Duncanville Marching Invitational 2019

[RealSkipBayless]

Marcus’s show was good and deserving of #1, but Hebron should’ve at least gotten one caption. They played a selection from the Greatest Showman in their ballad, and it nearly had me in tears. Asinine.

[Nny14]

Umm wow Marcus must have been impressive to sweep Hebron. I'm not really familiar with how this contest is judged.

[BandGuy2]

Music - Marcus

Visual - Marcus

 

Guard

1. Marcus

2. Keller Central

3. Prosper

Perc

1. Marcus

2. Prosper

3. Waxahachie

 

1. Marcus

2. Hebron

3. Keller

4. Waxahachie

5. Prosper

6. Keller Central

7. Haltom

8. Wylie

9. Permian

10. Timber Creek

Proud of Prosper for getting top 3 in both guard and percussion.

[BlueCircle]

Not extremely surprised to see Marcus sweep this one...they basically give these judges everything they want: a clean easy (compared to Hebron & Keller) show. Now, I would be completely shocked if San Antonio played out like this.

[Nny14]

Not extremely surprised to see Marcus sweep this one...they basically give these judges everything they want: a clean easy (compared to Hebron) show. Now, I would be completely shocked if San Antonio played out like this.

Yeah Haltoms placement has me thinking this doesn't align with BOA very well... Congrats to Marcus though, band is better when they're good. I would love to see them make top 7 at San Antonio.

[principalagent]

Yeah Haltoms placement has me thinking this doesn't align with BOA very well... Congrats to Marcus though, band is better when they're good. I would love to see them make top 7 at San Antonio.

 

It's UIL sheets and scoring.

[GetStraightToIt]

Judges must have been drinking on the job.

Alright man let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

[Nny14]

Judges must have been drinking on the job.

How are you not banned yet?

[Toasted Almond]

Also loved that KC and TC were cheering Keller on so loudly from the visitors stands

The love and support all the Keller ISD bands have for each other is one of the things I am most proud of about these kids. Truly incredible young people.

[Trumpetman7]

Do they release scores for this contest?

[aaron067]

The DMI does use the traditional UIL Area/State scoring system, but to say the judges were all looking for easy, well-executed shows is not respectful of what the Marcus Band has achieved with their show this year. There simply isn't a detail left untouched anywhere in their entire performance, and almost all of it is performed at an extremely high level. Hebron, on the other hand, is pacing itself for a season that's two weeks longer. They may still not be able to top Marcus at San Antonio, but I'm sure those students will pull it together for several amazing performances in Indianapolis.

 

As an aside, at least three of tonight's judges are heavily involved in BOA...two of them have bands that have won a regional this year, and the other often heads up BOA judging panels. I would think they appreciate the nuances and BOA influences in all of the shows tonight.

[KinDallas]

Not extremely surprised to see Marcus sweep this one...they basically give these judges everything they want: a clean easy (compared to Hebron & Keller) show. Now, I would be completely shocked if San Antonio played out like this.

Not extremely surprised to see Marcus sweep this one...they basically give these judges everything they want: a clean easy (compared to Hebron & Keller) show. Now, I would be completely shocked if San Antonio played out like this.

Okay, Marcus's show isn't easy, not even compared to Keller or Hebron. Hebron has more difficulty musically, yes. But Marcus does more body work than most, while playing. In addition, they move at 90 degree slides a great deal. That is technically very difficult to march and harder to clean. Having marched 8 years, I can tell you, objectively, it isn't an "easy" show. It may look easy but that's the point. Make it look effortless. Will they beat Hebron in San Antonio? Unlikely. But that doesn't diminish their work and accomplishment here.

[BlueCircle]

I absolutely love Marcus’ show this year, but I still feel that it’s pretty obvious that Marcus does not have the most difficult music or drill, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Marcus has the cleanest music and drill, regardless of difficulty, which is what is rewarded at this competition. Hebron swept captions in prelims here and beat Marcus in both rounds of BOA DFW competition. I know a lot can change throughout the season but it is a little silly not to recognize how well Marcus’ style meshes with this judging system, especially when these results are drastically different than BOA.

 

Difficulty does not equal success. Cleanliness equals success and Marcus is a the MASTER of cleanliness. Calling something easy compared to Hebron is not a diss at all. Pretty much any band is “easy” compared to Hebron. I agree that my choice of using the word “easy” was not correct. I sincerely apologize for my poor choice of words. In reality Marcus’ show is extremely difficult in the grand scheme of high school marching band. It’s just that Hebron is attempting the most difficult musical book probably ever.

 

I just want to reiterate how much I LOVE the Marcus band and didn’t mean to slight their amazing performance. I was just wanted to point out the differences in this scoring system compared to BOA as to explain why some bands do better at different competitions. Marcus 100% deserved this win here.

 

I can’t wait to see Marcus in BOA San Antonio finals this year. They are a unique gem in the Texas band world <3

[1998-2018]

Hebron, on the other hand, is pacing itself for a season that's two weeks longer.

Hebron's Preliminary run had some dirt in the more difficult sections of the drill and this is nothing new for them. The music performance was clean, not flawless, but difficult and clean. In other words, Hebron doing what Hebron does.

 

In Finals, Hebron had the same issues with the more difficult sections of their drill but they also had several sections of their music performance that were a bit less clean, less clear, less crisp than the Preliminary run. The second run just wasn't as strong and at this level of competition it left them vulnerable.

 

I do not believe for a second that what happened tonight had anything to do with Hebron pacing for a longer season.

 

That's not how it works. Especially at an elite program.

 

Meanwhile, Marcus did what Marcus does. Relentlessly.

 

There's no big mystery here. Tonight was actually remarkably similar to what happened last week in Waco.

 

Clean is King...and it's good to be the King.

[1998-2018]

Do they release scores for this contest?

Yes, they will be posted on the Duncanville ISD DMI website.

[whitewing09]

So when we say Hebron is pacing itself, we mean that their show anticipates them have two extra weeks of cleaning to do, right? That I believe. Example: Hebron 2015

[DeepEllum]

I think this contest proves that Marcus is a force to be reckoned with. I also think this contest is not reflective of how Hebron will be at San Antonio. In fact I think it upped them in my rankings.

[aaron067]

Hebron's Preliminary run had some dirt in the more difficult sections of the drill and this is nothing new for them. The music performance was clean, not flawless, but difficult and clean. In other words, Hebron doing what Hebron does.

In Finals, Hebron had the same issues with the more difficult sections of their drill but they also had several sections of their music performance that were a bit less clean, less clear, less crisp than the Preliminary run. The second run just wasn't as strong and at this level of competition it left them vulnerable.

I do not believe for a second that what happened tonight had anything to do with Hebron pacing for a longer season.

That's not how it works. Especially at an elite program.

Meanwhile, Marcus did what Marcus does. Relentlessly.

There's no big mystery here. Tonight was actually remarkably similar to what happened last week in Waco.

Clean is King...and it's good to be the King.

I can promise you that Hebron not being consistently clean at this point in the season has everything to do with the difficulty of their show, which was designed to peak two weeks later than Marcus. So, yes, it is related to the overall pacing of the season. Hebron just needs more time with their program.

 

Secondly, I saw both finals performances and am well aware of why each band ended where they did, but I felt no reason to elaborate on any critical thoughts I may have had. Instead, I chose to focus on the positives and the potential for each band's final performance this season.

 

Finally, I have access to the sheets and can tell you that two judges in prelims also had Marcus ahead in music. They both had Hebron in third, one with Keller in first and the other with Waxahachie in second. So, while their finals run may have had some clarity issues in their closer, it seems the judges also found some issues in their prelims run, as well. My point is that I trust their staff will guide those students through one of the hardest shows out there into what will eventually be some some of the most memorable performances at Grand Nats.

[1998-2018]

Pace, or pacing, is still the wrong word (and concept) for what you are describing. Just because it is a common misuse (or misunderstanding) in the marching community does not make it any less wrong.

[aaron067]

Alright...if it makes you feel better, you can have the last word. You obviously have a greater understanding of music education and competitive marching band than I do.

[1998-2018]

Alright...if it makes you feel better, you can have the last word. You obviously have a greater understanding of music education and competitive marching band than I do.

Wonderful. More sarcastic, passive aggression. Like there isn't already far too much of it on display in this community.

 

Since you seem to be missing my main point I will try to clarify. Please notice I selected a very specific line from your original comment and deleted/ignored the rest. It was intended to show my comment is focused on that one area of what you said. I did not voice objection to anything else in your comment. Why? Because most of what you said is relevant and reasonably accurate. But, in my view, blending the concept of pacing unnecessarily reduced the accuracy and convoluted what you said.

 

Pace is a word with multiple definitions and in this context your usage seems to imply that Hebron is somehow managing this season differently because it is two weeks longer. Like how an athlete uses a different strategy for expenditure of energy in 100, 200, and 400 meter races.

 

I simply disagree.

 

You did say they may have made more difficult design choices knowing they would have an additional two weeks to clean the show.

 

Perhaps. I clearly didn't choose to debate that point. I also don't think Hebron's design this year is uncharacteristically difficult for them. As I said previously, it's Hebron being Hebron. And at this level everyone's performance gets better with two more weeks of work, regardless of design difficulty. That had nothing to do with pacing. It's because of the work.

 

If, in the end, you think we are just debating semantics, I will stand by what I said while agreeing to disagree without further debate. If you think I have misunderstood your original comment and would like to restate/clarify it, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

 

Without the sarcasm.

[DeepEllum]

I think what they’re trying to say is that since this is a season that is 2 weeks longer, they are going to approach it differently than they would if their last competition was next weekend, meaning they will be attacking things from a slower growth rate with more intricate difficulties in hopes that it can peak at the right time. The runs themselves differing between prelims and finals has nothing to do with pacing, nor does the success of Marcus over Hebron in this competition, but the overall cleanliness (and the fact that Marcus’s show has been finished for a few weeks and, from the looks of it, Hebron’s still isn’t) between Marcus and Hebron, two difficult shows for two different reasons, can be attributed to a differing in season lengths as one of the variables.

[whitewing09]

Pace, or pacing, is still the wrong word (and concept) for what you are describing. Just because it is a common misuse (or misunderstanding) in the marching community does not make it any less wrong.

 

It's like the word curvilinear. Technically, it's wrong, but its usage is common enough that it is still a generally accepted word. That's how language works. 

 

I think what they’re trying to say is that since this is a season that is 2 weeks longer, they are going to approach it differently than they would if their last competition was next weekend, meaning they will be attacking things from a slower growth rate with more intricate difficulties in hopes that it can peak at the right time. The runs themselves differing between prelims and finals has nothing to do with pacing, nor does the success of Marcus over Hebron in this competition, but the overall cleanliness (and the fact that Marcus’s show has been finished for a few weeks and, from the looks of it, Hebron’s still isn’t) between Marcus and Hebron, two difficult shows for two different reasons, can be attributed to a differing in season lengths as one of the variables.

 

I agree with you on the last bit 100%. I think their show is written in anticipation of having two extra weeks. TBH, I thought that they have been preparing for this for the past two years. In 2017, I thought that they stepped up their visual while keeping their music demand very high. Last year, I thought that Hebron could have used an extra week of clean because of their insane demand. This year, they seem to have upped the demand on both sides again. 

[1998-2018]

I think what they’re trying to say is that since this is a season that is 2 weeks longer, they are going to approach it differently than they would if their last competition was next weekend, meaning they will be attacking things from a slower growth rate with more intricate difficulties in hopes that it can peak at the right time.

I understand this is likely the intended meaning. It's also exactly what I objected too. In my experience, this is not how elite programs of any kind, marching or otherwise, think or operate.

 

What has been implied by extension is that Marcus doesn't really care that their show was virtually flawlessly clean yesterday because their season doesn't end until San Antonio.

 

Restated in those terms, I would think the inherent flaw in logic would be easy to identify.

 

The Marcus show is clean at this point because it is more within, for lack of a better term, the comfort zone of their ability. And they want it that way because they feel it gives them the best chance for success. (Please don't go running for the pitchforks and torches. The Marcus show has a very high degree of difficulty.)

 

What I'm saying is that it is erroneous to think that Hebron is actively managing a "slower growth rate" or "timing their peak" for a few weeks from now. Edit: By holding back now, i.e., pacing.

 

If the show could be perfect now, it would. Timing and pacing be damned. They would them work on maintaining that level of focus and performance for the next few weeks. Like Marcus being Marcus. Relentlessly.

 

I'm sure Hebron's, and Keller's, leadership is not concerned about yesterday. They are knowingly pushing the limits of the program's comfort zone of ability, with more time available for the necessary work. But I maintain, they're not pacing themselves. Edit: Holding back to maintain a scheduled timeline.

[xxneontreesxx]

Wonderful. More sarcastic, passive aggression. Like there isn't already far too much of it on display in this community.

Since you seem to be missing my main point I will try to clarify. Please notice I selected a very specific line from your original comment and deleted/ignored the rest. It was intended to show my comment is focused on that one area of what you said. I did not voice objection to anything else in your comment. Why? Because most of what you said is relevant and reasonably accurate. But, in my view, blending the concept of pacing unnecessarily reduced the accuracy and convoluted what you said.

 

Pace is a word with multiple definitions and in this context your usage seems to imply that Hebron is somehow managing this season differently because it is two weeks longer. Like how an athlete uses a different strategy for expenditure of energy in 100, 200, and 400 meter races.

 

I simply disagree.

 

You did say they may have made more difficult design choices knowing they would have an additional two weeks to clean the show.

 

Perhaps. I clearly didn't choose to debate that point. I also don't think Hebron's design this year is uncharacteristically difficult for them. As I said previously, it's Hebron being Hebron. And at this level everyone's performance gets better with two more weeks of work, regardless of design difficulty. That had nothing to do with pacing. It's because of the work.

 

If, in the end, you think we are just debating semantics, I will stand by what I said while agreeing to disagree without further debate. If you think I have misunderstood your original comment and would like to restate/clarify it, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

 

Without the sarcasm.

Personally, having graduated from Hebron, I can tell you that you're wrong and you really don't know what you're talking about. It's getting annoying how much you try to one up others and keep yourself on your high horse. Hebron is pacing themselves and they have a plan that they follow to get the most out of the season. Stop acting like you're the authority on what's what because you really are making yourself look dumb, regardless of how many complex sentences or words you use.