What does it take to have a breakout year?

[Rubisco]

Before the start of every season, I wonder whether we'll see a band suddenly emerge as a top contender, and I also wonder what it takes for such a band to beat the well-established giants.

There have been years when we've looked at the recaps after a BOA contest and said, "Band A should have beaten Band B in that caption, but of course the judge wasn't going to be brave enough to put them above Band B." We assume, maybe incorrectly, that reputation weighs heavily in a judge's decision-making process.

So my question is: just how much better than the well-established bands does an up-and-comer have to be to take those giants down? Is it good enough simply to be better? Or do they have to make such an overwhelming statement that their superiority is undeniable? Really, what does it take for David to slay Goliath?

[packwick]

hmmmmm i might bristle a little bit at the suggestion that judges care much about reputation. maaaybe the younger or more inexperienced ones? def Marie Czapinski didn't give a s*** about it when she put Blue Springs 1st in visual GE in 2013 at SA lol, or when John Phillips had Harrison 1st in music GE at Nats that same year.

also "clearly better" is soooo subjective imo. we might think oh my gosh that band has really reeeaally bad tuning or tone quality right there while the judge on his tape is focused on how dynamic the music is or how consistent the articulations are between the choirs or whatever. we have no idea what the judge is focused on at any given moment w/o hearing his tape. makes it hard imo to judge the judge. ofc this won't stop me from complaining when i think they're wrong LOL.

in the wgi judge manual we're told to encourage the A guards, appreciate the Open ones, and "learn from" the World guards, im paraphrasing, don't remember the exact wording. but there's a point buried in it, it's that we learn what the "best" is by watching the best groups. i think in some cases that may make it difficult for a new group w/ a different style to break through if the judges have been trained on a small handful of groups that keep winning, it shapes their opinions on what the best content "should" look like. it's not really a reputation thing exactly, maaaybe more of a stylistic thing in some cases.

[Rubisco]

I think those are fair points. That said, I would hope that judges are able to look beyond whatever paragon of "champion" they have ingrained in their minds and allow other models to flourish. After all, imagination is on at least some of the sheets, so we should be accommodating different styles. Honestly, given the (somewhat) variety of shows we see from champions, I think most judges already are able to keep an open mind.

[takigan]

I'm reminded of 2006 where W. Charles Akins HS made it to state for the very first time since the school opened in 2000, and even went all the way to Finals in the largest classification at the time (5A) that very first year.  They then placed 22nd in prelims the following cycle in 2008 (barely slipping in from Area) and then never made another appearance at state ever again.

They faded completely.  State Finals in '06, State Prelims in '08, Area Finals in '10, Area Prelims '12 & beyond...I admittedly don't know what happened to that program, especially considering they had the same staff in '12 as they did in '06 (at least according to the Wayback Machine), but that to me is probably the most classic example of a "breakout band". 

[J-Mike16]

33 minutes ago, takigan said:

I'm reminded of 2006 where W. Charles Akins HS made it to state for the very first time since the school opened in 2000, and even went all the way to Finals in the largest classification at the time (5A) that very first year.  They then placed 22nd in prelims the following cycle in 2008 (barely slipping in from Area) and then never made another appearance at state ever again.

They faded completely.  State Finals in '06, State Prelims in '08, Area Finals in '10, Area Prelims '12 & beyond...I admittedly don't know what happened to that program, especially considering they had the same staff in '12 as they did in '06 (at least according to the Wayback Machine), but that to me is probably the most classic example of a "breakout band". 

I remember watching their State Finals video when I was a little kid. Really like it! 

Unfortunately, the band has not made Area Finals since 2010 like you said. They have actually fallen to now being near the bottom of the Area Contest. 

• 2014 - 31st/34
• 2016 - 18th/28
• 2018 - 20th/32
• 2021 - 19th/29
• 2022 - 21st/24

Another band that is kind of similar is Lake Ridge. School opened in 2012, band made State in 2013 going as far as 10th in State Finals. In 2015, the band placed 7th at Area Finals. Lake Ridge made a good showing at 5A Area B Prelims in 2017 by placing in 3rd, before dropping to 8th in Finals. The band moved up to 6A in 2018, placing 16th/29 bands at Area B. Seems like since Covid, the band has been on a rise. In 2021, the band placed 6th at 6A Area B Prelims, before dropping down 1 spot to 7th at Finals. Lake Ridge placed 9th at Area B Prelims in 2022, and then placed 8th at Finals. And both 2021 & 2022, the band was only 2 spots away from State Advancement. 

[vandi]

On 8/8/2023 at 9:09 PM, J-Mike16 said:

I remember watching their State Finals video when I was a little kid. Really like it! 

Unfortunately, the band has not made Area Finals since 2010 like you said. They have actually fallen to now being near the bottom of the Area Contest. 

• 2014 - 31st/34
• 2016 - 18th/28
• 2018 - 20th/32
• 2021 - 19th/29
• 2022 - 21st/24

Another band that is kind of similar is Lake Ridge. School opened in 2012, band made State in 2013 going as far as 10th in State Finals. In 2015, the band placed 7th at Area Finals. Lake Ridge made a good showing at 5A Area B Prelims in 2017 by placing in 3rd, before dropping to 8th in Finals. The band moved up to 6A in 2018, placing 16th/29 bands at Area B. Seems like since Covid, the band has been on a rise. In 2021, the band placed 6th at 6A Area B Prelims, before dropping down 1 spot to 7th at Finals. Lake Ridge placed 9th at Area B Prelims in 2022, and then placed 8th at Finals. And both 2021 & 2022, the band was only 2 spots away from State Advancement. 

Definitely! As a whole I’ve thought lake ridge to be pretty decent until around 2018 when they fell off by a large amount. Then covid struck and they have been on the continuous prowl for state. After hearing their show theme this year and their music arrangements, I believe this year might be their chance to break their loosing streak. As a former misd band member, I’m rooting for them. 

[Vidal28]

13 hours ago, vandi said:

Definitely! As a whole I’ve thought lake ridge to be pretty decent until around 2018 when they fell off by a large amount. Then covid struck and they have been on the continuous prowl for state. After hearing their show theme this year and their music arrangements, I believe this year might be their chance to break their loosing streak. As a former misd band member, I’m rooting for them. 

Living in and going to a school in the same region as them(woo region 5) I’ve never thought of them as bad, they do quite well for themselves with their efforts in concert band, individual student achievement in the region process, etc. etc. I think it’s more solely a marching band perception of what they are, and they’re improving in that department as well. They very well are a contender for State in a tough Area B this year, in my estimation.

[BravoBand]

On 8/8/2023 at 8:17 PM, takigan said:

I'm reminded of 2006 where W. Charles Akins HS made it to state for the very first time since the school opened in 2000, and even went all the way to Finals in the largest classification at the time (5A) that very first year.  They then placed 22nd in prelims the following cycle in 2008 (barely slipping in from Area) and then never made another appearance at state ever again.

They faded completely.  State Finals in '06, State Prelims in '08, Area Finals in '10, Area Prelims '12 & beyond...I admittedly don't know what happened to that program, especially considering they had the same staff in '12 as they did in '06 (at least according to the Wayback Machine), but that to me is probably the most classic example of a "breakout band". 

There was a PBS show years ago called “Arts in Context” that featured the Akins Marching Band in one of their episodes.  It was Season 3, Episode 11 called “Marching to Nowhere”.

Here is the link to the full episode: https://www.pbs.org/video/arts-context-marching-nowhere/

The episode synopsis: “Marching To Nowhere follows a low-income high school marching band as they get ready for the UIL State Marching Band Contest and examines the financial challenges that face all music programs in the state and the impact this has on the community, the schools, and the students.”

It originally aired 08/23/13.  I just watched it.  Really promotes marching band positively while talking about the challenges that are still applicable today.