A Testing Trumpet

The Grand National Championships typically has pretty long and some may even consider to be drawn out ceremonies. This isn't too out of the ordinary, as it's "THE" BOA. They get the largest stage and grandest event here so it's not too surprising.

Hmm. I thought Round Rock was stronger at San Antonio than tonight to be honest. I'm not sure if the delayed circle formation at the start was intentional this time, especially since the edge of the top right one after the hit of the show seemed a bit strangled. Musically they were fine, but I did notice some more things here then I did at SA. I bet it's just they got the nerves out here though, so I think they'll be okay but I'd like to see Semi's be a bit over this run. Otherwise great efforts tonight, and good luck tomorrow!

It certainly didn't help them, but the issues themselves likely just had a negligible effect on the score, if any. The more likely case is that since they started late they may have took longer to get off the field then they should have, which could result in a penalty; but for Grand National Prelims Leander isn't in any danger whatsoever of missing out on Semi's if you ask me.

The Woodlands had a good run, but I think they can bring some more energy to Semi's. They sounded really good this run though, congrats!

Leander seems to have had some technical difficulties, but I like all the new narration. Show seems a lot more mature with it. I thought they had a good run, but I'd like to see them in Semi's again tomorrow without the tech issues.

Hebron really brought it. That music is so tough and they nailed it. Awesome Job!

45 min of TX next, represent! Let's go Hebron!

Their sound was phenomenal. I thought they had a really solid run.

So excited to see Vandegrift! Have a great run!

I'm not too familiar with USBands, how does it differ from UIL?

UIL's thought process for Area each year: Proposal (Submitted by Region 3 Band Division) : "UIL consider holding the Area Marching Band Championships every year. State Marching Band Championships continue to be held in alternating years. For conferences on non-state years the Area Championships would be held on the Saturday immediately preceding the State Championships." "RATIONALE: This event would create an exciting annual platform for our marching band students and the UIL brand would do nothing but validate its significance. We believe it would resonate with our communities and provide an annual event for our campus and district leadership to anticipate. The contest would culminate with a full band retreat, announcement of placements, championship trophies or medals, etc. Many, if not most, bands are going to year-end contests already, why not give these bands the opportunity to compete through UIL? This proposal is important because of the merit so many place in UIL-sanctioned events. Without an annual post-region level of competition we are concerned that UIL marching band events could become secondary in importance to other contests. The high standard of musical excellence in the state of Texas has been established through the guidance of the UIL Music. However, the most accessible and consistent performance outlet will guide the decisions made in the band halls throughout the state. Without an annual end-of-season evaluation that allows for more in-depth feedback and celebration of our students’ efforts, non-UIL events will gain more influence in the decisions that directly affect our students. The more opportunities all students have to showcase the incredible depth, diversity, and level of performance here in Texas, the more support we will all enjoy. The UIL should be the platform for this showcase."

If anyone needs a video of any of the finalist bands, just shoot me a PM. I won't be putting them on YouTube or anything like that but since I snapped many of them, least I could do is make that offer. EDIT: If you're asking for my whole stock or multiple bands, I probably won't get back to you since I'm prioritizing individual band requests. EDIT 2: If I don't respond to you, it's because there is a quota limit on PM's and to conserve the amount of messages I can send I'll only respond when I have it ready. EDIT 3: As of 4:18PM I'm pretty sure I'm caught up with requests. If I missed anyone just reply back since it will shoot it to the top of my PM's.

The score gap between 14th and 15th was 00.075 points. If that doesn't tell you how close this was I don't know what else to say.

I didn't realize what that truly meant until just now. The thought of Vandegrift becoming Grand National Champion on their first trip to Indy is a possibility and I could not be more awestruck by that. How exciting is that.

...???

BOA San Antonio Super Regional Finals Results 14- (87.05) Pearland 13- (88.85) Keller 12- (89.10) Round Rock 11- (89.20) James Bowie 10- (89.65) L.D. Bell 09- (90.95) Flower Mound 08- (92.55) The Woodlands 07- (94.10) Claudia Taylor Johnson 06- (94.60) Marcus 05- (94.90) Hebron 04- (95.075) Leander 03- (95.225) Vista Ridge 02- (96.40) Vandegrift 01- (97.30) Ronald Reagan Music- Vandegrift Visual- Ronald Reagan General Effect- Ronald Reagan

It's really too bad they were disqualified from state. They deserve to go; they're truly too good for a some time technicality to prevent that. What a waste.

Leander looked like they had so much fun. I had a smile seeing that one.

Hebron broke me

It's probably decently cold in the warm up area; and then the wait to perform can mess with tuning further. By the time you're on the field, your instrument (especially brass) can have significant changes to the sound. You can mitigate it by blowing warm air into the instrument, but there will still be some impact.

The Woodlands had a better run here then Prelims, so much more energy and character. There is a good chance we could see them in the top half of Grand National Finals.

Absolutely loved watching Pearland. That closer is so satisfying; congratulations to them!

Solid performance; I thought they sold the show design much better tonight then they did in prelims due to the higher energy. There was a bit more musical dirt then Prelims I think, but otherwise great run. As long as they don't stop here and keep pushing all the way to Grand Nationals, they'll be just fine. Thank you for that performance, RR!

Go Rock, Go Band, Go Rock Band!!!