UIL 5A State Marching Contest 2024 (Nov. 4-5)

[PercDad4Life]

As a percussion centric fan, something seems off with the final results.  Aledo Percussion jumped from 13th in prelims to 1st in finals.  That is a BIG jump for a group who has a stellar band but not normally in the discussion for percussion prowess.  

I get that subjectivity is always part of the scoring, but this raises some suspicion in my mind. Especially given that there was no change in band placements from prelims to finals.  The judging was pretty consistent, except for percussion. 

Does anyone else find this mildly suspect?

[Regulators]

  On 11/6/2024 at 5:17 AM, PercDad4Life said:

As a percussion centric fan, something seems off with the final results.  Aledo Percussion jumped from 13th in prelims to 1st in finals.  That is a BIG jump for a group who has a stellar band but not normally in the discussion for percussion prowess.  

I get that subjectivity is always part of the scoring, but this raises some suspicion in my mind. Especially given that there was no change in band placements from prelims to finals.  The judging was pretty consistent, except for percussion. 

Does anyone else find this mildly suspect?

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You have a completely different set of judges for finals then what you had a prelims. So, it could be a result of tastes between the two j

[DrumLine]

Congrats to Lone Star on their best ever state finish as their progression continues to ascend at that level. And Area B … just wow All four make finals and place 4, 6, 7 and 10. Take a bow …

[lost]

I will very happily eat my words about what I said about Leander earlier! Way to go and jump Wakeland! Of course congratulations to Cedar Park for their seventh UIL state title in a row! What a dynasty.

[Samuel Culper]

  On 11/6/2024 at 3:45 AM, Atssbsax1 said:

Argyle would be the band to do it. They would have made 5a state the very first year they were a 5a but it wasn't a state year that time. The next year they were in a state spot prelims but unfortunately dropped down. This year they kept their spot from prelims to finals. Essentially, since Argyle has been a 5a only one run hasn't been state worthy which is unheard of. Also 4a to 5a is the biggest jump a band can make and Argyle made it look like it was nothing. Argyle will dethrone Cedar Park eventually.

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I get it, you're an Argyle fan. And they are good, no doubt. But you are making a lot of suppositions and including a lot of conjecture.

Cedar Park has been doing this for a long time and they play with all of the really big boys in 6A and at Grand Nats, year in and year out. Rouse has been right there with them for the last few years and even they have been unable to unseat the king of 5A.

Yes, Cedar Park's string will end at some point, but claiming with any level of certainty who will dethrone them is just silly. Maybe it will be Argyle, but I think it's MUCH more likely to be either Rouse or a promotion to 6A.

[BandHypeDept]

  On 11/6/2024 at 5:17 AM, PercDad4Life said:

As a percussion centric fan, something seems off with the final results.  Aledo Percussion jumped from 13th in prelims to 1st in finals.  That is a BIG jump for a group who has a stellar band but not normally in the discussion for percussion prowess.  

I get that subjectivity is always part of the scoring, but this raises some suspicion in my mind. Especially given that there was no change in band placements from prelims to finals.  The judging was pretty consistent, except for percussion. 

Does anyone else find this mildly suspect?

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I don't find it suspicious, but it's interesting. I guess it goes to show how much difference a different performance and different judge can make. I was surprised that the percussion were scored so low for prelims in comparison to their other rankings; I figured I must have missed a big hiccup.

I'm not sure about the percussion, but the Aledo band as a whole had a significantly cleaner run in finals than in prelims.

Overhearing discussion afterward, Aledo is THRILLED to have tied Wakeland. There has been some friendly rivalry there, but Wakeland has historically come out on top.

[Aquaflamma85]

  On 11/6/2024 at 6:42 AM, Samuel Culper said:

Cedar Park has been doing this for a long time and they play with all of the really big boys in 6A and at Grand Nats, year in and year out. Rouse has been right there with them for the last few years and even they have been unable to unseat the king of 5A.

Yes, Cedar Park's string will end at some point, but claiming with any level of certainty who will dethrone them is just silly. Maybe it will be Argyle, but I think it's MUCH more likely to be either Rouse or a promotion to 6A.

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This exactly, every 5A cycle theres been a band that people want or think is going to finally best Cedar Park at state. Highland Park, Wakeland and recently Rouse/Leander. But every time a band gets close, CP find a new level. A higher ceiling that allows them to leave little doubt why they have the most 5A state titles. And it'll continue to happen I believe until they move up to 6A or have a radical director change, because the last one didnt phase them one bit. Argyle is improving rapidly yes, but so is CP every year and it will take a lot for someone to dethrone them. 

[clarinote]

  On 11/6/2024 at 7:21 AM, Aquaflamma85 said:

This exactly, every 5A cycle theres been a band that people want or think is going to finally best Cedar Park at state. Highland Park, Wakeland and recently Rouse/Leander. But every time a band gets close, CP find a new level. A higher ceiling that allows them to leave little doubt why they have the most 5A state titles. And it'll continue to happen I believe until they move up to 6A or have a radical director change, because the last one didnt phase them one bit. Argyle is improving rapidly yes, but so is CP every year and it will take a lot for someone to dethrone them. 

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I mean, it could happen. Anything can happen. Cedar Park got 2nd in prelims in 2019, and if it was a state year in 2018, then they'd probably lose that year. Programs go through drastic changes all the time. Vista Ridge placed low throughout their 2017 season and won the state championship in 18. Cedar Park had a stretch of off years in 2018 and 2019. Heck, people also discuss Rouse as this powerhouse, even though they've only had success for a couple of seasons. CP has had a very impressive run of consecutive titles, but this title isn't just theirs set in stone for every year. 

[Marchingseason4evs]

  On 11/6/2024 at 7:04 AM, BandHypeDept said:

I don't find it suspicious, but it's interesting. I guess it goes to show how much difference a different performance and different judge can make. I was surprised that the percussion were scored so low for prelims in comparison to their other rankings; I figured I must have missed a big hiccup.

I'm not sure about the percussion, but the Aledo band as a whole had a significantly cleaner run in finals than in prelims.

Overhearing discussion afterward, Aledo is THRILLED to have tied Wakeland. There has been some friendly rivalry there, but Wakeland has historically come out on top.

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Aledo had some timing issues regarding front ensemble in the prelims run I believe. 

[Marchingseason4evs]

Yesterday was such an amazing day congrats to all the other finalist bands!!! At least for me and my band, it was such an emotional day and we had our best run of the season!!! We all walked off of the field sobbing.

[flutelolbro]

  On 11/6/2024 at 4:39 AM, notenthused1 said:

Argyle didn't make state last year, getting 5th at area B. Not sure if that's what your trying to say lol, just super confused. However, Argyle is getting really good, really fast.  

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I think he meant that they got 4th in prelims but 5th in finals last year.

[DCI Brass Guy]

  On 11/6/2024 at 3:45 AM, Atssbsax1 said:

Argyle would be the band to do it. They would have made 5a state the very first year they were a 5a but it wasn't a state year that time. The next year they were in a state spot prelims but unfortunately dropped down. This year they kept their spot from prelims to finals. Essentially, since Argyle has been a 5a only one run hasn't been state worthy which is unheard of. Also 4a to 5a is the biggest jump a band can make and Argyle made it look like it was nothing. Argyle will dethrone Cedar Park eventually.

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Argyle splits into two schools in 27, so they only have two more years to be competitive

[oddlynormal]

  On 11/6/2024 at 5:28 PM, DCI Brass Guy said:

Argyle splits into two schools in 27, so they only have two more years to be competitive

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And then they will have two MEGA powerhouse 4A or 5A schools.  The growth moving northward toward Denton is getting explosive.

[DCI Brass Guy]

  On 11/6/2024 at 5:36 PM, oddlynormal said:

And then they will have two MEGA powerhouse 4A or 5A schools.  The growth moving northward toward Denton is getting explosive.

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Currently, the plan is to have one (the current) 5A school and a smaller 3A school(old high school) because they can't afford to build a new high school.

[BandHypeDept]

  On 11/6/2024 at 3:53 PM, Marchingseason4evs said:

Aledo had some timing issues regarding front ensemble in the prelims run I believe. 

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Thanks! I may remember that now.

[Beanbag52]

Congratulations to all 5A bands across the state of Texas! This year was by far the best and most competitive I’ve ever seen. So many memorable shows and moments from this year, and thank you to all students, directors, and parents who have made this season possible. All of the bands here should be extremely proud of what they have achieved this season, these finalist bands define excellence. Special shoutout to LeanderISD for sweeping those medals, that is absolutely incredible with such a competitive competition, congrats. Also to Area B for having all 4 bands advance to finals, and FriscoISD for having 2 schools in the top 6. And last but not least, to Aledo, for coming back from not making finals last year to coming top 5 at state, amazing.

To you students: whether you won the gold, or had your final run of your show in Prelims, be proud and don’t take for granted what a privilege it is to be a part of your program. All of you are wonderful and belong where you are. Thank you for such an incredible season. Can’t wait for what you have to bring next year!

[archeryfan0267]

I thought it'd be cool to make a graph showing the 5A State bands' placement relative to their band sizes. Got the member numbers from the UIL program

Some points of interest and outliers:

-Of the Top 10 largest bands, only 6 made finals.

-Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223 members

-Cedar Park (5A Champ) was significantly larger than any other band here, ranking as the biggest group with 267, far ahead of Lonestar's 2nd rank with 225 members.

-Roma was the smallest band in finals, tying for the 26th largest band (154 members) and placing 12th in the competition.

-BC was the second smallest band in finals, ranking as the 25th largest band, squeaking ahead of Roma with 155 members. They placed 9th in the competition.

-Argyle was not too much larger, ranking as the 21st largest band with 168 members and placed 7th in the competition.

-Glenn placed impressively high (16th in the competition) considering they were the 3rd smallest (36th largest) band here.

-The largest size difference between two bands that placed next to each other in competition was a 98 member difference between Lakeview Centennial, who placed 34th in competition and had 198 members, and Lopez ECHS, who placed 35th in competition and had only 100 members. Lopez ECHS was also notably the smallest band at the competition by 20 members (Liberty Hill was 2nd smallest), while LC was the 11th largest band.

-Close behind this difference is Glenn and Pieper. Glenn placed 16th in competition, just ahead of Pieper in 17th. Glenn (36th largest), with only 1 member more than Liberty Hill, had only 121 performers. Pieper (Tied 7th largest) had 215, making it a 94-member difference for the two bands.

-Other neighboring bands with gaps in member size that are worth noting are Argyle and Lonestar's difference of 57, College Station and Liberty Hill's difference of 70, and Lake Belton and Colleyville Heritage's difference of 63.

NUMBERS ARE COOL!

[rouseglazer1]

  On 11/7/2024 at 1:19 AM, archeryfan0267 said:

I thought it'd be cool to make a graph showing the 5A State bands' placement relative to their band sizes. Got the member numbers from the UIL program

Some points of interest and outliers:

-Of the Top 10 largest bands, only 6 made finals.

-Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223 members

-Cedar Park (5A Champ) was significantly larger than any other band here, ranking as the biggest group with 267, far ahead of Lonestar's 2nd rank with 225 members.

-Roma was the smallest band in finals, tying for the 26th largest band (154 members) and placing 12th in the competition.

-BC was the second smallest band in finals, ranking as the 25th largest band, squeaking ahead of Roma with 155 members. They placed 9th in the competition.

-Argyle was not too much larger, ranking as the 21st largest band with 168 members and placed 7th in the competition.

-Glenn placed impressively high (16th in the competition) considering they were the 3rd smallest (36th largest) band here.

-The largest size difference between two bands that placed next to each other in competition was a 98 member difference between Lakeview Centennial, who placed 34th in competition and had 198 members, and Lopez ECHS, who placed 35th in competition and had only 100 members. Lopez ECHS was also notably the smallest band at the competition by 20 members (Liberty Hill was 2nd smallest), while LC was the 11th largest band.

-Close behind this difference is Glenn and Pieper. Glenn placed 16th in competition, just ahead of Pieper in 17th. Glenn (36th largest), with only 1 member more than Liberty Hill, had only 121 performers. Pieper (Tied 7th largest) had 215, making it a 94-member difference for the two bands.

-Other neighboring bands with gaps in member size that are worth noting are Argyle and Lonestar's difference of 57, College Station and Liberty Hill's difference of 70, and Lake Belton and Colleyville Heritage's difference of 63.

NUMBERS ARE COOL!

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i think with this post the “larger = always better” truthers can put it to rest. awesome post and very informative

[PercDad4Life]

  On 11/7/2024 at 1:19 AM, archeryfan0267 said:

I thought it'd be cool to make a graph showing the 5A State bands' placement relative to their band sizes. Got the member numbers from the UIL program

Some points of interest and outliers:

-Of the Top 10 largest bands, only 6 made finals.

-Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223 members

-Cedar Park (5A Champ) was significantly larger than any other band here, ranking as the biggest group with 267, far ahead of Lonestar's 2nd rank with 225 members.

-Roma was the smallest band in finals, tying for the 26th largest band (154 members) and placing 12th in the competition.

-BC was the second smallest band in finals, ranking as the 25th largest band, squeaking ahead of Roma with 155 members. They placed 9th in the competition.

-Argyle was not too much larger, ranking as the 21st largest band with 168 members and placed 7th in the competition.

-Glenn placed impressively high (16th in the competition) considering they were the 3rd smallest (36th largest) band here.

-The largest size difference between two bands that placed next to each other in competition was a 98 member difference between Lakeview Centennial, who placed 34th in competition and had 198 members, and Lopez ECHS, who placed 35th in competition and had only 100 members. Lopez ECHS was also notably the smallest band at the competition by 20 members (Liberty Hill was 2nd smallest), while LC was the 11th largest band.

-Close behind this difference is Glenn and Pieper. Glenn placed 16th in competition, just ahead of Pieper in 17th. Glenn (36th largest), with only 1 member more than Liberty Hill, had only 121 performers. Pieper (Tied 7th largest) had 215, making it a 94-member difference for the two bands.

-Other neighboring bands with gaps in member size that are worth noting are Argyle and Lonestar's difference of 57, College Station and Liberty Hill's difference of 70, and Lake Belton and Colleyville Heritage's difference of 63.

NUMBERS ARE COOL!

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Amazing analysis.   Thanks for putting that together. Very interesting.

[BandMom23-27]

  On 11/7/2024 at 2:02 AM, rouseglazer1 said:

i think with this post the “larger = always better” truthers can put it to rest. awesome post and very informative

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Did you not see this bullet point?

Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223members

[natertater21000]

  On 11/7/2024 at 6:59 AM, BandMom23-27 said:

Did you not see this bullet point?

Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223members

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If larger ALWAYS equalled better then Lake Belton would be in and Roma would be out, and Glenn would not place above a band like Jack C Hays. Having a larger band helps but it does not always equal instant success. look at highland park in 2019 as well.

[rouseglazer1]

  On 11/7/2024 at 6:59 AM, BandMom23-27 said:

Did you not see this bullet point?

Of the Top 5 largest bands, 4 were in the top half of finals, with the other one (Lake Belton, 4th largest band) missing finals at 13th, making them the largest band outside of finals with 223members

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id beg to differ. ive seen endless complaints by people specifically in terms of area placements of judges preferring bands solely due to their size. burleson centennial, roma, glenn, liberty hill, and lopez are all prime examples of the opposite.

[grubbyflat17]

  On 11/7/2024 at 1:24 PM, natertater21000 said:

If larger ALWAYS equalled better then Lake Belton would be in and Roma would be out, and Glenn would not place above a band like Jack C Hays. Having a larger band helps but it does not always equal instant success. look at highland park in 2019 as well.

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Also Rouse in 2021. Relatively small band getting 2nd in state. 

[rouseglazer1]

  On 11/7/2024 at 2:29 PM, grubbyflat17 said:

Also Rouse in 2021. Relatively small band getting 2nd in state. 

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absolutely. it was mind boggling to me seeing the difference in numbers between cedar park and them back in 2021 yet they were competing at the exact same level. glenn and liberty hill this year reminded me a lot of them back then as well

[ilikemusicfr]

  On 11/7/2024 at 1:24 PM, natertater21000 said:

If larger ALWAYS equalled better then Lake Belton would be in and Roma would be out, and Glenn would not place above a band like Jack C Hays. Having a larger band helps but it does not always equal instant success. look at highland park in 2019 as well.

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same with Burleson Centennial 2019, got 5th at 5a state with around only 110 marchers.