50 Words: BOA vs. UIL

[king_leonides]

  mellopwn1 said:

The UIL has a whole page of their website explaining their rationale for the every-other-year system. They didn't just decide to do it this way on their own.

 

http://www.uiltexas.org/music/marching-ban...ntest-rationale

 

I read through the explanation at the UIL website. What rubbish.

 

"1. The cost of transporting bands to area and state was becoming excessive." Rubbish. More expensive than a trip to Indianapolis or St. Louis, or any of the other out-of-state locations that bands in this state compete at? Rubbish.

 

"2. When bands went to area and state every year it was necessary to limit the number of bands that advanced from region to area."

 

and

 

"3. By going to an every other year format many more bands get to participate at the area level."

 

Rubbish. The only reason that these limitations exist is because UIL insists on holding all their state championships at one venue, namely the Alamodome. If they have 5 separate championships, for 5 different classifications, at 5 different venues, then this entire problem goes away.

 

"4. The every-other-year format is coordinated with the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band Competition that identifies the outstanding high school concert bands in the state of Texas." Seriously? Do you really think that honor band or concert band competitions will have the same importance as marching band contests? Obviously, this isn't having the desired effect, UIL. Besides, are the top programs in this state incapable of preparing for both? Seriously? Can they not walk and chew gum at the same time? Rubbish.

 

"5. Since the adoption of this format there have been three occasions that the every- other-year schedule has been subject to review. In each case the vast majority of directors and school administrators have reaffirmed their support of the alternating year format."

 

Well, that I can believe. Then again, did you ask any students or parents for input on this decision? I didn't think so. I think you would get a very different opinion, if you asked those constituencies. (Of course, the parents pay for these programs, through their taxes and fees - why should their opinion count?)

 

Let me offer my own point 6: The UIL marching contests cost money. They offer almost no revenue streams. The UIL can't sell the TV rights to Fox or other broadcasters, as they do with the athletic events. So to minimize costs, the UIL spends the least amount of money possible, while placating the school administrators and professional educators. We should be thankful for what we get....or maybe we should just walk away.

Edited October 24, 2012 by king_leonides

[mellopwn1]

  king_leonides said:

1. The cost of transporting bands to area and state was becoming excessive." Rubbish. More expensive than a trip to Indianapolis or St. Louis, or any of the other out-of-state locations that bands in this state compete at? Rubbish.

 

Only a small handful of large, well-supported bands are capable of making those trips, and even they sometimes have trouble with expenses. Do you think many A, AA, AAA, heck, even AAAA or AAAAA bands can afford that kind of trip year after year? I don't think you understand how limited the resources of some communities are, and a band shouldn't have to have 10 car washes and sell cookie dough in order to have a chance to compete in their state competition. Super Regionals and Grand Nationals are a luxury. UIL State should be in reach of anyone who is willing and able to participate.

 

  Quote

Rubbish. The only reason that these limitations exist is because UIL insists on holding all their state championships at one venue, namely the Alamodome. If they have 5 separate championships, for 5 different classifications, at 5 different venues, then this entire problem goes away.

 

There is something to be said about having separate competitions for each conference, but the extra costs outweigh the benefits. It's basic economics.

 

  Quote

Seriously? Do you really think that honor band or concert band competitions will have the same importance as marching band contests? Obviously, this isn't having the desired effect, UIL. Besides, are the top programs in this state incapable of preparing for both? Seriously? Can they not walk and chew gum at the same time? Rubbish.

 

I think the intention was to ensure that concert band receives the attention it deserves. TMEA Honor Band in alternating years forces bands to forget about being marching band champions for a year and focus on being concert band champions. Other than the rather anticlimactic UIL Concert and Sightreading contest, the only coveted title for Texas concert bands is "honor band." I think its important (as does UIL) to glorify this other aspect of music education that can sometimes go unappreciated.

 

  Quote

Well, that I can believe. Then again, did you ask any students or parents for input on this decision? I didn't think so. I think you would get a very different opinion, if you asked those constituencies. (Of course, the parents pay for these programs, through their taxes and fees - why should their opinion count?)

 

You do realize an annual state competition would cost parents more in fees? I don't think parents are angry with the current arrangement--especially when there are other options like BOA, US Bands, and local competitions to fill the fall schedule in "off" years.

 

  Quote

The UIL marching contests cost money. They offer almost no revenue streams. The UIL can't sell the TV rights to Fox or other broadcasters, as they do with the athletic events. So to minimize costs, the UIL spends the least amount of money possible, while placating the school administrators and professional educators. We should be thankful for what we get....or maybe we should just walk away.

 

Yes, UIL isn't loaded. Yeah, they do "spend the least amount of money possible." It's called being efficient with public funds. UIL organizes a statewide circuit that hires outstanding judges and rents venues that are more than satisfactory (marching musics major league, DCI, sees these apparently hellish stadiums worthy of their events as well). They're really not cutting any corners.

Edited October 24, 2012 by mellopwn1

[Xenon]

mellopwn has it exactly correct on all points.

 

We may not like that State is only every other year, but there were very well thought out reasons behind it being this way.

[FoobYen]

  Quote

I read through the explanation at the UIL website. What rubbish.

 

"1. The cost of transporting bands to area and state was becoming excessive." Rubbish. More expensive than a trip to Indianapolis or St. Louis, or any of the other out-of-state locations that bands in this state compete at? Rubbish.

 

I believe that the high schools in Lubbock, El Paso, etc., would say that travel cost is a factor. How many "bands in this state" compete at Indianapolis or St. Louis? A very small number of programs can afford that type of trip. Our band only leaves the state once every four years and that is for an optional trip. In this tight economy, both for school districts and families, it would be difficult to imagine the cost of state marching contest every year. Our school volleyball team is amazing this year and hoping to make it to state. Is it fair that they have that chance every year instead of every other year? I don't know but I do know that they only take up one school bus for travel and our band takes 5 plus equipment trailers!

 

  Quote

Well, that I can believe. Then again, did you ask any students or parents for input on this decision? I didn't think so. I think you would get a very different opinion, if you asked those constituencies. (Of course, the parents pay for these programs, through their taxes and fees - why should their opinion count?)

 

As a band parent who happens to have a large family (immediate and extended), I have to say that I am relieved that state is only every other year. Even though we lived closed enough to not need hotel rooms in order to attend the state marching contest last year, the admission price alone was a hardship. I do not begrudge UIL for needing to charge at the door but I am just glad that my lean family budget doesn't have to take a hit like that again this November.

 

Have you noticed at contests this fall that the bands hoping to qualify for state seem to have more props, flags, costumes, even uniforms? Can you imagine how much that would add up if they competed for state every year? Uh oh, that comment might start getting into the "props vs no props" debate and that belongs in a different thread....

 

We would not trade the amazing experience of band for our children but it does come at great sacrifice with the instruments, lessons, etc. We are very thankful and proud to be part of a program that has amazing parent support and great fiscal responsibility by the directors!!!

[king_leonides]

And yet:

 

The Indiana State School Music Association manages to hold the championships in all classifications in all years;

 

The Ohio Music Educators Association does the same;

 

The Michigan Competing Band Association does the same;

 

Florida Marching Band Tournament - the same;

 

Kentucky State Marching Band Championships - the same;

 

Western Band Association (the California circuit) - the same.....

 

Do I need to go on? These are not small states. I am sure the parents and students in these states face the same obstacles that we in Texas do. Yet they manage to hold a championship in each class ever year, year in and year out. I don't think anyone in those states are complaining. They also manage to hold concert and solo/ensemble contests each and every year, so that is not an obstacle.

 

And I really will open a can of worms here: many of these state stage their championships in more expensive (dare I say better) venues. The Indiana championship is held in Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a much more modern location than the Alamodome. The Michigan championships are held at Ford Field, which is where the NFL franchise in Detroit plays. I am sure it costs a pretty penny to hold the events at these locations, but the music educators find a way to pay the rent at these locations, each and every year.

[Montoya]

  king_leonides said:

And yet:

 

The Indiana State School Music Association manages to hold the championships in all classifications in all years;

 

The Ohio Music Educators Association does the same;

 

The Michigan Competing Band Association does the same;

 

Florida Marching Band Tournament - the same;

 

Kentucky State Marching Band Championships - the same;

 

Western Band Association (the California circuit) - the same.....

 

Do I need to go on? These are not small states. I am sure the parents and students in these states face the same obstacles that we in Texas do. Yet they manage to hold a championship in each class ever year, year in and year out. I don't think anyone in those states are complaining. They also manage to hold concert and solo/ensemble contests each and every year, so that is not an obstacle.

 

And I really will open a can of worms here: many of these state stage their championships in more expensive (dare I say better) venues. The Indiana championship is held in Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a much more modern location than the Alamodome. The Michigan championships are held at Ford Field, which is where the NFL franchise in Detroit plays. I am sure it costs a pretty penny to hold the events at these locations, but the music educators find a way to pay the rent at these locations, each and every year.

 

 

Just to clarify, in Michigan, there is a circuit that all MCBA bands compete in. Their average score from these contests determine their ranking in their Flight (class). The top ten (usually) are state finalists and compete in Detroit. So yes, you are correct that state championships are held every year in Michigan. But not everyone qualifies to compete in it every year.

 

Regarding California, there is actually not a state sanctioned championship. If I remember correctly, there are two large circuits that bands usually choose to compete in. And I do believe its a North/South circuit. But I could be wrong. But again, yes, they are held every year.

 

In Florida, not everyone competes in FMBA. They can choose whether to attend or not. I am not entirely sure how this circus works.

 

Ohio has two main circuits, OMEA and MSBA. Like California, bands pick a circuit they want to compete in.

 

What does this all mean? Beats me! I think it's frivolous to compare state to state because we all have different issues. Marching Band is truly an extra-curricular activity in some states (meaning no help from districts, school, etc). Also, UIL is not a "circuit" like other states have.

 

 

Carry on, everyone!

Edited October 25, 2012 by Montoya

[Xenon]

Here is some food for thought.

 

 

Texas Square Miles: 268,581

 

- Indiana Square Miles: 36,418 (13.6% the size of Texas)

- Ohio Square Miles: 44,825 (16.7% the size of Texas)

- Kentucky Square Miles: 40,409 (15.5% the size of Texas)

 

 

Also, this year, there will be on the order of 15,000 students competing in the 3A/5A SMBC. There probably aren't 15,000 students competing in the State levels of all other 3A/5A UIL sponsored events combined.

[mellopwn1]

  Xenon said:

Here is some food for thought.

 

 

Texas Square Miles: 268,581

 

- Indiana Square Miles: 36,418 (13.6% the size of Texas)

- Ohio Square Miles: 44,825 (16.7% the size of Texas)

- Kentucky Square Miles: 40,409 (15.5% the size of Texas)

 

 

Also, this year, there will be on the order of 1,500 students competing in the 3A/5A SMBC. There probably aren't 1,500 students competing in the State levels of all other 3A/5A UIL sponsored events combined.

Don't you think 1,500 is a gross underestimate? I mean a lot of 5A bands have 300ish members. With 39 bands just in 5A competition, I think it's way more.

[mellopwn1]

  king_leonides said:

Maybe that is why some schools like SFA have simply given up on UIL, and don't go to state, even if they could easily qualify. SFA could probably win the Area E contest, but they won't bother to go. What does the director at SFA know, that the rest of us don't?

If you look at the Area E schedule, you will see that the Stephen F Austin High School Bulldog Band and Angels Dance Team will be performing first. I guess their new director is "crazy" enough to enter SFA in UIL events.

[Xenon]

  mellopwn1 said:

Don't you think 1,500 is a gross underestimate? I mean a lot of 5A bands have 300ish members. With 39 bands just in 5A competition, I think it's way more.

 

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant 15,000.

[TXMarchingMadness87654]

I'm going to add a word or several here, as a band parent. I'm on the "10-year-plan" when it comes to marching band. I have a senior, freshman, and 6th grader in band. I was in marching band in high school. We didn't ever go to area, even though we got sweepstakes every year I was there. I have no idea why. My husband played sports and, in his words when we discuss what instruments are played in the family(french horn, sax, clarinet & mom played flute), he "plays the radio." All this marching band stuff is (four years)new for him and certainly the State UIL competition thing is new for me.

 

All that being said, I like the current system of State every other year. Why? 1)It gives the band a "break" on finances. We live in a very low income area. We have some of the lowest band fees around and there are still kids who can't pay. One child had an asthma attack at practice and didn't have an inhaler because they were waiting on their parents' social security check. Not rich kids here. 2)It makes getting to State even more exciting and more important. 3)It gives the band the opportunity to participate in more/different competitions in "off" years, which is always fun!

 

I've never thought about comparing State marching comp. to football season having State championship every year. There are two divisions in 5A State football(big and small based off of population). I know this because we've had to play the state champions from both divisions over the years. lol So that means when 5A State championships in football come around, you are transporting the participants from four schools to the venue(yes, that means football team, band, cheerleaders, and drill team), still no comparison for 38 or 39 bands.

 

Also, I would never compare Texas to another state. We're a lot bigger size wise. Does Alaska have marching bands? Is there a four state, yearly competition where every band from the four states are involved? Then, maybe we would have something to compare. lol Texas is just different. The band my kids are involved in actually prefers UIL, so I have nothing bad to say about it. And I agree that if the Alamodome is good enough for a super regional BOA competition, I suppose it's good enough for UIL State.

 

Is there a part of me that would like it every year? Sure. I love marching season and the extra added parameter of heart palpitations that occur when my kids are on the field vying for a spot at the State level. However, I'm fine with the way it is right now. I think the directors at my kids' school are fine with it, too. Of course, my kids would like to compete for it every year. They'd also like it if they each had their own t.v. in their rooms, unlimited access to ice cream sundaes, and every video game system known to man. They're kids, even my 17-year-old. They don't have to pony up the dough to pay for anything yet. It's up to adults to be financially responsible.

 

I do get where you're coming from, though. You made some good points and I can certainly sense your frustration. However, I can't agree with you. It's not viable to have it every year and I think UIL is doing a great job in the way they're handling it. I like the judging at UIL, too, obviously. There's no way most of the bands are going to "give up" on UIL for BOA or USBands. Not going to happen. Sorry.

[king_leonides]

  mellopwn1 said:

If you look at the Area E schedule, you will see that the Stephen F Austin High School Bulldog Band and Angels Dance Team will be performing first. I guess their new director is "crazy" enough to enter SFA in UIL events.

 

 

hmmm....very interesting.

 

 

Well, that's 1 spot from Area E that's locked up. The only way that they don't qualify for state out of that area, is if the bus breaks down on the way to the show....

 

 

That means 3 spots for the rest of KISD, CFISD, and FBISD schools to scratch and claw over. As always, that show at the Berry Center will be brutal.

[takigan]

  TXMarchingMadness87654 said:

I was in marching band in high school. We didn't ever go to area, even though we got sweepstakes every year I was there. I have no idea why.

 

Though UIL Region contest has existed for more than 70 years, Area and State UIL didn't become fully ubiquitous until at least 1985. If you were in HS before 1985, either there was no State contest yet or your school hadn't yet elected to compete in it. The first contest was held in I think 1979, though it was primarily an invitational event extended to those who'd received a 1 at Regional contest. It was held in Austin and consisted of mostly Austin-area schools (UIL is hq'd in Austin) with a small handful of others. It grew in popularity and became a formal UIL-sanctioned event in 1983.

 

  Quote

I've never thought about comparing State marching comp. to football season having State championship every year. There are two divisions in 5A State football(big and small based off of population). I know this because we've had to play the state champions from both divisions over the years. lol So that means when 5A State championships in football come around, you are transporting the participants from four schools to the venue(yes, that means football team, band, cheerleaders, and drill team), still no comparison for 38 or 39 bands.

 

A typical 5A High School has at least 200 players in the band. I don't know what the roster limit is for a 5A HS football team, but it's bound to be a lot less than a hundred (I think the NCAA limits college teams to 80....I imagine it's lower for HS so that more players will be able to get more time on the field). Even with cheerleaders and drill team, you're moving and housing a much larger group of kids with a band....so it can become very expensive for a school district.....particularly small ones in distant areas of the state that still have relatively large bands (1A schools are 10-20 times smaller than 5As, but their bands are often only 4-6 times smaller....the district has 5-10% of the budget for a band that is still quite large and expensive to move).

 

  Quote

Also, I would never compare Texas to another state. We're a lot bigger size wise. Does Alaska have marching bands?

 

There might (BIG might) be a few High Schools in the Anchorage or Juneau area that do Football, but this would be a handful at most (probably less than 5....again, if any). I think Hockey is the big thing up there. Some schools might do Hockey "pep bands" that play stand tunes in the school's hockey arena, but the weather is far too cold in the Fall to cultivate an active competitive marching band circuit. Also keep in mind the entire population of Alaska is about 3 times the size of Plano, Tx and no more. So picture how many large High Schools there are in Plano, multiply that number by 3 and realize that number is the maximum number of "large" high schools that the population of Alaska can sustain (there are probably less than that because Alaska is more rural and spread out than Plano.....or Texas for that matter). I'm almost positive there are no competitive marching band contests in Alaska.

 

My uncle studied music at UA-Anchorage and he told me the school had no marching band, at least when he was there.

 

  Quote

Is there a four state, yearly competition where every band from the four states are involved? Then, maybe we would have something to compare.

 

Not sure which 4 states you're referring to, lol. I will say that the top band in Colorado is Air Academy. They were #1 in the Colorado State championships last year. Air Academy also came down and competed in BOA San Antonio that same year and placed 17th.

 

The top 3 bands in the state of New Mexico are Clovis, Mayfield and O

[TXMarchingMadness87654]

Brandon-wow. Thanks! How nice of you to go through and answer my questions, even the silly ones. ha

 

  Quote

If you were in HS before 1985

 

I began my high school career in 1985 and graduated in 1989. *sigh* Anyway, I went to Irving Mac and unless my memory has completely abandoned me, I don't remember competing past our regular UIL Region competition. I'm sure it was director choice. I know we had about one or two weeks of regular football season to do "fun shows" after UIL was over, a "luxury" most bands don't indulge in now, since they DO compete at higher levels. We were small back then, as I believe Mac is now, about 125 members. All I remember is receiving sweepstakes every year. Thank you for the history of these competitions. I had no idea when they began.

 

  Quote

Even with cheerleaders and drill team, you're moving and housing a much larger group of kids with a band....so it can become very expensive for a school district.....particularly small ones in distant areas of the state that still have relatively large bands (1A schools are 10-20 times smaller than 5As, but their bands are often only 4-6 times smaller....the district has 5-10% of the budget for a band that is still quite large and expensive to move).

 

Exactly. It's much easier to have a football State championship every year, financially, than it would to have a State championship for 1A-5A marching bands every year.

 

As far as the Alaska and four-state question, that was more of a "there's no way to compare Texas to other states" kind of thing. Since Alaska is the only state with more land than Texas, I threw it in there. I had a feeling it was way too cold and, well, too dark for them to have any kind of marching band state competition. Things are just different for them there. Imagine the tuning issues! I had no four states in mind, but just thought it would take about four states to compare in size(square miles & travel issues) to Texas. I'm sure there are lots of fantastic bands in other states, though, as evidenced by how well they do in Grand Nats and/or other BOA competitions where Texas bands participate against them.

 

I'm glad you brought up the curriculum situation in both OK and CO, Denver, CO, in particular. I think we take for granted how good we have it here. Not only is music education in Texas important and, dare I say, vital, it is held in the highest regard in many school districts, even with our "football!!!!" mentality here. There are lots of fine arts departments that are highly funded and promoted by various school districts. I can't imagine, having a three-band-kid family, living in a place where band wasn't a large part of the school. I'm very thankful!!!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate the insight and information you provided.

[principalagent]

Well there is Mid-States, which pulls from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, but it works as a circuit with voluntary participation much like BOA rather than a formal, near-mandatory academic contest system like UIL. And it's all centered around Southern Ohio for the most part, which is considerably smaller than Texas. It's fairly safe to say that no state has a sanctioned marching contest with the travel demands that Texas and UIL do that make it as difficult.

[Prof. Chaos]

  king_leonides said:

hmmm....very interesting.

 

 

Well, that's 1 spot from Area E that's locked up. The only way that they don't qualify for state out of that area, is if the bus breaks down on the way to the show....

 

 

That means 3 spots for the rest of KISD, CFISD, and FBISD schools to scratch and claw over. As always, that show at the Berry Center will be brutal.

 

Unless there's been a copernican revolution in the way they play their horns in the past year, I wouldn't slate them as a "locked up".

 

60% of the UIL score is music. In the past, they haven't played their instruments well enough to be competitive at UIL.

 

(I saw them live in 2010 at BOA. Wonderful show. Entertaining. Interesting. However, it would have been destroyed at UIL for brass players not making characteristic sounds.)

[Donezo]

  takigan said:

Though UIL Region contest has existed for more than 70 years, Area and State UIL didn't become fully ubiquitous until at least 1985. If you were in HS before 1985, either there was no State contest yet or your school hadn't yet elected to compete in it. The first contest was held in I think 1979, though it was primarily an invitational event extended to those who'd received a 1 at Regional contest. It was held in Austin and consisted of mostly Austin-area schools (UIL is hq'd in Austin) with a small handful of others. It grew in popularity and became a formal UIL-sanctioned event in 1983.

 

It's also worth noting that state advancement used to work very differently. Region was a ranked contest for a while on top of just a ratings contest. Top two from region advanced to area. Top two from area advanced to state. 14 bands at state. 5 finalists. You had bands like Klein who were good enough to make state finals, but couldn't get out of region because of Westfield/Spring. Don't quote me on this, but I think 1996 was the year the current system was put into place. Still only 7 finalists though. Back in ye olden days when it was only 14 bands at state, it was at the UT stadium, which is basically the best marching band venue in the world. It was a logistical nightmare, as you can imagine if you've ever tried to park on or near the UT campus.

[Xenon]

  Donezo said:

It's also worth noting that state advancement used to work very differently. Region was a ranked contest for a while on top of just a ratings contest. Top two from region advanced to area. Top two from area advanced to state. 14 bands at state. 5 finalists. You had bands like Klein who were good enough to make state finals, but couldn't get out of region because of Westfield/Spring. Don't quote me on this, but I think 1996 was the year the current system was put into place. Still only 7 finalists though. Back in ye olden days when it was only 14 bands at state, it was at the UT stadium, which is basically the best marching band venue in the world. It was a logistical nightmare, as you can imagine if you've ever tried to park on or near the UT campus.

 

Either 1985 or 1986 was the first year to switch from raw scores to ranking.

 

1990 was the last year that all conferences had State every year and from the prelims recaps that I have, it was also the last year that only 2 bands advanced from each Area.

 

1991 was the first 1A, 2A, 4A only State year.

 

1994 was the last year that the 5A State contest was at UT. 5 bands advanced to Finals.

 

1996 (my first State year) was the first year that 5A was held at Baylor and was also the first year that 7 bands advanced to Finals. This was the last 5A year that had all 5 judges judging all aspects of the show. There were 17 bands in the 5A Prelims

 

1998 was the first 5A year to use the current Caption Ranking system. There were 27 bands in the 5A Prelims, so there must have been a change in the advancement procedures this year.

 

2002 was the last year for State to be held in an open-air stadium due to the horrible rain-out, taking Prelims results and cancelling Finals.

 

2003 was the first 4A State year in the Alamodome.

 

2004 was the first 5A year that took 10 bands to Finals.

 

The format has been the same ever since.

[Donezo]

  Xenon said:

1990 was the last year that all conferences had State every year and from the prelims recaps that I have, it was also the last year that only 2 bands advanced from each Area.

 

Really? I could have sworn it went on longer than that, but I'm not sure. What do you see from the prelims rankings that shows you that? I'm also nerdy and therefore curious because I have no idea what went down at 1990 state besides the finalists and the fact that Poteet was 10th in 4A prelims.

[Xenon]

  Donezo said:

Really? I could have sworn it went on longer than that, but I'm not sure. What do you see from the prelims rankings that shows you that? I'm also nerdy and therefore curious because I have no idea what went down at 1990 state besides the finalists and the fact that Poteet was 10th in 4A prelims.

 

I'm making the assumption that there were only 7 Areas and 2 advancing from each area makes 14 in Prelims. 1992, 1994, and 1996 all have more than 14 but not much more. 1998 is when the number of Prelims bands got significantly large.

[Donezo]

Hmm......I'll have to ask around on that one. Although I'm guessing most of the old fogies who were high up in the system back then don't remember exactly what happened either.

[Tchaikovsky]

  whitewing09 said:

I think another factor that people often neglect is that fact that there are on-field judges in BOA. I think scores can really change when a judge can evaluate the band from a step away.

 

This completely. As well, there's a first "stage" to UIL that is literally a normal run-through without any pressure, which kind of reduces the prestige of it in some people's eyes (because for most bands, it's hard to not get ones and such). When I go to UIL, I feel like I'm playing for the right criterion, and I like that the scoring is hinged around performance more. However, nothing quite matches the static of marching at a big BOA competition.

[king_leonides]

  Prof. Chaos said:

Unless there's been a copernican revolution in the way they play their horns in the past year, I wouldn't slate them as a "locked up".

 

60% of the UIL score is music. In the past, they haven't played their instruments well enough to be competitive at UIL.

 

(I saw them live in 2010 at BOA. Wonderful show. Entertaining. Interesting. However, it would have been destroyed at UIL for brass players not making characteristic sounds.)

 

I guess you were right, and I was wrong. They didn't make state finals. They actually did not make area finals. Really strange. Really weird. This area competitions are tough, but some of the results tonight are head-scratchers. Seriously.

 

They did have a brutal time slot, performing at 8 A.M. this morning. The Berry Center was freezing; it might has well have been an ice box, given the conditions.