2014 BOA San Antonio Super-Regional Predictions

[nalyd8991]

We're going to see LD Bell and Richland come in with a chip on their shoulder. I expect higher than usual placements from both of them.

[~ME~]

Can someone explain to me exactly how General Effect at BOA is judged?

Someone can probably explain it better than I can, but I would say it's a measurement of 2 things: how well a show is designed and how well the performers carry it out and communicate it to the judges and audience.

[knoxisawesome348]

We're going to see LD Bell and Richland come in with a chip on their shoulder. I expect higher than usual placements from both of them.

I'm thinking you could say the same for Round Rock and Hendrickson as well.

[Abbie123]

Music judges should be blindfolded, visual judges should be earplugged...

[Pear]

I'm thinking you could say the same for Round Rock and Hendrickson as well.

This whole year has been a chip on their shoulder for Leander. If anyone remembers, last year they missed at spot for State by one spot and at BOA San Antonio they got 15th, one placement short of finals. That was a tough pill to swallow for those kids and this year they came to prove that they deserve to be up there and so far they have brought it. If anyone came into the season with a very focused goal, its Leander.  

[LKendrick]

Regardless of who finishes where, best of luck to everyone at what is, in my opinion, the most competitive marching band contest in the country!  Bands last year all the way back in the 50th, 40th, and 30th are absolutely incredible programs who could have made finals at a lot of contests and even won some.  This contest is so stacked it's not even funny, trying to pick out the last 4 - 5 spots in finals isn't even funny, there's probably over 10 bands that deserve it every year. 

[snares]

Music judges should be blindfolded, visual judges should be earplugged...

The amount of truth that is in this statement is insane

[Rubisco]

Music GE - Before a band can score high in effect, the band better be performing its show at a high level. This goes for both music and visual GE. There's a common misconception that GE is all about design and not about performance. This is nonsense. We're talking about music educators here. Part of general effect is being entertained by a performance, and a bunch of people with music degrees and/or vast experience in music education won't be entertained by a poorly performed show, no matter how brilliantly-designed it is. Among the things a music GE judge should address: communication of a show theme, flow from one movement to the next/coherence, are the kids connecting with the audience through the performance/"selling" their show (audience response could actually be considered), and originality/creativity. A music GE judge might also remark on the demand of a show and the level of accomplishment.

 

Visual GE - Like with music GE, you better be performing your show at a high level if you want to get a high visual GE score. Important considerations include: communication of the show theme, how well does the visual package fit/enhance the musical package (don't want these judges blindfolded), are the kids selling the visual package well, and originality/creativity. Note that the flashiest drill isn't always the most effective drill, especially if the music doesn't call for it. Of course, the overriding consideration is if the judge is entertained, which, again, is a combination of performance and design variables.

 

I'm doing this from memory, so it's possible I'm leaving some things out. After years of being baffled, I'm at the point where GE is more intuitive. It comes with experience.

[Rubisco]

To respond to a few of the previous posts: First, sorry about the Hebron videos getting removed! That may have been my fault for alerting people to them. Second, if Leander wins GE, there's no way in heck they're placing as low as 5th. 3rd place is probably the lowest I've seen a GE winner place, and it's always shocking. Lastly, I'd be a little bit surprised if Hebron is placed first by any of the three visual judges (Individual Performance, Ensemble Performance, and GE), though I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them place first in both overall Music Performance and Music GE, which is more than enough to win the contest (60% of a band's score).

[Rubisco]

And, just to be fair, here's the performance I saw (actually from a better angle than I saw it). I got a few things in my description wrong, but I was mostly accurate. I see them as the clear victor in ensemble visual performance and visual GE at BOA San Antonio. Any dirt is dirt that is fixable within a week. They should also post very high scores in music, but I could see them being beaten in those captions by the likes of Hebron and Leander. Really wonderful, fascinating show. It's going to be a tough call!

 

 

Edit: Sorry, I just wanted to add one more thing. I love, love, love, love, love the very ending drill. Notice how the character of the music switches from uplifting back to anxious as the arrowhead inverts its direction back downward toward the audience. I didn't notice it before, and it's freaking brilliant. Genius. That's visual GE.

[~ME~]

Second, if Leander wins GE, there's no way in heck they're placing as low as 5th. 3rd place is probably the lowest I've seen a GE winner place, and it's always shocking.

 

I hear ya. I recognize how crazy that sounds, and you're probably going to be right. However, I do still think it's a possibility given how small of a margin there has been between the bands at the top these past few years (seeing Vandergrift win Music and still finish 7th overall last year changed what I thought was possible, although I realize the GE caption has much more weight than the Music caption). The thing is, I don't think anyone is going to downright dominate the GE caption. I think just about all of the top 6 bands or so are going to be neck and neck with each other, and I still have a hard time seeing Leander surpass any of those other 5 groups in some of the other areas outside of GE (with an exception to ensemble visual). I already talked about my concerns on the individual side of things (and again, Leander may very well make me look like an idiot by proving that they can indeed hold their own with the other top groups on EVERY level at SA). The bottom line is, this competition is by far the most competitive and close it's ever been in the past, and it's only getting more competitive each year. I think we're going to see more and more outcomes we aren't used to seeing as a result. I understand how wrong I'm probably going to be with this particular prediction seeing as the fact still remains that GE is such a huge factor. And honestly, I hope I'm wrong about that 5th place thing. It would be the coolest thing EVER if Leander actually won the whole thing with such a wonderful show!

[Rubisco]

I can't attest to Leander's individual performances, since I've never been down on the field checking either out, but they should be just fine in both ensemble performance captions. I think they could pull ahead in Music GE, though they're obviously a dark horse. It's safer to have a group like Hebron or The Woodlands winning GE, but since I don't feel very strongly about who's going to be named the champion, I'm going to go ahead and go with my dark horse prediction

[Tenzineo]

Here goes my first post on this forum. I'll put my predictions and some analysis for this regional. I went to Area D finals on Saturday, so I may be biased towards some of the bands that came from there.

 

1) Hebron: Not only is this band extremely clean, but also has a very nice program this year. Their ballad is fantastic, I see it being my favorite piece in this championship. Their music is extremely clean, and I don't really see anybody touching them in Music. Whilst I really enjoyed their show, I felt like the ending was lacking the energy and completion that the beginning/middle had, I'm guessing that they're adding on a closer for BOA San Antonio, with that I would expect them to most likely win Music and this championship.

 

2) Leander: Dark horse! I think GE alone will put Leander in top three this year. Their show is just so good and complete. When I first watched it, I got massive goosbumps. As I re-watched it (repeatedly I may say) I just loved it more and more. Whilst I think they are a little bit dirtier that some of the "Big Dogs", their music package and execution is so well done and performed I think they will place high in this competition. I expect them to win GE, with them getting first in both GE music captions.

 

3) James Bowie: I'm very glad I went to Area D, as Bowie seems to be a band that you can never find any videos of. They WOW'ed me with their production this year, and while their music wasn't as good as Reagan's or CTJ's (IMO), visually, I don't think they have ever been better. (On a side note, they had to perform at around 8:30 for prelims and 10:45 at finals, so they were probably immensely tired, as I heard they stayed there the whole day.) I could see them winning in the Visual performance and Visual GE captions.The range of music they have produced this and last year has been amazing. I was very impressed with Clair De Lune. The Oboe soloist was amazing (the same as last year's?), and it is an extremely hard piece to march to. I feel how they perform that piece will be extremely influential on how they do at this competition. I think if Bowie improves their musicality throughout the show, and cleans their closer, they could win their first ever Super regional championship.

 

4) Claudia Taylor Johnson: LOVE the uniforms. Their show looks amazing, I feel like they could win GE, however I do feel Leander's is better. They did fantastic at area, and their brass hits were awesome. I don't feel they were visually clean enough to win this championship, but anything could happen. I see them placing high in music ensemble and music GE, but lower in visual performance. They probably have the coolest looking show of them lot!

 

5) The Woodlands: It seems fitting than last years winners would drop to fifth (like Carolina Crown). I;m joking of course,The Woodlands program this year is wonderful and they could easily contest for the win, I just think they're not as musically and visually clean as Hebron, Bowie, or Marcus, and their GE isn't as strong as Leander's or CTJ's. I don't see them winning any caption awards, but I could see Visual GE going well for them.

 

6) Marcus: The same way I feel that GE will propel Leander and CTJ forward, I think Marcus lacking in that aspect may hold them back. I could be completely wrong, as I felt a similar way in 2012 when they won both state and BOA SA, but I couldn't really see them beating these other bands. Marcus' show is almost visually perfect as usual, based on the video I saw. I felt as though their music could use some work, and I was surprised that they actually beat Hebron at area in that aspect (however I do understand that videos are not the best way to judge an ensembles musicianship, as I stated earlier). I feel that Marcus could definitely win visual, and place high in music. I wouldn't be surprised if they won both individual captions like last year at Grand Nats.

 

Extra Notes on top 6: Even though these are my predictions, I think the placements are anyone's game, I wouldn't be that surprised if any of these bands won. Personally I feel like it will be more of a battle for second, Hebron seems a bit untouchable at the moment. However I do think that a band placing high in GE could take the title from them.

 

*I would also like to make it clear, when I say "blah blah blah is not as strong musically, or blah blah blah is not as clean" I am not saying that band is not strong musically or isn't clean AT ALL. All of these bands are extremely good and perform at an unbelievably high level. I'm am just speaking of how I feel these bands compare to one another, and to be honest, there isn't much difference between them.

 

I'm not very confident in my next eight, I really can't tell where to put these, especially since I haven't seen a lot of them. I think they could be in almost any order, and quite a few of them could kick one of the above bands out of the top 6, as I said earlier, it's anyone's game.

 

7) Reagan: At area their music was AMAZING, my favorite of the night. Personally I don't think they will necessarily miss top 6, I just didn't know where to put them up there. They could easily get a high ranking like last year.

 

8) Flower Mound: I haven't seen Flower Mound, so I won't say much about them. Beating LD Bell is no easy feat, even if they are on a apparent decline, and they've done it twice already. I am really excited to see them at Grand Nats and BOA SA, and I think they could place high at both.

 

9) LD Bell: Despite their "apparent decline" I think Bell can come back at San Antonio, even though they took 4th at Denton, they still won visual, which shows that they're still strong. I think they'll be out for blood at this regional after barely missing state.

 

10) Round Rock: Like LD Bell, I think they'll be furious at missing state again. I loved Round Rocks program last year, and their fourth place at GN was well-deserved. I think Round Rock could be a potential Dark Horse for placing top 6, if they clean and have a great run.

 

11)Westlake: They got rid of the stairs! Despite a shaky start to the season, their program is shaping out well. They have beautiful music and visuals, and won a well deserved advancement to state on Saturday. One thing I am worried about, which is why I have them below RR, is that their trees seem to fall down often, which could potentially hurt their GE score.

 

12) Vandergrift: After an impressive showing last year, it's hard to count them out of contention for a nice spot in finals. I put them in thirteenth purely because they haven't seem to have been doing as good this year as last.

 

13) Cedar Park: I haven't seen or heard much about CP at all this year,so I don't have much to say, I think making finals depends on how much they have improved from Austin. That regional is crazy competitive, so even a seventh place finish there could mean a top twelve at BOA SA.

 

14) Hendrickson: Going from first in Area prelims to eighth in finals must of been tough, but I think the students can bounce back and do well at this regional. I was lucky enough to see their prelims run, and I'm sure that if they have one like that at BOA SA, they'll make finals.

 

Extra notes for bottom eight bands: As I said above, these bands could go any which way, I also think that many other bands could be in finals (Richland, Spring, Anderson etc).

 

Personally I would rather go to BOA SA than Grand Nats most years, mainly because the caliber of Texas bands is so high. This will be an excellent coming weekend for sure.

[Jellyfishes]

.

[Tenzineo]

Tenzineo, it seems you forgot number 11!

Fixed it, thanks!

[matthew6655]

I have not seen any bands outside of the Metro-plex so I can only speak for them. Marcus has a great sound and will make a serious push for this caption. LD Bell has one of the most GE and visually appealing shows this year. They are going to push for both captions.

[snares]

You should try to watch ther shows! I think marcus will if anything push for visual at boa. I think hebron probably has music locked up, maybe CTj. But you never know! Maybe bell comes back firing

[Rubisco]

I'd be a little bit surprised if Hebron or TW place outside the top 3. A little bit. Not really shocked or anything. Given the high quality of this regional, it's possible to see one or even both replaced by other really fine groups (Marcus, Bowie, and CTJ anyone?)

[mellopwn1]

And, just to be fair, here's the performance I saw (actually from a better angle than I saw it). I got a few things in my description wrong, but I was mostly accurate. I see them as the clear victor in ensemble visual performance and visual GE at BOA San Antonio. Any dirt is dirt that is fixable within a week. They should also post very high scores in music, but I could see them being beaten in those captions by the likes of Hebron and Leander. Really wonderful, fascinating show. It's going to be a tough call!

 

 

Edit: Sorry, I just wanted to add one more thing. I love, love, love, love, love the very ending drill. Notice how the character of the music switches from uplifting back to anxious as the arrowhead inverts its direction back downward toward the audience. I didn't notice it before, and it's freaking brilliant. Genius. That's visual GE.

 

WOW! This show is exquisite. Very thoughtful, consistent, and well executed product and not AT ALL what they put on the field at Conroe. I really do agree that their visual GE is off the charts and that it is really clean. I mean, look at the block rotations. Pretty darn good. I still think Hebron, Marcus, and CTJ might out-music TW, but I think they have a real chance to win on a combination of GE and visual. I think, personally, they are ahead of Bowie at this point.

[thatbrown_guyy]

Are there any videos on Bowie, haven't seen their show since BOA Austin!

[guardgirl17]

any thoughts on westlake this year?

[BandKid4Lyfe]

Are there any videos on Bowie, haven't seen their show since BOA Austin!

 

I understand they don't allow videos to be uploaded and that you will NEVER (emphasis intended and conveyed just as I was told) find a video of their current show online. Sounds like a money making opportunity to me!

[lasvegasmonkey]

I am excited to see how Area D Finalist bands are going to place out.

 

Here were the Preim scores for Area D-

 

1-Hendrickson

2-CTJ

3-Reagan

4-Cedar Ridge

5-Bowie

6-Anderson

7-Westlake

8-Round Rock

9-Westwood

10-Pflugerville

 

(I don't believe Westwood is attending).

 

This shows some strange and unpredicted outcomes.

 

Anderson beat Westlake and Round Rock, and just falling short of Bowie.

 

Pflugerville made it for the first time in a while.

 

I'm not real sure where these bands will end up.

 

[LKendrick]

I am excited to see how Area D Finalist bands are going to place out.

 

Here were the Preim scores for Area D-

 

1-Hendrickson

2-CTJ

3-Reagan

4-Cedar Ridge

5-Bowie

6-Anderson

7-Westlake

8-Round Rock

9-Westwood

10-Pflugerville

 

(I don't believe Westwood is attending).

 

This shows some strange and unpredicted outcomes.

 

Anderson beat Westlake and Round Rock, and just falling short of Bowie.

 

Pflugerville made it for the first time in a while.

 

I'm not real sure where these bands will end up.

 

Area was this past weekend, finals were:

 

1)  Bowie

2)  Reagan

3)  CT Johnson

4)  Westlake

5)  Cedar Ridge

6)  Westwood

7)  Round Rock

8)  Hendrickson

9)  Anderson

10)  Pflugerville  

[lasvegasmonkey]

I still can't believe Hendrickson moved down 8 spots and tied with Anderson.