SETXgal

It might have been smaller things then. Notes not getting held out long enough, not enough crescendo, or other things that judges looking at the sheet music would see but we fans wouldn't know was a problem. They were only 2 points behind North Lamar.

Dynamics are a very big score thing, so that alone could have cost them. If that was the main critique, fortunately that is fixable before state if they have enough focused & committed students listening to their directors. I don't think it could have been too bad for them to still place as high as they did. The bigger challenge may be if they lack experience playing in a dome setting? The Alamodome dome is a strange cave.... Looking forward to Farmersville & the other new names at State this year! Nine bands from last year will not be there.

I haven't watched videos yet, but were there any issues at all for them with standouts? (You know, that brass player or section that stands out at parts and is not in balance or in tune with the rest of the band...) That was an area the judges were very strict on. There were visual judges commenting on specific marchers and even mentioning if that marcher had multiple issues. With the level of competition, some were really strict on everything. I guess that's good info to have before State, but as fans in the stands or watching videos I know I am not usually analyzing marching at a specific marcher's level of performance.

I saw someone mention something about 4A using the 7 judge system instead of the 5 judge system, but I can't find where that was. Anyone know for sure?

No problem. Was just curious

Was it during the summer? Some of those conventions other directors are also leading workshops so they can't participate. Is theirs an all in one designer? I know several bands have different people for music, drill, choreo, and a coordinator.

Drawing spots for bottom half then top half is pretty common. The same was done in Area C.

If Celina's directors did a workshop on marching band, it could sell out in minutes. They have clearly cracked the code for high scores at UIL & have found their perfect team of composers, choreographers, drill designers, etc. If I were them I might be trying to get that team under an exclusivity contract, lol! They got ranked 1st in finals yesterday by all 5 judges. They have got something there, even if I don't quite understand it. At this point, it makes more sense to try to figure out their formula instead of everyone saying their recipe is too bland while they continue winning. Jmo

We only saw them once & it didn't stand out as park & bark, but it was a long day. They did do some challenging formations & transitions but I don't recall if they were playing. I will probably watch their video this week. They clearly know what the judges are looking for better than any of us in here. Sometimes formations look messy from lower down, but clean from up high where the judges are.

We thought SS would have had 1st too. Celina has clearly cracked the code though on how to design a top scoring UIL show even if it isn't as much of a crowd pleaser. Every judge ranked them 1st after finals. I've learned to go back & watch the videos taken from up high though. That often makes things a lot clearer.

Not hosing AT ALL. It is just where the new sheets & judges guidance go. I personally LOVEEEE DCI,& watching the big all out performances. Barbers Hill was one of the most memorable shows I have seen this year, but they didn't place first either. For now, bands may have to decide if they want more entertaining BOA & DCI style shows or UIL criteria high scoring state finalists shows. In theory, there is a perfect happy medium. It is going to take time to figure out where that happy medium under the new criteria is though. A lot of it was done to close the gap created by budget sizes. Personally, I think 4A Area & State should be divided into D1 & D2 schools. State Cheer competition is divided, and done on the same day & same location. Band could be too. If they did that maybe they could adjust judging back to somewhere in the middle.

While those are definitely more fun to watch, UIL is moving to dial in the focus on marching & music.

I would suggest reviewing the new score sheets & the judging guides and then re-watch the videos. Look at the Content section on the sheets. If you watched Area C finals with those in mind, assessing the difficulty and execution of marching maneuvers, especially *While Playing*, and look at the difficulty of marching performed & executed while playing more difficult parts of the music, the results made sense. Some great crowd pleaser "shows" were performed that did not have enough challenging marching & playing at the same time to score as well as they would have in previous years (due to the new score sheets & judging guidance). UIL is trying to bring the focus back to marching & music, and level the playing field some between big budget & small budget programs. Excerpt from Content: +- Frequency/Demand of Movement While Playing - the ability of a group to function as an ensemble who plays and marches at the same time. In the past, judges would address "standstill time". Ensembles in Texas are expected to "march-and-play", not "march-then-play". +- Content with Respect to Challenge - the musical content assigned to the performers contains an inherent level of challenge, especially when considering the visual assignments tasked in collaboration. This descriptor allows an adjudicator to comment on the level of rigor asked of the performers derived from the content chosen by their directors.

Is there a certain band you are watching for?

How did they do?

I personally would not attempt to do that without seeing them today. To do that, would be ignoring the potential of what a band may have accomplished during the past 2 weeks.

Yep, if things stay as expected they can still potentially do a finals round & even finish around midnight if necessary as stated in the UIL guidance. There could be pauses to wait for a shower to clear, but finals round hasn't been ruled out yet. Everyone is just staying aware they might only get one shot.

According to the last part of UIL's statement, they could. "Unless conditions are determined by contest officials to be unsafe, the contest will continue as scheduled, which includes the possibility of performing in the rain."

I don't think this will really be similar to the Alamodome. There aren't seats and people and things that naturally absorb some sound. The bounce back is going to be a mess. When the bigger bands are spread across the field, they will have challenges from echos & reverb. Having a large percussion section could worsen this. Smaller bands might actually sound bigger or fuller (think singing in the shower). JMO... Check the low ceiling in those pics...

I originally thought that, but then wasn't sure if some of the schools might be on Fall Break.

A week off?

Do you have a video of them?

I need to go find & watch videos of their shows this week.

Have you looked at the new scoring sheets? You think judges would be choosing finalists based on size? The new score sheets & judges guide aim to bring focus back to music & marching (and doing both at the same time).

I'd rather have the alternate weather day like most other areas do instead of performing in the indoor bubble. Lindale loses out on money from concessions & things too. Can the judges even get up high in the indoor facility to see formations?