2019 BOA Grand National Championships

[TWHSPercDad]

We were very fortunate to get our entire stadium rehearsal in this evening here in The Woodlands!  Weather for rehearsal and Send-Off Performance tomorrow night is going to be dry but FRIGID (wind chills in the high 20s).  The last time a TWHS Send-Off was this cold …… 2013.  Hmmm.

 

Safe travels to all!  Looking forward to meeting many of you.

[youcansound]

is Leander send off today

[LHSbandDad]

  On 11/12/2019 at 4:20 PM, youcansound said:

is Leander send off today

 

Yes at 7:30pm 

[LHSbandDad]

Just curious....had a 3A band ever won Grand Nationals or has it always been 4A?

[abtwitch]

  On 11/12/2019 at 8:39 PM, LHSbandDad said:

Just curious....had a 3A band ever won Grand Nationals or has it always been 4A?

 

I can't name any off the top of my head (unless you include pre-2009 when the highest class was AAA), but in 2014 Tarpon Springs won while only being AA, then Marian Catholic has many championship titles under their name pre-2009 when they weren't in their brief AAA years.

[Hard Core Band Fan]

  On 11/12/2019 at 8:39 PM, LHSbandDad said:

Just curious....had a 3A band ever won Grand Nationals or has it always been 4A?

 

Not since they added 4A, except there has been 1 AA in 2014:

 

2014 - Tarpon Springs - AA

2007 - LD Bell - AAA

2006 - Broken Arrow - AAA

2005 - Carmel - AAA

2004 - Lawrence Central - AAA

2003 - Westfield - AAA

2002 - Lassiter - AAA

2001 - Lawrence Central - AAA

2000 - Marion Catholic - AAA

 

And others before 2000

[An Inspirational Pinecone]

  On 11/12/2019 at 8:39 PM, LHSbandDad said:

Just curious....had a 3A band ever won Grand Nationals or has it always been 4A?

I was thinking Tarpon Springs before remembering that they're 2A so I went ahead and found out all 3A champions... Only thing is that all of them were before 2009 (the year that class 4A became a thing) so if you were wondering if any 3A band has won since then, the answer is unfortunately no. Here's the list of what 3A bands have won in the past.

 

Rocky Mount 1986

PCEP 1990-91

Spring 1993

Center Grove 1995

Lake Park 1996

Lassiter 1998

PCEP 1999

Marian Catholic 2000

Lawrence Central 2001

Lassiter 2002

Westfield 2003

Lawrence Central 2004

Carmel 2005

Broken Arrow 2006

LD Bell 2007

Avon 2008

[LostChoirGuy]

Ok, this is super random but have any of you ever watched the tv show glee? I started watching it recently for some mindless time passing and in the show there is a school called Carmel High (in Ohio) that is the 3 time defending national champion (for show choir). I just thought that it was super weird how coincidental that was for the school to be called Carmel and to have won 3 National Championships in a row.

[An Inspirational Pinecone]

  On 11/13/2019 at 2:01 AM, LostChoirGuy said:

 

Ok, this is super random but have any of you ever watched the tv show glee? I started watching it recently for some mindless time passing and in the show there is a school called Carmel High (in Ohio) that is the 3 time defending national champion (for show choir). I just thought that it was super weird how coincidental that was for the school to be called Carmel and to have won 3 National Championships in a row.

Let me guess, did Avon (OH) beat them at their last competition?

[Band Is Great]

Please don't be offended, but has band become "win at any cost"? People used to say things like "well, that's the best college football team that money can buy". Has that same attitude permeated into HS band so deep that we are willing to overlook any transgression "for the win"? 

[BenedictCucumberpatch]

  On 11/12/2019 at 5:47 AM, TWHSPercDad said:

We were very fortunate to get our entire stadium rehearsal in this evening here in The Woodlands!  Weather for rehearsal and Send-Off Performance tomorrow night is going to be dry but FRIGID (wind chills in the high 20s).  The last time a TWHS Send-Off was this cold …… 2013.  Hmmm.

 

Safe travels to all!  Looking forward to meeting many of you.

 

How did it go last night?

[Samuel Culper]

  On 11/13/2019 at 3:07 PM, Band Is Great said:

Please don't be offended, but has band become "win at any cost"? People used to say things like "well, that's the best college football team that money can buy". Has that same attitude permeated into HS band so deep that we are willing to overlook any transgression "for the win"?

Transgression? What are you saying?

[BenedictCucumberpatch]

  On 11/13/2019 at 3:07 PM, Band Is Great said:

Please don't be offended, but has band become "win at any cost"? People used to say things like "well, that's the best college football team that money can buy". Has that same attitude permeated into HS band so deep that we are willing to overlook any transgression "for the win"? 

 

I think that is a mindset, as a lot of the kids in the programs are playing to have fun. I won't deny that the best programs have the most resources, but that is all due to circumstance. And of course all these top programs care about winning, but that isn't the point that directors are trying to make to their students. I was part of a band that had MANY resources, and I wanted to win every competition I competed in. But that's not why I went out onto the field. I went onto the field to put on a show, to feel every brass chord, and to show just how much I loved my band. Now I'm sure there are some band students who only play for the gold, but I'm not sure that is a bad thing as long as those students don't forsake what truly matters.

 

Also, the phrase "the best team money can buy" wouldn't work here, as High School Bands don't buy/sign students "onto the roster". 

[Band Is Great]

  On 11/13/2019 at 3:16 PM, Samuel Culper said:

Transgression? What are you saying?

I am being intentionally vague. It's the broader conversation that needs to be aired. But I'm sure there are those on this blog who know what I'm referring to.

 

Transgressions: school districts glossing over problems with staff rather than taking action against staff.

Transgressions: band directors glossing over problems with students rather than taking action against students.

 

The "win at any cost" attitude justifies glossing over transgressions.

[slowbrass]

Speaking as a former member of a band on the more competitive side of the spectrum, our director sent home 4 kids the night we left for san antonio in 2013, including the first chair horn player. I feel like directors having to overlook student misbehavior isn't nearly as much of a problem as you might think simply because to get to that level in texas requires a buy-in by the members to the band culture and discipline. Not saying it never happens, but I know for our band, that one time brought us together in a really unique way as well as scared straight some of less focused students who thought that our director wouldn't hurt the band's chances just to teach a lesson.

[SATXBandDad]

CTJ is in the air. Prayers for their safe arrival!

[TWHSParent]

Made it to Indy. Now trying to find dinner.

[Majellan]

  On 11/13/2019 at 5:19 PM, Band Is Great said:

I am being intentionally vague. It's the broader conversation that needs to be aired. But I'm sure there are those on this blog who know what I'm referring to.

 

Transgressions: school districts glossing over problems with staff rather than taking action against staff.

Transgressions: band directors glossing over problems with students rather than taking action against students.

 

The "win at any cost" attitude justifies glossing over transgressions.

Not quite sure where you’re going with this but you probably should stay vague. I have no idea what you’re trying to say but it doesn’t sound like something that should be aired on a band forum. If you have a complaint it should be filed with your local school district or other proper authorities.

[vbassoon]

Getting top half at this comp will probably be harder than any other year.

[Rubisco]

Tomorrow's the day! I'll probably start watching during semifinals, and I'll try to catch all of finals.

 

I think it'd be absolutely amazing to have 6 Texas groups in finals, and at least one in the top 3. What a fantastic achievement that would be! Taking home the Eagle at that point would just be the cherry on top. As for goals for the individual TX groups, I'd say that the top 3 group from San Antonio (Vandegrift, Leander, and Hebron) should all aim for a spot on the "medal podium." If you make the cut, great; if not, who cares. It's a great experience regardless of where you place. CTJ and TWHS should aim for a spot in the top half of finals, which might require them to beat some of the groups that beat them at San Antonio. The addition of Avon, Carmel, and William Mason could make that very hard. These groups collectively will be a tough top 8 to crack. Round Rock should aim to be in finals, maybe even comfortably in finals, after their great San Antonio performance.

 

Anyway, good luck to all the participating bands. Have some fun! You've earned it!

[DrumCorpsGeek]

Check out the Show Day Podcast Grand Nationals Viewing Guide! https://drumcorpscentral.weebly.com/bands-of-america.html

You can follow along from the first band today, to the last on Saturday!

 

Good luck to all bands!

[TrumpetDad]

Good Luck to all the Texas bands this weekend. There will be 3 Prosper peeps in section 143 for finals cheering y’all on.

[Hard Core Band Fan]

Killer last block today - Can not wait!

[Hard Core Band Fan]

Kind of cool that Milford HS's entire football team was there to watch their band.

[allyarcher]

Can't stress enough how much I'm rooting for TWHS. At the beginning of the season, I thought TWHS band was going downhill and boy did they prove me wrong. It's now easily my favorite show of the 2019 season and even maybe my favorite high school marching show I've seen that might be really hard to top.

 

Of course I'm rooting for #TeamTexas in general, hoping someone takes down the beast that is Carmel, but if I had to choose, it'll be TWHS. Good luck to them in prelims and to all the other bands participating in Nationals. (#TeamTexas, bring home the Eagle)