Donezo

1. Vandegrift 2. Cedar Park 3. Leander 4. Vista Ridge 5. Dripping Springs 6. Wakeland 7. Waxahachie 8. Southwest 9. Centennial 10. Aledo Cannot 100% verify the accuracy of that list, but it's what a little bird told me from the press box.

Poteet has won 3x before! But that program, while still very good, isn't what it used to be. Waxahachie is indeed a 3x consecutive state finalist, and they have a great shot at making it again. Forney is also a former state finalist. McKinney is really, really strong this year. I was stunned they were so low in prelims, but I wasn't at the contest. They could do very well in San Antonio.

Last night was a good contest, but I spent the whole livestream thinking about how much better Texas State Marching Contest was. Several of those GN finalists would have trouble hacking it in the Lone Star State - especially musically.

Sure, but there are substantial points up for grabs for design, color guard, etc. http://www.uiltexas.org/files/music/area-marching-descriptor.pdf

I spent most of the night thinking Hebron had it in the bag, but man, Marcus really threw it down in the 11th hour. Stunning performance. I had both in a virtual tie, and you can't really fault the judges for going either way. What is going on in Lewisville ISD??? Johnson finishing third was unexpected, but I'm happy for them. They had a really great run last night. I just thought that show would be fairly divisive in a UIL setting. The design is so ambitious that it's impossible to reach the level of cleanliness you usually see from a UIL State medalist. Still, I think they were quite a bit better execution-wise than they were in prelims. I feel for Flower Mound for dropping so much, but I had them in 9th as well. They were very good, but everyone else really stepped up their game after prelims. I just didn't see the same energy and intensity from them that the bands who beat them delivered. They still sounded and looked great. I hope they can rebound in Indy. I could have given that third medal spot to a number of other bands. Bowie, Reagan, The Woodlands........wow. My jaw was on the floor after each of those performances. Coppell and Duncanville were better than they've been all year too. And kudos to Keller for snagging that wild card spot and turning in a memorable performance. Area A represent! It was truly an incredible night of marching band. Nobody does it better than Texas! If I could have subbed in someone who didn't make it, I would choose Westlake. I thought they were absolutely fantastic in prelims. It seems the music judges agreed, but the marching judges did not.

28th is low, but I could see justification for putting Johnson out of the top 10 in marching. It was a sloppy run this morning. I don't think the visual execution was 6A state finals level. They sounded great though.

The AlamoDome is a tough venue, and it can really catch you off guard. I marched there twice for State Marching Contest - once when my band didn't make finals and once when we won the whole thing. The most important thing you can do is trust your drum major and not your ears! Do what you have been practicing for months to do, and don't let the acoustics throw you.

See, this is the stuff I always remember when everyone brings the knives out for UIL judging inconsistency. The BOA system is often just as kooky. Whatever system you're working in, the judges' job is just tough. Although I will say that whoever had Marcus 12th in Music GE should probably be fired. Just......no.

Haltom is really coming on strong heading into State on Tuesday. I would love to see them back in Finals for the first time in ten years. I looooove the dragon show this year. Definitely my favorite show from the DFW area bands I've seen. Best of luck on Tuesday.

You guys sounded great when I saw you at Region! Berkner is definitely in the mix. They're a group that observers tend to underestimate heading into State, but they know how to throw down two great performances in the Dome. Good luck on Tuesday!

Yeah, I would definitely not expect Tuesday's results to look anything like BOA SA. Johnson will probably make finals again, but I don't see them having the across-the-board support from the judges they'll need for a medal. Marcus, on the other hand, should probably still be considered the favorite, and I expect Hebron to finish much higher as well.

Man, they really need to rethink the way this Area is set up. I can't fathom anyone looking at the breakdown and thinking it's fair to the kids. I get that the travel is too much for everyone to go to one place, but only letting the first place band go to State from two of these contests is ridiculous. I think it's time for another big realignment.

It definitely helps. You can survive an early performance, but bands on the bubble tend to benefit from going late in the day. I'd say that most of the truly surprising finalists of the past ten years or so came from the last prelims block.

I would love to see Duncanville make a State finals comeback, and I see no reason why they can't do it.....other than the field being absolutely stacked, of course. I wanted to put together finals predictions, but I honestly don't know where to start. This just gets harder every year as Texas bands push their quality higher and higher. I do ultimately think it will be Marcus and Hebron duking it out for the title. Bronze is anyone's game. I would love to see Bowie medal after being painfully close twice in a row.

I have a lot of qualms with the "not fit to judge" line of thinking. Check the resumes of those guys who judged this contest. All of them have had success in the UIL system. The argument does not hold up. Who do you propose should take their place?

I have been following TX marching band for well over a decade, and I cannot conceptualize that LD Bell will not be at State Marching Contest. Wow. And even though the program isn't what it used to be, it is also pretty shocking to not see Langham Creek on that list. Just goes to show how fluid the TX band world is and how deep the field is in this state. Once upon a time, I probably couldn't fathom a State Marching Contest without Westfield either.

Aha. Different panels in prelims and finals. I have been scratching my head for the past 12 hours trying to figure out what happened to Hendrickson! It is still pretty mystifying, but this is a tough, tough area. I don't envy the judges who had to make that call. All ten of those bands would probably do very well at State. You'd have to think that Round Rock and Hendrickson would at least be on the bubble for State finals.

On the contrary, I caught Rowlett at Region and thought they were really and truly fantastic. They're probably going to advance. Unfortunately, I think North will be the odd man out again, which is a shame because they are really quite good once again. It's too bad one more band couldn't get a 1st division!

Bowie tied for third at a tough contest. Not sure what there is to complain about.

It's odd that some programs still can't survive the regime change even when most of the supporting staff remains. Langham Creek and Poteet are two programs that immediately come to mind that suffered a drastic quality drop after the long time head director left. The Colony maybe also belongs in that group, but I'm not sure exactly what happened after Clardy left. It would be a fascinating management case study to find out what is able to sustain a band after a successful head director leaves, but I don't know what university would give you the dough to do the research!

Money is definitely a factor for bands in the RGV. However, I'd like to point out Lopez's incredible concert band program. They are former 4A Honor Band winners and made the top seven at the 5A Honor Band contest the last two times. I've been to a ton of TMEA concerts, and theirs from 2004 still stands out to me as one of the best.

It's also about consistently picking material that works for the group. The bands that always make finals have a very recognizable style. I know what a Marcus, Bowie, Coppell, Cedar Park or LD Bell show looks and sounds like. Even when they push themselves in new directions (LD Bell), it is in a style that works for them. It's been fun watching Bell transform from straight up corps style to more avant garde over the last ten years, but it's been a smooth, logical transition. I'm also amazed that Reagan and The Woodlands have more or less maintained a consistent style that works for them even with director changes. I loved Reagan's tribute to their own personal history this year! I'm not sure what a Hebron show looks like, but I think they're still nailing that down. Westlake seems to have found something that consistently works for them, and I bet they stick with it (basically the Marcus formula but a bit less refined and more traditionally marching band-y.) Some former powerhouses definitely had a consistent style that they don't have anymore (Spring, Westfield, Duncanville, Langham Creek.) Some bands that have historically been a bit hit or miss at the elite level seem to vary wildly in what they do from year to year (Haltom, Richland, Berkner, Brazoswood.) This is obviously really vague and fuzzy, but I think knowing what you're good at and sticking with it is important. There is some wiggle room for trying new things, but there isn't a need to reinvent the wheel if what you're doing works.

TXMarchingMadness responded to this very eloquently, but I want to add my two cents since I've followed the Rowlett program since they first started going to State consistently. They're definitely sentimental favorites of mine.....Mr. Alvarado is awesome and they typically have some of my favorite shows in the DFW area. I've always been puzzled by their lack of success at State, especially since they often wind up in the top 2 in a tough area. Frankly, they are never as good at State as they are at Area. I've seen Rowlett at Area and State nearly every two years since 2002 and this has always been the case. Often they're still great at State and there have been years when I had them in my personal top 10 (this year no, but 2010 definitely yes.) But somehow that Area magic is never there. It's a combination of energy and the fact that they just never sound as good in the Alamodome. I don't think it's an accident that Rowlett's best ever State placement happened the last time SMBC was at Baylor (10th in 2002.) They have a beautiful, full sound outdoors that somehow gets a bit lost in translation. On the contrary, Coppell sounds amazing in the Alamodome in ways that they never manage to sound at Mesquite Memorial Stadium at Area. Perhaps that's part of the reason why Rowlett and Coppell always seem to flip-flop between Area and State. As an outsider, I also wonder if there are pacing issues. They're almost always able to give the performance they need at Area to not only make it to State, but also to beat some serious 5A powerhouses. Yet the momentum somehow gets lost in the week leading up to State. This is obviously conjecture as I haven't ever been to a Rowlett rehearsal. I told a friend yesterday that if 5A State happened the last Saturday of October at an outdoor stadium, Rowlett would make finals every time.

Great contest! I agree with the judge who had LD Bell 9th in music. #controversial

No kidding. When my friend called me and told me that Reagan was 3rd and The Woodlands was 10th, I thought she was joking. (Nothing against either group. I thought they would both be in, but in opposite positions.) Keller was soooo close to being the first Area A band in decades to make it to 5A State Finals. Wow.