kold

Sounds to me like UIL has been doing everything they can to keep Highland Park out of 6A, which seems like a bit of a conspiracy to me.

My top three would be Vandegrift, Avon, and Hebron. I'm not sure about the order. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if any of them were named champion. Carmel also gave a much better music performance than I was expecting, and their visual program was fantastic, so I could see them closer to the top 3 than people might expect.
 
Can we talk for a moment about how much better the Texas groups sounded than just about any of the other groups at the contest? I know it's kind of obvious, and we talk about it a lot, but I felt like it was even more obvious than usual with the large number of TX groups in finals. It was especially apparent when you compared the soloists and small ensembles. I mean, just the quality of the sound, not to mention the technique and musicality, was just so much better. Bravo, guys!

#TeamTexas really BROUGHT it.  So proud of each and every one of the bands.

Another interesting one along with CA is FL. Population is somewhere around 21M and none in finals - Tarpon would be the top competitor, with Park Vista behind them. I don’t think the argument holds up, though. A point could be made by comparing the nearly equal populations in that grouping of states vs TX, TX just has the better bands, and an amazing depth. It’s just how it is. Congrats to all finalists and Im rooting for our 6-pack! Bring it home!

Sad for those who aren't "powerhouses" though.  When half the crowd gets up and leaves when a band takes the field.

If 24 advanced to Area, 4 will advance to state. It is 1 state advancement for every 5 bands that qualify for that area.

Based on a number of 24 Area qualifiers - 4 advance to State.

A few adjustments are still being made to the schedule. I saw this week that Forney was added but didn't hear who dropped for them to get in.

My band goes on at 10:00! 2 competition day for us. So excited. best of luck to everybody performing today.

OK, I am a 2 year lurker who finally made an account just to post on this thread.
 
I majored in math and was in marching band for two fall semesters at Texas Tech. Now I work part time as an elementary choir director.
 
In my experience, college band is awesome and a great way to make friends. It is not competitive, but if that's your thing, there's always DCI, and college band is a great way to meet DCI folks! Don't know if it is still the same, but in the 80s and 90s Tech marched 4 complete shows a year, covering military, (symmetrical) corps, and big 12 show styles. Practice for an hour at noon 5 days a week and most Saturday mornings. Travel 2-3 games a year.
 
Some pros about marching band:
Counts as a PE credit
All travel, meals, uniform, marching instruments are free to you
Many schools (Texas State) provide scholarships
Meet people a week or two before classes start
 
Watch recent video of bands from schools you are considering and see if you like their style.
 
While they don't compete against each other, most Texas college bands are large enough that they have tryouts or spot challenges, so I wouldn't worry too much about the skill level of your fellow band members. The shows will be easier, but the purpose is to entertain, and you won't spend very long on any one show.
 
Good luck!

I was gonna try and say hi to you at HEB, but you all looked pretty serious and I didn't know if you were allowed to or not. You guys sat right below us during the finals results. Great job, by the way (I go to Forney)

Cedar Park definitely seems to be bouncing back based on that video. I remember just a few years ago when their guard was super tiny compared to their band. I'm loving the larger (and more accomplished) guard. I'm also loving the energy from the other performers. That's a huge sound that they're producing. I do think it could be a little bit more controlled, especially the low brass players, who are covering up the melody in a few places. But overall I think they're set to have a much better season this year.
 
Speaking of Cedar Park, I noticed a handful of Cedar Park educators popping up on judge lists for several of the upcoming BOA regionals. Actually, I'm noticing a lot of new (or relatively new) names on the lists, many of whom are from Texas. Kevin McNulty, Bob Chreste, Evan VanDoren, Brian Wilt, Mark McGahey, Andy Sealy, Katherine VanDoren, Daniel Cuevas, Kristopher Quaale, Kim Shuttlesworth, John Alstrin, Ryan Brittain, and Donnie Hull. Most of them are judging music. I know I've seen some of these names in the past judging for BOA, but a lot of them seem new to me. Maybe BOA is finally making a push to expand their pool of judges. (Not surprisingly, Austin is the one with the most "veterans" on the panel, which makes sense, given the level of competition at that event.) Overall, I think it's a great thing. I know I'm biased, but I'd much rather have an accomplished Texas educator giving me pointers on my group's music performance than some out-of-state career judge. The top bands in Texas (both marching and especially concert) just sound so much better than the bands elsewhere. Also, I think it's beneficial for these educators' own band programs. It's a great educational and networking opportunity. Of course, I say this now, but I might end up disagreeing with all of their scores. Maybe we'll get some fun surprises this year!

I don’t post a lot on here, so I can’t say I’ve said anything yet, but I’ll go ahead and make a prediction for this next year. We’ll sweep 2A at DFW again, do it at Waco, and go on to win our class at SA. I’ll be bold and throw state finals in as well.

Haha, I saw we were listed as 4A and said ...what?! but in all seriousness, I am so excited! I’ll get a video of our parent performance on Friday.

just learned we at Forney are also going to be attending SA for the first time! so excited!

just learned we at Forney are also going to be attending SA for the first time! so excited!

SA was on the 7L calendar until the football schedule came out. The one Saturday game on the schedule lands on 11/2, and all of the sudden we’re not in SA anymore. Feels oddly similar to the Woodlands situation last year at BOA Conroe finals. 
Not trying to throw shade on the football/band relationship in the district and in Texas as a whole (Actually I am trying to throw shade), but I find it interesting how quickly we pulled out after the district slapped a game on the most significant day of the contest. It’s as if the battle isn’t worth pursuing; not attending a football game is unfathomable, after all!
 
If there’s any way I could find a way to get our school on board with confronting the district about it, I’d do it (even though I’m leaving the school soon). The football/band imbalance needs to be addressed again and again and again. For one football game to eclipse our chance to participate in and perhaps score really well at arguably the most competitive HS marching band event in the entire nation...seems unjust to me.
 
This is my own personal opinion on the issue, and I don’t want my cynical attitude to reflect anyone but myself. I just hope this message reverberates somewhere.

That’s what I’m thinking.

Area C. Poteet and Highland Park both made finals last year, and Forney made 13th, when they performed 2nd off a bad draw. I believe all 3 will make state finals this next year.