Best Bands in state

[serendipity]

Duncanville

L.D Bell

Westfield

Langham Creek

Coronado H.S

 

those 5 bands have been awarded both the Sudler flag AND shield for marching and concert band, and are of ten schools in the world to ever earn both.

 

To earn the flag for concert band and the shield for marching, a band must demonstrate a superior standard of exellence in either marching or concert band over several years, with the same director.

 

so i think that classifys them as some of the best in the state, if not the country.

though i havnt really heard of Coronado, i think they were just good in the late 80's.

but i know the others are Texas powerhouses in both marching AND concert to this day.

[Lynn Jones]

here is the first performance of the year:

 

http://www.texarkanaunwired.com/websites/k...nd/bandpage.htm

[whitewing09]

until Westfield starts winning stuff soon i cant really consider them one of the best bands in texas, i mean ya they made 1st at gnats in 2003 and did very well in the 90's but for the past 5 years or so i havent really seen anything from them

[Danpod]

Determining which are the best marching bands in the State of Texas is no easy task because Texas has to deal with two major marching entities, BOA and UIL.

 

So how do we figure it out? Honestly, it's all up to opinion, but if you really want to be practical about it, listen up.

 

After much research, I have only been able to find four bands in the history of Texas Marching to make State Finals AND Grand National Finals in the same season:

James Bowie - 2006

The Woodlands - 2004

L.D. Bell - 2006

Winston Churchill - 2002 and 2006

Designing and performing a show that can cross both UIL and BOA methods of judging is extremely difficult. If you can get the job done in both, you're made in the shade.

 

Ronald Reagan has won five BOA Regional Titles since they fielded a competitive marching band back in 2000. They went from not even making the State Marching Contest in 2000 to making State Finals in 2004 and 2006.

 

Duncanville is a unique situation because they do not compete in BOA events. However, they have medaled in the State Marching Contest every year since 1994, with their most recent State Title coming in 2002.

 

Marcus won the State Title in 2006 but their recent excellent performances in BOA are outstanding. In their past three Regional Finals, they have won three Music Captions, one Visual Caption, and one General Effect Caption.

 

Janet Jackson once recorded a song titled What Have You Done For Me Lately. When you think about the best in Texas, you have to take that into consideration. There are a lot of bands that were great seven years ago that cannot make Finals in either UIL or BOA.

 

Texas Marching Band is in a very unique situation. The implication of both UIL and BOA has created a quality depth that is unmatched by any state in the Nation.

[Xenon]

The problem with using UIL State Finals and BOA GN Finals in the same season as an indicator is that there was no consistent TX representation at GN until the 2000's and even then UIL State is only every other year, thus limiting the possible sample size. Another problem is that not all bands compete in both BOA and UIL and so cannot be fairly represented in this list; most notably Westfield and Duncanville on opposite sides of the spectrum.

 

We might be able to expand this some by also including BOA Regional top 2 placements in the same year as a UIL State Finals appearance.

 

1985 - San Antonio Marshall (2nd to Westfield at BOA Houston, 4th at UIL State)

1986 - Westfield (1st at BOA Conroe, 2nd to Duncanville at UIL State)

1987 - Westfield (1st at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

1988 - Westfield (1st at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

1989 - Klein (1st at BOA Houston, 2nd at UIL State)

1989 - Westfield (2nd at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

1990 - Klein (2nd to Westfield at BOA Houston, 2nd to Duncanville at UIL State)

1992 - Westfield (1st at BOA Houston, 2nd at UIL State)

1992 - Spring (2nd at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

1992 - Duncanville (1st at BOA Denton, 4th at UIL State)

1994 - Spring (1st at BOA SA, 1st at UIL State)

1994 - Westfield (2nd at BOA SA, 2nd at UIL State)

1996 - Westfield (1st at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

1996 - Churchill (2nd at BOA Houston, 3rd at UIL State)

1996 - Leander (1st at BOA Denton, 4th at UIL State)

1998 - Churchill (9th BOA GN, 1st at BOA SA, 2nd at BOA Houston, 6th at UIL State) - Surprised you missed this one, Dan.

1998 - Spring (1st at BOA Houston, 2nd at UIL State)

1998 - Westfield (2nd at BOA SA, 1st at UIL State)

2000 - LD Bell (1st at BOA SA, 1st at BOA Houston, 1st at UIL State)

2000 - Churchill (2nd at BOA SA, 3rd at UIL State)

2000 - Spring (2nd at BOA Houston, 4th at UIL State)

2002 - LD Bell (2nd to SFA at BOA Houston, 1st at BOA Arlington, 2nd to Carmel at BOA SA, 2nd to Duncanville at UIL State)

2002 - The Woodlands (8th at BOA GN, 5th at UIL State) - That makes 2 that you've missed, Dan!

2002 - Churchill (10th at BOA GN, 4th at UIL State)

2004 - LD Bell (1st at BOA Arlington, 1st at UIL State)

2004 - The Woodlands (7th at BOA GN, 2nd to SFA at BOA Houston, 6th at UIL State)

2004 - Reagan (2nd at BOA Arlington, 1st at BOA SA, 8th at UIL State)

2004 - Churchill (1st at BOA La Joya, 2nd at BOA SA, 5th at UIL State)

2006 - LD Bell (2nd to Broken Arrow at BOA GN, 1st at BOA Arlington, 1st at BOA SA, 2nd to Marcus at UIL State)

2006 - Churchill (10th at BOA GN, 3rd (tie with Duncanville) at UIL State)

2006 - James Bowie (12th at BOA GN, 8th at UIL State)

2006 - Reagan (1st at BOA Houston, 5th at UIL State)

 

 

That puts Westfield on the list 8 times, but all from 1998 or before;

Churchill 6 times, all since 1996;

and LD Bell 4 times, all since 2000.

 

 

 

Edit: Forgot about Churchill's 1st place at BOA La Joya in 2004.

Edited September 4, 2007 by Xenon

[whitewing09]

i thought BOA SA didnt start till like 2002 or something

[Danpod]

1998 - Churchill (9th BOA GN, 1st at BOA SA, 2nd at BOA Houston, 6th at UIL State) - Surprised you missed this one, Dan.

I'm a bad alumnus, although I did kind of want to keep it kind of recent.

 

I can't believe I missed The Woodlands in 2002. They were definitely a lot of fun to hang around at Nationals.

[Danpod]

i thought BOA SA didnt start till like 2002 or something

The San Antonio Regional:

1994 and 1995. On hiatus for three years. 1998 to present.

[mbui]

QUOTE (whitewing09 @ Sep 3 2007, 10:11 PM)

i thought BOA SA didnt start till like 2002 or something

Bands of America has held Regionals in Texas since the 1980's. Other than Houston, Arlington & San Antonio, BOA used to host Regionals in Conroe, Waco, Fort Worth, & Denton in the 1980s and early 90s. Also, Arlington didn't come about until the 2001 season.

 

As pointed out earlier, the San Antonio Regional has been around since the mid-1990's. It just didn't become an annual late season BOA Regional until the 2002 season, as Houston was the late season Regional in Texas several years prior to that.

 

In 2003, BOA began the 'Super Regional' format, and decided to host the first ever Super Regional in San Antonio. The event was so successful that BOA decided to not only make the Super Regional an annual event in Texas, but in St. Louis, Missouri & Atlanta, Georgia (starting in 2004) as well.

[Xenon]

Oops, I accidentally forgot to list Churchill's 1st place at BOA La Joya in 2004.

 

I'd be getting some crap from Salas if I didn't fix that.

[tigercat11]

I dont know. i would agree there are alot of Amazing Bands in Texas but they cant all be the best.

 

the top bands change almost every year. each one of the big bands has its own time to stand on top. i personally think that its Marcus's time to stand on top. think about it.

their drumline has won pasic like what 8 times now. didnt they even make a rule so others would have a chance and not let a line come to pasic for a year if they had won like 3 years in a row or something wierd like that... thier gaurd has in the past couple of years won countless contests and is getting better every year that ive seen them.. and not to mention just the band in general. how many high placements in honor band. and other concert band awards and contest winnings. like 10 state players last year. with like 61 region and like 20 area players. and then it took them good while to get up there with marching but look what they've done in the past 5 years. having not even been in a boa contest until like 4 years ago and rising to near the top at that. always being runnerup to going to state until 3 years ago when they finally got in and ended up makeing 12th which was the best out of their area. then last year.. having made state for the 2 time and finals for the first and not just winning but doing an amazing job with their musical ability and marching yes could use some work but was now where near bad at all. and from what ive heard about this year they are looking really good in general.

and with all the stuff thats been thrown their way like director changes almost every year. and the head director just leaving in the middle of the season a few years ago. not many bands can push through that kind of stuff and still do really well.

 

yes you can look at the history of band all the way back until the first band in texas but if you look at the time right now, Marcus is doing a freaking amazing job with what they have. and im sure that they will amaze us all with what they have this year. im personally looking forward to see that they've got.

[Danpod]

Those are some very accurate All-Region numbers....

[bossman]

Wow...i love marcus too, but how come this person keeps saying they're doing well "with what they have"?

Is that high school diseased or something? Please clue me in.

 

Go Marcus!!!

[tigercat11]

im just saying they've been thru alot as a program in all

[whitewing09]

well in terms of marching band id have to say Bell is up there tied if not better then Marcus Also in a BOA aspect look at Reagan 2nd place at gnats twice i mean purdy much since they opened theyve done very well at BOA and they also do well at UIL then Duncanville placing top 3 at UIL for gosh knows how many years theres too many good bands to say that one is the best or that even 5 are the best in my opinion

[mbui]

QUOTE (whitewing09 @ Sep 3 2007, 10:10 AM)

until Westfield starts winning stuff soon i cant really consider them one of the best bands in texas, i mean ya they made 1st at gnats in 2003 and did very well in the 90's but for the past 5 years or so i havent really seen anything from them

I know this is a marching band discussion but.....

While the Spring ISD schools, Spring & Westfield, have "slipped" over the years in marching band, those two schools still have some of the best concert band programs in the country. Which translates to the bands sounding fantastic on the field. Their overall designs may not be there, but their music execution is still top notch.

 

Spring was a Honor Band Finalist this past year coming in 5th, while both Spring & Westfield were Honor Band Finalists in 2005 coming 2nd and 5th, respectively.

[oDesign]

It seems like when people take into consideration the "best bands in texas", they primarily think "marching band!", and completley overlook the other side of our band programs.

The concert programs in texas are just as competitive and high quality as our marching programs.

Having been in a group that has placed high in state finals, and was also part of the honor-band process, i can honestly say both are equally difficult.

To be one of the the best in my books, a band program has to not only do great things as a marching band, but likewise as a performing ensemble during concert season. And i don't just mean "sweepstakes" at uil. Alot of schools in Texas can do that. I mean by placing well in in the State Honor Band competition, which is basically the concert equivilent of of the State marching contest.

Only really extraordinary bands can place high in BOTH. Alot of times even in the same year.

[Sp0ted G0rilla]

how quickly everyone forgets about Cedar Park

[whitewing09]

Cedar Park is friggen awesome

[radchad]

Look at it this way.

 

Every state other than Texas can practice as much as they want. They can also start their drill earlier, while in Texas it's August 1st.

 

That being said.

HOW MANY TEXAS BANDS WERE IN BOA GRAND NATIONAL FINALS?

Can we say 4?

And the other two scored pretty high in semi finals.

 

Yeah.

It just goes to show you how good they REALLY are. I mean.

Less time. As great or better performance.

 

Staying on the MARCHING BAND discussion..

I dread watching Duncanville, Coppell, and the Colony. No offense, but their shows have always been quite boring and quite unoriginal. Coppell had all white uniforms and flags(guard uniforms, too) and it blinded the audience. I got a headache watching it.

 

All the bands are so different. I mean.

If you see a Reagan show. You KNOW it's Reagan. Same with Bell.

[radchad]

In response to the post about Marcus earlier in this thread..

 

Now, their show was good. Don't get me wrong.

I was a little biased from last year. The birds were too much... ESPECIALLY in retreat.

 

Yes, visually they are great and the guard is getting better. However, compare their sound to the sound of other bands.

 

Their show this year was actually pretty quiet.. considering.

 

LD Bell playing their first big hit would COMPLETELY cover up the loudest part of the Marcus show.

 

There were many bands that in my opinion deserved higher rankings in music.

 

Also, i mean no offense, nor am I bashing Marcus.

 

But watching the Finals perforance at State, I noticed that it lacked. The drill was sort of sloppy and once again it was quiet.

 

Are they one of the best in the state? I guess so.

On top? No way.

[oDesign]

In response to the post about Marcus earlier in this thread..

 

Now, their show was good. Don't get me wrong.

I was a little biased from last year. The birds were too much... ESPECIALLY in retreat.

 

Yes, visually they are great and the guard is getting better. However, compare their sound to the sound of other bands.

 

Their show this year was actually pretty quiet.. considering.

 

LD Bell playing their first big hit would COMPLETELY cover up the loudest part of the Marcus show.

 

There were many bands that in my opinion deserved higher rankings in music.

 

Also, i mean no offense, nor am I bashing Marcus.

 

But watching the Finals perforance at State, I noticed that it lacked. The drill was sort of sloppy and once again it was quiet.

 

Are they one of the best in the state? I guess so.

On top? No way.

 

louder does not equal better.

and comparing Bell musically to other schools isnt really fair. They dont play shows with near as much musical complexity as alot of other consistent state finalists.

 

Watching them perform at state, i thought Marcus was pretty top notch on a musical standpoint, and very deserving of their musical ranking.

[bossman]

How could you ever bash Marcus High School in music? All you have to do is take a look @ the all-staters they produce and you'll change ur mind.

To me marcus resembles carolina crown.

[whitewing09]

lol i hate that concept "Loud = better" marcus's music was very very clean wasnt it? i mean you shouldnt have to be loud to be the best band in texas lol

[radchad]

I wasn't saying that.

What I am saying is that LOUDER AND GREAT PLAYING is better than both.

 

Or whatever. I wasn't bashing. I was just stating what i saw watching the performances.

 

So, if I compared them to Mansfield, would that be fair?

Just trying to understand your logic.