BOA conroe Regional

[DCIfan]

Anybody know what to expect at the BOA Conroe regional this year? My band will be making its first appearance there since 2012, but that's all I know

[BaritoneBro]

I think it'll be interesting to see how placements pan out between The Woodlands, CTJ, and Reagan (all three 2012 UIL State Finalists and competing in UIL again this year). I think it's also a great opportunity to see some talent from other Houston-area bands as well, such as Spring, The Woodlands College Park, and Cypress Falls (who made finals at BOA Atlanta last year). We'll also be seeing the return of Stephen F. Austin (who's been pretty quiet for the past few years in the BOA circuit).

[jmatthews]

2014 Participating Bands

Tentative Schedule as of: September 12, 2014

 

8:15 a.m. - Box Office Opens

8:45 a.m. - STADIUM GATES OPEN

 

9:15 a.m. - Southwest H.S., TX

9:30 a.m. - J. Frank Dobie H.S., TX

9:45 a.m. - Rouse H.S., TX

10:00 a.m. - Friendswood H.S., TX

10:15 a.m. - Tompkins H.S., TX

10:30 a.m. - Cypress Falls H.S., TX

10:45 a.m. - Claudia Taylor Johnson H.S., TX

11:00 a.m. - Ronald Reagan H.S., TX

LUNCH

12:00 p.m. - James E. Taylor H.S., TX

12:15 p.m. - Waller H.S., TX

12:30 p.m. - Winston Churchill H.S., TX

12:45 p.m. - The Woodlands College Park H.S., TX

1:00 p.m. - Morton Ranch H.S., TX

1:15 p.m. - Pearland H.S., TX

1:30 p.m. - Clear Lake H.S., TX

1:45 p.m. - Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX

BREAK

2:30 p.m. Jersey Village H.S., TX

2:45 p.m. - Conroe H.S., TX

3:00 p.m. - Dawson H.S., TX

3:15 p.m. - Alvin H.S., TX

3:30 p.m. - Brazoswood H.S., TX

3:45 p.m. - Clear Creek H.S., TX

4:00 p.m. - Spring H.S., TX

4:15 p.m. - The Woodlands H.S., TX

4:30 p.m. - Preliminary Competition Ends

4:45 p.m. - PRESENTATION OF AWARDS

 

6:45 p.m. - GATES OPEN for Finals

7:15 p.m. - National Anthem

7:45 p.m. - Finals Competition Begins

[jmatthews]

Finals prediction (in random order):

 

The Woodlands, Spring, SFA, Churchill, Reagan, CTJ, College Park, Friendswood, Dawson, Clear Creek

[trombone18]

I think it'll be interesting to see how placements pan out between The Woodlands, CTJ, and Reagan (all three 2012 UIL State Finalists and competing in UIL again this year). I think it's also a great opportunity to see some talent from other Houston-area bands as well, such as Spring, The Woodlands College Park, and Cypress Falls (who made finals at BOA Atlanta last year). We'll also be seeing the return of Stephen F. Austin (who's been pretty quiet for the past few years in the BOA circuit).

I don't understand all the hype around Cypress Falls this year. It maybe just me, but I wasn't surprised when both Texas bands at the Atlanta Super Regional made finals. In comparision to other states, Texas has some of the best bands out there. It seems like they struggle just to make it out of Area E most years. They are a good band, don't get me wrong, but I will not be surprised if they do not place in the top 10 this competition.

[MavBand421]

North East had its festival of bands last night where all the schools performed (Johnson, Reagan, Madison, Churchill, Lee, Mac all compete in BOA + Roosevelt).  After seeing almost all of the shows last night here is what I think about BOA Conroe:

 

Reagan has a good chance at coming in the top 2.  Real cool show and they sound and march REALLY good

Churchill may not make finals.  At the "Rough Rider" marching contest last weekend they were in 7th place behind Judson, Madison, New Braunfels, Steele, Canyon and Stevens.  Their show last night was incredibly dirty, very abrasive sounding and the electronics were messed up the whole show.

Johnson is not as prepared as they usually are.  Johnson's shows are usually so cool and creative and REAL CLEAN by this time of the year (compared to everyone else) but that wasn't the case last night music timing mistakes that are not normal for them + an INSANELY hard drill on top of countless choreography motions led to a frantic, fuzzy, dirty performance.

 

I know this is all based off of one performance but I'm real interested to see how these SA bands stack up in Houston, especially Johnson and Reagan who should be battling in the top three.  I think this may be the first time Reagan beats Johnson for the last few years. If I remember right they beat them at state in '12

 

I'm calling it: 

TWHS - 1

Reagan - 2

Johnson - 3

Churchill - 8-12

[Parkwoodmom]

Rain predicted for Saturday.....hope they're wrong!!  

[Astros]

Bet on the mudders!!

[Statebound]

This is a really nice contest with some great bands attending.  I would love to have seen some of the DFW bands make it to this contest for a nice barometer test. Give me...

 

TW

CTJ

Reagan

Spring (Nice improvement the last time I saw them)

Churchill

[txbandguy08]

I think Churchill will be in great shape, as they are cleaning quickly. They were much better on Tuesday night, and will keep cleaning with what is a really enjoyable show. I thought most of the NEISD bands were great. Reagan, Johnson, and Churchill are still in a league of their own. With Johnson and Churchill doing harder shows but having them finished, and Reagan only have through their ballad but being clean, it certainly makes it exciting heading into the weekend.

 

I think Lee had the next best show, although with them being smaller it's easy to see why they might get overlooked, but they should do well at BOA SA later this year.

 

Reagan plays and marches extremely well and has a great concept. It is maybe the best early season Reagan I have seen in some time.

 

Johnson's show is very complex and exciting, and I heard they just finished learning it the day before the Tuesday night show so that might have explained the errors. But the show is so interesting and enjoyable. It has all the ingredients, and the kids are really amazingly trained.

 

Churchill finished last week, and I heard had a much better performance on Tuesday than Saturday. I thought the Churchill show was a lot of fun.

 

Good luck to all three groups this weekend. North East is fortunate to have those groups all in one place.

[Jbl3770]

I think Churchill will be in great shape, as they are cleaning quickly. They were much better on Tuesday night, and will keep cleaning with what is a really enjoyable show. I thought most of the NEISD bands were great. Reagan, Johnson, and Churchill are still in a league of their own. With Johnson and Churchill doing harder shows but having them finished, and Reagan only have through their ballad but being clean, it certainly makes it exciting heading into the weekend.

 

I think Lee had the next best show, although with them being smaller it's easy to see why they might get overlooked, but they should do well at BOA SA later this year.

 

Reagan plays and marches extremely well and has a great concept. It is maybe the best early season Reagan I have seen in some time.

 

Johnson's show is very complex and exciting, and I heard they just finished learning it the day before the Tuesday night show so that might have explained the errors. But the show is so interesting and enjoyable. It has all the ingredients, and the kids are really amazingly trained.

 

Churchill finished last week, and I heard had a much better performance on Tuesday than Saturday. I thought the Churchill show was a lot of fun.

 

Good luck to all three groups this weekend. North East is fortunate to have those groups all in one place.

I agree that Reagan, Churchill and Johnson are in a different league than the rest of NEISD - I saw both Reagan and Johnson on Saturday and again on Tuesday at FallFest. I think Johnson showed a much more improved show and the details in their show are the difference. Reagan and Churchill have good shows - but the sound coming from CTJ is awesome. I expect that all 3 will make the finals in Conroe (weather permitting) but I think that CTJ walks away second with a good show - they challenge the Woodlands and steal some captions with a great show (as they did last year) Goof luck to all the NEISD Schools - I think that all 3 schools will have awesome shows by BOA-SA and the 6A UIL

[Jbl3770]

North East had its festival of bands last night where all the schools performed (Johnson, Reagan, Madison, Churchill, Lee, Mac all compete in BOA + Roosevelt).  After seeing almost all of the shows last night here is what I think about BOA Conroe:

 

Reagan has a good chance at coming in the top 2.  Real cool show and they sound and march REALLY good

Churchill may not make finals.  At the "Rough Rider" marching contest last weekend they were in 7th place behind Judson, Madison, New Braunfels, Steele, Canyon and Stevens.  Their show last night was incredibly dirty, very abrasive sounding and the electronics were messed up the whole show.

Johnson is not as prepared as they usually are.  Johnson's shows are usually so cool and creative and REAL CLEAN by this time of the year (compared to everyone else) but that wasn't the case last night music timing mistakes that are not normal for them + an INSANELY hard drill on top of countless choreography motions led to a frantic, fuzzy, dirty performance.

 

I know this is all based off of one performance but I'm real interested to see how these SA bands stack up in Houston, especially Johnson and Reagan who should be battling in the top three.  I think this may be the first time Reagan beats Johnson for the last few years. If I remember right they beat them at state in '12

 

I'm calling it: 

TWHS - 1

Reagan - 2

Johnson - 3

Churchill - 8-12

you are correct - Reagan's only win over CTJ in the past 3 years was their placement in 2012 UIL (we all know how that works) - CTJ should finish this contest ahead of Reagan as well. Churchill will make the finals - but not get above 6th at best - great shows by all and they will all be top notch by the time they play in the dome.

[ZombieRaptor]

I think you forget their second regional of that year (2012), where Reagan had come in a surprising 2nd place finish at BOA Conroe, ahead of CTJ.

[Jbl3770]

I think you forget their second regional of that year (2012), where Reagan had come in a surprising 2nd place finish at BOA Conroe, ahead of CTJ.

while you are correct - Reagan placed 2nd at Conroe in 2012 - CTJ did not compete in the BOA Conroe that year. CTJ competed the week before at BOA Denton where they placed 3rd to Reagan's 10th place finish in a competition that had the finals cancelled due to rain.

[~ME~]

I don't know, as fantastic as Reagan usually is, I definitely don't expect them to finish ahead of CTJ in a BOA competition. I'm aware every year is different. However, CTJ has really cemented themselves as a consistent BOA powerhouse these past 2-3 years. They have clearly found their identity and know what they're doing. A band like that is REALLY tough to beat. For CTJ to finish any lower than 2nd, it would take a huge upset.

 

That being said, if Reagan IS good enough to beat CTJ this weekend (and if it's not just a fluke), then Reagan might just be a serious medal contender at BOA San Antonio this year. Like I said, I still expect CTJ to take 2nd and Reagan to take 3rd, but it would be really cool and interesting if I'm wrong come Saturday.

 

Also, I'm excited to see how SFA is coming along. There's something awesome about a great band that got hit by bad luck working hard to overcome the obstacles in their way.

 

I still can't believe that there will be THREE recent Grand Nationals finalists at this regional (And one of them currently owns the Eagle). Marching band in Texas truly is the best it's ever been. I'm starting to wish I was still marching so I could be a part of it haha!

[Jbl3770]

I agree - there are some really great shows out there this year - looking forward to this weekends show in the Woodlands (hoping the rain stays away) - Good Luck to all the bands this weekend

[MavBand421]

Look I agree with what you guys are saying.  Johnson and Reagan are both great.  They always are.  And you're right that every year is different.  I'm just saying that this year's Reagan show is different than the past (better than they've been in a while) and Johnson's is not as good (their shows the last two years are some of my faves all time) as they have been. I'm calling upset alert.

[beowulf]

I'd love to go this weekend.  I'll agree with everyone else that the top 3 should be CTJ, Reagan, and the Woodlands, but I have no idea what the order will end up being.

 

As for Tuesday night, Reagan was the cleanest band at the festival.  Very polished, even by Reagan standards, for this time of year.  Johnson was a bit sloppy in the new drill sections and lost some steam by the end of the show but had a great stadium rehearsal last night.  They could win BOA San Antonio in a few weeks, but they might be like Hebron last year and take a bit longer to get things in great shape.

 

Churchill, I think, will make finals, but be in the lower half of the draw.  They play well, and the British themed program should be a crowd pleaser, but their show has problems and will probably get rewritten a bit in the next couple of weeks.

 

I haven't seen the Woodlands but, I have no doubt, they'll be at or near the top at every contest.

 

I am looking forward to BOA San Antonio and hope to see every band this year.  It really is the best marching contest in the country.  The only band I'll miss will be Cedar Ridge, who will travel to California instead.

[Rubisco]

I've got an update on a couple groups that might interest people going into the Conroe regional tomorrow. Since I fly out to St. Louis tomorrow and won't be attending the Conroe regional for the first time in a couple years, I drove up tonight to Shenandoah from Houston (where I live) to watch the TWHS versus TWCP football game. I left after halftime, go figure. I thought I might as well see two potential Conroe finalists before I leave. I sat pretty close to the highest spot in the stands on the 50 yardline, though unfortunately even this isn't very high up at Woodforest Stadium. I've definitely got some thoughts. It should be noted that there was a lot of football crowd noise, so I couldn't hear some of the softer music from the pit and woodwinds.

TWHS. "Descending from Chaos". The first thing people will notice that's different, if they've seen the early video of this group, is that the intro drill set now takes up a lot more space and incorporates the guard and props, which are rather large arrows that are wheeled around by band members and that can pivot a full 360 degrees on their axes. (The guard members have their costumes now as well. They start out in black dresses with parts of their secondary, chartreuse outfits poking out from underneath.) Similar to last year's crossing gates, the arrows seem to influence how the drill develops as the show progresses. It's another very clever idea, but I don't think the integration of these props has been entirely smooth so far, as they seem to have introduced some dirt into the show. The band also seems to be pussyfooting around with how to use them effectively. Prior to the inclusion of the arrows, I imagined them chasing the guard backfield during the chaotic, follow-the-leader drill at end of the opener, which would have been a really neat effect. Instead, they just sit there! Why? It makes no sense given the frantic, chaotic music. Also, the arrows are removed from their wheels during the ballad, hoisted upright into the air, and then pointed downward with absolutely nothing in the music reflecting this bold, descending visual statement. I'll give the directors at The Woodlands time to figure this all out, with the aid of the surely abundant comments they'll receive tomorrow from the adjudication panel. Anyway, while this prop stuff might just be me quibbling, I'm definitely concerned about the somewhat low demand of the visual and musical package. (The show is also incomplete, and it seemed like it was over in 6 minutes, even after the park and play at the end.) What happened to The Woodlands band of pre-2006, 2007, and 2008-- the band that flew around the field, rarely stopping, playing a boat-load of notes? I understand that you shouldn't bite off more than you should chew with the UIL 8-hour rule, but I think The Woodlands has erred a little too far on the side of caution this year. That's not to say I was completely and utterly disappointed with what I saw. In fact, musically and visually, the show is one of the most fascinating I've seen this year. During the beginning of the ballad, there are two arcs on each side of the field that merge upward into a giant arrowhead on the 50 yardline. As the pit starts up with Radiohead's Everything in its Right Place, the arcs collapse from the outside inward into a series of moving arrows pointed in all sorts of directions. It's the most sublime drill I've seen this year so far. It fits the music perfectly. Anyway, do I think they'll win Conroe? Maybe. Probably. Though I could see them getting beaten by a strong CTJ. I'll still predict them for the top 3 at San Antonio, given their penchant for improving drastically between early and late season. They should have a better thought-out product by late season anyway.

TWCP. "From Frost to Flower". This group caught my attention with an early video, and I'm glad to report that I was not wrong in touting this group early on. I think I've said this before, but each year it seems like TWCP learns how to design and perform a finals worthy show better. I actually thought they sounded better than TWHS in parts tonight. A lot of this has to do with the fact that they play their horns with the utmost sense of control. There's a lot of warmth in that ensemble sound, and the balance between the various choirs is pretty much on point. Indeed, you really can hear the strength of their concert program in their marching music. (For those that don't know, College Park has been named a National Winner in the Foundation for Music Education's National Wind Band Honors Project several times now. They're also under the direction of the incomparable Charlotte Royall, who was the first female president of the Texas Bandmaster's Association and led middle school groups in Spring ISD to 1st place Texas State Honor Band glory.) There's also more power in TWCP's sound than perhaps there has ever been, and it's thrilling to hear. Everything is clearly articulated. Visually, the show is quite lovely, with the guard in flowing, white dresses performing mostly flag work, and frost-bitten trees framing the field in the back. The guard works well as an ensemble, which should make them standout in a good way tomorrow in prelims. I also give TWCP huge props for performing their entire show tonight. That's not to say it was clean. In fact, visually, and a little bit musically, the end was a complete mess, but at least they went for it! Hahaha. Anyway, they'll make finals for sure. I think I originally predicted them to do better than they've ever done. I could see that happening, too. What's the highest TWCP has ever placed at Conroe? 6th or 7th? Maybe 5th will happen for them tomorrow evening.

[Parkwoodmom]

Anyone blogging today???!!!!  I keep checking!

[stoli]

Me too!  It's set up, but seems no one is blogging yet.  I hope everyone is ok.

[takigan]

For those not already following along on the Live, I am here blogging today. Hoping for good weather and a great day of great performances

 

[Islababe]

I have watched The Woodkands High School entire show & it is truly ANOTHER spectacular show.. To say the least.. Good luck to everyone!

[ZombieRaptor]

Can anyone explain the 6 point difference between Reagan and Johnson, as well as the 3 point difference between Johnson and the Woodlands?

[Jbl3770]

one heck of a night - was blown away by the quality of shows in the finals in Conroe - they might as well make the San Antonio Super Regional the Grand Nats. As I stated earlier - CTJ show has the potential to be huge for them this year and the growth potential is huge. 

I stuck around to see the encore performance - Hats off to the Woodlands HS for filling the stands and cheering for CTJ - true class organization.

 

great shows by all -