FormerWildcat

Looks like all of the 4As [who didn't move up] are opting out as predicted. Interesting to see if another contest takes its place. Godley attracted a few area B bands on the same day this season, though the stadium seems a bit on the small side.

I mean if we eliminated the projected 6As they would have gotten first in prelims...

I believe when Area C was postponed last year they got in both prelims and finals.

I believe that if two bands tie, the one who comes out ahead on the majority of the judge's score sheets is ranked in front. If two bands both score a 50 and tie for the 10th spot, the higher ranked band advances to finals while the lower ranked one is left out.

It's gonna be real interesting to see how they do at Melissa against CS and quite a few of the Area C heavy hitters.

I think Panther Creek may be a good comparison. In their opening year, they actually missed state but have since become a consistent top 3 powerhouse at the 4A level. Last year, Eagle Mountain, despite coming from a fairly high-achieving district, didn't place very high at area. Prosper ISD bands always seem to have a very quick rise to relevance, though; I believe Rock Hill & Walnut Grove both made area finals at the 5A level in their opening years. The head director comes from a 6A program that has never made state, but has gotten close to there on multiple occasions.

I don't see how it would be done any differently. The draw order is valid for prelims only with a separate draw for finals on the day of the competition. I will note that since last year, finals across the UiL areas has been done in a bottom half/break/top half format.

I'm assuming it would be. The battery is pretty much standing in the same spot for the entire show, which I think would not fly for a competition production unless you are talking about Tarpon 2010. The vocabulary for both the brass and woodwinds is also really basic for a band of DB's caliber. They also went through the entire set list in about 4 minutes. My guess is this is just a way to involve the alternates in some sort of marching production.

Don Hanna is in Denton. I believe it's named after a former director of Denton Ryan or something along those lines. I get your confusion, since there was another competition at the same stadium for many years [Golden Triangle], but I haven't seen anything indicating that that contest in particular is going ahead this year.

My Way Too Early Predictions (Not to be taken as a perfect model in any sense of the word): 1. Lone Star [97.5% Finals, 95% State, 60% Win] 2. Wakeland [97.5% Finals, 90% State, 20% Win] 3. Argyle [90% Finals, 65% State, 10% Win] 4. McKinney North [85% Finals, 60% State, 5% Win] Remaining Field: 5% Win 5. Lebanon Trail [75% Finals, 30% State] 6. Reedy [70% Finals, 25% State] 7. Walnut Grove [60% Finals, 10% State] 8. Heritage [60% Finals, 10% State] 9. Liberty [55% Finals, 5% State] 10. Memorial [45% Finals, 2.5% State] 11. Emerson [45% Finals, 2.5% State] 12. Melissa [35% Finals, 2.5% State] 13. The Colony [35% Finals, 2.5% State] 14. Lovejoy [30% Finals, 2.5% State] Remaining Field: 2.5% State 14. Independence [25% Finals] 15. Frisco [25% Finals] 16. Anna [20% Finals] 17. Centennial [20% Finals] 18. Ryan [10% Finals] 19. Denton [10% Finals] 20. Sherman [5% Finals] 21. Denison [5% Finals] That statement seems highly inflammatory. The overwhelming support he has received in response to his apparent resignation definitely seems to contradict you. When most of the surrounding districts produce well-below average or flat-out nonexistent band programs, simply making area finals is an impressive feat. Although the Duncanville program is not at its absolute peak, it is still consistently competitive with bands that have far greater resources, & Mr. Teal deserves credit for at least maintaining a standard of excellence during his tenure. I will say I put Memorial a bit low just because I was not that impressed with their finals performance last year & the tragedy that happened at the track meet a few months ago could put a damper on the school in general.

I have no knowledge on that front.

Update on DVille: They still have the calendar up, and it indicates that they still intend to go through the full competitive season. Apparently they have a leadership camp still going ahead tomorrow at 8:00AM. A parents meeting is on the same day at 7:00PM. I don't have insider information, though a now deleted comment said that no "earth shattering" changes are planned. It could be that the DISD board believes that Mr. Teal is being overcompensated and/or wants a newer, younger leader in charge. That most of the fine arts directors are being demoted but no word has come out on assistants being forced out could indicate that the administration is simply looking to cut costs rather than fundamentally shift the foundation of the band program. I will say that the sudden shakeup, especially at this point in time, could have significant implications in terms of the band's success this season, although all of the assistant directors appear to have impressive resumes in their own right. If tomorrow doesn't go well, then I'd start to panic.

Reminds me of a story I read a couple of days ago about the GCU volleyball team that got cut. Very successful, good attendance at games, but in the administration's eyes, unworthy to keep going. Apparently the prospect of revenue sharing is putting pressure on many NCAA athletic programs, but gutting such a team still seems like a very short-sighted move on my end. As someone who has lived on the south side of DFW all my life and knows people who have gone through the Duncanville program, this would be very sad news if the decision is not reversed. Change Petition: https://www.change.org/p/keep-mark-teal-as-director-of-bands-at-duncanville-hs?source_location=search

It's not unprecedented for a band to miss state after making finals the previous year: I'd use Cedar Ridge a couple of years back as a reference. Gatesville had cleanliness issues early in the season, although they did get it mostly fixed by area time. Perhaps I placed Gatesville one or two spots too low, but this area is super competitive. I believe any band that made the top 16 this past year has a real shot at making state with the right show design and performer execution. If Gatesville is able to improve on last year, they should be fine.

Although people seem to see Area C as the hardest area for 4A, I definitely think B's the deepest. I would consider more than half of last year's lineup at least decent when a few years ago you'd be hard pressed to make that statement for a quarter of any 4A area's field. I think Panther Creek's two-year extended stay really motivated several bands to up their game: Stephenville and Aubrey in particular come to mind. WAY TOO EARLY PREDICTIONS [Hopefully 12 bands make it to finals!] 1. Panther Creek 2. China Spring 3. Aubrey 4. Krum 5. Robinson 6. Alvarado 7. Gatesville 8. Stephenville 9. Kennedale 10. Brock 11. Godley 12. Springtown Also in finals [even state with the right show] contention: Castleberry, Sanger, Lake Dallas, Southwest

In this state, you can't even bet on most professional sports, let alone any activities at the college or high school level. When my alma mater does bingo fundraisers, the students are locked out of the cafeteria. Although there is some talk of gambling regulations being relaxed, I highly doubt anyone under the age of 18 would ever be allowed to legally place any sort of bet. Additionally, marching band is an activity with the outcomes largely determined by subjective as opposed to objective reasoning. In football, most plays are not challenged by the referees, but there is plenty of discussion regarding bribes affecting reviews on the plays that are challenged. In marching band, every "play" is essentially a "challenge". There are already enough allegations of rigging contests [one area contest this past season comes to mind]. On a related note, the few times I have attempted to access the predictions page in 2024, it has not worked for me. I assume that it may have gotten shut down due to the possibility of betting.

1. Flower Hill 2. Sheepron 3. Endergrift 4. The Woodland Biome 5. Moocus 6. Witchta Ridge 7. Appleland 8. Hopper 9. Ronald Chicken 10. Spruce Ridge 11. Square Stone 12. Dripping Pigs 13. Grassland 14. Waxazombie

Looking at Accuweather, on Saturday most of the severe weather should stay west of Denton, while on Monday, Denton's right near the center. Apparently they're expecting 90mph wind gusts in some locations then. It should be clear on Tuesday, but I think it would be too late to tabulate the results at that point. I'm guessing they go ahead and do it on Saturday even if they aren't able to get finals in.

Kind of early for region, isn't it?

Kennedale got first place in 4A prelims, and from what I'm hearing first overall as well. Don't quote me on it, but I think the finals schedule may have been in placement order.

I think every band from region 30 moved to area B. I think the change was made to ensure no band had to travel 3+ hours to attend the competition.

Already at 5K signatures, close to double RR's total student population. I think we see some Austin area news coverage tonight regarding this situation.

Nevermind about the first part

Since no one appears to be updating I'll take a stab: For context I just missed Burleson. Midlothian Heritage: Like the overall theme, especially the plumes. Ballad with the red cape reveal was especially well executed. Could be a real threat in a couple years. Granbury: While some difficult passages were handled well, others struggled musically, like the trumpet quartet opening. Visually, I felt there were certain static sections where movement could have been added. Summit: Really clean overall. "13" set looked especially nice. I heard a couple of slight tears originating from the percussion. The storage of the uniforms on the luggage carts was an especially nice touch. Cleburne: Music was fairly good in terms of balance even though the complexity was lacking. Golden Hour arrangement worked great. Not a fan of some of the thematic choices, but that shouldn't mean much in terms of UiL. One thing I noticed about all four of the bands was that the visuals were often mistimed. Summit was very good through the ballad but I noticed weak forms in the closer. The other bands definitely had issues throughout stemming from clearly missed sets and missed visual moments. I suspect this week's poor weather might be a culprit.

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