2022 WGI Discussion Thread (Non-Face-Mask Edition?)

[Rubisco]

Oh, and for some reason, Moe and Gene Johnson performed and was scored at the West Scholastic A Class championships. They got an 88. Great score! I thought they might only be doing an exhibition or something.

[Rubisco]

Coppel's show will never not make me smile. Best set design of the SO groups. I just wish it were more cleanly performed.

Also, the qualifying A groups from today's TCGC area contests will be at state next week. Don't know why I thought the state championships were non-A.

[ohwell]

Congrats to Brandeis on winning the scholastic A today. Woo hoo!

[packwick]

  On 3/19/2022 at 9:32 PM, Rubisco said:

(it's all music by The Staves, which I recall from TWHS' world show in 2020)

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great music.

  On 3/19/2022 at 9:32 PM, Rubisco said:

Westerville Independent Open gets credit for their costuming and makeup. They were all black and white except for one performer. Very, very cool. Not a bad performance, either, just not the most impressive in the world.

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!!! *sigh* *grumbling* another low hanging fruit idea of mine taken. probably it was already done. it's okay. i'm like the Library of Babel of ridiculous band ideas.

[Origin]

Yay Center Grove!! Much better finals performance. The show is so so difficult with the soundtrack being so quiet and not rhythmic.

[Rubisco]

YES. Much better run from CG. I also thought Miamisburg really nailed their show. I thought Carmel and Avon both gave slightly weaker performances than prelims, but I'd still be surprised if at least one group doesn't cross that 90 mark.

  On 3/20/2022 at 4:26 PM, packwick said:

!!! *sigh* *grumbling* another low hanging fruit idea of mine taken. probably it was already done. it's okay. i'm like the Library of Babel of ridiculous band ideas.

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Hahaha. But that's the joy of designing! You get excited about your brilliant idea, only to find out that it has already been done by literally everybody!

[Rubisco]

Results have been posted. Congrats to all the guards today!

No big surprises, except for scholastic open at Dallas. Independence came out on top by a full point, despite being 6 points behind Marcus at the last Dallas regional a few weeks ago. Incredible improvement! Way to go!

The gap narrowed between Friendswood and Hebron in scholastic A. Friendswood got an awesome score, but will drop from 1st place to 3rd in the A class national standings. Westlake will move up to 1st.

Scores were slightly lower than expected in scholastic world at Indy, but not by too much. I'm surprised the upstairs content captions weren't a little higher for Miamisburg. I'm still excited for them and think they're in the running for a medal at Dayton, but The Woodlands will hold onto 3rd place in the national standings, which also would be exciting, since Texas has never medaled in SW. We'll see. You don't really know until all the groups are together competing against each other in the same venue with the same judging panel.

[LeanderMomma]

I was honored to do another Marching Arts Now winter guard episode live today!  Tim Hinton, Paul Simondac and I chatted with designer and choreographer Andre Williams and we also covered four of the Indy area world class guards!  (Fishers, Warren Central, Center Grove and Miamisburg). 🥰 So fun!!

https://youtu.be/P8-YHjo826o

[packwick]

i've been searching for this forever to add to the drive. McCullough JH varsity guard. this account also has the JV one and a "spin club", whatever that is. both main guards are freakin' massive. they've been doin' some recruitin'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCWdawP7WoM

[packwick]

also, yes, i hate the music. but they're talented.

[Rubisco]

You mean you're not a Swiftie? What's wrong with you? 😆

Do you know if The Woodlands' guard director will be there next year? Or is she also leaving? Like after the band won Nats and everyone left?

TCGC State Finals is tomorrow! It's worth a watch, as long as the quality of the stream on Flo isn't too awful. Most of the top seeded guards in Texas will be there. Friendswood would normally be there as well, but they skipped the A qualifying round for the WGI Dallas regional last weekend. The North Texas Circuit contest is next weekend, I believe.

[packwick]

  On 3/25/2022 at 7:12 PM, Rubisco said:

You mean you're not a Swiftie? What's wrong with you? 😆

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i'm afraid not, my dear.

  On 3/25/2022 at 7:12 PM, Rubisco said:

Do you know if The Woodlands' guard director will be there next year? Or is she also leaving? Like after the band won Nats and everyone left?

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oh god, i've been out of the program for so long, as if i'd know anything about that. i'm ignorant af. what i can say is that Joni will be VERY difficult to replace. rare talent. she made a huge impression on me her 1st year as an assistant back in 2005. even at 17, she seemed to me more knowledgeable, had a better ear, and she was driven and commanded respect without being mean. she just noticed things other directors didn't, like balance issues or issues with intonation. also she was very committed and hands-on. i distinctly remember a time i was sitting around practicing with the band president many hours after rehearsal had ended, and we were just joking around or whatever, not playing, and Joni came out of the office and approached us and asked us if we'd like to play our area audition music for her and receive feedback. we were just like, "wait, what are you still doing here, Joni?" commitment. i thought she would take the band to the next level, if she ever got the opportunity.

we all knew Brett was retiring within a few years. he was ready to leave, hahaha. i recall when that actually happened, i was at a bar called Molly's with probably six other band graduates, some younger than i, and there was some fear that the new head director wasn't going to be Joni. no offense to the other assistants, but we were in unanimous agreement that Joni should be picked. so i wasn't alone in my opinion.

but yeah, this is scary for TWHS. if one were sticking around, i'd feel a little less concerned, but replacing both non-perc directors with people who don't know the ropes, i don't know about that. got a bad feeling. also why would a talented director join a program that keeps burning out its directors? i remember back when i was a freshman, we had 5 directors, including Andy, the percussion director. now they have 3 including Andy. i don't know why that happened.

i'm also wondering if their very talented design staff will stick around. maybe for the money, i don't know. speaking of which, it kind of grosses me out how slickly corporate the marching arts seem to have become, even if the shows are great. that's a different conversation however.

[packwick]

i want to add one more thing: a message to the booster organization. try not to get in the way of what is best for the band program. give whoever takes on the director role a chance to succeed, even if that doesn't happen right away. i don't want to see what happened at Lassiter happen again. that was ugly, with the parents running directors out of town and the band imploding.

back to winter guard, please.

[Rubisco]

Yeah, it's a sad situation, but I'm sure they'll find their way through it.

Anyway, here are the schedules for tomorrow's TCGC finals. Starts out with AA and A at 9AM, then moves into National A, Open, and World at 3:13PM.

https://texascolorguardcircuit.org/events/39923

https://texascolorguardcircuit.org/events/33317

[WoodlandsMom4ever]

  On 3/25/2022 at 9:14 PM, packwick said:

i want to add one more thing: a message to the booster organization. try not to get in the way of what is best for the band program. give whoever takes on the director role a chance to succeed, even if that doesn't happen right away. i don't want to see what happened at Lassiter happen again. that was ugly, with the parents running directors out of town and the band imploding.

back to winter guard, please.

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We’ve had a strong booster community  effort to both take the time to mourn the loss of the directors- and savor the last few weeks of the school year with them, and to be happy for them and the hard choices they made to put themselves first in their lives.   We also have talked a lot about welcoming in the new directors with open arms and looking forward to the unique things that they will bring to our program.  
 

It will be fine.  We have confidence in people wanting to come here and work with our program and are hopeful the hiring process will find them before the school year is over- so everyone can meet them before the summer.  

[dylan123]

  On 3/25/2022 at 7:12 PM, Rubisco said:

TCGC State Finals is tomorrow! It's worth a watch, as long as the quality of the stream on Flo isn't too awful. Most of the top seeded guards in Texas will be there. Friendswood would normally be there as well, but they skipped the A qualifying round for the WGI Dallas regional last weekend. The North Texas Circuit contest is next weekend, I believe.

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Something interesting to note is that Friendswood does not elect to participate in TCGC at all! They only attend WGI Regionals and Championships with their Varsity. I’m assuming for consistency of judging. They did in 2021 but I think that was just because of Covid and getting some extra performances.

[Rubisco]

Ah, you're right. It looks like 2018 was the last time the varsity group participated, in open class. Only JV performances in recent years.

[Rubisco]

Pearland just opened the National A class TCGC finals with gusto. Great performance! I didn't catch the title. They've got the Vitruvian Man in the center of the floor. The music is very agitated, very, uh, appassionato with the piano and strings. Fiery performance. Loved it.

Bryan performed an art heist show to MJ's Smooth Criminal (his music makes me a wee bit uncomfortable, but I'm not going to hold that against them). They recreated an art museum with a sleek white floor and Van Gogh's Starry Night in the upper right corner. Love the set. Bryan is always so solid. I was afraid when they demoted themselves to regular A that they might be weaker, but they got promoted and they're holding up well. No weak links yet. This is definitely the finals event.

Grand Oaks did a show about gypsies. Beautiful purple and blue and green skirts that really pop against the desert floor. They start by coming out from a tent in the top right corner. I love how they move. Some really breathtaking tosses as well for an A class group. The music is something by Lady Gaga. Very passionate. It has that narrative swell. They're gypsies searching for a home.

New Braunfels did a show called The Postal Service featuring music by the Postal Service. I actually recognize this one! It's The District Sleeps Alone Tonight. Gosh that must have been late 90s, early 00s. It has a sort of futuristic feel, with the neon lights on the street map floor. They've got three doors with mail boxes that they're delivering mail to. What a fun concept! Some really cool tosses over the doors.

[Rubisco]

I've already talked about how much I love Churchill's set design. The colorful graffiti backdrops with the white floor, then the colorful back packs come out at the end, and it just pulls the whole color scheme together. Really, really nice to look at. This show and the last one definitely seem like they were designed by Millennials. I think I caught My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, All American Rejects, and a few other songs in there. WAY better performed than the last time I saw it!

[Rubisco]

William B. Travis' show is called Hoops. We've got a very elegant looking hoop earring floor. Actually, it kind of reminds me Carmel's Arabesque floor. Compared to many of the previous groups, the staging here is more minimalist, but it works because the performers are so, so solid. I love when the lyrics say "stone cold" near the beginning and that first (?) rifle catch is just nailed. Like, boom.

Vista Ridge is doing a show called Break Free. The floor is like they're floating up in the clouds. There's a very ethereal quality to everything that I like. Translucent flags are definitely in this season, and I don't mind. They have a dreaminess to them. One of the members is tied up in flags at the start and is eventually freed. Another member runs out of the arena at the end. Breaking free from anxieties, kind of like Avon? This is a group that has improved a lot since we saw them on the marching field.

 

[Rubisco]

Cedar Ridge is one I've already talked about. The Breakfast Club show. It's called The Ruckus. I just love it. It makes me smile. And this closer up angle from Flo really lets me appreciate the ridiculous 80s fashions and the facial expressions! 😄 It looks like the performers are each supposed to be a member of a group (like Jock or Goth or Princess). I didn't notice that before.

The Woodlands JV is another one I talked about earlier. I can't believe this is a JV group. Huge and super talented, which I think we all kind of expected after their marching show last year. The floor is re-used and the set is just the floor and the performers, so again, very minimalist, but when you've got the skills, you don't really need all the fancy bells and whistles. And they do create really interesting moments in the staging. I love when the girls have the gold flags in the pod and the other girls are snaking around it. Really elegant.

 

[Rubisco]

Clear Brook's show is Creep, featuring a cover of Radiohead's Creep, and some very creepy, arresting, towering backdrops of cartoonish girls' faces. I can't unsee Bratz dolls now, thanks to a previous poster. 😄 They can be a little distracting, but god, this is a group that's got some serious talent. They're nailing most of their catches and performing very well as an ensemble.

Bridgeland I've gone on and on about. I love the elegance of this show. A small handful of exposed drops today, but geez, this is some really difficult stuff. I feel like the musicality of the show more than makes up for it from an overall effect standpoint.

[Rubisco]

Oak Ridge's show is Purple Rain, featuring a cover of the Prince song. I can't stop singing along with this show. It makes me very happy. There's a big purple lightning bolt across the floor. We start out with sounds of the storm and umbrellas. The guard is all purple, it made me wonder if they themselves ARE the purple rain, but rain probably can't hold umbrellas, so... 😄 Very solid performance today.

Rouse is another one I've talked about. Into the Wild Blue. The skydiving one. I've seen this theme before relatively recently, but it's so much fun. I love the falling sky backdrops and when they strap the performers in. How cool is that? Everything about this set is just so eye-popping. It really wakes you up!

[Rubisco]

Pflugerville's show is like a master class in how to stage for a smaller group. They've only got 10 members on the floor, but they never seem that small. They command the entire space. They've got 3 park benches, each with its own snowy white squares, and that's the set. They often congregate in each square. I think that's really smart for a smaller group, because then that smaller square almost becomes a smaller floor for the guard. Really, really great performance. Smooth, uniform, elegant. Only a couple of wonky catches, but no outright drops.

Westlake is the number one nationally seeded group. Not hard to see why. That was a great performance. The show is called The Life I Love. The music is a cover of On The Road Again. One guy is a country music performer and carries his guitar to a small stage in the bottom right side of the floor. I guess the rest of the guard are the fans/spectators. They sit on the steps at the end and applaud. I didn't notice that when I saw it back at WGI San Antonio. Literally right over my head. A couple of drops in the flags, surprisingly enough, but nothing major.

It looks like we're getting some solo and small ensemble performers now. Love it!

I have to get some stuff done today. I'll drop back in toward the end of SO.

[WoodlandsMom4ever]

I love all your comments!   Spent the morning working our mulch fundraiser and am headed to the arena to see open and world this evening!