texkathi

Glad Weiss got what they deserved. Dripping Springs did very well too.

Fantastic job to our Texas groups!

Not a big fan of this Broken Arrow show, I have to admit. First of all, patriotic shows always leave me a little cold, because I think the patriotic elements can sometimes be used as a crutch for effect. But there are other issues as well -- first and foremost those leg capes. I know Cartwright likes his flags, but with those leg capes, it feels like there are flags on the field at all times. We cannot escape them. As a result, some of the drill ends up looking like a jumbled, monolithic mess of flags. It lacks finesse. (If I had suggested those leg capes, I would have made them removable.) Furthermore, there's a hint of familiarity to this visual program. The star drill looks like it was lifted out of Broken Arrow's 2011 production, and the graveyard crosses are lifted out of Cartwright's work with LD Bell in 2010. Obviously, there are a lot of other things that make this show an original patriotic production -- for one, it's almost refreshingly atavistic in parts, like the way they start the show like a military band -- but those few issues did leave a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The kids perform the heck out of it, obviously. There are some lapses in control of the form at the end, which I'm guessing will be mostly fixed by Nationals. Is Broken Arrow the next National Champion? I don't know.

So proud of Clovis! Often overshadowed by the many outstanding programs in TX but they have a very rich history of concert and marching excellence. Go Wildcat Marching Band!
#crossbeltsareawesome
#norvilhowellTHINK

Some history booking!
 
Dripping Springs has now made two Super Regional Finals outside of the state! The only other bands to have accomplished this are LD Bell, Haltom, and Westwood. If you count their 2004 exhibition, they have performed in 3 different Super Regionals' Finals. Additionally, it is Dripping Springs's second class championship in 3A. They have won class championships in both 2A and 3A, historically.  Congrats to Weiss for their first ever (Super-) Regional finals! They join a few other Texas bands in only making Super-Regionals Finals and no regional finals, including Clements and Westwood.  Pflugerville ISD has now had every single one of its ensembles perform in a Regional Finals. They are one of very few districts in Texas with multiple schools to accomplish this. They join Lewisville ISD, Birdville ISD, Richardson ISD, and Keller ISD in this feat. Thus, they are the first outside of the DFW area to go for a full house. Round Rock ISD is one school off from this accomplishment. Edit: I forgot Spring ISD, which is a huge oversight on my part. Therefore, PfISD is more accurately the first to accomplish this feat in the Austin Area (and San Antonio, for that matter).  EDIT to add: Weiss has now made a Regionals finals in its second year as a competing band. In state, they tie Ronald Reagan for that record (Est. 1999, Finals x2 in 2000). Very technically, Weiss has the record for quickest appearance in a Super Regional Finals after establishment in the history of the country, beating CTJ's record by a year. However, Kennesaw Mountain and Ronald Reagan both likely would have accomplished this in one year had Super Regionals existed in that time. 

Congrats Dripping!
 
And we are just thrilled for Weiss!

PLAN THE FLAG!!!!!!!

Dripping Springs:
St. Louis Regional Finalist
Class AAA Champion
Class AAA Visual and General Effect 

Weiss:
St. Louis Regional Finalist

Also Dripping Springs was class champion/ visual and GE caption winner in AAA

I just jumped out of my seat! Both Weiss and Dripping Springs made St Louis finals!

This is a little bit of my problem with the show. I enjoy it well enough, but it's perhaps the easiest show they've done in years and the easiest show of the front-runners heading to Indy. It's excellent, no doubt, but it lacks a fair amount of demand - especially musically. 

DS was great!
 
And I didn't know Duffy would up there! I'll have to try and catch him Saturday.
 
Any other commenters here in STL? Would love to increase the size of the Texas cheering section.

The strongest bands in Dripping Springs group are Marian Catholic and O'Fallon Township. Grain Valley is very good, as is Rockwood Summit. Those 4 plus Dripping Springs would be my guess for the top 5 in that grouping.

Dripping Spring would likely be fighting with Grain Valley, Rockwood Summit, Fort Zumwalt North, and Bellvue West for the three guaranteed spots. Its fortunate that all of them are in the same block, so the judges will be able to compare them all close together. They should be able to make it into finals.

This is new for the Super Regionals and GN this year, but each band competes within panels which switch off between blocks. The top five from each panel advance, along with the next four highest scoring bands regardless of panel.

Dripping springs should be firmly top half of finals here, with top 5 definitely within their grasp. Sherman is definitely a threat for finals- Weiss might even be too, depending on how fast they develop. Their debut season was very very strong and I’m having flashbacks to vandegrift’s shocking third place finish at boa Houston in 2010, which I believe was only their second marching season, so there’s precedent.

I grew up in Arcata, about seven miles north of Eureka. (See, I told you I went to a small, fairly isolated, economically depressed high school.) That area is easily one of the most beautiful in the world. And California certainly has problems, but doesn't Texas just have a different set? Picking a place to live is like picking a life partner. None of them are perfect, so find one you can live with and then don't focus on the imperfections. Enjoy the choice you made.
 
I see the big school versus small school choice the same way.

Amen! It becomes about who has the most money, and not about music education.

This seems a little myopic for the realty of the situation because there is a distinct divide. Bigger poorer schools struggle with finances compared to bigger rich school just like smaller school (that tend to be from more poor rural areas in Texas) struggle compared to bigger schools. If you look at the very top bands in the state, the majority come from some most affluent parts of Texas. To name a few: FloMo, Hebron, Marcus, Vandy, TWHS, Round Rock, Reagan, and CTJ. That is not to say that bands from less affluent districts can’t be top performers (e.g North Shore and Duncanville), but they are more the exception than the rule.
 
Other than that, if you look at the demographics, a lot of the smaller schools are in areas with nontrivial economical limitations in far reaches of Texas. It’s not that the families ‘don’t want to pay’ fees, the reality is that fees are hard to pay. When you have a family of four with a household income of 40k, something like $2000 per child seems rather steep especially considering the expectation that they will be in multiple activities since it’s a small school. Even $500 can be a lot if you come out to 4A area E where schools have a lot household incomes less than to $30k.
 
Adding a caption that would be more designed focus will cater to bands that can afford to pay more in design fees. It's not just about props and costumes. If you can afford a Wes Cartwright show and you are judged on a caption that awards visual design rather than execution, you are paying for points. Small rural schools generally cannot afford designer shows and often do not have the connections to procure a designer-esque show due to their proximity. 
 
Marching band or any other activity will never be fair just because money talks, but that IS NOT an excuse to make a state sponsored circuit more unfair. 

Welcome Johnson momma!  I can't imagine that the CTJ directors are trying to push any sort of political agenda.  I like the whole MLK Jr angle, myself.  He was all about love.  In fact, many of the things MLK stood for have been distorted over the years.  He was not about dividing people.  He was a unifier.  And he's right.  We can only drive darkness out with light and hatred out with love.  So I'm choosing to stand united with CTJ and look at the bright side of this theme, to show LOVE in a tremendously huge way, which is the side Martin Luther King Jr would have stood on!  We as humans can agree to disagree on things politically and religiously, but we simply can NOT navigate this life without love.  

As a longtime CTJ band parent I can assure you has nothing to do with Trump or any kind of support for a political candidate. Quotes from world leaders are not a new thing in BOA and fit into a bigger story for each show. As every band parent knows our kids work extremely hard to bring their best for their schools and communities. Let’s not bring the this forum down with stuff that belongs in other media forums. Please reserve judgment until you see the show. I’m sure you’ll find it’s an homage, but not to Trump.

I have long enjoyed reading posts on this site.  This is my first time posting anything.   Since I have no tolerance for anything Trump,  I am hoping this is not true.  That would make me lose all respect for what this program has given my kids. 

Dripping Springs, which swept McAllen BOA last year, will be at Waco. Folks tend to overlook Drip, but they shouldn't.

With all the crazy judging,maybe it makes sense to go to seven judges and then throw out the high and low scores to eliminate outliers?

For those keeping track at home, the combination of LISD and Dripping Springs have now taken 10 of the last 12 5A (previously 4A) medals.

I admit I was kinda hoping to see Dripping win it, but GO Cedar Park!!!