UIL 6A Area J 2025

[bandfromplanoarea]

Predictions for Area J?

[TrenBS]

I think traditional predictions so early (11 months early) would be kind of redundant and also look pretty identical to how this year played out, so I think something that would be more interesting would be to look at each of the traditional finalist bands and how they would perform under the new judging system that may be implemented at the December 3rd meeting (woodwind, brass, percussion, visual individual, visual ensemble) and if we would see any significant shakeups:

1. Hebron: They would excel in the woodwind and brass sections but would fall behind Flower Mound and Marcus in the percussion section, and visual captions would likely just be more inconsistent.
2. Marcus: They would dominate the percussion section, the brass and woodwind captions would be a fight between Flower Mound, and if I had to make any guesses, I think Flower Mound would win woodwinds and Marcus would take brass. Visually I really think it would depend on the year but ensemble would likely be higher.
3. Flower Mound: Flower Mound would most likely dominate visual individual if anything, maybe the woodwind caption but Hebron would be a tough nut to crack in that regard, but I think between Marcus and Flower Mound we would see the area champion have a bit more variety than the past few years.
4. Prosper: I believe this change would make Prospers scoring here MUCH more consistent, I think woodwinds and brass will swap between dominant or below other bands, depending on which section is stronger given the year, but will definitely solidify their 4th placements in visual captions, and will become the most likely to place 4th every year.
5. Braswell: Braswell is the weirdest to judge for the future, they jumped so fast and we have no indication this will sustain, but we also have no indication on if it will fall, so at most I think they will underperform in percussion and visual individual, but excel in brass and visual ensemble, but we will have to see their progress next year.
6. Wylie: Wylie usually performs well at this contest because of how clean they are which got rewarded due to how broad the judges have to look in each caption, and with more tight captions I can see them losing some ground since general effect is basically a non-factor, but I don't see them missing finals. They will definitely do great in visual captions, maybe competiting with the top 3 if color guard is heavily weighted.
7. McKinney High: The McKinney schools will definitely do stronger in percussion captions, and I can see McKinney High being a much more consistent group in finals, but I am not sure if they will break ground in other captions unless they just improve significantly, which isn't really up to the judging changes itself.
8. Wylie East: Wylie East will likely do better or worse on a broader scale, Id say they will do better across the visual captions and a bit worse in the music captions besides potentially the brass, but again this is a group I think we will have to see next year since they generally underperformed compared to previous years.
9. McKinney Boyd: I know Boyd is going to have major improvements in almost every regard since they had a tiny senior class (12% seniors across the band roughly), but in regards to judging, I believe they will see large improvements in the percussion and woodwind captions, everything else will be relatively consistent.
10. For the last finalist, I think Rock Hill will come back in the finalist groups, them and Plano East will likely become the consistent last finalists until realignment changes just about everything in 2026.

[TrenBS]

2 hours ago, OWB_Nation said:

I know regardless this is gonna be wrong but Ima take a shot at it.

 

1.Flower Mound, call me crazy, but I think Flomo can pull it off next year. Obviously Hebron will still be a huge thorn in their side but with enough horsepower and momentum from BOA San Antonio, I think it just might happen.

2. Hebron, ah yes your UIL State 1st place band. I don't think Hebron is still at the highest level anymore. Take it with a grain of salt but I don't think Hebron is the same as they once were. I feel like they peaked at Penstriped and are still going for that when other bands are finding different ways to get better. Hebron is powerful, but they aren't invunreable. 

3. Marcus, A true top dog in the world of marching and a force to be reckon with. I could see them taking 2nd from Flomo or Hebron but the big question is: will Marcus have enough to pull off a first place win>

4. Prosper, coming back as your 11th grand national finalist this band is going places. If they keep it going, the next place they go could be the Alamo dome again.

5. Braswell, Honestly a band that gets looked down upon a lot. I was really sad for them when they came up one short (my band would join them soon after) but I think if the new rule passes Braswell will hope on a charter bus to San Antonio.

6. McKinney, This band has a TON of momentum and will be a dark horse for next year. I could see them doing very well and going many places in the future. I could see them even going and grabbing 5th

7. Wylie, I really don't know how I feel about Wylie. Obviously they are gonna be a band powerhouse, but I don't know how this band will do under new manegment. I still see them making finals but I think it might take some time for Wylie to regain momentum

8. McKinney Boyd, this is a band that can be either one of two things. I band who is good enough to just make finals or a band to surprise everyone and grap their ticket to state. This is probably the lowest I see them going but we'll see how this band will perform.

9. Wylie East, I feel like they are only this low because of new manegment

10. Maybe Rock Hill can comeback or the planos can sneak in but this is anybody's game

 

I'm excited to see what comes from this area!!!

I know about Wylie East but is Schroeder leaving Wylie HS? I havent heard of anything like that happening unless you mean fine arts director or the new assistant directors 

[Tubalord11]

24 minutes ago, TrenBS said:

I know about Wylie East but is Schroeder leaving Wylie HS? I havent heard of anything like that happening unless you mean fine arts director or the new assistant directors 

Wylie is losing their head director, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do next year, don’t expect them to dip in performance level to much 

[CosmicLimbo]

Pulling for Braswell this season. That closer was probably one of my favorite things to come out of the entirety of last season and I really wish I could’ve seen it at state. 

[BbMarching]

On 3/25/2025 at 1:20 PM, OWB_Nation said:

Seems like things keep getting more interesting as Wylie East has found a new director. And it just so happens to be the head director from Sachse

😉

Much love from Wylie East

[dfwhorn]

Here my early thoughts on a lot of these J programs for this year; i think itll be another great year as this area impressed me a lot last year

LISD big 3 most likely will go to state all again, with my personal order being Flomo Hebron Marcus in that order, all 3 could be in contention for each spot of those positions however; well have to see how their shows for this following year treats them. But my opinion for this specific order is that Flower Mound is way more of a heavy theming school and with all these other schools starting to develop (Bwell, WISD, MISD PESH, etc) I think that theming could possibly start being more necessary

Prosper HS is probably gonna have another killer year with the Grand Nats appearance and 16th at the SMBC; however I want to wait and see how the new Richland school they are opening in the west of the district will affect their program before I make any big opinions on their program, but they will most likely be a contender for state once again.

Braswell is a bit tricky on me to decide on right now just because of the sudden jump, but I think that they will most likely have another good season, and even possibly a visit to State if they can find a way to take advantage of Prosper high's situation with richland. Also keep in mind DISD is opening a new HS in the Crossroads area in 2027, but that wont be an issue for Bwell for these next few years.

Wylie ISD will probably both be finals calibur once more, but keep in mind the new management, more notably Weast now has Sachse's Head director, which could be a really useful asset after their really killer season at SHS last year.

Another big thing that could be talked about is the guard programs in these programs could have an effect on the programs this year, with those proposals for the judging system. Little Elm is having a historic Open season; Marcus is still really strong, and Prosper Wylie and Rock hill are also having good seasons this year, but in general a lot of the guards here are really good too not just the ones mentioned here.

I think this year will be a great year for pretty much every band in this area and I cant wait to see how their shows end up for this year.

 

[dfwhorn]

Incredibly early predictions, sort of like a previous post where it's mainly just the "range" of a school rather than an actual prediction.

1. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

2. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

3. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

4. Braswell/Prosper

5. Braswell/Prosper/McKinney

6. Wylie East/McKinney/Braswell

7. Wylie/Wylie East/McKinney

8. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

9. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

10. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

I think it will mostly look the same, BUT I think rock hill will probably make finals this year, and Braswell could possibly sneak into state depending on their performance, and I have Little Elm as my dark horse with them and their world champion guard. Either way this area could go any way for many of these spots and I'm excited to see how it goes.

[BbMarching]

On 4/3/2025 at 3:48 PM, OWB_Nation said:

I'm gonna put up my list of where bands could be. These aren't really my "predictions" but more of a place holder to where I think bands could be.

 

1. Hebron/Marcus/FloMo

2.Hebron/Marcus/FloMo

3.Hebron/Marcus/FloMo/Prosper

4.Prosper/Braswell

5.Prosper/Braswell/Mckinney/Wylie East/Mckinney Boyd/Wylie

6.Braswell/Mckinney/Wylie/Wylie East/Mckinney Boyd

7.Mckinney/Wylie East/Mckinney Boyd/Wylie

8. Mckinney/Wylie East/Mckinney Boyd

9. Mckinney Boyd/Plano East/ RockHill

10.RockHill/Plano East/Lewisville

 

Of course this is anyone's game and I could see an argument for most of these bands to claim that fourth (or if D3 goes into effect) seventh spots

That utterly dreaded 5th spot

[BbMarching]

On 4/17/2025 at 11:32 AM, OWB_Nation said:

My band was that 5th place spot last year. That 5th place spot is how depression is made

For what it’s worth, many of us feel your program shouldve taken 4th (I liked both, but your screamer left me speechless)

[Tubalord11]

Might be at this one in person this season 🤭

[dfwhorn]

Here is a good thing about every school in this area coming in to this season (alphabetical)

Allen: I thought that Fire and Ice was a step in the right direction for their program and what potential the band could have.
Braswell: They underdogged their way to the top 5 and had an incredibly great show, and that 380 area is experiencing tremendous growth.
Byron Nelson: I really liked their show last year and I'm excited to see what they have ready for this upcoming year
Flower Mound: I love what they are doing with the theming, and I also believe that they can benefit a lot from the new judging system for Area.
Guyer: I think that Guyer is great with concepts, as long as they can have a show they can execute they could do a lot this year.
Hebron: State champions in 6A and still one of the most talked about bands online.
Lewisville: They get a little unappreciated due to their siblings being a little better than them, but I think that they have a ton of potential in their program.
Little Elm: Their guard won WGI Scholastic Open with a record score for that class and the percussion got invited to Midwest, which could bring a lot of motivation for the band program for this year and future years. 
Marcus: I enjoy getting to watch their shows year from year, and it is always satisfying to see how Marcus performs.
McKinney: They might be THE school to look out for this year.
McKinney Boyd: With the right show I think that they will do a lot for their program, I think that they could definitely reach high with it.
Northwest: With the right show they could place higher than you could expect, and I think that they could be a sleeper school once they start building up these next few years.
Plano: They were pretty close to making finals this year, which may mean that there could be a lot of motivation to push them to that direction.
Plano East: For sneaking into the finals, it was a little surprising but not unexpected with a show that was great to watch as a spectator.
Plano West: I saw that the jazz went to the Essentially Ellington contest, which is pretty cool and I think that could mean that they are building to be a good program or year for them in other aspects and not just in jazz.
Princeton: They had a solid show for their first year in 6A, and they are one of the fastest growing towns in America which could help with size
Prosper: They are coming off from a Grand Nationals appearance, and I think that they could be a contender state once again with a good show.
Rock Hill: Rock Hill is more of a concept school but that is the cool thing about them is that they are great with coming up with theming which could be good for GE.
V.R Eaton: They are also someone you should look out for, they will probably have a really good show, as long as the execution can happen a lot can happen for this year for Eaton.
Wylie: I saw that they had staff changes, which I think will be good for them. I think that they could be someone to sneak higher than they were and if not I know they will still have a great show.
Wylie East: They have the staff changes they need I think. The Sachse director was a good grab and I think it could mean a lot for their program

Area J is an area where you can see great things happening in every school regardless of if they were 1st, 14th or 20th which is the good thing about J is because it might seem competitive the whole time but there is growth happening in every school that might not be seen the whole time because of something as simple as a placement. I'm excited to see how all of these bands do this year and I hope I get the chance to see a lot of these shows this year.

[TrenBS]

Prediction:

1. Flower Mound (Vis Ind/Ens)*
2. Hebron (WW)*
3. Marcus (Br/Perc)*
4. Prosper/McKinney (Perc McKinney WW/Br Prosper)
5. McKinney/Prosper (Vis Ind Prosper)
6. Braswell (Vis Ens)
7. Wylie East
8. McKinney Boyd
9. Wylie
10. Rock Hill

iykyk

[RainTower57]

On 4/16/2025 at 7:25 PM, dfwhorn said:

Incredibly early predictions, sort of like a previous post where it's mainly just the "range" of a school rather than an actual prediction.

1. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

2. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

3. Flomo/Hebron/Marcus

4. Braswell/Prosper

5. Braswell/Prosper/McKinney

6. Wylie East/McKinney/Braswell

7. Wylie/Wylie East/McKinney

8. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

9. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

10. Plano East/Rock Hill/Little Elm/McKinney Boyd

I think it will mostly look the same, BUT I think rock hill will probably make finals this year, and Braswell could possibly sneak into state depending on their performance, and I have Little Elm as my dark horse with them and their world champion guard. Either way this area could go any way for many of these spots and I'm excited to see how it goes.

I want to see Braswell at state. They seem like they have a good shot despite the shaky history

[SharksAreCool]

4 hours ago, RainTower57 said:

I want to see Braswell at state. They seem like they have a good shot despite the shaky history

It’s one of those things where all of these bands are deserving of going to state but they have a low chance because of the 3 kings at the top

[dfwhorn]

Here is my predictions 2.0. I want to also take the new judging into account so I'll try my best to mention that.

1. Flower Mound (I think that they take Brass and both Visuals against Hebron to take the Area Championship out of their hands. I love what they do with their theming and visuals and I think that it will be great for them this year, especially with a Grand Nats year (possibly top 3???))
2. Hebron (They are coming off of a state victory, but I think that their show will do less for judges than it did last year. They still take 2nd and get WW and percussion)
3. Marcus (I think this top 3 will be closer this year but I think these placements are pretty defined for now this year. I'd like for them to sneak and steal a caption from one of their LISD siblings)
4. Braswell (Hot take but I think that their show will be something good as long as they have the right execution, I think they could have that last state spot.)
5. Prosper (I have them below Braswell because of the new Richland school opening (could be a good 4A force btw) but don't get me wrong their concept looks great and I still think that they could have the execution for a state run)
6. McKinney (They are everyone's dark horse team and I even think that they could be in the running for state. Depending on Braswell and Prosper's executions they could definitely be a sleeper in state)
7. Wylie East (I think that the new director is the right change for Wylie East and I know that they will prosper with them as the new head. I want to see 4-7's shows before I make a final choice, but they could all be state bubble bands.)
8. Wylie (I'm not really sure what to expect from these guys, BUT I think they could easily sneak higher than I have them, but l want to see how they execute their show before I make a decision on them. Still will place good though)
9-10 see bubble bands

Bubble Bands
McKinney Boyd (I like their concept for the show, and I think that with the right execution they will make finals, since Boyd can be good at clean I don't think that will be too much of an issue)
Rock Hill (RH is a program where I feel like they don't need to worry about how they place because they know they will have a great show nonetheless. I'm not sure their placement just yet but finals or not they will have another cool concept show to watch)
Plano East (They snuck into finals and their clock show was impressive for me, as long as they can remain consistent with that they will probably be a good contestant for finals once again, but i need to see that consistency.)
Little Elm (Their accolades are great this year with the Guard championship and the Midwest invitation, I think that with the right execution they could sneak into finals as an underdog, and they could benefit from the scoring system for this year)
Byron Nelson (They are an underrated program and I have no doubt that they will have a great show this year, as long as they can figure out how to sneak back into finals with all the big guys in everyone's top 10, but it could be a way to prove people wrong and have a good season.)

Area J is gonna be exciting this year, Predictions 3.0 will be made probably after BOA prosper if I were to guess, once we get a look at some of these programs more, and see who could be the underdog, or who could drop. But either way I'm incredibly excited to see area J this year.

[dfwhorn]

58 minutes ago, Trombone_lover17 said:

I seriously doubt Marcus will be losing the percussion caption anytime soon… however I do agree with this ranking for the most part. I do think this could be another really strong year for Flomo, especially with Grand Nats, but I think in UIL, Hebron will probably still take the win.

Yeah, it was between Hebron and Marcus for sure in terms of who wins percussion, should've probably chosen Marcus but I know the judges sometimes lean towards Hebron.

For Flower Mound and Hebron, I chose Flower Mound more as I think they could get Visual over Hebron, and plus a slight preference thing tbh lol, but I think that itll be VERY close between the two and will probably be just a few points apart. Wouldn't be shocked though if they chose to make a BOA centric season as if they did they could be in talks of winning grand nats this year, really excited to see how it turns out for them

[dfwhorn]

A but quiet over here, anyone have any predictions for this contest? It'll be pretty close this year for some people I think.

[SharksAreCool]

1 hour ago, dfwhorn said:

A but quiet over here, anyone have any predictions for this contest? It'll be pretty close this year for some people I think.

Eh why not take a crack.

 

1. Flower Mound (Little bit of a hot take)

2. Hebron

3. Marcus

4. Prosper/Braswell (Could come down to some sort of tie breaker)

5. Braswell/Prosper

6. McKinney

7. Wylie East

8. Wylie

9. McKinney Boyd

10. RockHill

 

[BbMarching]

Just some new director change info, an assistant director has left Wylie East to work with Rock Hill, and Wylie East’s newest assistant director was hired from Wylie High. Interesting shifts

[Tubalord11]

3 hours ago, dfwhorn said:

A but quiet over here, anyone have any predictions for this contest? It'll be pretty close this year for some people I think.

Hebron 

Flomo 

Marcus 

Braswell/prosper 

prosper/braswell 

Mckinney 

Wylie 

East/Boyd 

Boyd/east 

Rockhill 

 

id say bottom half is pretty interchange, could see someone else maybe taking 4th? 

[JazzRun]

4 hours ago, BbMarching said:

Just some new director change info, an assistant director has left Wylie East to work with Rock Hill, and Wylie East’s newest assistant director was hired from Wylie High. Interesting shifts

Wylie East is getting a fantastic addition in Mr. Nicholson as Assistant Director! Wylie High is sad to lose him but glad he’s staying in the district. 

[dfwhorn]

BIG things are happening in Area J for percussion!!! Congrats to both Braswell and Hebron HS Percussion for both being winners of PASIC 2025 International Percussion Ensemble Competition in the HS division!!! Percussion will be really strong in this area with lots of programs doing really good this spring and summer in percussion!!

[Tubalord11]

4 hours ago, dfwhorn said:

BIG things are happening in Area J for percussion!!! Congrats to both Braswell and Hebron HS Percussion for both being winners of PASIC 2025 International Percussion Ensemble Competition in the HS division!!! Percussion will be really strong in this area with lots of programs doing really good this spring and summer in percussion!!

Congrats to both programs!! Hopefully this translates well into Hebron having a higher perc score at state with that seeming to be the thing that hurts them the most musically, but also might be the books aren’t anything crazy idk but still congrats to both

[dfwhorn]

4 hours ago, Tubalord11 said:

Congrats to both programs!! Hopefully this translates well into Hebron having a higher perc score at state with that seeming to be the thing that hurts them the most musically, but also might be the books aren’t anything crazy idk but still congrats to both

Yeah, percussion can definitely affect Hebron in the scoring in the past, which makes me wonder if the new Area system will affect Hebron specifically, or if it might bring people up ranks with the new factors involved.

Also, seeing the winners of the HS division which was the 2 mentioned along with Frisco Heritage win, and also Frisco Memorial and Little Elm's percussion ensembles get invited to Midwest just really shows how much development we are getting in the performing arts over here in the North DFW area in this Sam Rayburn/380 corridor, and it is such a sight to see how developed these programs are, and how it makes your jaw drop not even just at percussion contests, but watching half time shows with band and drill team, and winterguard contests, just seeing how this area has flourished with fine arts is so incredible.