Statebound

BTW--BOASA prelim times were posted today and there are some harsh draws. I'm not sure who FloMo and TW made mad but those kids may not get to sleep the night before.

While everyone is so fired up...let me throw in some band scuttle. I'm hearing that Marcus will play their entire show for the first time at Duncanville on Saturday. I'm also told today that Hebron is putting in a pre-show for the Duncanville contest. There are a ton of quality bands showing up for this contest and it should be really fun. I checked on tickets and it is cash only at the gate and they are expecting a big crowd. Although I wish LDB was going to be there, I'm really looking forward to it.

I just told a friend that Flower Mound's last two shows (Paris, Circus) were two of my favorite shows from the past two years. I've seen their show a couple times recently and they play very well although this years music is not particularly complex. Also, the pace and design of the drill is good, but doesn't compare as well to LDB, Marcus, Hebron, Woodlands, Cedar Park, and maybe Cedar Ridge. Frankly, they have a strong GE show and could be top 10 but I'm not yet convinced. I plan on attending Duncanville this weekend and will have a better feel after that contest.

I thought that Keller Central had a really nice show at BOA Allen last week and I remember thinking that they had an outside chance at top 5. Plus I really liked the white uniforms with red plumes. Awesome...congratulations for your hard work! BTW--that 89.35 score for Broken Arrow is absurdly high. Reputation points? I'm not sure that even Marcus has won something by over 4 points.

I totally agree with this comment. I'm a bit of Lewisville ISD homer (Marcus, Hebron, Flower Mound) because we've had many friends and family go through those programs, but the two shows that I have seen with the most upside potential are LD Bell and Cedar Ridge and I'll make an early prediction that LDB will beat TW at BOASA. Give me LDB, TW, and then some mix of Hebron, Marcus, Cedar Ridge, and CTJ for the top 6. BTW--Several big bands playing at the Duncanville contest next week. That should be a good barometer.

I'm still stunned that Hebron beat Marcus this past weekend. I just received a video link of that performance. Very powerful musical performance and much more visual and color than we normally see from Hebron. I'd be interested to see some of the other shows if there are links. I also heard that the LD Bell show is big potential and would love to see it.

Thanks to everyone for posting the videos. I think we'll learn a bunch from BOA Houston this weekend. Woodlands, Cedar Park, CTJ, Hebron and Flower Mound for starters. The Woodlands always play well in the BOA format and I'll make them the early favorite based on the videos. I would normally put CTJ ahead of Hebron in BOA competitions but the Hebron show looks interesting and a little more BOA friendly than normal for them. It seems like the Hebron shows typically have really strong ballads and woodwinds where the CTJ shows have big everything with a pop culture hook (fantastic Coldplay theme last year). I'm really excited for this weekend. Has anyone seen Flower Mound yet? They've quickly become one of my favorites. I still can't believe their "Big Top" show didn't make state last year.

No Coppell this year but Marcus, FloMo, Hebron, PESH, and Richland for starters. It's been a couple years since I've been to DMI but that's a pretty competitive group. Impressive judges too.

I didn't know that--interesting. I just checked the last 4 UIL 5A constests and Hebron has gone from state qualifier, to 10 place, to 6th place, to 2nd place. That's basically the definition of a trend and "Building a culture of winning" I also just heard from a Hebron person that they are looking at Grand Nats next year. I don't necessarily know if that is their cup of tea but it would be a logical next step.

BTW--I saw pictures posted this afternoon of the Marcus and Hebron kids hugging and congratulating each other in the parking lot after the contest Tuesday night. I know these two schools are in the same school district but you would assume they would be at each other's throats. It looked like a cool scene and reminds you what this thing is all about.

I couldn't agree more. I'm never overly impressed with Coppell and Woodlands until I see them in the Alamodome. The power they bring in that venue blows you out of your seat and they always seem to be there in the end, even when you don't expect it. Can you imagine what it would be like if Allen and their 700+ kids ever showed up at BOASA. Ear plugs would need to be provided at the door.

There have been some outstanding, insightful posts today. Seeing the Alamodome absolutely packed yesterday for finals announcements is always a thrill and it never gets old. There is always a ton of anxiety and consternation over the judging and there are certainly specific items that you can question (Bell 9th in music), but I really felt like this group really nailed it in finals. Marcus and Hebron seemed a clear 1 & 2. The group of LDB, Coppell, Bowie, and Woodlands could have coin flipped 3-6 and it would have been tough to argue (although I thought Regan was going to slip in there). The same for Westlake, Berkner, and CTJ. I actually thought CTJ would earn a higher spot but they really struggled in finals. Compliments to the UIL and the judging staff for getting it right!

CTJ was the most obvious for me and the other really odd separation was Hebron at 3rd for overall music and 13th in Music GE. I've obviously seen the Area B bands many times now but really? I thought they had one of the more effective musical presentations of the night. Anytime you see Hebron, Marcus, Bell, Woodlands, and maybe a couple others, you leave with one conclusion--they can play. It's all irrelavant at this point--just look at the final GE rankings, which is the last column on the right. The final overall rankings (except for Reagan) almost mirror the GE results. For me, GE simply has too much weight and mutes the value of the performances.

Great point and very fortuitous for LD Bell this year. That 5:15 pm prelim time may be their ticket to the finals where otherwise it was going to be close. Very strange to see Marcus play so early at 9:30 am.

Judging by the reaction of the crowd during the announcements Saturday night, I think many people were surprised by the FloMo result. If it is of any consolation, I think the Flower Mound show will play very favorably in San Antonio on Saturday.

I've seen an embarrasing number of shows this year. I keep waiting for the "get a life" chant to start. But that is what's great about this time of year. I can't stray far from this list but will bump CTJ ahead of Duncanville. I see it going like this: Bowie Marcus Hebron Woodlands CTJ The other finalist should be 5 of the following 7 - Duncanville, Coppell, Plano East, LDB, Keller, Richland and Reagan. I find it impossible to believe that all 5 bands from Area B would make finals so 1-2 one of those (Plano East, LDB, Richland) will likely drop out.

This Area is really top heavy, so having 5 bands advance to state is a nice bonus for this group. Just to get the ball rolling, I'll take a swing and predict a minor upset Marcus Hebron Flower Mound LD Bell The FloMo show I saw last Saturday was cleaner than the LDB videos I've seen and just as big from a GE standpoint. Frankly, I can't really see LDB finishing 4th but that is where I would put them today. I see the 5th spot being a dogfight between Haltom and Richland with PESH and Mansfield not far behind. I'll give the edge to Haltom because they have a very strong musical program and know how to compete at the state level. I won't be placing any wagers on that 5th spot, it's going to be tough. These kids have all worked really hard--good luck to all!

This is a great post and not to be understated. I have always truly appreciated how Marcus creatively utilizes their secondaries as an integral part of the show. My favorite was the 2010 Illuminations show where the kids "shadowed" the show in the background and were highlighted in several moments. I also appreciate how the Marcus parent community carries themselves at competitions and how gracious they are with other programs. No Marcus bashing here.

There was a packed house last night for Region 24 in Carrollton and Flower Mound, Hebron, and Marcus shows truly lit up the night. The Flower Mound show is one of the most "GE" friendly shows I've ever seen and the attention to detail they bring with their "Big Top" theme is really outstanding. There is not a lot complexity to their drill and their overall sound is very good although I would not label it elite. That said, this show is a ton of fun and I could easily see it as a top 10 show at BOASA. I'm not sure what else to say about Hebron. This is my 4th time to see their show and it is truly special. Their drill and music are at such a high level that it dwarfs all but the most elite programs. Their 2nd set ballad might be my personal highlight of the year. Hebron's visuals have improved quite a bit this year although they are still not on the level of some of the other obvious choices. This show might play a little better for UIL than BOA but they could very easily be top 5 in both. I'm am totally torn about the Marcus show. They have tweaked and improved their opener and the clean precision of the Bach score is unmatched. However, outside of the huge beautiful gates and the incredible guard visual, their is not a great amount complexity to the drill and frankly, there is not much of it. Thus far, the total show is only a little over 6 minutes and it's been that way now for 3 weeks. You certainly assume they will be adding more to the show for UIL and BOA but I have always thought it was risky to add a signficant portion of your show as you head into the big events. Marcus has proven many people wrong and I will very likely be another, but I am truly intriqued to see how this show evolves from here.

Wow--that 7:30 am block is brutal for those DFW area bands. Who did The Colony, Hebron, and Martin make mad? I assume they will be coming from Friday night games and then 5-6 hours straight to the Alamodome parking lot. Brutal.

I've not heard that one. I'd love to hear their story.

I've been involved in the coordinating of all this at one time or another so here's my version of it. Nearly all of the bands that have a realistic chance at making state are are already playing at BOASA. Yes--there will be a couple exceptions. In state years, you book your hotel of choice for 2 "hard" nights and give the hotel a deposit for the other 2-3 nights in case your program is fortunate enough to make state. The worst you can do is lose your deposit. The state contest is always on Tuesday night, so even if you don't already have hotel rooms you would still be able to reserve something within 30 minutes of downtown with 10 days notice. As crazy as it sounds, you can pull the rest of it together fairly quickly once you know how long you're going to be there. One good thing about having all these contests in San Antone is that it is a tourist city that is ready made for large crowds. Every restaurant has large dining areas and party rooms and many are within walking distance of the Alamodome. Jason's Deli doesn't even blink when you call them with 200+ box lunches. As long as you have a rough outline and a weeks notice, you can just roll with it.

Good catch--the Keller schools are all in Area A. That gives some other deserving programs a chance.

I've now seen pretty much the entire Area B group a few times and the Marcus and Hebron shows are strong. We should probably make the same assumtion about LDB. If I remember correctly, Hebron finished 2nd ahead of LDB at Area B in 2010 when that huge storm came through while PESH had their props and colorguard being blown all over the field. I would say the 4th spot at Area B is the one up for grabs. Just from my personal observations, I would say it will be Haltom, Keller, Flower Mound, Richland, and maybe PESH fighting that last spot. This really is a competitive group.

Thanks for that info..very interesting. I missed this show but had already seen many of these shows a few times. The Hebron people must have been very disappointed in that result (as disappointed as you can be finishing second). I know that their was a lot of optimism within that community after finishing 2nd to Marcus by 1/2 point at the PESH contest. It was also interesting to see Keller score as high as they did. As has been said many times, Area B is going to be crazy competitive for what will likely be 2 spots for state. My understanding is that Marcus played their 3rd set at Birdville. I'd be interested in some feedback from anyone that was there. Obviously, it must have gone well for them to score as high as they did.