froggy

Wow! I thought the link was to a video or something and it turns out to be a link where you can buy the show. And here I thought that the percussion directors all created their own shows. Naive? Sheltered maybe? Definitely new to this, for sure. I don't say this to take away from what the kids have done with their show. They all do a wonderful job. When I was in high school marching band in the late '80s, we had one director. He was assisted by the junior high school band director (but didn't have much influence on the show or the directing). The high school director wrote/arranged the music, wrote the drill, and taught us everything we did. ALL BY HIM SELF. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that here in DFW we have the $$$ to have a percussion director, and two or three (or more) other band directors at every school. But when we have staffs like this, shouldn't we expect them to design the productions on the field, whether for marching band or drum lines? My two cents.

Congratulations to all the performers at Lone Star! I think every kid that participated is a WINNER no matter how their group placed. I am still amazed at what I saw out there. You all gave me more than my money's worth Saturday. Weird how the results of the marching portion turned out from prelims to finals. As a "band geek" vice percussionist, I could only base my rankings on how much I liked the themes and music. I enjoyed seeing FloMo's Harry Potter and the Trains from Northwest the most. Colleyville Heritage's Fishing Expedition was fun to watch, as well. It seemed like Fossil Ridge's music resembled their Marching Band show. (Which I didn't think was special, since everyone else learned entirely different music for their drum line shows.) Lewisville, while it may have been tied for first, didn't get me going too much, especially odd considering it's theme: Motivate. All in all, a great day and a night I will never forget! Thanks to all who participated.

Amen! That was what I tried to get across in my earlier posts! These drum line shows are absolutely amazing. The fact that these youngsters are learning two separate shows is a testament to how much the band programs have progressed since my days in the 80's. I get to watch my kid do that stuff now, and I am in awe of what each of those marching division drum lines put together. Good luck to all on Saturday. I will be there enjoying every minute of it!

I guess that's the problem. While I am thrilled about the prospect of a "finals" at Lonestar, it really doesn't change much with only five lines making it to the finals. We will still only have the top 5 earning any hardware to put on the shelf in the band hall! I think in order to make it more interesting, they should have made finals the top 10. This would give the top 10 lines the chance to improve later in the evening and THAT would have made this "first-ever" finals more interesting, IMO. Hey, they do it in marching band (ten bands in finals), we could do it here, too. So many good shows coming on Saturday. I can't wait to see them all! Good luck to everyone! Even Fossil Ridge! All I am gonna say about my favorite group is Choo-Choo!

Thanks, DrummerJoe. I wasn't trying to argue, just give my opinion. Anyway...I wanted to see was if anyone was going to make any predictions about what will happen next Saturday. Someone mentioned that it was going to be a tough night for 10 of those groups since only 5 will make it to the finals. I just hope that all groups perform at their best, since this is the Granddaddy of Drum Line Contests! And no, I probably don't have much tact left. Life's too short to worry about other people's feelings if it's the truth.

I get it that the standstill is NOT about the marching. I was just saying that from a spectator's perspective, it's more fun to watch the marching divisions. Those kids are really putting it out there! I could by a CD if I wanted to just hear a percussion performance. I agree that ALL of those kids are talented. Your last sentence says it all for me. Good luck to all groups performing next Saturday at Lone Star!

What I am wondering is why don't the El Paso bands do well once they leave El Paso in contests? Is it a lack of skill? Is it a lack of preparation? I am not sure. I know that they have a few schools that do well in the local contest arena, but when they leave El Paso (or the NMSU Tournament of Bands), they don't do so well at area or state. I know El Paso doesn't have the resources the rest of Texas has, but money isn't everything!

In El Paso, it's Coronado and everyone else!

On the Poteet issue... Seeing how an ineligible student can ruin the hard work of many, maybe students around the state will exert more peer pressure to ensure all students pass their classes. I get the concept of teamwork in sports, but if there was ever a team, IMO, it's in the bands. We rely on every single person in that marching band to be there to do their job. Failing a class is letting your team down. Keep your grades up and these things won't be an issue! Rules are rules, and I commend Poteet's director for fessing up. He is teaching his band that a person's integrity is more valuable than almost anything else! From what I see and hear, Poteet has an awesome program, they will come back stronger next year. I also bet that most directors will screen the grades of every student associated with their programs in the future. The smart learn from the mistakes of others!

The standstills leave much to be desired. They're using marching percussion instruments, they should be marching....and not marching in place! We might as well be watching concert season! Marching is where it's at! Predictions for who makes finals in marching- 1-Colleyville Heritage 2-Flower Mound 3-Lewisville 4-Justin Northwest 5-Keller

Any guesses on who will make the first-ever finals in the Marching division at Lone Star 2011? I am going on a limb and making some predictions: 1-Colleyville Heritage 2-Flower Mound 3-Lewisville 4-Justin Northwest 5-Keller

Let's get some discussion on the El Paso bands! Lots of good stuff happening out there, with plenty of history, too. El Paso Coronado, El Paso Andress, El Paso Hanks, among the others have really done well over the years. Any comments?

I wish we could get the entire state into the "great band" arena. There are a couple of good bands from El Paso, yet they rarely perform well at Area or State when they make it. Any ideas why? I have a feeling it's about $$$, since there isn't much out there. Needless to say, I will be pulling for El Paso Del Valle to represent the west Texas area! Ever notice how many directors/staff are from El Paso out here in DFW? It's not the talent holding El Paso back, it's gotta be the money.