2019 Band Productions

[gregorydf01]

My high school band used to play NY NY all the time for our Drill team (a very long time ago)...    Wondering If I might hear it some this season as well?

[TWHSParent]

Not a mistake on the show name, but possibly a mistake on releasing it. According to some of the students, the director allowed them to confirm that the show title is "On the Town" and that they are playing music from Bernstein's On the Town. My theory is that the taxicab-looking design that they posted on Instagram is going to show up somewhere in their show, either on a flag or on a prop or as a tarp. Their Fourth of July post also had a #nyc which makes me think "the Town" is New York City. Should be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

On the Town is a musical about 3 sailors with shore leave in NYC during WWII (1941). There are some really outstanding musical numbers to choose from.

[BlueCircle]

I’m pretty savvy with vocabulary but that was a word I had to look up!

[Samuel Culper]

Heart of Glass by Blondie

[SpartanBandAlum]

I could see Flower Mound doing a show about stained glass as an art form

[LeanderMomma]

I could see Flower Mound doing a show about stained glass as an art form

Lots of great backdrop ideas to go with that one!

[josephbandfan]

I recently took a kiln glass class and I absolutely sucked at it. And I remember Aledo HS did a glass show recently. 

Has anyone heard anything about Hebron or Marcus? Very interested in seeing what Hebron has for GN and Marcus with their new director.

[BlueCircle]

I recently took a kiln glass class and I absolutely sucked at it. And I remember Aledo HS did a glass show recently.

Has anyone heard anything about Hebron or Marcus? Very interested in seeing what Hebron has for GN and Marcus with their new director.

I’m curios to see if Drinkwater will still help them with the design or leave them on their own.

 

And I don’t know anything about Hebron but I would love for them to focus on visual design/story.

[AStarIsBorn]

Having trouble linking the YT video, but Hebron will be performing an arrangement of Voctave's Impossible Dream for their closer.

[gregorydf01]

Here is the You Tube link to Voctave with Caroline Crown doing Impossible Dream.

 

Hearing Voctave with CC together, WOW!

[zoomer]

Here is the You Tube link to Voctave with Caroline Crown doing Impossible Dream.

 

 

Hearing Voctave with CC together, WOW!

SFA doing the same thing, can’t wait to see both their takes on it!

[LeanderMomma]

Here is the You Tube link to Voctave with Caroline Crown doing Impossible Dream.

 

 

Hearing Voctave with CC together, WOW!

WOW indeed!

[Rubisco]

I can't believe it's mid-August already! I had a friend in the activity ask me which group I thought was going to win DCI this weekend, and I had no idea that the contest was already here. Needless to say, I didn't have an answer to that question.

 

First thing, I did my ceremonial Vandegrift and Leander YouTube searches. I found Vandegrift's parent preview, and boy I was not disappointed. I absolutely love the preshow -- with that keyboard ostinato and Mozart's Queen of the Night Aria layered on top of it. It sort of reminds me of parts of contemporary classical composer Missy Mazzoli's chamber opera, Song from the Uproar. Very interesting and maybe a little unexpected from Vandegrift. I love those crashing and receding waves of percussion that follow the preshow, and then, of course, that amazing brass hit of Mozart's Requiem. It all flows very nicely, and the performance is already pretty strong. They're going to have a great year (again).

 

I'm still most excited about CTJ's musical selections. It's just so eclectic. How are they going to make John Lennon's Imagine work with all that Lion King music? For that matter, how are they going to give Imagine the sort of climax it needs for it to be really effective on the marching field? Actually, I should probably find that choral version they're doing, because it might already have one. I suspect the closer will include The Circle of Life, which is going to be a big moment for them, I bet. Just really rousing stuff. I mean, this is a piece that just about everyone loves, and all the millennials are at that age now where it's super nostalgic. I just think it'll be a big hit.

 

Not much info on Hebron yet, but that Impossible Dream piece is going to be huge if they nail it, and I think they probably will. Such a super uplifting piece. It might end up being the moment of the year. I also like that they're doing a piece that's about fighting for your dreams. It's very fitting on a year that they're a front-runner for the Eagle. Even makes me feel a little sentimental!

 

Leander is another group with an eclectic music book. Thematically, I was immediately reminded of Churchill's Toxic show from 2003. Actually, that was one of my favorite shows from 2003. I believe it was about a nuclear reactor meltdown. A lone snare drummer kicked this giant drum of toxic waste, and the alarm went off and gas spewed into the air. The guard came out with these gas masks on and spun their rifles while standing on top of smaller drums of toxic waste. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems like a precursor to Broken Arrow's 2012 show. Such a fun show, and it had a killer music book by Stephen Melillo. That saxophone pitch bend. Ugh. Loved it! Anyway, I'm super excited to see how Leander puts their spin on the theme. Also, how well is that Britney Spears song going to translate to the field? You know, pop tunes have this thing of not always sounding all that great on the field, but Leander has so much talent, both the kids and the design staff, that I think they'll do something special with it.

 

Okay, my honest reaction to The Woodlands' show is very similar to the one I had in 2016. "A show about water, really? And more Bernstein?" On the surface, it seems a little conventional. We've seen so many shows about cities in the past, and so many shows about New York (like Cedar Ridge a couple years ago, or that amazing WGI world championship Tarpon Springs show) that it makes me wonder how they'll keep it fresh. The music is also very tricky, with lots of syncopated rhythms, and not all the tempi sound "right" for a marching show. To be sure, overall, On the Town is big and brassy and fun (right in TWHS's wheelhouse), and the Lonely Town piece from it would make a beautiful, cool, jazzy ballad, but I'm wondering where the velocity is going to come from. That's really what last year's show lacked. In any case, great band with a great design team, so we'll see.

[Rubisco]

Oh, also, when I heard Flower Mound and vitrification, I immediately thought of famous Art Nouveau artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, who is best known for his work with stained glass. I'm wondering if he's one of the inspirations this year. It would fit with their artist themes of previous years.

[LeanderMomma]

Great insight as always!

[An Inspirational Pinecone]

Something I'd like to add regarding TWHS show (that perhaps I shouldn't) is that we're also playing music from Bernstein's Fancy Free Ballet. This is honestly the most excited I've been for one of our shows!

[TWHSParent]

Something I'd like to add regarding TWHS show (that perhaps I shouldn't) is that we're also playing music from Bernstein's Fancy Free Ballet. This is honestly the most excited I've been for one of our shows!

 

Good info, but remember that JP doesn't like too much info to leak out. I would recommend that you don't say much/any more about the program unless you've been given the all-clear from her. I certainly don't wish for you to have any negative impacts due to this.

[lost]

Has anyone heard anything from L.D Bell regarding their show?

[principalagent]

Here is the You Tube link to Voctave with Caroline Crown doing Impossible Dream.

 

 

Hearing Voctave with CC together, WOW!

That crowd should have started their standing ovation at least a full minute earlier.

[josephbandfan]

Has anyone heard anything from L.D Bell regarding their show?

I actually just watched a recording from one of their rehearsals. There was no percussion in the recording though but I liked what I was seeing. I'll need to watch/listen to it a few more times.

[bigbandfan9]

Good info, but remember that JP doesn't like too much info to leak out. I would recommend that you don't say much/any more about the program unless you've been given the all-clear from her. I certainly don't wish for you to have any negative impacts due to this.

This is true, however she did allow students to reveal music selections for the show. The velocity that On the Town is somewhat lacking will come from the Gallop dance variation from Fancy Free Ballet. Additionally what I’ve gathered is that they are reverting to a 5 movement show, which the haven’t done since Timebenders in 2015. I’ve been told that they are mixing and matching a good bit of On the Town and Fancy Free, with the opener being a mashup of sorts.

 

Those syncopated rhythms will prove interesting on the field though, I’m excited to see how well they handle it.

[bigbandfan9]

I can't believe it's mid-August already! I had a friend in the activity ask me which group I thought was going to win DCI this weekend, and I had no idea that the contest was already here. Needless to say, I didn't have an answer to that question.

 

First thing, I did my ceremonial Vandegrift and Leander YouTube searches. I found Vandegrift's parent preview, and boy I was not disappointed. I absolutely love the preshow -- with that keyboard ostinato and Mozart's Queen of the Night Aria layered on top of it. It sort of reminds me of parts of contemporary classical composer Missy Mazzoli's chamber opera, Song from the Uproar. Very interesting and maybe a little unexpected from Vandegrift. I love those crashing and receding waves of percussion that follow the preshow, and then, of course, that amazing brass hit of Mozart's Requiem. It all flows very nicely, and the performance is already pretty strong. They're going to have a great year (again).

 

I'm still most excited about CTJ's musical selections. It's just so eclectic. How are they going to make John Lennon's Imagine work with all that Lion King music? For that matter, how are they going to give Imagine the sort of climax it needs for it to be really effective on the marching field? Actually, I should probably find that choral version they're doing, because it might already have one. I suspect the closer will include The Circle of Life, which is going to be a big moment for them, I bet. Just really rousing stuff. I mean, this is a piece that just about everyone loves, and all the millennials are at that age now where it's super nostalgic. I just think it'll be a big hit.

 

Not much info on Hebron yet, but that Impossible Dream piece is going to be huge if they nail it, and I think they probably will. Such a super uplifting piece. It might end up being the moment of the year. I also like that they're doing a piece that's about fighting for your dreams. It's very fitting on a year that they're a front-runner for the Eagle. Even makes me feel a little sentimental!

 

Leander is another group with an eclectic music book. Thematically, I was immediately reminded of Churchill's Toxic show from 2003. Actually, that was one of my favorite shows from 2003. I believe it was about a nuclear reactor meltdown. A lone snare drummer kicked this giant drum of toxic waste, and the alarm went off and gas spewed into the air. The guard came out with these gas masks on and spun their rifles while standing on top of smaller drums of toxic waste. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems like a precursor to Broken Arrow's 2012 show. Such a fun show, and it had a killer music book by Stephen Melillo. That saxophone pitch bend. Ugh. Loved it! Anyway, I'm super excited to see how Leander puts their spin on the theme. Also, how well is that Britney Spears song going to translate to the field? You know, pop tunes have this thing of not always sounding all that great on the field, but Leander has so much talent, both the kids and the design staff, that I think they'll do something special with it.

 

Okay, my honest reaction to The Woodlands' show is very similar to the one I had in 2016. "A show about water, really? And more Bernstein?" On the surface, it seems a little conventional. We've seen so many shows about cities in the past, and so many shows about New York (like Cedar Ridge a couple years ago, or that amazing WGI world championship Tarpon Springs show) that it makes me wonder how they'll keep it fresh. The music is also very tricky, with lots of syncopated rhythms, and not all the tempi sound "right" for a marching show. To be sure, overall, On the Town is big and brassy and fun (right in TWHS's wheelhouse), and the Lonely Town piece from it would make a beautiful, cool, jazzy ballad, but I'm wondering where the velocity is going to come from. That's really what last year's show lacked. In any case, great band with a great design team, so we'll see.

I think The Woodlands uses Bernstein because no one else is willing to risk the copyright process. They found a loophole by using the film score from On the Waterfront, but On the Town doesn’t have such a score. Therefore, they had to get every piece of music they want to perform approved by the owners of the copyright, and they tend to be very strict on how things can be used. It seems to have a very drum corps-esque vibe to it from what their students have told me. It will be interesting to see them step out of their comfort zone of having very traditional show styles. Who knows, maybe they’ll join the ranks of the bands using costumes this year as well. Sailor costumes are an obvious but simple option so it wouldn’t surprise me.

[lost]

After finally watching the Impossible Dream arrangement Hebron is doing this year I am even more hyped than I was before!

[CTJBandPops]

the rehearsals I have seen of the CTJ show have been phenomenal - excited to see how the show is received - the music is uplifting and has the signature CTJ dance/body movement that we have all come to expect from them - it is AWESOME

[LeanderMomma]

I love band parents.