2025 BOA Shenandoah (Sept. 27)

[Baritone Enjoyer]

10 minutes ago, youraveragebandkid said:

So my biggest question is how is this going to work if the Woodlands won’t attend finals? Will they even place in prelims? I’m not sure how this works…

Woodlands will be placed/scored in prelims, but they just won't be put in finals. Same with Tomball Memorial if that is true. So the bands in 13th and 14th will move up and perform in finals.

[Rubisco]

TWHS made me want some rainbow sherbet tonight. 😄

Their approach is... well, it's contemporary, to say the least. It's very, very Bluecoats again. I need to see more than just through the ballad, and all of it from upstairs, but my opinion of the show is improving. Love the music, the unique and varied repertoire. Love the dance step decorated platforms they move around the field. (I guess it's a dance party.) The costuming is such a huge visual pop. I also love how the show takes off at once and doesn't ever get boring. I wouldn't mind some sort of cool, pre-recorded, pre-show build-up, but don't change that opening!

For sure, they have some musical and visual cleaning to do. Brass blend and tuning in particular is an issue in spots. Some upper body control issues on the move. Difficult show with lots of simultaneous responsibilities -- all the running and dancing with the weird timing and whatnot while playing. Lots of layered stuff challenging them. That said, I could absolutely see this thing make a big splash down the road. It's very, very well-designed.

Now, somebody needs to post Bridgeland, Cy-Fair, Cy-Woods, and the others. I won't get the chance to watch the stream of this contest.

[ruben_f]

good luck to everyone today! I will be heading to BOA north Houston to watch a few bands and maybe record 
 

[tubapop]

4 minutes ago, ruben_f said:

good luck to everyone today! I will be heading to BOA north Houston to watch a few bands and maybe record 
 

I’ll be there as well! Getting ready now

[ChristopherRoden]

Those Cy fair props were super unique! My fav show of theirs since Vanish

[SharksAreCool]

Not gonna lie after seeing Cy-Woods show, it definitely feels weird to not see the literal opposite of the theme from last year. They still sound amazing though

[ruben_f]

gene tomas will perform after TWHS due to transportation issue

[bandisfun12321]

thoughts on shadow creek? 

[SharksAreCool]

47 minutes ago, bandisfun12321 said:

thoughts on shadow creek? 

They were really really good. I like their show a lot this year tbh.

[Dave609]

Prelim Results-

Class AA:

1st: Gene Thomas HS
2nd: Katy Freeman HS

Music: Gene Thomas HS
General: Gene Thomas HS
Visual: Katy Freeman HS

Class AAA:

1st: Clear Brook HS
2nd: Friendswood HS
3rd: A&M Consolidated HS

Music: Clear Brook HS
General: Clear Brook HS
Visual: Clear Brook HS

Class AAAA:

1st: The Woodlands HS
2nd: Bridgeland HS
3rd: Cy-Fair HS

Music: Cy-Fair HS
General: The Woodlands HS
Visual: The Woodlands HS

[Dave609]

Finalists-

Cinco Ranch HS
Churchill Fulshear HS
Friendswood HS
Clear Brook HS
Cypress Woods HS
The Woodlands College Park HS
James E. Taylor HS
Bridgeland HS
Cy-Fair HS
North Shore HS
Oak Ridge HS
Dickinson HS

[HagsTPT]

Great job box 5 yall made the live stream so buggy ☹️

[ruben_f]

Finals Results

80.550 – Cy-Fair H.S., TX
80.100 – Bridgeland H.S., TX
79.500 – College Park H.S., TX
77.725 – Cypress Woods H.S., TX
76.650 – Clear Brook H.S., TX
76.050 – North Shore Senior H.S., TX
75.650 – Cinco Ranch H.S., TX
73.950 – Dickinson H.S., TX
73.350 – Friendswood H.S., TX
72.550 – Churchill Fulshear H.S., TX
72.400 – James E Taylor H.S., TX
71.450 – Oak Ridge H.S., TX

Outstanding Music Performance – College Park H.S., TX
Outstanding Visual Performance – Bridgeland H.S., TX
Outstanding General Effect – Cy-Fair H.S., TX

[Rubisco]

Three-way caption split in finals! That seems about right. Houston results are often kind of wild. Always fun to watch how they change from one BOA Houston regional to the next, just one week apart.

I've seen some YouTube videos -- not all of them from high up. I can get behind a Cy-Fair win via effect. Their approach to music design is so interesting. It doesn't quite follow the standard opener-ballad-closer flow. It's more connected and organic. Right away I was intrigued by the superimposition of the gentle snare work on top of Lux Aurumque. Their brass is very powerful, although maybe sometimes a little too much so for my taste. Instead of a wall of sound, I may have preferred some more dynamics and variety here and there.

I love Cy-Fair's guard outfits, with that gauzy blue jacket over the sleek unitard, or whatever it is. The weapons are really going for it, although there are a lot of half-catches right now. The set pieces are really cool, too. I don't know how they work. The opacity of those boxes just seems to vanish to reveal the performers inside. Again, very cool. Overall, CF definitely looks hungry for another late season finals performance. Strong chance, I think.

I could have given the win to Bridgeland, too. The entire thing is so aesthetically appealing, with all the luscious blues and those backdrops that look maybe inspired by that Japanese woodblock painting, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. The guard was a lot cleaner than I expected, too, and doing more difficult things year over year. (I cannot wait to see what they bring to the winter season!)

Probably my biggest design criticism for Bridgeland is the kind-of, sort-of same-y mood of the music throughout. It's that twinkly, sentimental, "the magic is happening" marching band sound that is starting to get a little overplayed. I want more tension, more conflict, more spice. Maybe it will come in the movements that follow. Most of these shows seem incomplete. Anyway, Bridgeland overall still looks and sounds every bit the late season finalist quality I expected. I'm still pretty much blown away by them and their progress the past couple years.

It's funny, I went into this contest wondering if someone would eat into The Woodlands' prelims win, and indeed Cy-Fair nabbed the music caption, which is HUGE for them. I did find a high cam recording of TWHS from prelims. The sound was a bit weird with the soloist mics turned down a little too much, and other mics seeming to pick up bits and pieces of the ensemble sound. But overall I was surprised by how clean they were. They're similarly behind in learning their show compared to last year, but what they have is more polished, and more difficult. That's a dangerous combo for a late-bloomer like TWHS. The ending of the ballad in particular wowed me, with the huge flag oval around the band that collapses into the block. Great moment musically, with astonishing, utterly unmatched work from the guard -- with the wind blowing like crazy, too.

I still think their brass needs some work. Again, blend and tuning, although that was better today than expected. The brass soloists in the ballad are way too timid, too. Be heard! The guard, while still obviously the best in the country from top to bottom, could challenge their main weapon line even more, I think. The tosses are generally lower in height and less tricky compared to last year. They seem to rarely toss 6s, whereas last year they had ensemble 6s (and higher) with body/partner work under the tosses. I also wish the dance step stages could interact with the drill more and not just be there to look nice. I don't know, maybe have them slowly march into the drill and push the drill out of the way or something. 😄

[tubapop]

5 hours ago, Rubisco said:

Three-way caption split in finals! That seems about right. Houston results are often kind of wild. Always fun to watch how they change from one BOA Houston regional to the next, just one week apart.

I've seen some YouTube videos -- not all of them from high up. I can get behind a Cy-Fair win via effect. Their approach to music design is so interesting. It doesn't quite follow the standard opener-ballad-closer flow. It's more connected and organic. Right away I was intrigued by the superimposition of the gentle snare work on top of Lux Aurumque. Their brass is very powerful, although maybe sometimes a little too much so for my taste. Instead of a wall of sound, I may have preferred some more dynamics and variety here and there.

I love Cy-Fair's guard outfits, with that gauzy blue jacket over the sleek unitard, or whatever it is. The weapons are really going for it, although there are a lot of half-catches right now. The set pieces are really cool, too. I don't know how they work. The opacity of those boxes just seems to vanish to reveal the performers inside. Again, very cool. Overall, CF definitely looks hungry for another late season finals performance. Strong chance, I think.

I could have given the win to Bridgeland, too. The entire thing is so aesthetically appealing, with all the luscious blues and those backdrops that look maybe inspired by that Japanese woodblock painting, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. The guard was a lot cleaner than I expected, too, and doing more difficult things year over year. (I cannot wait to see what they bring to the winter season!)

Probably my biggest design criticism for Bridgeland is the kind-of, sort-of same-y mood of the music throughout. It's that twinkly, sentimental, "the magic is happening" marching band sound that is starting to get a little overplayed. I want more tension, more conflict, more spice. Maybe it will come in the movements that follow. Most of these shows seem incomplete. Anyway, Bridgeland overall still looks and sounds every bit the late season finalist quality I expected. I'm still pretty much blown away by them and their progress the past couple years.

It's funny, I went into this contest wondering if someone would eat into The Woodlands' prelims win, and indeed Cy-Fair nabbed the music caption, which is HUGE for them. I did find a high cam recording of TWHS from prelims. The sound was a bit weird with the soloist mics turned down a little too much, and other mics seeming to pick up bits and pieces of the ensemble sound. But overall I was surprised by how clean they were. They're similarly behind in learning their show compared to last year, but what they have is more polished, and more difficult. That's a dangerous combo for a late-bloomer like TWHS. The ending of the ballad in particular wowed me, with the huge flag oval around the band that collapses into the block. Great moment musically, with astonishing, utterly unmatched work from the guard -- with the wind blowing like crazy, too.

I still think their brass needs some work. Again, blend and tuning, although that was better today than expected. The brass soloists in the ballad are way too timid, too. Be heard! The guard, while still obviously the best in the country from top to bottom, could challenge their main weapon line even more, I think. The tosses are generally lower in height and less tricky compared to last year. They seem to rarely toss 6s, whereas last year they had ensemble 6s (and higher) with body/partner work under the tosses. I also wish the dance step stages could interact with the drill more and not just be there to look nice. I don't know, maybe have them slowly march into the drill and push the drill out of the way or something. 😄

Nice, reasoned analysis once again. This is all fair. 
 

I didn’t care for Cy Fair’s show. I thought it was highly reliant on props and non-musical gimmicks, for lack of a better word. Their Vanish show is still my favorite from recent years. Then again, I’m biased as a Bridgeland parent, and I’m old school and favor shows that are heavy on playing and marching. I put Bridgeland first (after TWHS, not that I saw their show, but I figured that they were going to take it anyway had they been in finals) and would have loved to see North Shore second — their old school approach with just Scheherazade and simultaneous marching and playing was endearing and well executed. Time to go shake my fist at the kids to get off my lawn. 
 

anyway, you win some, you lose some. Congratulations to Cy Fair and on to the next contest! 

[Bill_Hou]

6 hours ago, Rubisco said:

Three-way caption split in finals! That seems about right. Houston results are often kind of wild. Always fun to watch how they change from one BOA Houston regional to the next, just one week apart.

I've seen some YouTube videos -- not all of them from high up. I can get behind a Cy-Fair win via effect. Their approach to music design is so interesting. It doesn't quite follow the standard opener-ballad-closer flow. It's more connected and organic. Right away I was intrigued by the superimposition of the gentle snare work on top of Lux Aurumque. Their brass is very powerful, although maybe sometimes a little too much so for my taste. Instead of a wall of sound, I may have preferred some more dynamics and variety here and there.

I love Cy-Fair's guard outfits, with that gauzy blue jacket over the sleek unitard, or whatever it is. The weapons are really going for it, although there are a lot of half-catches right now. The set pieces are really cool, too. I don't know how they work. The opacity of those boxes just seems to vanish to reveal the performers inside. Again, very cool. Overall, CF definitely looks hungry for another late season finals performance. Strong chance, I think.

I could have given the win to Bridgeland, too. The entire thing is so aesthetically appealing, with all the luscious blues and those backdrops that look maybe inspired by that Japanese woodblock painting, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. The guard was a lot cleaner than I expected, too, and doing more difficult things year over year. (I cannot wait to see what they bring to the winter season!)

Probably my biggest design criticism for Bridgeland is the kind-of, sort-of same-y mood of the music throughout. It's that twinkly, sentimental, "the magic is happening" marching band sound that is starting to get a little overplayed. I want more tension, more conflict, more spice. Maybe it will come in the movements that follow. Most of these shows seem incomplete. Anyway, Bridgeland overall still looks and sounds every bit the late season finalist quality I expected. I'm still pretty much blown away by them and their progress the past couple years.

It's funny, I went into this contest wondering if someone would eat into The Woodlands' prelims win, and indeed Cy-Fair nabbed the music caption, which is HUGE for them. I did find a high cam recording of TWHS from prelims. The sound was a bit weird with the soloist mics turned down a little too much, and other mics seeming to pick up bits and pieces of the ensemble sound. But overall I was surprised by how clean they were. They're similarly behind in learning their show compared to last year, but what they have is more polished, and more difficult. That's a dangerous combo for a late-bloomer like TWHS. The ending of the ballad in particular wowed me, with the huge flag oval around the band that collapses into the block. Great moment musically, with astonishing, utterly unmatched work from the guard -- with the wind blowing like crazy, too.

I still think their brass needs some work. Again, blend and tuning, although that was better today than expected. The brass soloists in the ballad are way too timid, too. Be heard! The guard, while still obviously the best in the country from top to bottom, could challenge their main weapon line even more, I think. The tosses are generally lower in height and less tricky compared to last year. They seem to rarely toss 6s, whereas last year they had ensemble 6s (and higher) with body/partner work under the tosses. I also wish the dance step stages could interact with the drill more and not just be there to look nice. I don't know, maybe have them slowly march into the drill and push the drill out of the way or something. 😄

Thanks!  Congrats to everyone!  The big indicator is Houston Marching Band as a whole is getting so much better!  Let's look forward to everyone getting stronger and taking more of those state spots for the incorporated Houston area!

[AllThingsMarchibg]

Any clue why TWHS didn’t perform finals?

[Sideswiperr]

2 minutes ago, AllThingsMarchibg said:

Any clue why TWHS didn’t perform finals?

Homecoming.

[AllThingsMarching]

Anyone have a clue why TWHS didn’t perform in finals?…even though they basically swept every caption. 

[fortissim0]

Anyone have a recap?

[TWHSParent]

18 minutes ago, fortissim0 said:

Anyone have a recap?

BOA recaps can be found here:

https://marching.musicforall.org/result/

[Bad.robot]

1 hour ago, AllThingsMarching said:

Anyone have a clue why TWHS didn’t perform in finals?…even though they basically swept every caption. 

They had homecoming last night.

[tubapop]

I'm actually going to take back what I said. I watched Bridgeland's and CyFair's videos back to back with fresh eyes this morning. I think CyFair's show is better designed for general effect (which is something Cy Fair usually does well with). There is better emotional, artistic, and intellectual engagement than our show, at least the portions of these shows we have seen to date. Another commenter, I think Rubisco, mentioned that Bridgeland's show is its usual happy go lucky vibe. I don't totally agree with that, as the last movement that was played last night takes on a very different tone than the happy go lucky stuff before it. But in terms of designing a truly artistic show that tries to connect with the audience, I think Cy Fair's design is simply better. Is that the kids' fault? No, but them's the breaks. 

[fortissim0]

1 hour ago, tubapop said:

But in terms of designing a truly artistic show that tries to connect with the audience, I think Cy Fair's design is simply better. Is that the kids' fault? No, but them's the breaks. 

Two of the GE judges put Bridgeland in first so idk if it’s the design or the execution

[Rubisco]

Hmmm, I meant more sentimental, not quite "happy-go-lucky." But you are absolutely correct that the end of what Bridgeland presented is a significant mood shift, which makes me excited to see the rest!

24 minutes ago, fortissim0 said:

Two of the GE judges put Bridgeland in first so idk if it’s the design or the execution

That's a good point. Bridgeland was also over 2 points ahead of Cy-Fair in prelims, easily winning effect in that round.

Wow, actually, I'm just now noticing that 14.9 in music effect in finals. That's straight up crazy. 8th place?! In prelims, this judge also had TWHS 4th in ensemble music, while they were a very comfortable 1st in individual music.

Bridgeland really may have just gotten poor luck with the panel. This, of course, underscores the need for doubling the effect panel -- my constant gripe! 😅