oddlynormal

FLOMO, Vista Ridge, and Hebron may have a thing or two to say about that...

And I will have to disagree with your disagreement. I understand what you are saying about there being great junior colleges and community colleges. I am not discounting the value of what you can learn there. However, I do have a music education bachelors and a masters. I also have been teaching for quite awhile. My point is every university has its own system of music theory and common language. Some universities use movable Do for sight singing and some used fixed Do. Some use La based minor. This can cause a major headache for transfer students who expect to transfer theory, aural skills, and keyboard credits over to their selected university. When you audition as a transfer you do typically get placed in to your music core classes based on your understanding of these skills in adherence to their system. If you are not successful on their terms then you get to start all over in the first portion of each of these classes. Piano is a BIG one that gets a lot of transfer students. I am not at all discounting your post, but I have lived these experiences and I have had many students of mine go off to college to be music majors. If you do choose to go to community college it is my personal view that you avoid taking music classes if you intend to go to a full 4 year university. More often than not your College or School of Music will not take your transfer credits as anything more than an elective unless you can ace their placement test. And even then, you have to do things their way to graduate. Unless the community college you go to is somehow connected to the 4 year university you are going to, which is VERY unlikely, you may find your self with wasted money and time. I have always told my students to take your common core classes at a community college during the summer and mini-mesters, and only do your music classes at your chosen university. Again, there are GREAT community college teachers, but you can find yourself on an entirely different system when you arrive to your university.

Older guy here...I have some GREAT advice... START at a community college and do most if not all of your core classes there. If you choose to go to your university right away try to do summer and minimester classes at a community college and transfer them over. If you are going to be a music major DO NOT TAKE MUSIC CLASSES AT YOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE!!!! Their are certainly good music teachers at many community colleges, but you need to learn your college's system for music to be successful. Music theory and other fundamental items can be very different at various campuses. If you can save money in any way at all DO IT!

I have struggled with this as well. I cannot see why we cannot go to a Div 1 and Div 2 6A contest like the football brackets do. Some of the MEGA 6A are massive while there are quite a few 6A schools that are smaller. I am curious how this would affect the contest. Could there be a possibility of a 7A class eventually? I know we only went to 6A to split 6 Man and 11 Man football (essentially). I wonder what that could look like for marching band. All of this is hypothetical and will likely never happen, but I am curious.

"Seven Lakes not rich enough..." That is HILARIOUS! Seven Lakes, and the surrounding area, is EXTREMELY wealthy. As one of the best academic performers in the state I don't buy this at all. Seven Lakes can make a nationals trip. All bands fundraise, but you gotta be kidding me with the "we aren't rich enough for nats" line. Please tell me another joke. That was funny. (18.12% Economically Disadvantaged) Granted, a trip to nationals is never cheap or easy for any Texas band, Seven Lakes has the community to make it happen. But in all seriousness the Seven Lakes program is amazing and absolutely earned their keep this year. Congrats to them.

And then they will have two MEGA powerhouse 4A or 5A schools. The growth moving northward toward Denton is getting explosive.

Chances are, I think, the day will go as normal OR is pushed to Monday. UIL will keep student safety at heart. If the weather is so bad you can't get woodwinds out I am almost certain they will call the contest because no directors would put that kind of incomplete product out there. Maybe back in the early 2000's, but things have changed.

Galena Park is about to EXPLODE in growth. That program always seems to bounce back one way or another. The teachers in that district are amazing at what they do for those kids. GPHS is actually a very good school, but has possibly the highest low-socioeconomic standings of any successful band program in the state. Same can be said for North Shore, their sister school. Lots of great teaching has been happening over there for years.

Complexity is not scored heavily until the state contest. Area is all about achievement and SOME design elements. The band who performs what they do the best will win. Woods has a very clean and highly well performed show. If they score according to the sheet it will be tough to deny them.

I can see Cypress Woods pulling the upset and win the area. Their show is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and absolutely the most musical product they have put out. Bridgeland is a fierce competitor, but Woods' show will likely score better on an Area sheet. Cy-Fair will be in there too. Now it is down to Jordan, Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes and Taylor. I seriously think Taylor can snatch one of those spots. Seven Lakes' show could score better on an Area sheet compared to Jordan. I do not envy those judges. Man, this will be a tough contest to call. Looks like 5 will advance.

This will be a GOOD one! To State most likely: Friendswood, Barbers Hill, A&M Consolidated, College Station, La Porte/Porter/Kempner Other Finalists: Galena Park, Angleton, and Randle/West Fork

Probably the most competitive outside of the DFW metroplex by and large. The big boys are out there, but there isn't much in between.

I am not surprised to see Mayde Creek place where they placed. This isn't the Mayde Creek band people think about. They have REALLY evolved over the last few years and even so more than ever this season. They COULD be a dark horse for finals. They are playing the clean and clear UIL game really well. Between Langham, JV, Cy-Park, Cy-Ranch, Mayde Creek, Paetow, Katy and a few others those final few finals spots will be VERY CLOSE. Probably closer than ever. It will be a game of inches. I have never seen these bands this close before.

Northbrook???? Surely, you are mistaken. They haven't gotten a first division at region since 2021 and rarely before and since. North Shore is in a different area.

I have seen all of the bands in this area for this year and every band is pretty much a ton better than last year. Cinco Ranch is a DARK horse for state. They have an incredible show. Jordan is great-reminds me of CTJ. They do a LOT and never stop moving. Bridgeland will likely win the area, but Cy-Fair and Woods will be a threat. Seven Lakes will be up there as well. I got a chance to see Mayde Creek a few days ago. They are probably the most improved band in the area. Honestly, I was SHOCKED. The first hit of the show is extremely powerful. They very well could be on the bubble, but not likely to see them in finals. They only had two movements on. Paetow has an incredibly strong guard. Taylor is about the same-so they are great. I suspect we will see the same finalists as last year with perhaps a few surprises, but it isn't likely just yet. Also-hear me out...Cypress Hill High School.

I suspect Friendswood may not make the trip. They are brining in a new head band director. I could be wrong but we shall see.

LD Bell and Trinity is always huge. Bell beat Trinity this year in football for the first time...in a VERY VERY long time. Even I was in disbelief when I saw the score. That game is nuts every year even though the outcome is usually the same every year.

As an older dog in this world it is hilarious to see people flame a band for not having props. Back in my day we whined about the opposite. Boy things have changed. I think marching band has evolved to a point that it has pushed boundaries we once would have called blasphemy. I am glad UIL has moved to this new system. Every single band in finals played well...most bands out of finals played well. What we have done allowing UIL to transform to include the evolution of the activity has made marching band EVERY BIT as valuable, if not more so, than a lot of DCI activities. I would say marching band is starting to push DCI a bit. The lived experience is getting pretty dang close! Not to say a high school band can perform at the level of a top tier corps, if given the same rehearsal structure, I think quite a few of these bands easily very well could. Y'all complaining about the level at which a band performs is comical. Every single band had a tough as nails book visually and musically. Everyone has a right to an opinion, but unless you are getting your rear end kicked in the ring with these groups you are whining. Stop that. Appreciate the art and the hard work that goes into this activity. Tearing down another group isn't cool.

27 indeed will be competing. This area is very competitive, but has yet to produce a state finalist. I have been all over Houston this year and I think we will likely see the same finalists as last year, with a possible few surprises just inside or outside finals. The Katy ISD bands are starting to grow and improve really reallllllllly fast. Tompkins is great and Paetow could make some noise. Katy is surging and Seven Lakes is doing great things. I was also quite impressed with Mayde Creek, an often forgotten school in the district. They are an entirely new band this year and I expect them to be rising in the near future. I call Cy Fair, Bridgeland or Seven Lakes to win. The rest will be a fight. Taylor is a dark horse for a possible state move again this year, but who knows.

A great deal of this is copyright and sync rights. A lot of composers who may be alive today have publishers who monitor sync rights to their music. You may have the rights to arrange and perform, but not record. There are also bands who do not want their early season videos posted or posted at all. That is all up to the staff of each program. If you think judges, who are the ultimate marching arts fans, aren't looking for or watch videos you are sorely mistaken. I have been in the press box at MANY contests and those conversations certainly happen. It is just the nature of the beast.

I can do a catch all response I guess. My point is that General Effect needs to be clearly defined as a higher level of achievement and expectations. As I mentioned before you can do all of the content mess the world and if it is badly performed you are not generally effective. At the end of the day the level at which what is performed matters more to me than WHAT is performed. Checking off boxes to satisfy a criteria can be a dangerous game. I am not saying marching band needs to go back to what it was long before our day, but I do fear that design considerations are really starting to out weigh the level at which musical and visual items are performed. I get that GE is subjective and everyone has their own loosely definition of it. However, I will always err on heavy weight being placed on performance considerations before I even give credit to design or "content." I suppose I am a little bit more old school than I would like to admit, but I am far more impressed with a band that does the basics really well before the do all of the other stuff. With that being said, the big dog schools consistently in state finals DO that very well. I don't want to do away with GE, but the perception of it surely should be placed on achievement before content.

Or...and hear me out... Perhaps the most effective thing you can be is excellent at what YOU do. You are not generally effective if the core of fundamentals aren't up to par. You can do all of the fluffy dances and what not, but until you maximize the performance side of the sheet you are NOT generally effective. If we just got back to that the world would be a much happier place. The days of UIL and BOA finals looking very different are over. I think we are in a good spot here in Texas and abroad. I think young people have the wrong idea of what GE actually is and assume it is all design based. SOME of it is design based, but a good judge would not really award that unless it is well performed and...well...generally effective.

Pearland has a MASTER staff now. Clay Jasper was one of the creative geniuses behind the rise of North Shore and Galena Park HS back in the days. Pearland has always had great directors, but this staff is by far the most progressive they have had ever. Good people over there. Tompkins as the same director since the school opened and he has done a great job. That area of Houston is starting to get stupid competitive. If Friendswood comes back to 6A it will be come even more insane. It is nice to have more than The Woodlands represent Houston at any contest. Houston is slowly starting to come back to life. It is a great city but has seen some big shifts since the Spring ISD programs have somewhat faded away, though they are still very good. Keep an eye on Jordan and Katy. They may have something to say about a potential Tompkins surge. Katy did tie out of the SMC.

Any school in Leander ISD will be fine regardless of pretty much anyone who teaches them. The district's support is unlike the vast majority of those anywhere. Those students who live in district are extremely lucky to have such amazing support. Congrats to Mike Howard on the big promotion. The LISD Fine Arts will be in very capable hands.

They too are going under another head director change. Same at Spring High School. Things are getting rough out there!