AvonDad

Its not halftime, but Brownsburg's competition is "On Demand" online for now. If you start around the 7 Hr mark you'll find 8 Indiana big bands spaced about every 15 mins. I am are so far out of the loop now as our kids have been out for 5 years. https://reflect-bcsctv-brownsburg.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/1499?site=1

Taylor Swift grabbed the first weekend in Nov at Lucas Oil for 2024. Her scheduling people beat out everyone else.

Sounds fun! Wife and I are planning the same thing except will stop after Round Rock, have to get back to work eventually. We did Canyon and Broken Arrow last year, going this year, and Round Rock is still a 50/50, but we like to volunteer and help out when we can. What does your daughter do? Our son is the lead quad/tenor this year for his age out season.

Congrats! My son marched quads with them last year and is with them again this year. Its a great organization and he loves it. Check out the BK Family page on FB.

Yep, was able to see them practice recently. They look a tiny bit smaller than 2019, as do a lot of bands, but I don't think its that much difference. Last time Avon placed below 3rd at Nationals was back in 2006 when they were 7th and I believe you are correct on the show name. Looked like what you would expect from Avon, so this year could get interesting. ?

We are currently 3 years out from graduation and still volunteer. The kids are respectful and work their butts off on the field, yet its so funny chaperoning a bus as you realize, these are just normal kids, until they hit the field. - All bands deserve a standing ovation. We make sure that every kid gets the recognition they deserve as they a have all put in the hours. At Avon, every band will get a standing ovation from the parents. -The kids appreciate the volunteers, box moms, treats, congrats, support. I use to provide candy snacks once a week for the drum line and it was greatly appreciated. -It will change your kid. If they don't come home wanting to quit, its not being done right. They have to push through and see that if its worth being the best, it takes time and effort. Our first kid was only in it for a year, as it was not for her, but it did change her. She knew what she wanted and pushed through everything to make it happen later in life. Our last kid fell in love with it, marched high school and just finished up a season marching tenors for the Blue Knights. -it cost money, but its been well worth it. The experience, drive, determination to achieve what they didn't think they could is worth it. -being a pit parent can be hectic. WIfe and I did the indoor season, and when you are told you are already a minute late to clear the floor, it doesn't get more real than that.

I thought the season felt a bit "relaxed" without the judging. It opened up the corps to experiment in ways they normally wouldn't Phantom redoing Harmonic Journey was a treat. Boston and all their screens were a lot. Not a fan of Blue Coats this year, loved it to years ago, this year seemed more like a "sequel" and thought the first one was better. Mandarin show really grew on me live. Their drum major was having a blast and was the star of the show for me. My son marched tenors with Blue Knights and their rich sound grew on me. They were going more for a happy enjoyment mood this year. Learned a lot this year trying to translate from marching bands to DCI. I did get to see a tenor dive for cover during the Mandarins show as a frisbee came right at him.

You might check out Ayreon on YT. There is a live concert recording that may match for what you are looking. The song "Eye of Ra" basically describes a Stargate.

I was thinking Union or Jenks would be good on my list as well instead of Mason. Even Ayala from CA with their drum line. There’s a lot of great bands out there but then there’s that SA buzz saw.

Hopefully this is in the right forum, but since this year is pretty much "fill in the blank" while marking time, I've been looking for something for my band fix. I consider myself privileged to have attended both SA and GN in the same years, twice. Last year was great with the Team Texas 6 pack bringing the heat to GN, so lets turn the tables. If you could pick 6 bands from outside Texas to compete at SA for 2021, live and in person, who would you like to see to turn SA into GNSouth. My picks would probably be Avon, Carmel, Broken Arrow, Tarpon Springs, William Mason, Blue Springs for starters. Whose your Team Elsewhere 6 pack?

I'm in. I have zoom on a couple of computers plus run a nice virus scanner on a blade server, so we good.

My wife and I have spent 2 evenings this week helping to fit uniforms for some of our group. Our school district was the first to close in Indiana as we had one of the 1st reported cases in an elementary school less than 1/2 mile from our house. It started with just that school, then days later, the entire district down for 2 weeks, followed by the normal 2 week spring break. Then everything thing cancelled and seasons were over. We are one county west of Indy, which has been the hot spot of the state. I think we are top 5-6 out of the counties with almost 1500 cases and 116+ deaths compared to over 12k cases and 700+ deaths over in Indy. Current plans are to proceed as if there is still a season to march. The kids have been "zooming" to keep up and this was the first of any get togethers, all spread out, masked and in the parking lot. It was a bit strange these past few days as we were helping freshman figure out how to put on their bibs and coats. The smell of sanitizer everywhere. Asking what instrument they play, it was only percussion this week, to see if they were going to be wearing a harness or not, then getting the reply "I hope to be playing...." as they are still in tryouts. Normally the line is set in May, but not this year. Very strange. I have already heard that a smaller class competition band has decided to skip competitions this fall, yet still play for football games. Our son should be on his DCI tour right now and I had vacation scheduled to watch a few competitions this summer. Not this year. The sound of drummers playing rudiments never sounded so good the other night. Music was still being played, ok lets be real, they beat things with a stick. The pit warmups echoing off the walls made you realize how much these little things ring as being "normal". Playing scales, playing eighths, playing rounds. Normal. Sooner or later, the fields will be full of nerves, pride, hard work, excitement, exhaustion and realizing the goal from pushing on when it was hard. And if the fields are quiet this year, I'll look forward to the DanPodcast reviewing fast food places this fall. Marching on......

Avon 2014 used it for their opener. I've heard the song in quite a few other bands since. You are right in that it works great from the field.

Search "pachelbel rant" on that video site

Ok, I'm a late for the post, but this SA trip was the blast we had been hoping for. Mrs AvonDad and myself finally arrived Friday afternoon to start our lineup with John B Alexander. (you can keep your Dallas/Austin traffic, felt like I was driving for NASCAR) The Mrs is a voice teacher and teaches kids to sing and can only take so much band at a time... until then. I've been lucky to get her to watch 3-4 bands in a row before she's ready to find something else. In the local comps our band is normally last and she likes to get there a band before, I prefer to watch all I can...but I digress. After JBA blew us away, I think it was Keller that was up next to peel paint. I'm discovering from watching on Flomarching that you don't have to watch the Texas bands to enjoy them as you can close your eyes and listen to the music itself as that good. The visual is the icing on the cake. Watching the shows live is worth the trip and then to see the Texas 6 pack live 2 weeks later was a definite memorable time. I was a bit shocked that the Mrs wasn't ready to leave after a couple of groups and was wanting to learn what she should watch for. I was trying to give her some pointers and LeanderMomma was a help as well. She saw what made SA such a treat for me and got into it herself. We needed that 4.30 break to wrap our heads around what we had just experienced....absolutely mind blowing...and then came more. We did take off for the evening after Alter as we have friends who are connected with the band and they are from where we both grew up, plus with the time difference and she's not a night owl. sidenote: I've always found it fascinating that Alter takes the field without a drum major. We made it back later than we wanted on Sat as we messed up trying to get around on the bus after lunch at the Riverwalk, heading on the other way around our loop. Oops! Weather was beautiful with temps starting in the 30s and pushing 60s in the evening, unlike the 90s we had in 2017. Again SA Finals blew away anything we had experienced at LOS. The quality of the programs and music put out on a field is worth the trip to experience live. Streaming is a great way to see what a group is doing, but you can't experience the overwhelming sound that hits you square in the chest, crisp, clean, solid, the dynamics, all while moving on a field. You have to be there to feel the energy those kids produce from the field. I know I'm going to leave people out, so please don't take it as any slight, it was all you can do to keep things straight with all the stellar performances happening. Keller made an impact with their horns, CTJ - love the show with the guard jumping over the band like gazelle, the cubs "fighting with each other" on the side, the kids sold it, The Woodlands made you believe they had gotten off the ship for the first time in 6 months with their enthusiasm, Leander with Brittney and Tchaikovsky on the same field filling the field with streamers with energy and excitement you can't feel from streaming. Vandy, Reagan, Hebron, Flower Mound....not enough words to describe. I think it was Hendrickson with the I Will Survive / Bacchanale duet that put chills down us yet didn't make it to finals. Unreal. Did I mention that the Mrs is a vocal teacher? To that singer, you had her attention. I was asked when we got back home if Reagan really was that good. Yep. Then they told me they wished Reagan was coming to GN. My drummer of a son still talks about Round Rock's drum line. He was able to see them live at GN during semis and was greatly impressed with their splits and wonder if they competed during the winter season. SA Finals was what makes it SA SR. Run the same groups again and the placements could easily change as the kids are all that good. Hours and hours of long work with practice, memorization, drill all culminating for a run in the finals. Wow. Just wow. We got to put names and faces together from these forums while there and had a blast the entire time. We are still in awe with the warm welcomes we received and the Texas hospitality, the taffy and some Bush's Chicken Tender Rolls on the way out of town from a well know recommendation. I would highly recommend if anyone who has not been to SA SR is thinking about it, do it. We made a week of it running through about 9 different states, 2700 miles, looping through a couple of places the Mrs wanted to see, but the highlight was that Fri and Sat at the Alamodome. Ok, the Mrs really enjoyed our stop in Oklahoma at the Pioneer Woman cooking show something or another.... 2017 we experienced a record breaking score with CTJ and a spread of 1.05 pts between 2nd through 6th place and a band winning a caption without taking a medal, twice. 2019 we experienced a record breaking score with RR and a spread of 1.12 pts between 3rd through 7th place. So......2021? Yeah....already planning on a return trip. Still haven't put our house on the market to move there though as someone asked on another forum. The Mrs likes her different seasons, which we can do all 4 in a day here. Thanks again for your Texas Hospitality!

So far the best part of being an alumni parent is we can run on our own schedule and not have to worry about being at the school early for chaperone duties, or getting back to the house at 2am after a long day at a contest. Don't get me wrong, as I enjoyed it during my time, but it was different this year to have the freedom to just enjoy the moments. We will always have our ties with our group and are willing to help as needed, but Mrs AvonDad is not a night person and I've brought her over to the "dark side" (she's a choir girl) this season with help of our alumni status. Without having a kid in the band, it was easier for her experience and enjoy the shows without worrying about scores nor placements as she saw the reactions of "our kids". We really enjoyed the gathering and being able to put faces and names together. Mrs AvonDad is still a bit in disbelief of the people we met that night and warm welcomes all around. Yeah....already planning on 2021 trip to SA.

...and that's why I'm looking forward to finals this Saturday. Catching up on the past days posts only adds to the excitement. Back in 2017, SA ranked better as a contest for me than GN after watching both of them live. Just going over possible finalists, no one really has a clue how its going to play out before they hit the field. Sure there are a handful of "yeah, this one will be there", but then those get tossed around in and out when other groups get remembered that maybe were overlooked the first time.... and you run out of slots. There are so many bands that are so close together that you could rerun the contest a few days later and come up with completely different results. Its not a knock to any particular band that may not make finals, even if it was their best run of the season, its the fact that performance levels are so incredible from all the groups that its hard to squeeze in, what 14?, bands to try and run it again Sat night. If I remember correctly, LD Bell broke 90 and didn't make finals in 2017 and there was something like 1.6 points separating 2nd through 6th place. SA is monster of a competition and the time to leave it all on the field, pushing for the best run of the year when your band is announced. Good luck to the all the groups this weekend and give it your all! I overheard a director tell his group when they entered the field "Breathe it all in guys! This is what you have worked for!" Now I have to go pack.

Being on the outside now I'll take a stab at it...and I could be completely off base. It seems Avon is taking the 8 note progression from the opening Canon and showcasing that same note progression throughout songs from past eras to present age. I'd never think of Pachelbel, Green Day, Miley, Copeland and the Beatles in the same musical ideas until that sequence was pointed out. Watching practices has been interesting as you can hear multiple tunes being played throughout the field underneath a dominant one many times during the show. All based on that 8 note progression. Watch the drum majors in the opener and you can see the tempo shift to a different tune while the first one is still ongoing at the original tempo by the soloists. That cant be easy. I'm catching snippets of shows from the past decade buried throughout UnBaroquen both musically and field sstaging. Maybe the title is a play on the word Unbroken as they lost a lot of seniors last year yet are still going strong as a young band. Just a guess.

JosephBandFan is correct. Avon's show this year is UnBaroquen. We've "seniored out" but have watched practices. I'm catching various parts of past shows over the years appearing in this one and it's been fun catching them.

Lawrence Township is one that's performed well and enjoyable to watch. Maybe a bit different but one of our favorites.

That time of year it could be anything. I'd figure around 40's maybe 50's during the day. The days before Avon went to SA, they were practicing in the 30's before hitting the Texas heat. Currently we've been down in the 40's at night and lower 70's in the evening so great sleeping weather with a window open. If I remember correctly, the Super Bowl in Indy had better weather over the Super Bowl in Dallas. We can have all 4 seasons in a day here!

So far I'm keeping up with y'all down there. Been in the 90's here so far this week but supposed to break soon. I've got my SA tickets now, so its less than a month to get your weather settled out before we get there. I have to know how to pack.

This summer the wife and I were volunteering at a DCI show in Madison WI. Our job was to assist with the groups getting on and off the field and navigate a small hill. After one group was done, there were 2 girls quickly heading off the field with one of them holding on to a girl who had obviously busted some teeth out during the show. Hand to her mouth and filled with blood dripping everywhere telling her helper "what was I supposed to do????" as they were directed to the medics.

Their drum line definitely was better than they have been in the past. I really liked the 2012 show with the amazing flute soloist and how it all flowed together. Last night didn't "grab me" as others have, but it usually takes a couple of shows for me to really get into one. We were just blown away with Northview's unexpected sound I guess that I was waiting for Carmel to give it with all their horns. They do have great low brass support with 18(?) tubas that fill out the chords behind the soloist. Beginning of the season so most shows are still a work in progress. I like seeing the early versions and comparing them to the finals to see how everyone grew throughout the season. I can see Brownsburg and Plainfield making semis this year.

I thought Texas bands generally started their music in May if not earlier for the fall season. It seems that I saw quite a few YT videos of show themes and opening songs? I think our kids started getting music mid June then added to it throughout the rest of the season when my kids were in band. I know we don't have your 8 hour rule and they don't have to wait until Aug to start drill, but I thought Tx was ahead with music. They do start our kids early with the cadet guard in middle school as does Carmel, then the A guard before the World guard to gain experience. Texas bands seem to be bigger than the Indiana ones and provide a powerful sound.