Donezo

Wow. Never thought I'd see the day when Duncanville would be out of state finals. Just goes to show that you have to expect the unexpected at SMBC! Also, this has to be up there in terms of all time wackiest State prelims ordinals spread, though I kind of saw it coming after this panel's indecision on 3A Finals last night.

Bowie (I really think this can win tomorrow) Hebron (If they nail it tomorrow, they'll be in the medal hunt) The Woodlands (goose bumps. Tears. Etc. They sound magnificent.) Flower Mound (I hate that they can't perform this tomorrow, but such is life with these area alignments. They definitely went out on a high note.) Plano East (really pulling for them to make Finals tomorrow) Coppell (Wagner is such a perfect fit for them that I'm shocked no one thought of it sooner) Cedar Park (high octane awesomeness as always) Friendswood (I wanted to see this in BOA SA Finals, but the competition was so intense. This could have medaled at 4A State if that had happened this year.) North Mesquite (sentimental choice because it was nice to see a hometown band have such a great year. Still, the Evanescence/Barber mash-up was surprisingly awesome.)

That reminds me of how I felt on Saturday while watching Westlake. At one point towards the end I was like "holy mother of God! Where is this amazing brass sound coming from?" Then the camera cut to the whole horn line standing on the giant staircase and was like ".....oh." But that's still very clever of them! As my old band director said, "If you're going to park and blow, you had better sound amazing."

That was also part of it, but logistical issues had UIL looking for other options before that decision was made.

Parking. That's the reason we don't have Texas State Marching Contest there anymore. There also isn't a really great place to hold warm-ups or unload buses. Basically the whole thing would be a logistical nightmare.

It is indeed the idea that I dislike most about BOA! But it's also the only way that I can justify a 14th place Music GE ranking for CTJ. Or many he was just in a bad mood when they were out. Who knows!

The reason I could see them getting nailed in Music GE is programming issues. They play so much different music, and one could argue that there isn't much of a thought line running through it. To an extent there is the "paradise" theme going on, but what does "School for Scandal" have to do with that? That is one moment in the show where I started to wonder where things were going, and I never got much of an answer. The musical book comes across as a bit of a hodgepodge. I didn't have a huge problem with it, but I can see how someone would.

As I've said before, I could see how CTJ would be divisive. I'm frankly not surprised that they pulled in a 4th and a 14th in the same category. I think their ordinals will be all over the map on Tuesday. At the same time, I think 6th for TW in Music GE is almost indefensible!

I actually really agree with the ensemble music judge? Flip-flop Westlake and Cedar Park, and that's exactly how I would have called it.

I do think Plano East's show would have ranked higher last night had it been a UIL contest. Their 5th from the music ensemble judge bodes well (and honestly that's where I think they belonged musically.) EDIT: To resolve the earlier debate, Plano East was at State in 2002. They were 17th in prelims. 4th at 5A Area C.

The TMEA alignments are absolute nonsense, but they're kind of fun. Could you imagine Coppell/Duncanville/The Woodlands/Spring/Cedar Park (when they're 5A) duking it out at Area Marching Contest? There would be riots.

You'll find that plenty of people have them in the top 10. You can't put too much weight on area results. A lot can happen in a week and a half. Case in point: 2010 5A Area C: 1. Rowlett 2. Berkner 3. Duncanville 4. Coppell 2010 5A State Prelims: 3. Coppell 5. Duncanville 8. Berkner 14. Rowlett I'll even point out that the last time Berkner won Area C (2004), they missed State Finals. You just never know. Like I said before, they're in the mix, but it's a deep field.

Did some digging to see if any Honor Band winners have missed State Marching Contest Finals relatively recently. The answer is yes, but not by much. 2010: Hebron - 6th at SMBC 2008: Duncanville - 6th at SMBC 2006: Langham Creek - 6th at SMBC 2004: Duncanville - 3rd at SMBC 2002: Langham Creek - 9th at SMBC 2000: Westfield - 9th at SMBC So the last two missed finals, but that was when only seven made it (can you even imagine that happening now?) Does Brazoswood continue the string of top ten appearances at SMBC for Honor Band winners? Or is this the end?

I will say that Berkner is another group that tends to peak at the right time and often surprises people. I don't think anyone saw their 3rd place finish in 2002 coming. They're in the mix. They have a great prelims time: right after lunch and in the same block as Richland, Johnson, and Coppell. If they give a strong performance that holds its own against those other finals caliber bands, then they'll be up there. Finals is always a different story, but just getting there will be half the battle at this contest. EDIT: Just realized that Brazoswood is in the same block. I wonder if they're potential spoilers, even though this hasn't been their best year. They are the State Honor Band after all....

It's certainly possible. It's worth noting that Rowlett also beat Coppell at area in 2006 and 2010. Coppell is a band that always manages to peak at State Marching Contest. It happened when they were 4A and it still happens now that they're 5A. They always wind up doing better at State than anyone thinks they will. I don't know what their strategy is, but somehow it tends to pay off.

No, The Colony was still 5A until 2006. In the late '90s they were still constantly battling with LD Bell, Richland, and Haltom for basically two spots at 5A Area B.

The complaint is typically that DFW area schools dominate 3/7 of the state's areas, which is a significant advantage over any other geographic area in the state. It's even worse in TMEA alignments.....at the 2008 State Honor Band contest, the top 7 bands (out of 14!) were DFW bands. That doesn't sit well in some circles. There is certainly a ton of talent in the DFW area, but when results look like they did in '08, it doesn't really feel like a "state" contest anymore. I don't know if the tension is still there, but when the Ft. Worth area schools were moved to Area A in 2006, some higher-ups in the West Texas band world were vocally unhappy. It's strange to think that West Texas used to be the music education mecca. The accomplishments of Permian, Lee, Midland, Coronado, Plainview, etc. over the years speak for themselves. Then it was Houston. Then it was Dallas. The growth of top tier programs in the Austin area makes me wonder if that region is the next big thing. These things go in cycles. Maybe the next set of alignment gerrymandering will be to separate the Bowie/Westlake set from the Cedar Park/Round Rock set because the talent in Austin can no longer be contained in one area (although it would be easier to get a read on that area if those darn schools would pick a classification and stay there.) Who knows!

Yes, 1997 was Poteet 1st, Coppell 3rd, Sherman 6th. I believe it also happened in 1999 for Area B 4A: Keller 2nd, Grapevine 3rd, Fossil Ridge 4th, Colleyville Heritage 6th. Did they advance 5 that year?? And 4A Area C again in 2009: Poteet 3rd, Waxahachie 8th, Forney 9th. So the short answer is, yes, it happens a lot in 4A. Not so much in 5A, probably because the areas tend to advance more bands overall. B or C could do it this year, but I kind of doubt either area pulls it off.

If anyone's interested, here's Rowlett's area finals performance: It's very strong and very clean. They could stand to be more musical, but I think they've got a shot. They're not going to State, but here is North Mesquite from the same contest (came in 5th - 1st alternate): http://gobigblueband.smugmug.com/Competiti...4&k=ZTbQm7t I really love the show and I'm amazed at how much better they are than they ever have been. They could be one to watch in the future.

To me, that show is the epitome of GE. Even if the execution wasn't perfect (and it rarely was - such a complex musical book) I still got goosebumps every time because it just worked. And yeah, 5A Area B was killer that year, especially with only three spots for the taking. Haltom was also awesome that year, and I really wish I had a good video. I saw them several times throughout the season (the band I was associated with somehow wound up at all the same invitationals that year) and unfortunately their worst performance was in state prelims and they didn't get a do-over that night. Fossil Ridge was also probably the best they ever were, but unfortunately there just weren't enough spots.

To be fair, they tied Rowlett for first and Coppell was one rank point away. There obviously was no consensus over who was the top band that night. But yes, they have done well and I expect a strong showing at State. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Area C order mixed up in prelims (as it usually is.......it was actually reversed completely in 2010.)

And just for kicks and grins, and because I have it in front of me: 2000: LD Bell The Colony (one of my all time favorite shows....look it up) Haltom Alternate: Marcus

What's funny is that there are so many 1st division bands in 5A region 12 that Area E probably would have just wound up with its four advancing groups plus Reagan and Johnson. Area E used to regularly advance 6-ish bands when the SA schools were there. Although it's possible that Churchill and/or Judson could have been strong enough to knock one of the Houston groups out.

While there are weird things in every area, this is a problem Area D faces more so than others because there are so many groups that are good enough for finals. I don't think it's that crazy to think that it would be hard to differentiate quality between several of these groups.

I absolutely agree with the post before mine. Bell/Marcus/Duncanville/Bowie do not rest on their laurels. They advance to state again and again because they're just that good, not because of who they are. Churchill used to be one of those groups, but they're staying home this year. Westfield and Haltom too in their respective areas. Nobody is given a free pass in this system no matter how many times you've been in State Finals. To suggest otherwise just comes across as sour grapes.