean and controlled, but then they intersperse these more chaotic moments. It's a little confusing for me, honestly, but it probably works with the theme, whatever it is. (No, I don't know what the theme is, I'm sorry!) It's all very dramatically performed. Really great energy from the performers, you feel that upstairs. The guard is looking very strong, definitely one of the best guards in the state. There's a cool moment in there where they spin one of their white set pieces around to reveal percussionists on a stage. I love this theatrical, Broadway stuff, I gotta say! Great aesthetic effect!
Speaking of Broadway, the king of the Broadway show, The Woodlands, is still doing jazz, but this time with a Spanish flair, thanks to Chick Corea. Suitably, you've got those absolutely gorgeous curved benches inspired by Barcelona's Park Guell. The level of detail to both the set pieces and to the show overall is fantastic. The design is always clear, always in balance with the total elements on the field. This is my first time seeing a high cam of the opening fast stuff. With the guard as strong as it is -- currently the best in the country -- and with the design as strong as it is, it's like watching a great Avon or Carmel program, but in Texas. The music is wonderful as well, it just takes you places. I'm happy to see they're mostly caught up, too, although they have some cleaning to do. The show seems a step up difficulty-wise, so I'm wondering just how polished they'll be able to get this show. I also think the ballad, while beautiful, could be more dramatic in the climax -- maybe more conflict and resolution, some rubato as well. Guard costumes are interesting. They look like a sleek homage to their 2013 costumes.
I'm on the Bridgeland train this year as well. The angle of the earlier video with sound that I watched wasn't as good as these videos without sound. Thematically, it's not really anything special. "Another show about blooming flowers, how boring!" But it's less about WHAT the show is about than HOW it's about it, to paraphrase Roger Ebert. This visual program is dynamic and beautiful. It's layered, but without totally losing focus. And that guard, I think the only cleaner guards I've seen at this point in the season are from The Woodlands and Carmel. Now, their work isn't as challenging as some others, but look at how cleanly they're executing already, and look at what a big impact they're making. Like, literally, the guard is gigantic! 😄 Those full-field flag features -- eat your heart out, Wes Cartwright! I love during the slow section when the drill collapses into that density with the different colored flags all swirling around it. Just beautiful! When they spell out "Hope" at the end of the ballad (well, it's either that or "Hop" 😄) it could be cheesy, but it's actually kind of sweet in this context. The music is great and effective as well, but the last I heard it, it did need some major cleaning. The musicians weren't always in control, or in tune. They just need to dial that in.
Hmmm... Who else? Avon, I love how playful this Pictures arrangement is, like I couldn't even tell it was Pictures at first. They've saved us all from yet another boring Pictures arrangement. I love the energy, the speed, the commitment. Look at how those performers move in that opening choreography. Just stunning! Who else does stuff that complicated and that clean? That said, shortly after that opening that draws you in, the performance quality drops pretty significantly as they start to struggle with the challenges. It's not the prettiest visual design I've seen from Avon either. I'm not sure the empty picture frames add much to the program besides to signify that it's the band inside the Tableaux. The pacing is a little strange as well, but that comes from Pictures itself, with its back and forth slow movements and up-tempo movements. I'll reserve judgment on Avon for when this one's cleaner.
And that's really where Carmel dominated at Kentucky. They were just a lot cleaner, musically and visually. But then they also have that gemlike Gaines drill with the Saucedo arrangement that ALWAYS plays with tempo, with meter, with style, with dynamics -- the stuff that makes music really interesting. It just holds you from start to finish. This is a team that knows 110% what they're doing. And that guard, well, they're totally unsettling with their plague masks. 😬 Let's just say that they seem to be saying that this "prophecy" might not be a pleasant one for Texas bands at Nats, although I'm hoping for something other than yet another Carmel win. Also unsettling is how big and strong the guard is, but I guess that's also par for the course for Carmel. Kind of an unsettling show in general, but I can get behind it! 😄

Yes, it is (we seem to love cross-country moving - NOT). We are closing on a house in Greendale, IN in mid-October.
I did just purchase tickets for Grand Nationals semi-finals and finals, so it looks like I will be there!

just keep your eyes peeled for the band that seems to be cosplaying as Pikachu, can't miss em.

yay! twhs has a great show this yr too, you'll enjoy it.