Place
Band
1
Cypress Woods High School
2
Oak Ridge High School
3
Clear Brook High School
4
College Park High School
5
Klein Oak High School
6
Porter High School Band
7
Klein Cain High School
8
Klein Collins High School
9
Cy-Fair High School
10
North Shore High School
Caption
Band
Outstanding Music Performance
Cypress Woods High School
Outstanding Visual Performance
Cypress Woods High School
Outstanding General Effect
Cypress Woods High School
Outstanding Percussion Unit
Cypress Woods High School
Outstanding Auxiliary Unit
Clear Brook High School
I'll leave my 2 cents here of the top bands in Houston, try and throw in a few words on most of them (and I'm going off of 2020-2022 alignments for this list). Starting with 6A:
Area E:
Shadow Creek - I remember seeing them at BOA Austin early season and wasn't incredibly impressed, but watching a video of their area run I was blown away by how much they had grown throughout the season. I wouldn't count them out of area finals in 6A, just give those euphoniums marching horns and they'll be golden!
Brazoswood - They've always been one of the strongest Houston-area bands and they proved themselves again this year. I see them being a strong contender for state as usual this fall, always love their show designs.
Dickinson - This band is always interesting to watch, been a while since they've participated in BOA so I'm not too familiar with them as a program. They are regular area finalists though and they don't show many signs of dropping out anytime soon.
Stephen F. Austin - This bands has been back on the upswing and they aren't being subtle about it. Their visual book this past fall was one of the most competitive in Texas and it was greatly reflected in results, and matched with that is a big band sound with a relatively small group. Qualifying for state is barely a question for them anymore.
Clements - I wish they did more BOA, they're one of the more consistent bands in Houston throughout the entirety of last decade and I was personally a little bummed to see them out of finals at TMC. Once again, they'll be in the running for state.
Clear Brook - Wow, what a season for them. I personally believe they put out their strongest production ever as a school this past fall even if I wasn't a fan of the design. They'll be out for blood this year after getting state alternate in 2018.
Pasadena Memorial - Mainly putting them on this list because of their fantastic world class percussion program. They also have fairly strong shows in the fall and I have a feeling they'll crack area finals this year.
Pearland - Again, what a season for this Area E band. Making finals at San Antonio was huge, but in a way expected by anybody familiar with their season trends as a program. I personally would like to see them pull a North Shore and sneak into state finals, which they proved this season they are definitely capable of.
Dawson - Dawson truly had a stunning show this past season with their return to BOA. Their design was so much more mature than other recent years and I hope to see this trend continue.
Area F:
College Park - TWCP did not have their best season this year, but I don't think that is foreshadowing any major decline in the program. They'll be right back at the top this year and we'll probably see them at state as usual.
Grand Oaks - Even though they might not be fully ready for the 6A competitive scene yet, I feel like mentioning them because of their rapid growth as a program since they opened a couple years ago.
Oak Ridge - Now that we've seen the smaller sized program due to the school split, they've proven they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Just like TWCP, I don't think they're going to be out of the state game anytime soon, especially this year.
The Woodlands - No real introduction is needed for TWHS, but here we go anyways: 2013 Grand National champion, regular national finalist, undisputed top band in the Houston area for almost a decade. Excited to see their show as always.
North Shore - I mentioned them earlier with their surprise (and well deserved) state finals appearance in 2016. Their 2018 opening hit is one of my favorite moments in marching band ever and their ensemble sound is incredible (one of the best in the state if I had to say). They'll definitely be making state again and could potentially sneak into finals once again.
Kingwood - Not necessarily in the running for state, but with the state military contest pilot one would be a fool to count them out as a potential first champion. This group has maintained the military tradition for many years and is one of the best examples of it in the state.
Klein Collins - A Klein school on the upswing, I'm keeping an eye on them because of their enrollment in the McAllen regional this fall. We tend to see non-south Texas bands make the trek if they want to start the season on a strong note, so I'm excited to see what they have planned.
Klein Oak - The other big name in Klein right now, they had a beautiful show this past fall that earned them an impressive top 30 placement at San Antonio. They seem to have been doing not as well in UIL as BOA the past few seasons, so I think they'll be very motivated to make state with the new sheets this year.
Spring - After 2018 being the first time no band from Spring ISD made state in a long time, it will be interesting to see where this program goes with their well-maintained classical music identity.
Westfield - Read above, but they seem to be going in a more culturally-influenced direction that I am a big fan of. Hope to see them continue this trend in coming years.
Tomball - This band has been doing very well in 5A and will more than likely be an area finalist still in 6A. This district is growing so I only see them improving in the future.
Tomball Memorial - If I'm not mistaken, they were state alternates in 2018, which is very impressive for a band as relatively new to 6A. Also read above about the district growing.
Willis - Loving what this band is showing us, they want to get better and don't want to stop. A potential dark horse state qualifier, dare I say...
Area I:
Bridgeland - Wow, this program is really putting themselves out there in full confidence. They have a tendency to peak later season, and that's perfect for this upcoming season given their planned Grand Nationals trip. When I say they are a potential finalist there, I mean it.
Cy-Fair - We all know this program very well, they've consistently produced some of my favorite marching shows the past few years and even though they were late bloomers this year, they showed that they aren't out of the picture quite yet.
Cypress Falls - Despite some rougher seasons for them the past couple of years, I'm not ready to count them out. They can easily recover and wow us this next year even if it isn't to their mid-2010s standards.
Cypress Woods - After losing a tie to judges choice to make area finals in 2018, CyWoods showed us what they're about this year with some incredible performances. If they can step up their show design a little more, I think they could get their way into finals at BOA.
Jersey Village - Jersey Village is a controversial band when it comes to the 2018 season, but I think they are a very strong program and think they could rise to the occasion once again and make state this fall.
Katy - See above, but another thing worth mentioning for them is their late-season peaking. Their BOA Houston results aren't always good for predicting where they'll end up by the end of the season.
Cinco Ranch - This band is one of the most underrated bands in the area in my opinion. They really turned things on for their finals performance at the Cypress Showcase and if they can have that same energy all the time, they will become a force to be reckoned with.
Seven Lakes - I was shocked when they didn't make finals this past season, but this band sounds absolutely phenomenal and seem to have fairly unique show concepts, especially that squid one in 2018.
James E. Taylor - I put JET in the same boat as Brazoswood, a consistently strong Houston-area group who always seems to put on a fantastic performance. Once again, we will probably see them at the state contest.
Obra D. Tompkins - Wow, was I surprised by their performance at Houston. Being so close out of finals at BOA Houston makes me hopeful for where this program is headed in the future. I don't see the school split hitting them too hard for a couple of years and I trust the directors are ready to adjust accordingly.
