Anthony V

No worries! We get you. And glad to have you here.

Usually the real discussion starts when the Region contests are over and Area starts up. And don't take our conversation here so seriously! We're random people on the internet. If you want feedback that's more meaningful, ask a band parent that's been around for a while. Or ask your band director (but not every day).

That's an odd thing to say. But maybe you don't fully mean that, or maybe I'm misunderstanding you. If GE was not judged whatsoever, a band could play long tones while marching 8-to-5 up and down the field, and would effectively be competing at the same level as a band with an actual show. Even UIL has a design element integrated into the music and marching captions.

NOT THE BURNING QUESO

My favorite of the evening was TC. They sounded absolutely fantastic on some of those hits. Raw brass sound!

Whoops... Haha, sorry. Sometimes I'm bad about that. Definitely should have used clearer language.

While I think that copyright duration should be severely curtailed for electronic media, we should keep in mind the original musicians, composers, and authors, for whom these copyright laws were meant. While the royalties shelled out to them might be laughable in some cases on account of third party licensing, distribution, etc., the creators are entitled at least to that, all things being equal. With respect to videos, say, of halftime performances (or at other venues where the exclusive right to recording a performance has not been granted to a third party), I know HEBISD is of the opinion that they are legal for personal use. They announce this several times publicly every year at the HEB contest, which tells me that they think this is a tenable position on the issue. Perhaps this can be thought of as similar in some ways to recording a live TV broadcast using TiVo. But when these videos are uploaded to YouTube ("distributed") without a requisite, probably very expensive license, it is this process of copying which is illegal. I think BOA has a stricter stance on even personal use videos from the stands (I'm not talking about recording the live stream), but I wonder if that is to do with the rights they give to the third party recording the performance at the event. At any rate, I take HEBISD's opinion as well-informed enough to be ethically used, even if BOA's turns out to be stricter. All that means is that the law is ambiguous in some respect, and therefore there is a legitimate plurality of opinions on how to interpret it, which is hardly surprising when it comes to this issue. With respect to videos where the exclusive right to recording a performance presumably has been granted to a third party, then even the recording of personal use videos from the stands would technically be illegal -- and unethical, I think, unless the law is proven not to be binding on account of it being unjust in principle, or too ambiguous to be promulgated. It seems like a different legal issue with respect to recording FloMarching's live stream. It could be like the TiVo case, or it could be something entirely different on account of FloMarching's Terms and Conditions (which I've never read, so I can't say). Or it could be something entirely different on account of something entirely different. Clearly, it's a bit complicated. If we had any people on the forum with law background, maybe they could elucidate the finer, legal workings of what's going on here for those interested. If they wanted -- which they might not, because it's tedious.

Also, recaps from BA prelims and finals are now available. Finals: http://www.brokenarrowpride.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/BAI17-Tab-Finals.pdf Prelims: http://www.brokenarrowpride.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/BAI17-Tab-Prelims.pdf The recaps make a couple things clear about the relationship amidst the top 3 in finals. First, Haltom and Richland basically destroyed everyone in the ensemble performance captions. I expected the music scores to be pretty high, seeing as how both are strong Texas groups, but I wasn't expecting a bit of a lead in visual ensemble as well. Second, Kickapoo was turning out some GE scores that were pretty high compared to what many people were expecting. They were consistent in doing this both prelims and finals. They also had pretty solid individual performance scores. This allowed them to come pretty close to Haltom and Richland, notwithstanding their ensemble scores. Third, Richland's scores were the most lopsided of the top 3. Out of the 7 judges, 4 put them in first: music ensemble, visual ensemble, and both music GE judges. However, their low individual performance scores slashed their otherwise high performance scores, and the visual general effect judge put them in sixth, which kept them from taking the GE caption in finals. I think this is a sign of growing pains for them, however, rather than simple instability. Haltom was quite a bit quicker out of the gate, but I think this is a good year for both Richland and Haltom. Very proud of them both! And because it hasn't been mentioned yet, I'd like to give a shout-out to Byron Nelson who placed eighth in finals, moving up from ninth in prelims. Good for them! Glad they went to bolster the Texas presence.

Yeah Birdville!!! They are better this year than in the recent past, I think. I had the good pleasure of seeing them last Friday.

*Screams in a crowd of obsessed fans* "Highland Park, we love you!!"

I was there all through finals. Frankly, I was surprised by the results. My intuition about placements went something like this: Timber Creek Coppell Keller Central Prosper Wakeland Aledo Allen (not sure where I'd put Allen, actually) Grapevine The Colony Boswell

Thanks for posting all this!

What's the schedule for finals, do you know? Or at least when does it start?

http://live.txbands.com/

The only realistic indicator this season for Prosper getting into GN finals would be if they win 5A state finals.

Ill be there for finals, hopefully.

Thanks!

Anyone know the ticket cost for the contest? And is there an all-day pass?

I think it's Bentonville West that's going.

Thinking about going to this competition. I'm interested in seeing Timber Creek. (Plus, KC is always a treat.) Wakeland, Prosper, and Aledo are all potential 5A state finalists, so it will be interesting to see how they line up.

Did Waxahachie have a tasty ensemble sound this year again? (I wasn't there, nor was I watching the live stream.)

I'm sure both bands have a great season ahead of them. Lake Ridge could very well make finals, since they beat Forney last night. Summit, I'm not sure yet because I haven't seen them.

They were great! If they had competed, I would have put them in top 5.

What a great contest!! I was very glad to have been there. Surprising scores! But I think they pretty much reflected what happened. Haltom's playing was like silk. They play a lot of long phrases, a lot of notes, and they play them so well. They have a very balanced ensemble sound, and their brass is very centered. They don't play "loud" very much at all, but they play "full" enough that it doesn't matter so much regarding stage presence. They march well, too. I thought their finals performance was a tad better than their prelims; there was a little bit more cohesiveness and execution that made the repertoire sparkle a bit more. They played all the way to the end, although it looks like that they have a few more sets to learn. Highland Park... what can I say? While their shown repertoire and design was, in my opinion, a B- or a C+... THEY. SOLD. IT. It was their passion that everyone was purchasing, and nothing could hold them back. I can almost guarantee you that every single member of that band -- half the size of Haltom! -- was BOUGHT IN and believed fully in both their goal and the resources to get there. They were the highlight of the contest. They marched cleanly. Their stage presence was enormous, considering their size. Out of all the bands there, they had the most heart. (And, incidentally, the most heart-shaped sets; it was a show about getting married). This is the reason I love this activity, folks. It's amazing, not because it's "marching band," but because it's an effective outlet for being human. And let me tell you, these kids did a very human thing: they achieved their potential because they believed in what they had and they confidently followed through. Highlander band... you've won a new fan today! Richland... what can I say? It was a rough run in finals for them. It was sort of restrained, but strangely also loose. Plus, they performed a small chunk of their closer, while both Haltom and Highland Park had their entire closers (musically) on and were performing them pretty well. There were moments where Richland was pushing more decibels and steam than anyone else at the contest, but then the energy sank to awkward registers. Need more people playing consistently! The Haltom and Highland Park had them outstripped on that. But, I think the show is in the slow-cooker right now. Great visual general effect moments, though. If there was a VGE caption, I think they would have won it handily. And their guard is improving over past years. Lake Ridge and Forney were good, but a bit of a step down from the top three. Sort of like comparing plain chocolate ice cream to rocky road. Lake Ridge was very probably the largest band there at the contest. They had a great stage presence. Their show was pretty well constructed. They marched pretty cleanly; I wouldn't be surprised if they scored top 3 in that caption. Forney had a little less energy than Lake Ridge in finals, and they didn't march as well. But both were clearly in the top 5. Forney ended with a slick jazzy section, which made me happy on the inside. Trinity had some of the best and most consistent brass projection at the contest. It was really a unexpected treat. (Call me unsophisticated, but I love me some loud brass more than almost anything else.) They didn't have quite the energy that Highland Park did -- no one did, really -- but there is something of a comparison there between them to be made. After that, it was a jump down to Burleson Centennial (not to be confused with Frisco Centennial, which probably would have scored mid- to upper-80's at this contest). Burleson Centennial is pretty small, but they had a really nice field presence and a fun Carmen show. Lovejoy reminds me of Birdville. It was very controlled, very consistent, no over extension, not really any stick-outs, and pretty clean. Their show was fun -- "Metamorphosis" -- and had some cool effects from the guard in the closer. Azle had some neat uniforms. Their guard and percussion were burning up! Both prelims and finals. It was slick! I think they used shotgun mic's to amplify their wind's sound, which I thought was interesting. I'm still thinking about how I feel about that, personally. South Grand Prairie had neat LED props for their show, "Press Play." Good projection from the brass. They were one of the only others bands that performed just through the ballad, I think.

Highland Park was the surprise of the day!!