UIL 6A State Marching Contest 2025 (Nov 3-4)

[TWHSParent]

4 hours ago, RattlerDad said:

This competition is so freaking hard.

Our final high schooler is a Reagan Senior mello, and we landed in our annual 7th spot.  Super humbled to have made it to state finals again, albeit for the final time.  

Our program has never finished higher than 5th, and we thought we had a shot this year.  However, when you look, feel, and hear these other bands, they are worthy of their accolades.  So. Very. Impressive.  

What's wild is when you stop and think about it, it sometimes feels like we are David to Goliath (FloMo, Hebron, Marcus, Vandy, TWHS, VR).  You can start to feel kind of bad about it, but then you realize, and appreciate, that you are the Goliath to other David's.  We have a great program.  You all have great programs.  

I am non-musical so I don't know my Euphonium from a hole in the ground, and could never comment about who deserves what.  Our bands are amazing.  These kids are amazing (tired, full of takis and hot fries, and somewhat smelly), but they give it all, and that is easy to get behind and support.

Go Band.

Two more contests in the hopper before we hang up our show shirts after 8 marvelous years (2013-2016, 2023-2026)!

Great take! I will say that had 2019 been a state year Reagan would have won. That show was just phenomenal!

[dullbanddad]

5 hours ago, RattlerDad said:

This competition is so freaking hard.

Our final high schooler is a Reagan Senior mello, and we landed in our annual 7th spot.  Super humbled to have made it to state finals again, albeit for the final time.  

Our program has never finished higher than 5th, and we thought we had a shot this year.  However, when you look, feel, and hear these other bands, they are worthy of their accolades.  So. Very. Impressive.  

What's wild is when you stop and think about it, it sometimes feels like we are David to Goliath (FloMo, Hebron, Marcus, Vandy, TWHS, VR).  You can start to feel kind of bad about it, but then you realize, and appreciate, that you are the Goliath to other David's.  We have a great program.  You all have great programs.  

I am non-musical so I don't know my Euphonium from a hole in the ground, and could never comment about who deserves what.  Our bands are amazing.  These kids are amazing (tired, full of takis and hot fries, and somewhat smelly), but they give it all, and that is easy to get behind and support.

Go Band.

Two more contests in the hopper before we hang up our show shirts after 8 marvelous years (2013-2016, 2023-2026)!

Crazy thing is any of the TX finalists would probably win a state contest in most other states.  This shows with how many of the bands are ranked by Hornrank, and how well Texas bands do at Grand Nats.  I really liked Reagan's show this year, the opening with the band spread across the entire field is super impressive.  It's so easy to get lost in "looking up" to not realize how close you are to the top.  

[utee94]

Saw this picture on social media a couple of days ago accompanied by a post of gratitude from Vandegrift's official band page, and thought it would be a good way to put a bow on this year's 6A UIL competition. It was not only inspiring how beautifully the band community came together to support Vandy, but it was also incredible how well they performed in the face of hardship.  Their show was beautiful and compelling and I liked it from the moment I saw just the first couple of parts during the Cedar Park - Vandegrift football game.  It only grew from there.  They performed the heck out of it at State and at BOA, and I am glad I got to see it one more time in SA last weekend.

[dullbanddad]

13 hours ago, utee94 said:

Saw this picture on social media a couple of days ago accompanied by a post of gratitude from Vandegrift's official band page, and thought it would be a good way to put a bow on this year's 6A UIL competition. It was not only inspiring how beautifully the band community came together to support Vandy, but it was also incredible how well they performed in the face of hardship.  Their show was beautiful and compelling and I liked it from the moment I saw just the first couple of parts during the Cedar Park - Vandegrift football game.  It only grew from there.  They performed the heck out of it at State and at BOA, and I am glad I got to see it one more time in SA last weekend.

Since no one was hurt, and they performed so well, I think it's ok to make a little joke.  Their opening song next year better be "Crazy Train."

[bassboneman]

14 minutes ago, dullbanddad said:

Since no one was hurt, and they performed so well, I think it's ok to make a little joke.  Their opening song next year better be "Crazy Train."

I'm getting stuck on the railless and getting hit by a trainnnnnn. buhm buhm buhm babauhm I'm getting stuck on the railless and getting hit by a trainnnnnn.

[utee94]

14 minutes ago, dullbanddad said:

Since no one was hurt, and they performed so well, I think it's ok to make a little joke.  Their opening song next year better be "Crazy Train."

Ha!

I'm not gonna lie, we've already made some jokes that their entire show should be train-based.  "Crazy Train" would make a great opener, maybe mix in some of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" in part 2.  Heck, "Wabash Cannonball" is a song about a train and is already a common marching band theme.  And Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" might make a good marching band ballad.

[bassboneman]

1 minute ago, utee94 said:

Ha!

I'm not gonna lie, we've already made some jokes that their entire show should be train-based.  "Crazy Train" would make a great opener, maybe mix in some of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" in part 2.  Heck, "Wabash Cannonball" is a song about a train and is already a common marching band theme.  And Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" might make a good marching band ballad.

There show should be like 2011 cadets angles vs demons, but its train vs trailers. The opening hit should be a train horn cord it to a technical scramble, with another hit and then a massive crash sound effect. The ballad should be like a sorrow thing with the closer being like funny, reflection on the event. 

It would be really funny if there props were trains and trailers and they made the collide. maybe guard is like the train conductor uniform and the band are dressed like truck drives. Even better if they buy Leander's screens and play the video during the show. 

The shows name is Trains embrace or something like that. 

[WanderingTraveler]

7 minutes ago, bassboneman said:

The shows name is Trains embrace or something like that. 

Okay, thats actually pretty funny😂

[utee94]

8 minutes ago, bassboneman said:

There show should be like 2011 cadets angles vs demons, but its train vs trailers. The opening hit should be a train horn cord it to a technical scramble, with another hit and then a massive crash sound effect. The ballad should be like a sorrow thing with the closer being like funny, reflection on the event. 

It would be really funny if there props were trains and trailers and they made the collide. maybe guard is like the train conductor uniform and the band are dressed like truck drives. Even better if they buy Leander's screens and play the video during the show. 

The shows name is Trains embrace or something like that. 

Make it "Locomotive's Embrace" and it sounds like a Wes Cartwright show title!

[Tubalord11]

I love these train show ideas for Vandy😂 

would actually be super cool to see tbh, especially if it shows them coming out of the incident and doing so good, it would also be a nice touch if they somehow showed all the bands that helped them for some glorious ending….maybe I’m going to far lol 

[LeanderMomma]

22 hours ago, bassboneman said:

Even better if they buy Leander's screens and play the video during the show. 

This is hysterical. 😂

[utee94]

46 minutes ago, LeanderMomma said:

This is hysterical. 😂

We were hanging out next to the Leander band pit pack at UIL Area and they were trying to tune in the Saturday college football games on a TV in the back of one of their trailers.  I thought about asking why they weren't putting it on the giant video screens but I wasn't sure how well that would go over... 😛