2009: BOA San Antonio, TX Super Regional

[rpd]

Anyone know when the SA videos are coming out for the mfa website

 

Sometime this week.

 

I think Leander can be the best example of a late-blooming band. I believe they did very similar last year. Teens at Arlington then come back and make San Antonio Finals.

[Danpod]

Prelims to Finals Placement Jumps:

L.D. Bell +1

Marcus -1

The Woodlands 0

James Bowie 0

Cedar Park +1

Richland +2

Spring 0

Stephen F. Austin -3

Hebron 0

Keller +3

Colleyville Heritage 0

Leander 0

Winston Churchill -3

Ronald Reagan 0

 

Fairly consistent across the board, with the exception of Stephen F. Austin and Churchill.

 

Finalists from Friday Prelims: 5

Finalists from Saturday Prelims: 9

[whitewing09]

Well, it got real old...real fast. they need to step it up a bit.

 

What got old real fast?

[Donezo]

- Westlake 42nd in Visual Ensemble.

 

Granted I was not at this contest, but I don't see how this is even remotely justifiable unless the Westlake program has taken a sudden turn for the worse. Same goes for Coppell's individual music score.

[JediSaxSolis]

I really wish now that I had gone to this Super Regional. Would you all agree that this was the most competitive/most surprising Super Regional in BOA history?

 

Watching Bell's performance on Youtube, I still have to say that I like their show from last year a lot more. I honestly don't think the music from The Quest has (or will ever be) been topped in a marching show.

 

Since I wasn't there, I can't form an opinion on the results. However, as always, I am just as confused as the rest.

 

**Edit: Does anyone happen to have a link to the Preliminary Recap Sheets?

Edited October 27, 2009 by JediSaxSolis

[sax_man 2007]

I honestly don't think the music from The Quest has (or will ever be) been topped in a marching show.

 

**Edit: Does anyone happen to have a link to the Preliminary Recap Sheets?

 

 

Lassiter 2002 "Liturgical Sketches" beats The Quest by far in musical composition. The concert french horn feature at the end of the closer is unforgetable!

 

Second, the links to the recaps for prelims and finals are on the previous page

[osufight]

I've read the Live Blog. I was very surprised to see we made finals. Seriously.

 

 

I too was surprised for us to get in, but very happily surprised. I was following the blog Saturday and it sounded like we had no chance. The blog seemed much more upbeat than it was on Friday. Kept seeing wows and greats with exclamation marks all over the place. Thought we were sunk. Was heading to final anyway but was a great thrill to see my daughter in the final. My first band competition. I am amazed and awed by the talent and commitment on display. Congrats to all, and thanks for a great show!!!

Edited October 27, 2009 by osufight

[whitewing09]

Granted I was not at this contest, but I don't see how this is even remotely justifiable unless the Westlake program has taken a sudden turn for the worse. Same goes for Coppell's individual music score.

 

Well I guess there was just something the judges didn't like. I'm kind of not surprise with Coppell's individual music score, for such a large band they don't seem as dynamically inclined as they should be which could be due to players who just march, it might just be me idk

[jbroomas]

This contest is one of THE main reasons I think Grand Nationals should move from year to year!!! ...or at least to a more central location. I know this has been discussed many times in the past...but I still stand by my opinion. I think that it were ever held in Texas, we would without a doubt dominate the competition...

Edited October 27, 2009 by jbroomas

[jbroomas]

...but then again some of the usual competition probably wouldn't come because THEIR added travel...

[whitewing09]

I think that Texas has and probably will hold one if not more spots in the top 3 at gnats... I think it was 2002 and 2004 when Texas didn't hold a spot in the top 3 (in the past 10 years)

[takigan]

I really wish now that I had gone to this Super Regional. Would you all agree that this was the most competitive/most surprising Super Regional in BOA history?

 

Watching Bell's performance on Youtube, I still have to say that I like their show from last year a lot more. I honestly don't think the music from The Quest has (or will ever be) been topped in a marching show.

 

Since I wasn't there, I can't form an opinion on the results. However, as always, I am just as confused as the rest.

 

**Edit: Does anyone happen to have a link to the Preliminary Recap Sheets?

 

"The Quest" is absolutely gorgeous. The opener and the last couple minutes from the Youngblood Pass-thru

[longhorn2190]

Well I guess there was just something the judges didn't like. I'm kind of not surprise with Coppell's individual music score, for such a large band they don't seem as dynamically inclined as they should be which could be due to players who just march, it might just be me idk

 

 

The individual music judge is a TA in the UT longhorn marching band and I asked her about Coppell's score and she said that she went up to some people and they werent playing, just marching and that had to do with why they were down low for that section of the judging.

[jmj]

I really enjoyed Bell this year. Such a pretty show and marched and played beautifully. Though I still miss the old Bell circa 2000-2002. Bell's 2000 show, "King of Kings" remains for me my absolute favorite marching show of all time. From the suicide block and crazy trumpet runs at the beginning to the gorgeous flute and french horn solos to the "rack attack" and that final massive 4-to-5 jazz run of colliding blocks at the end, this show had it all.

[Montoya]

The individual music judge is a TA in the UT longhorn marching band and I asked her about Coppell's score and she said that she went up to some people and they werent playing, just marching and that had to do with why they were down low for that section of the judging.

 

 

I don't think Carl Bly is a TA at U.T. Nor is HE a woman.

 

[whitewing09]

This years Bell show is definitely my favorite! I watch Clearbrooke's show last night and absolutely loved it. All of the bands going to gnats have so much potential! I'm so excited for them!!! I think Texas is going to make gnats epic!!!!!!

[Donezo]

The individual music judge is a TA in the UT longhorn marching band and I asked her about Coppell's score and she said that she went up to some people and they werent playing, just marching and that had to do with why they were down low for that section of the judging.

 

Why on earth would a college marching band TA be judging a contest of this caliber?

[bandbot4.0]

Why on earth would a college marching band TA be judging a contest of this caliber?

 

She is a former director from Lassiter HS and is working on her PHD at UT Austin. Sorry if those credentials aren't good enough for you.

[aaron067]

The individual music judge is a TA in the UT longhorn marching band and I asked her about Coppell's score and she said that she went up to some people and they werent playing, just marching and that had to do with why they were down low for that section of the judging.

 

I agree with the other sentiments regarding this statement. Regardless, those people not playing are either double reed players or various freshmen. You just can't march 200 wind players in a high school band program and expect every single one of them to be playing. I believe it was 2002 when they decided to march the "competitive" number of 120, and the overall reaction from spectators was it just wasn't the same Coppell without the normal number of players on the field.

 

With that said, I feel that it's truly unfair to dock a band a significant number of points just because you happen to be standing in front of a couple of people who aren't playing (for what amounts to about 5% of the show length from the judge's perspective). We all know that it happens in every single band out there. Looking back at Arlington, Coppell was awarded 18.40 in Individual Music during Finals and 13.60 during Prelims. That's almost 5 full points! I think we can all agree that Coppell is of a caliber that makes this type of performance discrepancy highly unlikely, even considering a switch in judges. The only other explanation is that the field judge happened to pick out a few of those people who weren't playing during prelims, but the judge during finals wasn't anywhere near them (or didn't care). So, if this discrepancy shows up between two back-to-back performances of the same band, how can we not assume that a judge is docking one band points and letting another band get away with the exact same thing just because they aren't in the right place to notice it?

 

Now that my point is made, I'd like to say that my personal opinion is that, in an ideal world, everyone on the field should be playing. Other programs obviously find other ways to involve their double reed players, for instance, but without being able to consistently judge this aspect of a performance from the field, why is it being judged at all? Obviously there should be some type of penalty if 10-20% of a band isn't playing, but 5 or 6 out of 200?

[aaron067]

She is a former director from Lassiter HS and is working on her PHD at UT Austin. Sorry if those credentials aren't good enough for you.

 

She was not judging on-field music during prelims. I know for a fact that Carl Bly was standing in front of a bassoon player holding a saxophone for most of the show so I won't dispute the reasoning; however, I would also like to point out that he pretty much stayed in the lower left quadrant of the field for most of the shows that I saw during prelims. That seems like a fairly narrow perspective on a band's individual technique, whether marching or music.

[mbui]

Catharine Sinon-Bushman was the Music Performance Individual judge for Finals, not Prelims. She was the former assistant director at Lassiter HS in the 1990s-early 2000s. and like stated earlier finishing up at UT to get her doctoral in Wind Conducting.

 

 

http://www.music.utexas.edu/LonghornBand/F...ails.aspx?ID=19

 

You don't have to be young to be in college!

[Euph06]

I noticed that not all of the performances are up on the on demand music for all service from San Antonio. they are missing two finals performances for sure. I was wondering if this is common or if anyone has noticed this before. I really want to see those two finals performances and this is bugging me.

 

thanks

[treblemaker]

Catharine Sinon-Bushman was the Music Performance Individual judge for Finals, not Prelims. She was the former assistant director at Lassiter HS in the 1990s-early 2000s. and like stated earlier finishing up at UT to get her doctoral in Wind Conducting.

 

 

http://www.music.utexas.edu/LonghornBand/F...ails.aspx?ID=19

 

You don't have to be young to be in college!

 

She is one of my favorite TA's! She is conducting a Ron Nelson piece for symphony band on our next concert. She is also the only TA who will lead the 34 piccolo strong sectionals. (no one ever wants to lead our sectionals. I wonder why..)

[UNTcompmaj47]

She is one of my favorite TA's! She is conducting a Ron Nelson piece for symphony band on our next concert. She is also the only TA who will lead the 34 piccolo strong sectionals. (no one ever wants to lead our sectionals. I wonder why..)

 

She is indeed well qualified. Her BM and MM degrees are from well respected university music programs and UT Austin is probably THE best for wind conducting if not one of the top 5 in the nation. I don't think her qualifications are in dispute at all, and if they were, just looking at her bio should impress most.

[whitewing09]

I agree with the other sentiments regarding this statement. Regardless, those people not playing are either double reed players or various freshmen. You just can't march 200 wind players in a high school band program and expect every single one of them to be playing. I believe it was 2002 when they decided to march the "competitive" number of 120, and the overall reaction from spectators was it just wasn't the same Coppell without the normal number of players on the field.

 

With that said, I feel that it's truly unfair to dock a band a significant number of points just because you happen to be standing in front of a couple of people who aren't playing (for what amounts to about 5% of the show length from the judge's perspective). We all know that it happens in every single band out there. Looking back at Arlington, Coppell was awarded 18.40 in Individual Music during Finals and 13.60 during Prelims. That's almost 5 full points! I think we can all agree that Coppell is of a caliber that makes this type of performance discrepancy highly unlikely, even considering a switch in judges. The only other explanation is that the field judge happened to pick out a few of those people who weren't playing during prelims, but the judge during finals wasn't anywhere near them (or didn't care). So, if this discrepancy shows up between two back-to-back performances of the same band, how can we not assume that a judge is docking one band points and letting another band get away with the exact same thing just because they aren't in the right place to notice it?

 

Now that my point is made, I'd like to say that my personal opinion is that, in an ideal world, everyone on the field should be playing. Other programs obviously find other ways to involve their double reed players, for instance, but without being able to consistently judge this aspect of a performance from the field, why is it being judged at all? Obviously there should be some type of penalty if 10-20% of a band isn't playing, but 5 or 6 out of 200?

 

 

You can't expect a judge to assume that a person isn't playing because they play a double reed and they're just marching with a horn that they don't play. If a judge spots something they find wrong, they're going to focus on that point because in the end a judge's purpose is to almost to provide constructive criticism on the weakest part of the show. That's how I was taught anyway, I could be completely wrong.