justabandkid94

I personally don’t know any actual scores, as I’m sure most posting don’t. Based on semifinal placements and caption winners, I think it’s fair to deduce that the top 4 or 5 is quite competitive with each other. For instance, Hebron wins Music for 4A but does not earn a class medal in semifinals (their music scores were better than all of 1-3). Inversely, The Woodlands places 3rd in 4A without a single caption win - indicating The Woodlands’ scores were trending towards the top of each caption, without ever being the actual caption champion. Unless the Carmel show is just an unbeatable GE monster (which we don’t know yet), these kind of results point to the bands all being neck and neck in semis. Of course it’s always the case, but achieving consistency in the judging sheets is extremely key with a deep talent pool like tonight’s

Just got home from work and playing catch up. So refreshing to see the Top 3 in semis so so tight! Way to go Team Texas!! Last few BOA seasons I have been craving for some 2001 Finals level drama*… it’s good for the activity 🙏🏻 *For the newcomers: Top 4 separated by less than 1 point Captions split. Champion wins without any caption wins

I have been on this forum for 10+ years and that has to be one of the nastiest write ups to date. Had to stop reading, so embarrassing Any band kid reading these posts — imperative to realize that there is so much to be proud of about your season beyond a numeric placement. The grit, dedication and guts it takes to field these modern shows is unfathomable I marched when it was just Marcus and Bell crushing everyone in Texas. Now I question if some of those legendary shows would even medal at competitions today! Irrespective of placement this talent and intensity of competition in the Top 14 is pushing the activity to heights I could never have predicted 10 years ago. This activity shifts because kids rise to the occasion and choose to commit themselves excellence. That is how new standards evolve and transpire - and it happens no matter the hardware or recognition. GTFOH.

The Woodlands- Coordinator / Drill Writer: Jon Vanderkolff; Arranger Wayne Downey. Think it has been this exact team since 2006’s Hide & Seek! Vista Ridge: Coordinator / Drill - Vanderkolff; Arr. Ryan George Vandegrift: Coordinator(?)/Drill- Jeff Sacktig. not sure on rest

Tying out a meteoric decade by winning a back-to-back State championship on the 10th anniversary of your first. Cosmic stuff

Should have known from the staging in that first set. Gorgeous stuff

Who is designing for Pearland these days??

this tea….

Broken Arrow 06 - GOAT as far as I’m concerned in sheer emotion Woodlands 06. LD Bell 06, 08. PCEP 01

Sacktig’s really cooking up something special with this one..

Omg, that draw order. You can’t ask for a better direct comparison in the back half of finals. Going to be a thrill. Best of luck to all!

Is Vandervolff designing for VR now, or was that just a comparison being made earlier in this thread? Definitely evokes his work. Mesmerizing stuff. Ballsy kids. Love it Unrelated, one of my favorite Westlake shows to date. 🔥

Agreed!!! Cannot wait to see this one live as well

I totally nerded out over Daft Punk’s score when Tron: Legacy first came out, so seeing a program like Vandegrift field this source music is stuff of dreams for me. The Adagio for Tron is an obvious standout from the film, and practically feels written-for-the-field with its huge moments and aching beauty. I do wish Vandy’s ballad gave the piece a liiiitle more room to breathe and develop (obvious time constraints), but whatever gripes I have will get drowned out by the glorious backfield playing in the Alamodome FWIW- the voiceover is abridged from the movie.

Thanks, guess I'm rustier on the handbook than I thought 😇

It is pretty surreal to see how much that Woodlands guard has transformed in the last 10 years. They're giving me chills this year Absolutely love this show!!

Random order

I don't know much about the Carmel show this year, or if this was the intent, but I find those black boxes so haunting. Like a cloud of dread hanging over the entire production, which weirdly marries well with how Saucedo plays with some of the source material in a subversive, borderline uncomfortable way. Reminiscent of the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Guys, this is insanity, just direct message the people yourselves! For what its worth, Hornrank forum has some good clues

Well said yourself, and completely agree! Best wishes during this final week of rehearsals

I think we can talk about differences in design approach in a way that doesn't pick one group up while diminishing the achievement of another. We continually say Hebron this, CTJ that, but each one of these school names have real people behind them. Realize that the kids performing the sh*t out of these shows have no control over the way their school's design team chooses to navigate artistic expression -- they simply take what they're given and infuse every ounce of their being into it. Whatever the method, it has merit purely because of the dedication behind it

Recaps are up: Finals Prelims

Exactly. I was more using Marcus and Waxahachie as an example for the general predicament of drawing early at a contest, since drawing time slots doesn't take into consideration the bands' physical distance from the Dome

For Waxahachie and Marcus - if they aren't getting to San Antonio the night before, thats a hellish logistical nightmare for the band. If the band truck is arriving at Alamodome at 6:30AM, subtract 5 (maybe more) hours from that for a reliable departure time from the Dallas area. Those kids will be exhausted before the contest even starts and thus won't be as well rested as some of their counterparts competing for finals. More importantly, all 3 bands are strong contenders for finals (or even locks in Marcus' case). The bands need to perform strongly enough to remain in the forefront of the judges' minds for the rest of Prelims. A judge may be more conservative in scoring a band at the very beginning of the day vs. later on - thus the bands who went earlier may get lower of a score than they would have if they had competed in a block closer to other potential finalist bands for a better judging comparison.

So, the Woodlands is taking it back to the approach in mid 2000s/early 10s? haha. 2011 in particular comes to mind...