2022 TMEA Honor Band Thread

[Rubisco]

It looks like this *is* happening this year for 2C, 1A/2A combined, 4A, and 6A classes.

I really wish they'd stream the audio from the various listening sessions, or at least release the recordings online for a brief period of time. It'd be fun to try to predict the results. More transparency, too.

Anyway, if you've heard some good bands this concert season, this is the thread to share your opinions.

[Rubisco]

That's a good point. Some sort of limited time, Flo-style live stream of the listening sessions would be nice though.

I still really haven't heard anything this year.

[Rubisco]

Oh look, I actually found some performances! This North Texas pre-UIL collection has a couple of pieces from both Flower Mound and Coppell.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=69WvXKfLt-I

Outstanding music making from both. The quality of the sound from these top Texas groups is always so impressive. So warm and calm and controlled. Mostly great intonation, too, with some minor slip ups. Incredible full brass moments from FloMo in Symphony No. 3. Technique does get a little bogged down at times. Try to keep all those tricky moving passages in the woodwinds lighter and clearer.

The first part of Coppell's Hindemith floored me. It really reminded me of my favorite Tokyo Kosei recording of that piece. The music is heavy with counterpoint, but they manage to keep our ears focused on the most important melodic lines. That said, I think the 2nd and 3rd movements are rushed to the point that the 2nd movement lacks a bit of musicality to my ears (really, imagine sitting in a dark lounge in the 1920s with smoke swirling around your head -- that's the vibe, slower and more easy-going) and the insane technique in the 3rd gets a little dirty at times. It's just so fast.

Of course, at this level, I'm being very nitpicky. If you dropped either group into probably any other state, they'd steamroll over the competition.

[Rubisco]

I know it's not really relevant this year, but here's the always fantastic Henry Middle School Honor Band.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxAYUakBA3g

It's like exploring a cave in a JRPG!

[packwick]

they aren't competing in the Honor Band contest this season so maybe not relevant at all here, but there is a vid of TWHS from UIL on YT. often i'm impressed by their technical accuracy but not as much the musicality, u know the Eddie Green band stereotype that's mostly unfounded and born from the jealousy of less successful directors, but that Festival at Baghdad performance... gurrrl, that was Fabulous! full of life. i know that piece backwards and forwards, too, as i've been listening to it since the age of 9. so many difficult often double-tongued technical passages, and that exposed as f*** tuning in the flutes at the end.

goin' out on a high note, Joni!

[Rubisco]

3 hours ago, packwick said:

u know the Eddie Green band stereotype that's mostly unfounded and born from the jealousy of less successful directors

Truer words have never been spoken. Unfortunately, the old canard of the technically proficient but emotionally insipid Texas concert band persists even today. Mind you, many of the same people leveling that criticism would be unable to distinguish such a thing in a blind listening test. And speaking of the late Mr. Green and his huge influence on the best Texas bands, I don't know how you could listen to those old Lake Highlands recordings from the 70s, for example, and not think they are outstanding in every single way.

[packwick]

21 hours ago, Rubisco said:

And speaking of the late Mr. Green

sigh, the nostalgia. i still remember his clammy old man hands on my shoulders trying to keep me still while i played my instrument lol. he was a great teacher and had a good ear. i got a full 4 years of Mr. Green days + extra ones in the fall bc we went to 2 concert band clinics. oh the joys of double duty marching and concert band. like falco from star fox, "i guess i should be thankful."

[Rubisco]

1 hour ago, packwick said:

like falco from star fox, "i guess i should be thankful."

😂😂 Yes, you should be.

[Rubisco]

Here's an excellent performance of In Storm and Sunshine from Vista Ridge's Wind Ensemble!

https://youtu.be/jHM_GEGoKG0

[jstein1]

On 5/11/2022 at 4:36 PM, packwick said:

they aren't competing in the Honor Band contest this season so maybe not relevant at all here, but there is a vid of TWHS from UIL on YT. often i'm impressed by their technical accuracy but not as much the musicality, u know the Eddie Green band stereotype that's mostly unfounded and born from the jealousy of less successful directors, but that Festival at Baghdad performance... gurrrl, that was Fabulous! full of life. i know that piece backwards and forwards, too, as i've been listening to it since the age of 9. so many difficult often double-tongued technical passages, and that exposed as f*** tuning in the flutes at the end.

goin' out on a high note, Joni!

To be fair...there are a LOT of band directors, many of whom teach in the Houston area, who misinterpret Eddie Green's philosophies.  Many of these bands do not allow their brass musicians to play with any color in the sound and insist on a maximum dynamic of mezzo forte.  There is a reason some Houston area bands have a reputation for being boring...because some of them ARE boring.  TWHS is not one of these bands, but they do exist.  To deny that truth is to just plain not use your ears.

Eddie believed the approach should be that we hear all of the instruments and that the full range of color for these instruments should be explored.  When trumpets, trombones, and horns play above a forte, there is edge in the sound, plain and simple.  You won't find many bands in the Houston area, at least, that allow their students to approach this quality.  However, drive 2.5 hours to Austin or 4 hours to DFW, and you will find many groups that explore the full range of dynamic and color.

Listen to that UH recording of Mars and tell me Eddie didn't believe in brass dynamic color.  That bass trombone player plays with some STANK.

 

 

[Rubisco]

1 hour ago, jstein1 said:

To be fair...there are a LOT of band directors, many of whom teach in the Houston area, who misinterpret Eddie Green's philosophies.  Many of these bands do not allow their brass musicians to play with any color in the sound and insist on a maximum dynamic of mezzo forte.  There is a reason some Houston area bands have a reputation for being boring...because some of them ARE boring.  TWHS is not one of these bands, but they do exist.  To deny that truth is to just plain not use your ears.

"Any color in the sound." Well now that's a clear exaggeration.

Also, Eddie Green's influence extends well beyond the Houston area. I'm not convinced the purported "boring"-ness of those Houston bands could be ascribed to a misinterpretation of his philosophies. Maybe more just a general fear of blowing past the point of good, characteristic sounds, which isn't always a bad fear to have. 🤷‍♂️

[packwick]

i think some of the bands are a bit overly controlled, but i'm not sure it's unique to Houston or Eddie Green. H-town groups still seem to do decently well in the concert band area. as recently as 2017 over half of the top 7 Honor Band groups were Houston bands. maybe that's more a nod to their technical accuracy than their ability to excite.

maybe it's more of a general UofH thing. i can verify that around the turn of the millennium Mr. Green was working with groups as far north as Dallas, although maybe not as many. i think Duncanville may have been one of them. at least that's one of the bands he'd negatively compare us to. 😂

[packwick]

also sorry for derailing the convo. hahahaha. the whole "Greeny" (Greenie?) band stereotype was just the first thing that popped into my mind to describe that scenario.

[LKendrick]

These stood out to me in 4A:

Alvarado 

• The Footlifter by Henry Filmore 
• Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger (4)
• Khan by Julie Giroux (4)

Anna

• Entry March of the Boyars Johan Halvorsen
• O Magnum Mysterium by Morton Lauridsen (4)
• Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli (5)

Argyle

• Onward-Upward March by Karl King
• Mock Morris by Percy Grainger (4)
• Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham (5)

Canton

• Florentiner March Julius Fučík
• Irish Tune from County by Percy Grainger (4)
• Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett (5)

Canyon

• Children's March by Percy Grainger
• First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst (5)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

China Spring

• Glory of the Yankee Navy by John Phillip Sousa 
• The Engulfed Cathedral by Claude Debussy (5)
• Ride by Samuel Hazo (5)

Krum

• III. March - "Folk Songs from Somerset" by Ralph Vaughn Williams 
• Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre (4)
• Reluctant Joys by Brant Karick (5)

Little Cypress Mauriceville

• Amparito Roca by Jaime Teixidor
• Dusk by Steven Bryant (4)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

Melissa

• Commando March by Samuel Barber
• Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughn Williams (4)
• With Heart and Voice by David Gillingham (4)

North Lamar 

• Honey Boys on Parade by Edward Cupero
• The Falls by Rosano Galante (5)
• Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson (5)

Canyon, China Spring, and North Lamar with two grade 5s and Argyle with Southern Harmony in terms of programming definitely seem like the most difficult, but lots of great music in there.  

 

[J-Mike16]

52 minutes ago, LKendrick said:

These stood out to me in 4A:

Alvarado 

• The Footlifter by Henry Filmore 
• Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger (4)
• Khan by Julie Giroux (4)

Anna

• Entry March of the Boyars Johan Halvorsen
• O Magnum Mysterium by Morton Lauridsen (4)
• Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli (5)

Argyle

• Onward-Upward March by Karl King
• Mock Morris by Percy Grainger (4)
• Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham (5)

Canton

• Florentiner March Julius Fučík
• Irish Tune from County by Percy Grainger (4)
• Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett (5)

Canyon

• Children's March by Percy Grainger
• First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst (5)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

China Spring

• Glory of the Yankee Navy by John Phillip Sousa 
• The Engulfed Cathedral by Claude Debussy (5)
• Ride by Samuel Hazo (5)

Krum

• III. March - "Folk Songs from Somerset" by Ralph Vaughn Williams 
• Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre (4)
• Reluctant Joys by Brant Karick (5)

Little Cypress Mauriceville

• Amparito Roca by Jaime Teixidor
• Dusk by Steven Bryant (4)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

Melissa

• Commando March by Samuel Barber
• Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughn Williams (4)
• With Heart and Voice by David Gillingham (4)

North Lamar 

• Honey Boys on Parade by Edward Cupero
• The Falls by Rosano Galante (5)
• Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson (5)

Canyon, China Spring, and North Lamar with two grade 5s and Argyle with Southern Harmony in terms of programming definitely seem like the most difficult, but lots of great music in there.  

 

Is there a website to view all the other schools?

[Rubisco]

Have you heard those 4As yet? I'm definitely interested. Obviously I've been focusing on 6A, without much luck.

[CCisd Band Parent]

Can everyone post Honor Band results here? I know region listening are done…

[packwick]

4 hours ago, CCisd Band Parent said:

Can everyone post Honor Band results here? I know region listening are done…

they should be posted on the TMEA site eventually. usually they mark the advancing groups in the entries section.

just checked the Good Ole Boy Board for the first time in like 20 years. not much info there either. i'm honestly surprised that site still exists. it looks like it was made on GeoCities.

[CCisd Band Parent]

Since the TMEA Website hasn’t been updated…
Here is the List for 6A Area Listenings coming up on June 22 & 23 (area participants are listed in random order)

Once a band has advanced to state they will be underlined.

Area A (1 Band Advancing to State)

Eastlake HS

 

Area B (3 Bands Advancing to State)

Lake Ridge HS

South Grand Prairie HS

Keller HS

Keller Central HS

Coppell HS

LD Bell HS

Fossil Ridge HS

Mckinney HS

Mckinney Boyd HS

 

Area C (3 bands advancing to State)

Braswell HS

Flower Mound HS

Hebron HS

Marcus HS

Lakeview Centennial HS

Rockwall HS

Rockwall-Heath HS 

North Garland HS

Allen HS

Wylie HS

Plano East HS

Plano West HS

Area D (2 bands advancing to state)

Waxahachie HS

Pearce HS

Berkner HS

Richardson HS

Westwood HS

Tyler Lindale HS

 

Area E (2 Bands advancing to state)

Churchill HS

Reagan HS

CTJ HS

MacArthur HS

Vista Ridge HS

Westlake HS

Lake Travis HS

 

Area F (3 Bands Advancing to State)

Cypress Woods HS

Cypress Ridge HS

Cy-Fair HS

Langham Creek HS

College Park HS

Oak Ridge HS

Tomball Memorial HS

Klein HS

Dekaney HS

Davis HS

 

Area G (3 Bands advancing to State)

Mission HS

Alexander HS

United HS

Hanna HS

Edinburg HS

Edinburg North HS

Nixon HS

Harlingen HS

Rivera HS

Harlingen South HS

 

Area H (3 Bands advancing to State)

Clements HS

Dawson HS

Deer Park HS

Clear Springs HS

Clear Falls HS

Shadow Creek HS

Tompkins HS

James E Taylor HS

Clear Lake HS

 

[LeanderMomma]

On 6/10/2022 at 8:20 PM, CCisd Band Parent said:

Area E (2 Bands advancing to state)

Churchill HS

Reagan HS

CTJ HS

MacArthur HS

Vista Ridge HS

Westlake HS

Lake Travis HS

You scared me for a second!  I thought you were talking about Marching Band!  I was like TWO bands only?!?!

[VinoGirl]

So this is a dumb question...but what is Honor Band? I'm not familiar with it. How is it different than All State? 

[Rubisco]

2 hours ago, VinoGirl said:

So this is a dumb question...but what is Honor Band? I'm not familiar with it. How is it different than All State? 

It's essentially THE state-wide concert band contest in Texas. It happens in certain class sizes every other year. Participating high school and middle school bands will take live recordings of their concerts throughout the spring and submit the best recording of each of 3 pieces. Listening sessions occur at the region, area, and state level. Bands are ranked by a panel of judges at each level, with the top few bands moving on to the next level. Being named a TMEA State Honor Band is probably the highest achievement a Texas concert band can achieve. I would certainly rank it ahead of Midwest selection, at least for the more competitive class sizes.

[Dave609]

On 5/17/2022 at 3:26 PM, LKendrick said:

These stood out to me in 4A:

Alvarado 

• The Footlifter by Henry Filmore 
• Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger (4)
• Khan by Julie Giroux (4)

Anna

• Entry March of the Boyars Johan Halvorsen
• O Magnum Mysterium by Morton Lauridsen (4)
• Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli (5)

Argyle

• Onward-Upward March by Karl King
• Mock Morris by Percy Grainger (4)
• Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham (5)

Canton

• Florentiner March Julius Fučík
• Irish Tune from County by Percy Grainger (4)
• Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett (5)

Canyon

• Children's March by Percy Grainger
• First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst (5)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

China Spring

• Glory of the Yankee Navy by John Phillip Sousa 
• The Engulfed Cathedral by Claude Debussy (5)
• Ride by Samuel Hazo (5)

Krum

• III. March - "Folk Songs from Somerset" by Ralph Vaughn Williams 
• Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre (4)
• Reluctant Joys by Brant Karick (5)

Little Cypress Mauriceville

• Amparito Roca by Jaime Teixidor
• Dusk by Steven Bryant (4)
• Until the Scars by John Mackey (5)

Melissa

• Commando March by Samuel Barber
• Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughn Williams (4)
• With Heart and Voice by David Gillingham (4)

North Lamar 

• Honey Boys on Parade by Edward Cupero
• The Falls by Rosano Galante (5)
• Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson (5)

Canyon, China Spring, and North Lamar with two grade 5s and Argyle with Southern Harmony in terms of programming definitely seem like the most difficult, but lots of great music in there.  

 

I know this was back in May, but I remember when I was in High School, we marched "With Heart and Voice" By David Gillingham back in 2016. Interesting to see that Melissa played it again 6 years later as a concert piece

[VinoGirl]

5 hours ago, Rubisco said:

It's essentially THE state-wide concert band contest in Texas. It happens in certain class sizes every other year. Participating high school and middle school bands will take live recordings of their concerts throughout the spring and submit the best recording of each of 3 pieces. Listening sessions occur at the region, area, and state level. Bands are ranked by a panel of judges at each level, with the top few bands moving on to the next level. Being named a TMEA State Honor Band is probably the highest achievement a Texas concert band can achieve. I would certainly rank it ahead of Midwest selection, at least for the more competitive class sizes.

Thank you so much! I appreciate the information. 

[Rubisco]

The region results have been posted. More specifically, the groups that are advancing, not the actual rankings.

https://www.tmea.org/band/honor-band/entry-list/

TMEA used to only take 2 from each region on to area, but they've recently expanded it to 4. What that means is the vast majority of bands that participated this year advanced to area. I haven't counted, but maybe in most regions literally every group that completed their submission advanced. That kind of makes one wonder why we held region contests in the first place, doesn't it? Maybe it would be better if all the bands went straight to area and we took 3 or 4 from each area to state instead of 2, if you want to be more inclusive and make sure that every group that belongs at state makes it there.