Review: BOA GN Finals

[airons0678]

I dedicate this review and all my reviews of the 2006 Bands of America Grand National Championships to my dear friend and dear friend to more than I know, Ann Colville. Ann and I were in the band all four years together, and she was the best. She was a great friend, leader, musician, and above all, A GREAT HUMAN BEING. We miss you, Ann. (October 16, 1978-September 8, 2006).

 

Bands of America Grand National Championships

November 8-11, 2006

RCA Dome

Indianapolis, IN

 

You could feel this...this aura...this...this infection. Waiting in line in the dark and the cold, at least you knew you were not the ONLY one. The revolving doors took you from one world to the next, as I was instantly transported to the "grid": here the games would start with and end with the EXTRAORDINARY--school marching bands that took art to new intense levels. When I took my seat to see the hype I knew to be true, I stretched all that could be stretched with my hand and fingers once more...and then I took out my notebook and pen, ready to write, anxious to swim; swim in a land of emotion put to sound and moves.

 

I sat next to a father and daughter from San Antonio, Texas. Gary, the father, knew me through my writings, and he introduced himself and his daughter, Melissa, to me. Melissa played synthesizer for the Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band, and though her band was not here this year, she was here for all the bands. I thought it was great that these two took a vacation to the Bands of America Grand National Championships, and I wished more could do this. (This reminded me of the days my father would take me to band shows on "off" days.) Whether you are on the "inside" or the "outside," the POSITIVELY LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES here capitalized. Melissa shared some great insight on all the finalists, and it was great to hear about her passion for the marching arts.

 

And now, my friends, my art, your art:

 

***FINALS PERFORMANCES***

 

EXHIBITION: Beechwood High School (Class A Champions)

Ft. Mitchell, KY

Repertoire: "Concerto for the 21st Century" featuring the music of Brian Morgan including "I. Allegro Mysterioso," "II. Sparks," "III. Sotto Voce" and "IV. Finale"

Comments: A white, triangular tarp with the design of piano keys at the bottom was the stage for a mock piano, which, in this case, was a synthesizer encased in a pipe outline of a piano. A waist-high black backdrop at an angle stood behind the "piano" and pianist. A backfield set of chords builds and builds, and at the climax...silence! Three piano notes fill the void. I was throttled by the full, crisp sound of this group. I love the snap to parade rest with the head snap to the left. A too-cool-for-you electronic recorder soloist seems to woo the pianist, and then he goes crazy with his music. And now that I am on the subject of going crazy with music, just listen to these kids treat every attack and release with utmost care. The delicate piano features rock. The snare drummers rub their sticks on the drumheads. Form control looks super. An approach to the front in a triangle form is pure joy, and that head snap again RULES. A piano fade-away, followed by a diagonal dorm made by the winds that has them extending their arms forward with palms out and up, is perfect. I like how this band placed their Class A Champion trophy on their "piano." They earned their place here in history.

My Score: N/A

My Placement: N/A

Actual Placement: N/A

 

The Woodlands High School (Class AAA Champions)

The Woodlands, TX

Repertoire: "Hide and Seek" featuring "Concerto for Orchestra" by Bela Bartok and "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap

Comments: Drama unfolds instantly with Imogen Heap sounds that, from the get-go, gives me the goose bumps, all the way to the tone-down of sound and their announcement into competition. Snap, crackle, and pop went the speakers. Fortunately, the voice modulation part was unscathed...but still. Rifles thrown up were all caught the same very nearly. Circle forms squatted, and heads tilted left and right in playful fashion. Whoa boy! This group punched all their notes in time and all out. An auxiliary member places her hand just above her forehead, as if searching for something. The feel-good sounds of the brass on side B helps set the mood for the childish mannerisms of the woodwinds on side A--some lying on their stomachs and kicking their legs into the air. The jump, jump, jump etcetera move from a squat position by the winds as a guard girl goes back-flipping by is spectacular! A diamond form that hides one of the guard girls seems to explode outwards while she stays where she is at and points with a firm finger, crying, "GOTCHA!" Through all the hiding, through all the seeking, this band was tops in my book. Yeah, there were little things: a sound system glitch, and even some dry drill forms. However, they seemed to nail every moment that had to, had to, had to be nailed. You took me on your journey, guys, and it was a true pleasure. Thanks!

My Score: 95.80

My Placement: 3rd

Actual Placement: 4th

 

Tarpon Springs High School (Class AA Champions)

Tarpon Springs, FL

Repertoire: "Every Passion Has Its Destiny" including "Starting Line," "Mile 5," "Mile 10," "Mile 15" and "Finish Line"

Comments:

In confident stance, legs apart, around a tarp "track" around the field, mood music begins. A running man pose gets these kids on track, and uh, no pun intended. Those Tarpon woodwinds were so famous--a sax, a clarinet, a flute, and a soprano saxophone soloist on platforms. But here comes a new type of Tarpon, with a muted trumpet section tearing up the air with their razoring sound, lightly tonguing notes in repetitive fashion. Miles are counted off by the narrator who seems to endure...and endure this band does. "A race is a work of art" is an interesting thing to contemplate. As a runner runs non-stop around the track in a white tank top and orange shorts, I can not help but think what kind of shape he must be in. The ballad was moving, and I think the part that moves me the most, believe-it-or-not, is the piano repeats with the flourishing baritone ensemble. A pop beat in the pit adds a spotlight to some wacky 'bone playing, slides ripped out to really rip those notes. "I will conquer these obstacles," declares the narrator, while a guard soloist gets her tossed rifle in perfect form, unlike Semi-Finals. (AWESOME!) The win players assume and re-assume running man positions, as the runner finally finishes "the race." Wow, if that was not emotional to the core, I don't know what is!

My Score: 96.40

My Placement: 2nd

Actual Placement: 5th

 

L.D. Bell High School

Hurst, TX

Repertoire: "The Remaining" including "Hound of Heaven" by James Syler, Philip Feeney's "Ballet Dracula," "King Kong" by James Newton Howard and James Horner's "A Beautiful Mind"

Comments:

With finesse, a girl on the guard on the 50 does a back bend and flip, and various other "troubled" stances while running around frantically. Clarinet players hold flags as they march around and do a slick hand-off to the auxiliary who, of course, make good use of them! The mammoth pitch-dark music is ROUGH. The creepiness takes a toll on you, but you must watch...you must. As the winds collapse to the turf following a loud crash in sound, one trumpet player seems to be shot by an unseen gun, and violently reaches forward while buckling backwards. A girl in red pops up from a mountain of white plumes, like lave spewing from an ancient volcano. The haunting synth voice seems to reflect ecstasy, and backfield sound faithfully reaches my eardrums, and then...the agony returns! A marching french horn squad has trouble with the start of their "throw down," but gets back on their feet in no time. The bopping voice sounds are nothing but a joy to hear. We seem to be pulled back in time with notes that etch your mind. And then, GASP! Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my. L.D. Bell did something NO ONE expected. In fact, you could hear the whole dome gasp at once. A giant white cloth covers the whole field and buries the guard in red--who shriek in desperation...and then a girl dressed in white pops up out of a hole in the middle and scurries across the cloth. Across the tarp you see bumps start to rise, as the "fallen" are here--these "ghosts," perhaps. Unbelievable. People were talking about this show LONG after it ended. Simply unbelievable.

My Score: 96.90

My Placement: 1st

Actual Placement: 2nd

 

Avon High School

Avon, IN

Repertoire: "Push" by Rob Smith

Comments: A chain reaction of leaps to the ground from the knees makes this moment one of the best visual moments of the year. The vertical lines that bend towards side A from side B are the first we see of the symbolic arrows. This show is mad in the way a constant ringing by a mallet player has the group going face first into tough drill concepts, with music that mangles. While on both knees, the trumpet players use their hands to push each other. A swirling form massages the feelings, and in sudden manner the form mutates, squeezing out, yes, an ARROW. We clap to a drumline feast for the eyes and ears. I adored that rifle catch in which the guard tossed, did a spinning motion with the hands and arms (like a basketball ref calling a "travel"), and then caught. The number of double-helix forms set in motion was like a 1-up on Spring '93. Nice. Very nice. Several arrow forms pointing at the audience came without warning. I was a victim of their force--force of sight, sound, and just plain FUN. (The push-ups, by the way, were a genius way to display a type of "push," ha ha!) These kids were SO 3-dimensional. This band had a show I did not want to see end.

My Score: 95.60

My Placement: 6th

Actual Placement: 7th

 

Carmel High School

Carmel, IN

Repertoire: "Revolution"

Comments: A guard girl, flat on her back, raises her legs so that a globe prop could be placed on it. We get eased into this show. Whimsy woodwind notes have a tender touch to them...after all, this IS The Beatles we are alluding to. A suicidal jazz run has one sax player actually turning his head to stay "with it," ha ha! A brass ensemble in some overlapping arc forms hand us some of that classic brassy beauty. The synth does the piano with a delicate sound. I loved the cross-one-leg-over-the-other-leg moving block that approached us from an angle. Clarinets, hold, hold, hold that rectangle form. Huge bass drums on their sides were whacked on up front near the side A 35 and 40, and they were whacked with a smile. (These kids SHOULD be smiling, ha ha!) An inconceivable drill move was pulled off as if it were nothing--a hinged globe form that rotated like the hand of a clock. I love those mouse wheel ball props that the guard get inside and run in, and then it is all over when one of the guard does the splits on top of one of these contraptions. Melissa pointed out to me that one of the snare drummers was not marching with a snare, which I found quite odd, but interesting. I really, really like this show. This is, perhaps, the most "accessible" Carmel show I have ever seen, and quite a GOOD one at that. I would also go so far as to write that this is my FAVORITE Carmel show. Yeah, good times!

My Score: 95.70

My Placement: 5th

Actual Placement: 8th

 

Plymouth-Canton Educational Park

Canton, MI

Repertoire: "The Passion Within" including "The Dancer," "The Painter," "The Musicians" and "The Lovers"

Comments: Spurts of flowing ballet moves pulled off by the winds give you a sense of wonderment. When the red folding chairs used to help accentuate the visuality are deposited in front of the black frontdrops, trumpets are gained and nothing is lost. Their sound is as it should be. In a worship "state," flutes and clarinets surround a vocalist who hypnotizes with her voice. The winds do a bowing move to a violin gig. The young lady on the amped violin is a SUPERSTAR, man! Trumpets, yeah! Way to mimic the solo out there, but keep on keep on keep on that timing. A climax of sustained note and sustained cheers keep this group in the mix for a long while. The guard, pretending to play the violin with violin props and sabres, do well. Vertical lines merge, rotate, and then fold into a company front which has every other member on one knee. Is this show over, now? With the reaction of the fans, you would think so! Vocal music returns, and this show has the magic sparkle it needs to knock one out of the park. Yeah, I know...the baseball analogy is cheesy, but I am running out of words for these kids who were otherworldly. Plymouth is BACK, bigger and badder than ever. In the past three years, this is the best show I have seen from them yet.

My Score: 94.00

My Placement: 9th

Actual Placement: 9th

 

Broken Arrow High School

Broken Arrow, OK

Repertoire: "Aqua"

Comments: On one knee, playing towards the backfield and their auxiliary--who seem to emerge from the ground in those flared skirts. This band takes no time at all to announce their presence. Several electronic drum beats play host to a flute/sax/clarinet threesome. Trumpets, you spin those notes with a laser exact touch, and I am attached to the way you do those rapid spot-switch moves with supreme balance. The brass make the vertical work for them in so many ways off that side B 30. Ah-ha! Block rotation: Identify. Target. Engage. Night raid! Oh, and that black side of pants to white side of pants move--I want to see more of that, because that is just way too cool. The auxiliary know their roles so well. (I kinda sorta wish there was more work to be done out there, with or without the skirt props.) A mello player in the center of a rhombus form is slightly "off mark," and let me emphasize SLIGHTLY, now. A lot of what they do out there is up close and personal, and sometimes I wish they would back up JUUUST a bit. (I think this may benefit them from a demand standpoint, but then again I could be wrong, heh heh!) When all is said and done, this band stays with you. "Time to Say Good-bye," indeed! That "river" of wind players lying down that make themselves "flow" by rolling over to change the colors between black and white (with their uniforms)...and that stellar guard ACTING ENSEMBLE...whoa...just buy the DVD, will ya'?

My Score: 95.20

My Placement: 8th

Actual Placement: 1st

 

Marian Catholic High School

Chicago Heights, IL

Repertoire: "VARIATIONS! a concert for young people"

Comments: A Playbill is posted in large format underneath the drum majors' main podium. "Good evening, and welcome to our young person's concert," says a narrator, who is extremely confident with his material. A sound-system glitch seems to diminish him a bit. Hello? I can barely hear you! Ugh. Okay, this is not the end of the world. The guard, who do double bunny-hop-like moves with one leg, and then get their rifles stretching, is great. Side-by-side, a clarinet soloist and the narrator walk down the 50 in a relaxed way. Mmmmm, just listen to the relaxed sounds of the brass, who make you feel like, oh no...should I borrow Michael Cesario's "taking a bath in chocolate" expression? Ha ha! How about NO? (But you can think of it as something like that, I suppose...or not.) A guard soloist, wearing electric yellow and black, tosses her rifle, shimmies, and catches her rifle. Marian is...well, MARIAN. They never fail to impress with what they do year after year. This band seems to have nowhere else to go since they seem to have covered every ground there is. Their last visual move is a "remember me" move FOR SURE, as the winds in white pants design a drill form in the shape of a musical note, and the winds in black pants design a drill form in the shape of the bars that hold this note (on each side of it) by lying down in horizontal lines. The narrator, now with the DM on the podium, takes a bow with the DM. Those classic Marian carnations mean only one thing: SUCCESS. This show was a blast.

My Score: 92.90

My Placement: 10th

Actual Placement: 11th

 

James Bowie High School

Austin, TX

Repertoire: "A Little Night Music" including "Wilder Nights," "Moon Musik" and "Shadow Musik"

Comments: Curved forms fold out and then loop around like boomerangs. This band turned up the dial on their volume! Whoa! Ha ha! That side-step dance, complete with "dancing" music, COMPLETES me. A rhombus attached to a slanted diamond form looks immaculate from here. The woodwinds gently squat as the ballad puts you under a spell. Hmmm, a squat...nothing wrong with that, of course, BUT...we have seen more groups transform the way things are done out there beyond those. These kids show few weaknesses. This was a FINALS band, all right! The guard, with pink feather fans, run. That egg form was lumpy, woodwinds. Hoisted in the air within a tight pod form created by all the winds are the soloist dancers--male and female--who try to reach each other with a want so great that it turns into NEED. Touching. This band covered their show firmly. I doubt they could do more to top this. This show had some moves, but they were not enough to take on some of the best and brightest here. "INNOVATE" is the word of the day. Bowie, you did what many thought you could not do. You did NOT make finals at one of the toughest (if not THE toughest) regionals in the nation, and then you make finals after competing with an extremely competitive field of Grand National Semi-Finalists. Bravo! That's all. Bravo!

My Score: 88.40

My Placement: 12th

Actual Placement: 12th

 

Winston Churchill High School

San Antonio, TX

Repertoire: "Deception of Perception" featuring the music of Vincent Perischetti

Comments: A trumpet solo is played with ease, as the girl in red around him teases him with his shako. Now, like a plane propeller, a sabre goes spinning. Mello alerts signal to the guard--not concert horn players, like they seem to be--to start stripping out of the "WC" uniforms. Are the guard members in guard costumes who are playing flutes and clarinets REALLY playing? Or is it just your imagination? Heh heh heh! The girls make funny faces, getting me more involved with their product. A flute section crossing of the leg makes it look all so simple. A perfect sabre catch is just what they need to affirm greatness, and the guard does just this. We get tricked into thinking "Fanfare for the Common Man" will be pulled on us by a trumpet soloist, but NOPE. (That would be too predictable, I guess.) The string plucking music by the synths has me thinking I am in some Indiana Jones movie or something. I am taken on a wild adventure by this gang that even goes so far as to pull a "rifle-spinning-in-each-hand" move. I like how the REAL flute players ascend the platforms by the show's end. Will the real WC please stand up, please stand up, please stand up? People were scratching their heads when a "pseudo-Chuck" came on their speakers to announce them out of competition, and not long after they start marching out do they stop and mark time in place, swivel their horns to the audience, and blast a few more notes. This offbeat show was JUST offbeat enough. These mind players prevailed!

My Score: 89.60

My Placement: 11th

 

Lawrence Central High School

Indianapolis, IN

Repertoire: "One Hand, One Heart" featuring the music from Leonard Bernstein's "Westside Story"

Comments: Two circles, double-layered, circled platforms with a heart design. A rich brass sound entangled with a leaping one-leg-raise ballet move was just the right combination. The saxophones sax out, and the trumpets went above and beyond with and without mutes. The marching double toms (with cymbals attached) were a neat addition to the field drums. A trumpet player is part of an act, as he leans against the ground with his arm and then falls in broken form. Some focus is lost with one sabre drop, but NOT MUCH. They make a note ring on and on and on, and then let a concert baritone player pop out some high notes. Yes! The winds snap those fingers and shake those hips. The percussion terrorize their instruments, ha ha! And man, that bend downwards of pitch of the prolonged synth note pleased me. A siren goes off. "Make of Our Lives One Life..." are the words shown when a group of flags are put together. (I did not have time to make out and write down the rest, though the meaning was similar.) An embrace between man and woman from the guard has some around me going, "Awwwwwe!" Yeah, they were THAT good. Never count LC out. Never. Congratulations on a great year.

My Score: 95.30

My Placement: 7th

Actual Placement: 6th

 

Kennesaw Mountain High School

Kennesaw, GA

Repertoire: "Stages" including "Admiration," "Between" and "Changes"

Comments: Netted cages of different colors--blue, orange, and green--were set up for solos throughout the show. A piccolo solo--amazing. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" was maxed out in ways unheard of. This drumline was exact. "Yeah, baby!" cried a guy behind me. The sections in the band that wore a color (such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or violet) looked BRIGHT, and made the drill forms even more vivid. When the saxophone sounds rubbed gently, I saw a field of one, taking on the visuals like THE masters. Hey, if I were being extremely, extremely critical, I could write that some of the moves were not "laser precise," but so what? A triangle form that stands still does not "stand still" in terms of a triangle sound. You hear that? Wow. The wind players invade the field from the sidelines and goal lines after the colors are ripped off. Now we have the good ol' Kennesaw back, still truckin' with spinning triangle masses that formed a star mass, with music coming at you from many angles, and all this--love it or hate it--was phenomenally good. And yes, there were a bunch of folks around me who did not care for their show, including me. HOWEVER, as much as I did not care for the show, or more accurately, the show CONCEPT (in terms of being imaginative and innovative), I know quality when I see it, and I could place Kennesaw NO LOWER THAN 4TH. Kennesaw broke out the big guns, tonight.

My Score: 95.70

My Placement: 4th

Actual Placement: 3rd

 

***END OF FINALS PERFORMANCES***

 

 

Post-Finals Thoughts: People were murmuring about L.D. Bell's performance long after it was over. It was one of these things where you "had to be there" to understand the significance. This L.D. Bell "spell" lasted quite a while, but it was shows like Tarpon Springs, Lawrence Central, and Broken Arrow which kept an open mind to new wonderful things.

 

My Finals Scores and Placements

1. 96.90 L.D. Bell H.S., TX

2. 96.40 Tarpon Springs H.S., FL

3. 95.80 The Woodlands H.S., TX

4. 95.70 Kennesaw Mountain H.S., GA

5. 95.70 Carmel H.S., IN

6. 95.60 Avon H.S., IN

7. 95.30 Lawrence Central H.S., IN

8. 95.20 Broken Arrow H.S., OK

9. 94.00 Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, MI

10. 92.90 Marian Catholic H.S., IL

11. 89.60 Winston Churchill H.S., TX

12. 88.40 James Bowie H.S., TX

 

Actual Finals Placements

1. Broken Arrow H.S., OK

2. L.D. Bell H.S., TX

3. Kennesaw Mountain H.S., GA

4. The Woodlands H.S., TX

5. Tarpon Springs H.S., FL

6. Lawrence Central H.S., IN

7. Avon H.S., IN

8. Carmel H.S., IN

9. Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, MI

10. Winston Churchill H.S., TX

11. Marian Catholic H.S., IL

12. James Bowie H.S., TX

 

Outstanding Music Performance - L.D. Bell H.S., TX

Outstanding Visual Performance - Lawrence Central H.S., IN

Outstanding General Effect - Broken Arrow H.S., OK

Al Castronovo Esprit de Corps Award - Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, MI

 

Post-Finals Thoughts (Ctd.): This year, the title of "Grand National Champion" was anyone's to win or lose. When Chuck Henson announced Kennesaw Mountain in third place, the dome went silent...and so did Chuck Henson. "In second place..." Chuck Henson said, and then seemed to pause for what seemed like a WHOLE MINUTE. I swear you could hear a pin drop. I glanced at the retreat block of L.D. Bell; I glanced at the retreat block of Broken Arrow; I glanced at the retreat block of L.D. Bell; I glanced at the retreat block of Broken Arrow. "The L.D. Bell High School Marching Band from Hurst, Texas!" Immediately, the kids in the Broken Arrow retreat block could not contain themselves, jumping, screaming, and crying. And then I looked at the kids from L.D. Bell who were just HEARTBROKEN. (They had come so, so close!) Two of the flute players from L.D. Bell's block were on the ground, embracing (and likely shedding tears). This was the most drama I have ever seen from ANY high school band show...and yet it was a fitting end. It took a long, long time for the field to be cleared. The melee of "winners in life" congratulating each other was hard to deny, ESPECIALLY after all the hard work, all the ups, and all the downs that went into this season, which ends HERE for most (if not all). Broken Arrow had achieved what some would think of as "the impossible dream," after not placing in Finals last year, and not taking a single caption or placement in Semi-Finals this year. Did they deserve to win? You bet! As much as I wanted L.D. Bell to take home the Eagle, I was just as happy to see Broken Arrow take it, with their highly creative and energetic show that DID NOT SKIP A BEAT! But what was MORE impressive was Broken Arrow's sportsmanship. After The Pride's encore performance (which L.D. Bell, in equally classy behavior, stayed to watch), they got in a tight huddle and then clapped in the direction of L.D. Bell. L.D. Bell had just finished a few chants, placing them at attention, which, to me, showed a lot of respect. And RESPECT these bands did have for each other. What a remarkable story this was of this whole event. This was "the big one," and one I will take with me for a long, long time.

 

A fitting end, indeed!

 

Alan Irons

Fountain Valley High School Marching Band 1993-1996

Pacific Crest of Diamond Bar 1997

Nashua Spartans 1998-1999

UCSB Class of 2002

 

Questions/Comments? E-mail me at alan_irons@hotmail.com

[Shiloh Phoenix]

I do believe that broken arrow has changed band forever. they did the impossible, and now all other "almost" bands have a chance. great review.