UIL 5A Area F 2025

[Anthony V]

R.L. Turner. "Poseidon's Domain." We've got some more underwater props, but they're definitely less spooky. Lots of vibrant colors And the pit is not on the front sideline but on the back hash! Think colorful coral reef, with sunken pillars in the background. 

A controlled sound from this ensemble, definitely no overplaying. They are moving in their first statement into a crown formation, probably to indicate Poseidon. The drill, like the music, is also pretty clean. That's definitely the priority here. And they end in a trident set -- the definition of which would not be possible without that accuracy. The ballad begins with a mello and baritone duet, followed by a low brass refrain. We're taking our time building up to the final statement, first doing a full ensemble moment, then backing away for a few more phrases, until bring the closer to a climax. The closer begins with a low brass feature, showing off the note to note movement technique of the sousas and the trombones especially. WWs and brass trading the melody. True, but imprecise of me -- it was a trumpet soli. A precise, controlled statement here at the end. Thanks, band! 

 

[Anthony V]

Midlothian. "Neon Underground." Here we go with another performance from one of this areas rising stars. You want bari sax solos? They got bari sax solos. Midlo has subway props on the front sideline, pink and blue in color, and urban/graffiti themed props backfield. The real attraction, though, is a ramp/stage with our bari sax soloist and entourage to start us off. These backfield props... these are actually, taken all together, walls of a subway tunnel. 

Here we go. I forgot to mention the trumpet soloist here at the beginning, too. Hmm, some tempo issues here at first. Great energy and impact from the winds on this opening statement. Well, two of them, actually; one prefaces this next bari solo. Pretty good timing precision on these back and forth stabs and articulation demonstrations in the brass. Great energy all around from all performers, but we've got some minor timing issues that would need to get cleaned up to take top spot. Mid-performance, by the time of the trumpet duet, I'm wondering if this is actually first place so far today. My intuition is to put it over Richland and BC's earlier performances, timing issues notwithstanding. I just don't don't predict Aledo will let it slip by. There are some minor tuning issues preventing reaching the next level on balance and ensemble sonority, but we're actually almost there. I wasn't expecting so much of an improvement over Waco. Here we go with asphalt cocktail. Yeah, still some slight front to back/tempo communication issues holding back the energy. Thanks mellos for that fantastic intonation on your sustain. Brass, you're doing an exemplary job shaping the articulation of your notes here in this section. Wow. Okay, some dirt in this closing rotating drill, but it's not too bad. It makes perfect sense to work on that between now and state. 

Great job, Midlo. Your future is looking bright!

[Anthony V]

Granbury. "Soar." Front skrims are an aircraft carrier! We also have a stage that is another part of the carrier, and some planes as backfield props. Can't fail to mention the aviator glasses everyone is wearing. 

We start off with a trumpet solo, bright orange pops from the guard with those flags. Nice blended ensemble statement here in the beginning. Quirky clarinet quartet takes us into... a high brass feature, followed by a low brass feature, and full ensemble statement. I really appreciate this group's precise intonation in full ensemble moments. It really clarifies the already blended sound. Great job on that first movement. Bari solo brings us into the Top Gun ballad. On the other side of the field, a mello plays the response. What a lovely duet. Guard (incl. WWs), now has white and blue swing flags. Brass choir moment for the ballad hit. Well done. A sousa feature! I think this is taking us into the closer. Yup. Flag change, now with blue sky, clouds, and yellow accent. Suddenly a reference from... "How to Train Your Dragon"! "Test flight." The aircraft props  have ribbons on their tails mimicking jet propulsion. Another little Top Gun reference. Well done!

[Anthony V]

Grapevine. "Soleil." (Sp? I got this wrong last time, too.) Here we are, going into our final block of this contest. I think some electronic issues starting off; our soloist was not audible. Good clean marching. Okay, Grapevine, definitely more brass projection than at Waco. Good for you! But we're maintaining focus, blending, balance, tone quality... Drum break/guard work, followed by WW trio, taking us into the next movement. Drill is pretty clean, some of the cleanest marching we've seen today. Good job brass with that feature. Guard is also doing a fantastic job. Now onto the ballad, oboe + trombone duet. Beautiful full ensemble moment. Great job with tuning even with these tall dissonant chords. Music is clean enough that something like that stands out. Lovely sunbeam swing flag work from the guard. Wonderful backfield sustain ending the ballad. The audience can tell this is good; they want to respect the silence in the arrangement, and they respond appropriately when the moment ends. Wonderful brass sort-of articulation feature (it's understated in the upper voices). Very mature sounding. Great job with energy here at the end. What a great season you've had so far, Grapevine! You're definitely growing as a program. 

[Anthony V]

Chisholm Trail. "Finding Balance." Lots of pink and blue, some pink see-saws for body work and pink/blue continua props backfield. We start with a flute solo which is suddenly accompanied by a lively WW small ensemble. First hit definitely controlled. WW trio now on the see-saw. Brass articulation feature. Great job overall; a little bit of phasing, but good recovery. This definitely seems visually cleaner than at Waco. Guard toss and catch on the front left 35 see-saw. Great job. Now we're set up for a trumpet/mello duet utilizing both of the 35 see-saws. Thanks, soloists! Some minor transient tuning issues in the mellos when we have accidentals on this ballad hit, but we recover when we go back into key. Clarinet solo here bringing us into the closer. Great initial center of sound from the brass after that fortepiano. The see-saw props are now on the 50 (with a couple exceptions, and being turned up vertically to reveal a blue obverse side. Three guard members balance on the front one on the 50, presenting the show's resolution. That last touch helps resolve the show theme better than at Waco. I get it better now. Thanks, Chisholm Trail!  

[Anthony V]

Summit. "The Long Road West." We've got Oregon trail vibes. Even got a ticonderoga wagon in addition to beautiful prairie backfield props and skrims. (It reminds one of the old computer game. Wife turns to me and says, in flat monotone, "You have died of dysentery.") Drum majors are cowboys, by the way.

We begin with some gentle melodies from the pit, joined next by a clarinet soloist on our wagon. Some backfield allusions from the ensemble to New World Symphony I think. Controlled sound on the the turn-around. We're doing a decent job listening to each other and matching sounds. Marching is generally clean. There's an analogy to be drawn between this group and R.L. Turner in terms of that focus on cleanliness and accuracy. Well, I say that and then the brass gets a bit punchier/edgier. The cause of this edginess? Snakes, it seems, not in your boots but on the flags! Baritone solo brings us into the ballad with "under the night sky." Guard is now on purple star-studded night sky swing flags. The wagon is slowly making it's way to the left side of the field (going "westward," I presume; and funnily enough, that is just about westward given the orientation of this stadium). A nice medley reprisal recapping the show here at the end. Great job!

[Anthony V]

Sorry for the delay. The website is, as you can probably tell, getting significantly more traffic as we get towards prelims awards. 

Fossil Ridge. “La Luna.” Lots of phases of the moon here on the props. Cygnus and Taurus are featured on some of the props. Here we go.
Open with flute feature as the band makes the phases of the moon via drill. Clever. Here’s the first hit with (I think) Gymnopaedie. It fits the theme quite well. We’re doing a good job with brass projection on the first big hit, generally not at the cost of focus or clarity of sound. A bit of edge, but that can be a style choice. Bari sax solo puts forward the new theme, which is echoed by the brass, the full band. We’re cycling back and forth between full ensemble and soloist/small ensemble expressions of the melody. There are some minor tempo issues throughout, holding back some energy. French horn solo bringing us into… I think it is the Jenkins piece, “eternal knot.” Full ensemble statement, followed by a stinger that takes us into the closer. Interesting diagonal drill form at the impact. Mello/sax middle voices give us the melody for the closing statements, and we’re back to making the moon phases in the drill. Good sound overall, generally well done.

South Hills. “Masquerade of Mirrors.” The guard has masquerade masks/1920s flapper dress vibes. Backfield props are of dressed-up band members (?) of different instrumentation. We are lady Gaga heavy in the source material. We start off with some rotational drill and a clarinet solo that takes us to the first hit. Looks like there’s a mellophone trio (or maybe 2 mellophones and a baritone?) up on a front stage. Trumpet solo here after some full ensemble statements.  High/low alternating voices take us into the next section. We have the occasional rotational drill. There’s a WW feature that leads into a full ensemble moment. There’s a lot of brief musical allusions in the arrangement to other pieces in the repertoire. Ballad hit brings us without question to some Lady Gaga melodies, though. The ballad opened and is now closing by a flute/clarinet duet. he guard has been using golden translucent swing flags.  Now out comes some bright pink flags as a brass trio gives us the melody for the closer. That is, until we start once more into a Lady Gaga sequence here at the end, complete with some “Bad Romance.” allusions.

I’m so sorry, but technical issues caused me to miss out on Everman. There’s was a show called “Arabian Nights: A Warriors Tale.” The story is symbolized on their backfield props. 

Aledo. “Sonic Boom.” Here we go with our reigning area champion and presumptive finalist, Aledo. As some people have noted, this might be the last time we see them as a 5A area band, but we won’t know for sure until new classification cutoffs are determined (if they change). We’re set up with aircraft backfield props, and a fighter jet on the front right skrims, with “Sonic Boom.” On the other side skrims. Open with a brass quintet, mostly featuring a trumpet solo. Strong opening statement, generally good blending. (Since this is a high caliber band, I’ll say that there is some lack of blending in the upper voices in the hit). Great job with that double-tonguing feature, brass. Not yet flawless, but getting cleaner every time I hear it. WW feature after the fighter jet comes from left field to center, and then takes off again. The flyover banner is cool. The new colors, pinks, purples, and greys, signal the transition into the ballad. The melody is delivered to us initially by a clarinet/flute solo. Now for the turnaround. Big impact. Great job, brass. Now for a trumpet/mello duet taking us (along with the battery) into this closing segment. The guard is now on flags (by the brass as they do an articulation feature, also featuring specifically the mellos) and sabres. WW feature comes after; some minor cover-down issues as this drill gets more rotational and complicated. Great closing statement! Standing ovation. The crowd loves it!

Still not, at the time of this writing, able to access the Txbands website (probably due to server overload? maybe due to the fact that I’m surrounded by other people using their phones). Here’s my pre-awards estimation of who is where. 

I feel like the top four is grouped together, with Aledo in the lead, followed by Midlothian and then BC and Richland in some combination. After that, I think we’ll see some combination of Azle, Joshua, Grapevine, Birdville… maybe Colleyville Heritage and Cleburne… I’m interested to see if Arlington Heights makes it on energy. Technical inaccuracy might hit them too hard for a finals spot. 

[TrebleMaker2]

Your updates are much appreciated!!

 

[Anthony V]

Alright, here we go with awards briefly. Per usual UIL regulations, 5A area finals performance order is randomized top half/bottom half split, so going into finals we should know who's in the state spots. That said, placements can clarify somewhat within finals as the adjudication time gap between comparable bands is taken away. It's not as common to see placement rotation between top half/bottom half bands (5th and 6th in a 10-band finals) as it is within each half, but it can happen. It happened, for instance, at BOA Waco. 

Here come the drum majors! A big thank you to each of our competing bands today. It's been a real pleasure to see each one of your programs. Notwithstanding the rain, and then the direct sun, today really flew by for us because it was so enjoyable. You are the reason marching season is such a treat! That may not come across in a cold number or placement. That's why we always start with participation acknowledgment in these award ceremonies. I promise it's 

Finals (performance order).

815- Grapevine

830- Birdville

845- Chisholm Trail

900- Fossil Ridge 

915- Azle

930- Richland

945- Burleson Centennial

1000- Aledo

1015- Colleyville Heritage

1030- Midlothian

[ohboyilove5aareaf]

chisholm trail, fossil ridge, and CH taking the 3 finals spots? not surprising at the end of the day

[PercDad4Life]

Here we go with UIL 5A Area F finals!!

First up Grapevine HS!

Very lovely colorguard during the moving ballad.  Impactful closer with a solid company presentation to the crowd.  Great way to open finals.  Good job Grapevine!

 

[Anthony V]

Here we go with finals performances! I'll be providing comments again like prelims, but trying to focus in on the performance relative to prelims. 

Our first finalist is Grapevine. Good job with the opening segment. Might be a bit tighter than prelims. Our ensemble sound is a bit more locked in. I feel like we have more dynamic contrast from the brass feature than prelims. The issues in terms of wind performance are pretty minor, so it's hard for me to pinpoint the vocab to communicate what would hold it back from a higher placement. Our cutoffs here in the ballad (and before) are pretty clean. This is just a clean band, musically and visually. Energy seems like it was a little lower than prelims, but it purchased precision. Is that what will be the decisive factor tonight? We will see. 

[PercDad4Life]

Birdville HS:  I really like this show! Fun, relatable, and recognizable music.  Very cool prop/props with the record players and I love how it is used in the opener.  Battery stood out to me as a positive.  Enjoyed the whole performance.   Good luck Birdville.   I think you are right there for the 5th spot.

[Anthony V]

Birdville. Hopefully no lightning this time! Let's get down to symphonic metamorphosis. Good use of dynamic contrast range here in the opener. Great job bari solo. Now the brass is mimicking with the double-tonguing. The tempo communication issues from prelims are mostly fixed. Solid sound. It's a little edgier than I remember from prelims, but we're not sacrificing tone quality for it too much. Great job to our soloists here in the ballad. Some of the body movement visuals are a little less clean than Grapevine. On the other hand, Birdville's drill is definitely more intricate than Grapevine's. But okay, great job in that little segment during and after the clarinet solo in the closer. That's the best you've looked and sounded all day. Good push to the end. And no lightning strikes!   

[Anthony V]

Chisholm Trail. Here we go CT! This show has come so far since BOA Waco. Okay, this is more dialed-in than prelims. A lot cleaner. Beautiful duet here with flugel and mello. A touch of intonation problems that we had in middle voices in prelims is back. But we recover by the end of the ballad. Good for you. Feet are a little slow sometimes as I look around here in the closer drill. Now we're wrapping up our performance. Much improved over prelims!! Great job. 

[PercDad4Life]

Chisholm Trail: Really nice show.  Love the theme and its integration into the show.  Cool visuals, especially in the closer.  Shout out to the front ensemble!  Your skill was noticed.  Solid performance by the whole ensemble. 

[PercDad4Life]

Fossil Ridge: RIDGE with a power statement in the opener.   First chills of the night!  Thank you. Bold move Cotton with a Bari-sax soloist.  I liked the swagger of the trombone soloist also.  Really strong start and finish by FR. 

[Anthony V]

Fossil Ridge. Okay, I guess everyone is bringing their A-game tonight. Great energetic opening segment from this group. Good job brass on your articulation feature here in the first part after the opener. Seems improved over prelims. Energy is also more consistent. Good use of articulation style here at the ballad hit. Solid execution of the closer overall. A little less polished than the rest of the show, but overall presents as a single package.

[PercDad4Life]

Azle HS:  I want more.  Super great opener.  Solid drill and colorguard throughout.   Bass drum in the pit was awesome.  Battery and Pit both brought solid performances.  Cool fire props in the closer.  Great job Azle.

[Anthony V]

Azle. Controlled, blended ensemble sound. Good uniformity of articulation and style on the Shostakovich. It’s easy for it to sound dull, but you managed to avoid that. Good job on the brass articulation feature here. We’re doing a pretty good job with intervals on these non-solid forms. Good use of peripheral awareness. Great, great blending and balance on the ballad hit, relative to prelims. It’s clear to me that we’ve been focusing strongly over the past few years on that skill. The exposed forms early in the closer -- great job with interval spacing, once again. One of the cleanest moments at this contest. Maybe I wish the Stravinsky Firebird melody was a bit more shaped in terms of articulation style, but overall a strong push to the end. 

 

[Anthony V]

Richland. Solid work here in the opener and first movement. We're pretty crisp with our body work. Overall, pretty good with our ensemble sound matching. I think there's was a slight trombone cutoff error in the movement before the ballad, but it was very slight. Great job brass in the ballad. There's a lot of "silence" and fading in/out woven into the arrangement/music design. The performers respect it and have such a mastery over the dynamics leading into and from these moments. Very well crafted. Okay, and the props. Cool props. Props to the props guy. 😉

Overall, the energy was there tonight.

[Anthony V]

Burleson Centennial. Great job with the opening fanfare, brass. Any blemishes were almost undetectable. (I had to cup my hands over my ears to hear any.) And again great with the articulation feature. A little bit of tempo pulling and tugging here with the Shostakovich 10. Not enough for a tear, just to feel awkward if you're listening for it. Fantastic brass contribution after that. WW articulation is also very pointed and stylized in that movement. Speaking of WWs, here in the ballad we're doing a good job with achieving enough projection that I can hear the sonority from your good intonation rather than merely hearing "not particularly out of tune." Wonderful control of dynamics from the percussion. I'm not a percussion guy, so I don't have the chops to appreciate that, but I know there are people on here who do. Great solidity and consistency in the closer from the winds. Also, this half-time tempo marching near the end is pretty clean. We're doing a good job with the uniform timing of our feet, reaching mid-stride at the same time. Great work, overall.   

[PercDad4Life]

Richland HS: Winner for coolest props under the lights.  Love the iradesence.  Wonderful hits and power from the band.  Very cool show and gave this fan chills.  Should be good enough for a trip to STATE!!  

[PercDad4Life]

Cen-10: So much to like about this show.  There is an intesity to it that I don't feel in most shows.  Some noticeable gaffs in the drill and drops by colorguard. Music was outstanding and as always the drumline was on fire!!  Will their gaffs in drill cost them a trip to state?

[PercDad4Life]

Aledo HS: I expected to really like this show. I am an aviation enthusiast and love me some Top Gun.  But I didn't feel it.  This is the first time seeing Aledo this year and I see what others have mentioned. Something is off with this show. They certainly have great power, solid drill and quality musicians.  They will probably win Area, but I expected more. Cool props.