Band_dad_of_2

Dang it! I forgot about Westlake! This thing's wide open....

I'll go....here's my updated top 10 Top 2 Reagan Woodlands Rounding out the top 5 (no particular order) Richland Cy-Fair Seven lakes Next 5 (no particular order) SFA JET Oak Ridge Brazoswood Pearland

Does anyone have a schedule for this contest? I haven't been able to locate one online.

"Not great" would be a compliment. It was definitely built for football with little consideration for acoustics/concerts.

I like this prediction, too....mine was almost exact to yours although I could see SFA move up higher. This one is wide open with only 6 finalist returning from last year. With all due respect to Haltom, I don't see them in the top 5 as some are predicting. Great band and almost certain to be a finalist but I see them 6-10 placement.

hmmmm.....I get that it's a transition year for them with almost complete turnover in the band staff but Richland not showing up on many lists is a little confusing. Could just be that not many people are as knowledgeable of them as the Houston area bands.

Right...I'm looking more at the "who makes finals" angle. The top is the top is the top....that probably won't change. For the vast majority of bands who were at the bottom of the enrollment spectrum, state finals is nothing but a pipe dream. This gives those schools a fighting chance at finals.

Very....very....very interesting. I would have liked them to clarify this more but it's not on the agenda...I'm wondering if the divisions will be broken down by school size (I assume it would). If so, that could be massive for the smaller 6A bands.

Welcome!! It's awesome that you've already jumped in as a volunteer. It's a shame that so many parents miss out on that aspect of the experience. Bands of America-San Antonio is the epitome of Texas band competition. There is no harder competition in the nation, in my opinion, and it speaks volumes about the level of competition in Texas. The best part to me, though, is the genuine support between bands. HS football may be "king" in Texas but that doesn't mean it's superior to band.

Richland is going through a ton (a TON) of changes staff-wise, too. Two directors have moved from last year and that is on the heels of their Head Director leaving last year. That being said, Richland is a resilient band who's seen a nice little upswing in their results over the last couple of years. It's also nice to see them back in the BOA picture. As I declared with Prosper last year, dismiss Richland at your own peril.

Good.....GRIEF!!! 12 high schools???? In 1996, I had a job in Frisco and it was a "drive to the country"......the growth out that way has been absolutely insane!!

Separate subject but I'm curious. In Texas, we have the UIL weekly practice limits....do they have anything like that in Indiana? How much does Avon's band practice each week?

I am very interested in this and how it affects the overall makeup of the bands who seem to dominate the 6A landscape. I wonder if all of the top bands in the state have JV programs...large JV numbers, not just 15 or 20 kids. As I said in another thread, it certainly helps when you can have bonafide tryouts and take only the best players.

It's my favorite part of marching band....there are no "rivalries". Just look at bands on Twitter...the number of "good luck" and "congratulations" posts between bands is infinite! The world should be more like the marching band community.

Their progress has been very impressive!! I had some concerns about Horn after their percussion director left...that was such an unbelievably strong part of their program. Good grief, was it strong.... Good to see them do so well!!!

State? I don't think I would risk it....the stakes are too high. BOA - I would say absolutely not....they have very strict rules against recording performances. To be honest, I'd save that for a non-competition performance.

Yup....my kid had a badly strained muscle at BOA SA in the prelims. They made finals....she played bass 3 so that side step was excruciating for her. She marched right through it, though.

Wait.....it's "Hachie"??? Mind blown....I've lived in DFW all my life and never have heard that. Like Prosper, you guys jumped up to 6A and didn't.....miss a step..... Congrats to you guys!! Some of us saw this coming and weren't surprised. ****coughcough...ME!!...coughcough****

As well you should be!! I saw this last night....what an incredible story.

That....is.....AWESOME!!! They've had such a great year already...I suspect they will have an incredible time and do really well at each contest. Good luck to the Prosper Band!!! (man....I would have loved to do something like that back in the day....)

The "money" issue is interesting but to me, in UIL the biggest factor is talent pool. I would be curious to see how many kids are in the top programs...not in the band, the program. The smaller the program, the smaller the talent pool It helps when you can have real, actual tryouts for your band. If you have 400 kids in the program, then you can take the 250 kids. The best players...the best marchers.

ohhh....I've already heard some things. I want to see the results but some bands may need that Nerf bat.....

I'll take 3 out of 5..... And, yes, those were some surprising results. Bell in 8th???? Didn't see that one coming.

I understand the disappointment so I won't say they shouldn't be upset but this competition was brutal...there are truly no "losers" at Area B Best of luck the rest of this season.

Not this guy.....