AlphaOmega

To clarify, I teach middle school and am in no way associated with this Area. A majority of folks on this site are parents and fans and are likely unaware of how different UIL judging is compared to BOA. My intent was to inform users of how the system works and why change is necessary. Other band directors are aware of how inefficient the current system is, and reworking it will benefit everyone involved.

As a band director, I always secretly make my predictions for every contest. And UIL never fails to shock me. I predicted that Hendrickson would win the Area, and that Pieper and Lockhart were locks for State. I knew Hendrickson would make it because they are historically successful. The rest were up for grabs. The judging at UIL contests is wack. There are three music judges and two visual judges. Each music judge adjudicates five captions. The visual judges each judge three captions. And you could have one judge give 1st in music and another one give the same band 20th. You rarely see such varying scores at other contests. The UIL needs to rework their judging system. The content and design caption does not judge how the students perform, so that one should be removed. There should be one judge per caption, instead of five captions per judge. They need to hire percussion-specific judges for the percussion caption. Never understood why the UIL is so stubborn with making things more efficient. I would hate to judge a UIL marching contest. I'd be overwhelmed having to judge between 3 and 5 captions at once. My friends and I always make our predictions knowing that the UIL will go the complete opposite. Congratulations to the bands who made finals. I'm anxious to hear who earns the spots for State!

It's official, they have decided to keep the guard and add the dance team. All I'll say is this: As a band director, your main priority should be students, not scores. To all those who defended Round Rock's guard either on social media, here, Reddit, or anywhere else, you are all rock stars. I am so happy to hear that you succeeded, and good luck with your future seasons!

From what I've heard, UIL loses money hosting State, which makes me wonder why they switched to every year. Bands who make State are required to go. I can't remember if they are allowed to opt out of Area. If you were a 5A band going to Nats and State this year, your students would be missing an entire week of school plus the Friday of BOA San Antonio. I did Grand Nats twice in high school. Catching up after missing three days sucked. I can't imagine a week or more. I could understand if UIL wanted to do Area every year and just determine an Area champion on non-state years. State every year for everyone just seems like a huge hassle.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT TRANSPORTATION!!!! Parmer between 620 (45 toll) and Spectrum Drive (aka on the way to Reeves) is closed both ways tomorrow. Please seek alternate routes. If you're coming from south, take 183 to Avery Ranch. If you're coming from the north, you should be good.

There are too many good bands going for me to make a placement prediction, other than Vandy taking everything. But I can list my locks and bubbles. There are a lot of Bubbles, especially after TMC on Saturday. LOCKS Vista Vandy Cedar Park Cedar Ridge Round Rock Woodlands Reagan Rouse BUBBLES Westwood Lake Travis Westlake McNeil Bowie Bridgeland CTJ Marcus Leander LD Bell? Is there anyone I missed? McNeil really jumped high at TMC so I'm including them as a bubble for the first time in my life. Round Rock improved a lot since Austin. CTJ has gone down in placements since last year and was beaten by Bridgeland in Katy. Bowie has done better in the past, but I don't want to count them out yet. How has LD Bell done? I feel like I haven't heard from them in forever. Same with Marcus. Westwood's show is great, so I'm including them as a bubble as well. Edit: I put Westlake twice, lol

Predictions: 1. Vandy 2. Rouse 3. Cedar Park 4. Round Rock 5. Westlake 6. Lake Travis 7. Leander 8. Drip 9. M&G Johnson 10. McNeil 11. Brandeis 12. Glenn The bottom half is give or take. There aren't as many bands going this weekend as I thought. I'll be getting there after the eclipse. I hope it looks super cool at the KRAC!

Is there anyone with a finals recap?

Respectfully, I disagree about them winning. I saw them and Brandeis at BOA today, and Brandeis was definitely stronger. I've also seen McNeil, and they're the strongest they've ever been. I have not seen O'Connor, so I can't say if they'll beat Glenn or not just yet. I will say, Glenn definitely is rising up. They had a great performance today. Enjoyed their show a lot.

My personal predictions based on gut feeling: 1st - Brandeis 2nd - McNeil 3rd - O'Connor 4th - Weiss 5th - John Paul Stevens 6th - Churchill 7th - Glenn 8th - New Braunfels 9th - Stony Point 10th - Belton

Round Rock has had a JV since 2015, but they only started competing at VRHS last year.

I just saw Reagan's show. I feel so bad that their electronics failed. I heard that a lot of these bands have Plan B's for in the event electronics fail. They also have "we are about to go overtime, stop and evacuate the field" protocols. It's best to be prepared, I guess.

Wasn’t expecting Vandy to win, but congrats to them! I thought RR would place higher. That’s the best show to come from them since 2012. I still think the way they judge UIL is dumb and unfair but that’s my educated opinion.

Prelims results: https://recaps.competitionsuite.com/da248ffc-e8a6-45bf-a649-1c5a443e1fda.htm

This is a pretty spicy Area too (I'm from Area D). It'd be interesting to see Brandeis overtake Lake Travis. They've risen quite a bit.

Forgot to list New Braunfels in the list of No. 10 contenders. Whoops.

Since this Area is pretty spicy, and because I'm going, I'll make a predictions list 'cause why not? Cedar Ridge CTJ Reagan Round Rock Westwood Bowie Drip Churchill McNeil Weiss/San Marcos/Midway/Idk who spot No. 10 is gonna go to. I've seen most of the bands I listed. Super excited for Saturday. Y'all will see me, but you won't know it's me

Hello, everyone! It's that time of year again. Grand Nats is creeping up! Having gone three times, twice as a marcher, I want to give y'all a brief packing list for marchers and some advice. Bring the Following Everything you need to perform Toiletries (oral care, hair care, contact lens stuff, etc) A thicker jacket (not a winter coat. It's gonna be cold, but you're not in Antarctica). I'd also bring a beanie and maybe some warm gloves. A duffle bag or backpack to take to the Indiana Convention Center If your band is going to rehearse at the ICC, bring your rehearsal gear $50-$100 in cash, or have that on a debit card. I recommend wearing leggings under the uniform (guys too) and put thick socks OVER them. Band directors, some of y'all are sticklers for under the uniform gear, but remember, it's cold. The walk from ICC to Lucas Oil is not pleasant. Extra food. Your metabolism will be through the roof. You'll always be hungry. If your hotel room has a microwave, bring popcorn and fall asleep watching a bad comedy! Phone, charger, portable charger Hand warmers DEODORANT! Shampoo Things Performers Do NOT need to bring Shower stuff other than shampoo. You will barely have time to shower. The only thing you need to do is wash your hair. School stuff. You won't have time or wifi. Pajamas - sleep in what you're wearing tomorrow. Video game consoles - Yes, kids will do this. You will average at 6 hours or less of sleep a night. Bringing a console means you'll stay up way too late playing video games. Winter coat - it takes up too much space. I brought a thick hoodie my second trip, and that was fine. If you have a letterman, that works perfect. Other Stuff Make sure you or your kid buys the official Grand Nats t-shirt and patch! Great for quilts/letterman jackets Don't let school get in the way. You are there for band. Worry about school when you get back. The rehearsals and performances will be better 'cause you will be focusing everything you have on band. Parents, bring things to take care of the kids. Medicine, extra food, first aid, etc. Boys, you smell. It's in your DNA. Even if you don't wash your hair, you need to rinse off in the shower every day. Ladies, you probably don't smell. You could go the entire trip without showering. Everyone - you will average at 6 hours of sleep a night. When your band directors tell you to sleep, GO TO BED. It's the end of the season, and I'm sure you'll all be sick and tired of each other. Try to enjoy it, and don't talk bad about other people like you usually do during the season. Students, as long as you keep your focus on band, this will be the best weekend of your life. THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD DRINK IS WATER. Parents, you too. Enjoy yourself. If I forgot something, reply to this post.

I just went on the website to count how many bands are going this year. EIGHTY THREE, if I counted correctly. That's absurd. Back when I was involved in scholastic marching arts, people thought 60 was insane. This is basically BOA Grand Nats #1, except it's all Texas Bands. Good luck, y'all. I've decided to forget predictions. There are too many good bands in Texas to predict who will make finals lately.

I caught Brandeis HS at the Vista Ridge competition last year, and they're pretty freaking good. Keep your eyes peeled for them, because I think they have a shot at finals. Good luck to all the bands next weekend! Unfortunately I can't make it, but the lineup looks pretty good!

Alright, Broken Arrow, you win. I've never seen such a perfect show come out of a high school. Congratulations on your victory! Also, congratulations to Vista Ridge on their Rose Parade invite! I'll be watching! I joined this party a little late this season. I can't wait for next year. Congratulations to every Texas Band on your victories this marching season! See y'all next fall!

I think it's time I remind everyone that the Eagle has a name. It's Kevin!

I feel like at least six bands have a chance of taking the Eagle. Tbh, I don't really care who wins, as long as they're from Texas. #TeamTexas

Regarding the above comment: "Shower stuff other than shampoo. If you're gonna shower, you only need to wash your hair at most." That should be in the "don't bring" category. For some reason it's not letting me edit.

Hello, everyone! If you're a student (or parent) going to Nats for the first time, I have some advice for you. I've been three times, once as a spectator and twice as a performer. Performers should bring the following: Everything you need to perform Toiletries (oral care, hair care, contact lens stuff, those kinds of things) A thicker jacket (not a winter coat), beanie, maybe gloves, thick socks, sweat pants to wear over your rehearsal gear (it's gon' be cold) A duffle bag or backpack to take to the Indiana Convention Center Everything you need to rehearse, if your band's gonna do that $50-100 in cash, or put money on their debit card, if your wallet allows. They're gonna wanna buy stuff at Lucas Oil! I recommend wearing leggings (guys too) under their uniform, and put thick socks over them. Please convince your band directors to allow this. I can't stress that enough. The walk from the ICC to Lucas Oil in uniform is not pleasant. Extra food - your metabolism will be through the roof, and you'll always be hungry. If your room has a microwave, bring some popcorn and fall asleep watching a movie! Phone, charger, and portable charger. Hand warmers DEODORANT Shower stuff other than shampoo. If you're gonna shower, you only need to wash your hair at most. Things performers don't need to bring: School stuff. You won't have time or wifi most likely. Pajamas - sleep in what you're wearing tomorrow Video game systems - yes, kids will do this and stay up way too late playing games. Please don't do this. A winter coat - again, it takes up too much space. My first time going as a performer I looked like I was from Antarctica. The next trip I brought a thick hoodie and that was fine. If your student has a letterman, that's perfect! Other stuff: Make sure either you or your kid buys the official Grand Nats patch and the official Grand Nats t-shirt. The patch is great for their letterman, and they'll wear that t-shirt until you put it on a quilt. Don't let school get in the way. This trip is a time to put all your energy towards band. Worry about school when you get back. Like I said, this is a trip where you focus everything on band. Your rehearsals and performances will be a lot better because the kids aren't worrying about other things. Parents, make sure you have things ready to take care of the kids: medicine, extra snacks, first aid, etc. Boys, you smell. It's in your DNA. Even if you don't have time to wash your hair every day, you need to get in the shower at least once a day and soak. Ladies, unless you smell, which most of you don't, you could go the whole trip without a shower. You will average at 6 hours of sleep a night - parents included. When your band directors say to sleep, GO TO BED. It's the end of the season, and I'm sure you'll all be sick and tired of each other. Try to enjoy it, and don't talk bad about other people like you usually do during the season. Students, this will be the best weekend of your life, as long as you put your focus on band and perform your absolute best. The only thing you should be drinking is water. You too, parents. Last thing: enjoy it. If I forgot anything, feel free to add! Have a good trip, everyone!