MikeKyu

Top 3 all within one half of a point. What a close contest. Congrats Cedar Ridge.

Oh boy! This contest! Top 3 is close. I think that Cedar Ridge is going to end up on top.

It is really weird to see CTJ not performing an entire show. Another weird thing is that for the second year in a row I'm not completely thrown by their arrangements. This show has high potential and should develop very nicely. I can't help but think to myself (see what I did there) if they aren't gunning for a UIL championship instead of BOA greatness this year. They will do just fine in both contests. Great run CTJ!

Yes, Cy-Fair's use of uniforms and color is fantastic. What a cool show visually.

Is BOX 5 down for anyone else? At least I got to see the first 5 seconds of Foster then got to watch them walk off the field. Bravo BOX5.

Lake Travis....that was a big step forward and well performed this evening. Nice job!

Big swings are bound to happen in the early season. Lots of adjustments being made and students are still getting comfortable/learning still.

This is your new color

Well deserved Cedar Ridge. Music was the deciding factor. Tonight should be interesting as I believe some of the dirt from Reagan and CTJ will be gone. This is also a different sort of pressure on Cedar Ridge. Being the favorite going in to finals carries weight. I believe they are strong enough to carry that weight.

This is a great story. Well worth watching the video instead of just reading. This girl, parents, and director are all inspiring. https://www.keloland.com/news/eye-on-keloland/eye-on-keloland-marching-to-her-own-beat/

I am sad that I am going to miss this contest. My brother in-law is a composer. We are going to see his movie in NYC with my sister and him. Solid line up for this show and it should be a great contest.

Not sure how long you've been involved in this activity. There are a lot of people who actively seek out bands through games, streams, open practices, contests, have deep friends groups who share videos (not publicly), and have groups of people who's opinions they know and trust. Some have done it for many, many years. Do we know how judges are going to judge an organization in any given contest? No, but we can make rather informed decisions about where an organization is at this point in the season. Most of us aren't hostrauser (horkrank commenter with more national band data than is honestly sane). This is not being biased. Is there some bias involved, yes. The bias is towards observation over a given period of time of the organization and their current abilities matched with those of the school, boosters, feeder system, district support, etc... Predictions are great. They help make people more involved in the activity. A lot of people in this forum are boosters, parents, students, and volunteers. They can be biased and proud of the work that their organization is doing. Those of us who are fans of the activity root for this. Setting goals and targets through forum statements is healthy. It can also be fun to watch how those making these statements change their minds as the season rolls along.

The top 5 Bands that I haven't seen yet (online or in-person) but am excited to see are the usual suspects and one new comer: CTJ - always innovative and well rehearsed Flower Mound - wonderful asthetic and lush sounds Hebron - one of my favorites each year Lebanon Trail - new, exciting, and promising Marcus - wonderful sound

There was plenty of consistency in this panel. Just check the scores of the other bands. Leander didn't have a great run. It happens.

I didn't see the recaps posted. Thanks!

Westlake! They may finally be back. Strong playing and great design to that show.

If you can keep it cold until finals I'll take it from ya 😂. Choosing to watch prelims as a Couchman.

I am old. I believe every band should wear white shoes and have a leg stripe.

Welcome back to competition Dripping Springs. This is by far my favorite show from them in a long time. They are playing beautifully and controlled.

I agree. Not sure why people are so down on Vista Ridge this season. They looked and sounded phenomenal. I love the movement around props. You can tell that show was designed with UIL in mind. Lots of hand offs and features.

This is why I hate amplification on the field. I hope this delay doesn't sink Cedar Park this morning.

Tom C. Clark - this is a well executed show and a great music selection. Every block has a surprise and for me, this is it.

Well Harker Heights, nice job. That show was a huge step forward for the organization. Nice work!

A long time ago my wife worked in the VIP area of an airline in Japan. She met many celebrities and helped them during their times in Narita airport lounges. One day she was given a client who has misnamed, Yo-Yo Master per her itinerary. She actually asked him to show her some yo-yo tricks and if he was in Japan for a competition. She's well cultured and knew who Yo-Yo Ma was at the time. She was immensely embarrassed after she realized who he actually was. I am pretty sure that I know the performance you're referring to and it's beautiful. That version of Amazing Grace is stunning.

Welcome to competitive marching band family. We are highly opinionated and mostly welcoming (you'll notice certain fans are really only fans of the band their kid is in). 1. Space taken up on the field is not considered as a judging criteria. Artistically moving the band around the "clutter" is considered and most of those points go into General Effect. 2. Big bands do have an advantage. There's something to be said for the clean interpretation and execution of directing 180 musicians vs 40. Having a balanced sound is difficult to achieve. The big band's student do not need to push as hard individually leading to clearer and more balanced performances. 3. Story is feeds into the General effect score but is very low in the consideration. Papyrus was a beautiful show. It wasn't about paper. It was a love story transmitted through a single medium. 4. Props: Not scored but they feed into the general effect of the the performance. If you can use them wisely and impactfully in multiple areas of a show they will help the score. Bands like Cedar Park were still competitive in BOA and UIL with very little props over the last 2 seasons. 5. Consultants: Most bands use consultants for design, arrangement, and composition. There's an art to getting a group of strangers to work together on your vision. I have seen between $1.5k and $20k being spent for individual consultants. The bigger bands have budgets that would make a large small business sweat. Again, welcome to the world of competitive marching band. I've been involved for over 30 year now and each year is a wonderful adventure. Fortunately my wife has also taken up my appreciation for the sport with an appreciation of her own.