2022 6A UIL State

[Band2021]

  On 11/7/2022 at 10:49 PM, Vidal28 said:

I think you’re right too, as the top 5 is so incredibly solid, the judges got it right at BOASA, I believe they will at state as well. If Marcus surprises everyone and medals though, that also shouldn’t be surprising, I think? It’s just how Marcus and UIL rolls haha

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right! I think they got 3rd last year which didn't surprise me as it is Marcus lol 

[MikeKyu]

I tend to really like the Seven Lakes show concepts and this year is no exception. What a fun show. 

[TXTrumpetGuy]

  On 11/7/2022 at 10:47 PM, Vidal28 said:

I tried to add in my edits that I might be underselling them a bit by saying that. Their trumpet sections of both years have been incredible, their low brass as well, but last year’s low brass was OTHERWORLDLY, especially when comparing it to other high school groups. 2021 Hebron Low brass was simply on another level last year that I would say was in World class finals territory. Especially if they were put to the rigors of a DCI summer schedule and spring prep. Not even joking

i listen to 2021 off of my enjoyment of listening to those trombones in that show alone

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I could definitely see them hanging with some of the world class hornlines. The gap is not that small.

[itsstephenyo]

Can someone remind me if prelims results are announced after prelims are over? Or do they just announce finalists?

[snares]

  On 11/7/2022 at 10:59 PM, itsstephenyo said:

Can someone remind me if prelims results are announced after prelims are over? Or do they just announce finalists?

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I believe they only announce finalists. Last year some prelims info was sort of leaked but it was only that “the gap between first and second was big”. They should release everything after finals just like BOA.

[Vidal28]

  On 11/7/2022 at 10:59 PM, TXTrumpetGuy said:

I could definitely see them hanging with some of the world class hornlines. The gap is not that small.

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Quite a few people would either still scoff at the notion or worse, ridicule one for even mentioning the possibility, but if they are at that level or approaching it, we have to view it for what it is!

[Band2021]

  On 11/7/2022 at 10:59 PM, itsstephenyo said:

Can someone remind me if prelims results are announced after prelims are over? Or do they just announce finalists?

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they announce finalist but sometimes prelims scores tend to float around. 

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:04 PM, Vidal28 said:

Quite a few people would either still scoff at the notion or worse, ridicule one for even mentioning the possibility, but if they are at that level or approaching it, we have to view it for what it is!

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I honestly think a high school band making dci finals isn’t out of the question. Winning it of course would be extremely unlikely as drum corps regularly break 98 and there’s only ever been one 98 in BOA, but I can see finals appearances as BOA and DCI score similarly. I’d expect the scores to look different though since they are weighted differently in each respective activity.

If there was a UIL style competition then I think the notion that a high school band would never make finals would hold up better since UIL focuses more on raw talent. 

[TXTrumpetGuy]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:14 PM, Dallas Hobbs said:

I honestly think a high school band making dci finals isn’t out of the question. Winning it of course would be extremely unlikely as drum corps regularly break 98 and there’s only ever been one 98 in BOA, but I can see finals appearances as BOA and DCI score similarly. I’d expect the scores to look different though since they are weighted differently in each respective activity.

If there was a UIL style competition then I think the notion that a high school band would never make finals would hold up better since UIL focuses more on raw talent. 

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I for one would love to see Carolina Crown compete at UIL.

[Vidal28]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:14 PM, Dallas Hobbs said:

I honestly think a high school band making dci finals isn’t out of the question. Winning it of course would be extremely unlikely as drum corps regularly break 98 and there’s only ever been one 98 in BOA, but I can see finals appearances as BOA and DCI score similarly. I’d expect the scores to look different though since they are weighted differently in each respective activity.

If there was a UIL style competition then I think the notion that a high school band would never make finals would hold up better since UIL focuses more on raw talent. 

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This isn’t the argument I’m trying to make tbh😂 but I do appreciate the optimism! Virtually every Texas band would have to downsize about 100 students to fit the DCI maximum requirements. Of course much of that would be woodwinds, but even still! I wouldn’t go that far, considering the leaps that every program would have to undergo when it comes to visual design, guard work and percussion capabilities. Some could do it with a more selective and challenged hornline, but you do definitely need the whole package to make DCI finals👀👀

[itsstephenyo]

Visually, no band matches a drum corp, of course. The top corps are just too clean visually. 

Musically, though, Hebron really does have an argument for beating out some corps. They're pumping out harder music, just as cleanly as some corps. 

[MikeKyu]

The Oak RIdge trumpet soloist has a tone that you don't hear very often in Texas marching bands. It's more of an Italian soloist tone, nice and rich. Good job on that solo. 

[snares]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:28 PM, itsstephenyo said:

Visually, no band matches a drum corp, of course. The top corps are just too clean visually. 

Musically, though, Hebron really does have an argument for beating out some corps. They're pumping out harder music, just as cleanly as some corps. 

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I was hoping that someone would point out the visual aspect of DCI, but there's even more than cleanliness, but the demand. Most high school bands, when they have a difficult section, will park and bark. Some drill is very difficult in high school, but it's literally nothing compared to what DCI groups do. 

Not only that, but the music difficulty for the most part is still lacking in comparison to DCI groups. I had only seen DCI shows in person (no BOA) since around 2015, and yes, the sound that some groups are able to produce is very similar to what some top cores produce, not quite in volume but in quality, it's not far off. But as far as difficulty is concerned, it's just not even really close. Hebron and Vandegrift both I think come the closest as far as musical technicality and just sheer amount of notes is concerned, but even those crazy triple tonguing sections that both bands do all the time is still short (not sure to what extent) of what most finalist DCI groups do. And again, these crazy difficult sections are on the move more often than not. I can see the argument of Hebron or Vandegrift's difficulty compared to a lower half DCI finalist, but just not top corps (so maybe our definition of a top corp is differing).

Don't get me wrong, what we have here is a gift to humanity that should be cherished for years on end. Sitting in BOA Finals on Saturday (my first live BOA event since Leonardo's Dream, can't remember what year that Flomo show was) was shocking because I had never heard a band produce the sounds that Hebron, TWHS, and Vista Ridge namely were producing, but there's more to competing with a drum corps than the sound that a band produces. 

Finally, a whole 'nother level to be considering is percussion and guard. The Austin schools here at State are some of the best percussion programs I've ever heard from a high school (outside of WGI), but the writing and cleanliness of drumlines, who typically have more members to clean as well, just isn't really on the same level. 

It's a fun conversation to have, I just felt like I needed to add just a tiny bit of context to It as well. And the fact that reading through these comments, thinking about it on my own, and being able to even consider that it's possible for someone like Hebron to make finals in DCI is insane to consider.

[itsstephenyo]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:46 PM, snares said:

I was hoping that someone would point out the visual aspect of DCI, but there's even more than cleanliness, but the demand. Most high school bands, when they have a difficult section, will park and bark. Some drill is very difficult in high school, but it's literally nothing compared to what DCI groups do. 

Not only that, but the music difficulty for the most part is still lacking in comparison to DCI groups. I had only seen DCI shows in person (no BOA) since around 2015, and yes, the sound that some groups are able to produce is very similar to what some top cores produce, not quite in volume but in quality, it's not far off. But as far as difficulty is concerned, it's just not even really close. Hebron and Vandegrift both I think come the closest as far as musical technicality and just sheer amount of notes is concerned, but even those crazy triple tonguing sections that both bands do all the time is still short (not sure to what extent) of what most finalist DCI groups do. And again, these crazy difficult sections are on the move more often than not. I can see the argument of Hebron or Vandegrift's difficulty compared to a lower half DCI finalist, but just not top corps (so maybe our definition of a top corp is differing).

Don't get me wrong, what we have here is a gift to humanity that should be cherished for years on end. Sitting in BOA Finals on Saturday (my first live BOA event since Leonardo's Dream, can't remember what year that Flomo show was) was shocking because I had never heard a band produce the sounds that Hebron, TWHS, and Vista Ridge namely were producing, but there's more to competing with a drum corps than the sound that a band produces. 

Finally, a whole 'nother level to be considering is percussion and guard. The Austin schools here at State are some of the best percussion programs I've ever heard from a high school (outside of WGI), but the writing and cleanliness of drumlines, who typically have more members to clean as well, just isn't really on the same level. 

It's a fun conversation to have, I just felt like I needed to add just a tiny bit of context to It as well. And the fact that reading through these comments, thinking about it on my own, and being able to even consider that it's possible for someone like Hebron to make finals in DCI is insane to consider.

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For sure, I'm not saying Hebron is beating out SCV, Bluecoats, BD, etc, but they might be pushing top 10/top15 corps in terms of music. Hebron's music book this year is so ridiculously hard. I remember going to DCI Denton this year and thinking, "Man, Penstriped was harder on the brass than this..." 

[1998-2018]

As the battle rages on, it seems noteworthy to remember the top DCI Corps rely heavily on horn lines full of Texas kids.

And then totally obliterate the eight hour rule.

[Samuel Culper]

Every top band in Texas blows DCI away in terms of woodwinds.

[Vidal28]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:46 PM, snares said:

I was hoping that someone would point out the visual aspect of DCI, but there's even more than cleanliness, but the demand. Most high school bands, when they have a difficult section, will park and bark. Some drill is very difficult in high school, but it's literally nothing compared to what DCI groups do. 

Not only that, but the music difficulty for the most part is still lacking in comparison to DCI groups. I had only seen DCI shows in person (no BOA) since around 2015, and yes, the sound that some groups are able to produce is very similar to what some top cores produce, not quite in volume but in quality, it's not far off. But as far as difficulty is concerned, it's just not even really close. Hebron and Vandegrift both I think come the closest as far as musical technicality and just sheer amount of notes is concerned, but even those crazy triple tonguing sections that both bands do all the time is still short (not sure to what extent) of what most finalist DCI groups do. And again, these crazy difficult sections are on the move more often than not. I can see the argument of Hebron or Vandegrift's difficulty compared to a lower half DCI finalist, but just not top corps (so maybe our definition of a top corp is differing).

Don't get me wrong, what we have here is a gift to humanity that should be cherished for years on end. Sitting in BOA Finals on Saturday (my first live BOA event since Leonardo's Dream, can't remember what year that Flomo show was) was shocking because I had never heard a band produce the sounds that Hebron, TWHS, and Vista Ridge namely were producing, but there's more to competing with a drum corps than the sound that a band produces. 

Finally, a whole 'nother level to be considering is percussion and guard. The Austin schools here at State are some of the best percussion programs I've ever heard from a high school (outside of WGI), but the writing and cleanliness of drumlines, who typically have more members to clean as well, just isn't really on the same level. 

It's a fun conversation to have, I just felt like I needed to add just a tiny bit of context to It as well. And the fact that reading through these comments, thinking about it on my own, and being able to even consider that it's possible for someone like Hebron to make finals in DCI is insane to consider.

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I’d just like to point out, I did mention this a few comments up from yours👀 as for hornlines, I believe Hebron has sections that can definitely hang with other bubble finalist hornlines due to their chops and difficulty of the  material they’re playing. You also mentioned quality being comparable and I definitely see Hebron’s trumpet sections of the previous two years and Hebron’s low brass last year to have IT👀 they were astounding to watch and listen to

[Vidal28]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:49 PM, itsstephenyo said:

For sure, I'm not saying Hebron is beating out SCV, Bluecoats, BD, etc, but they might be pushing top 10/top15 corps in terms of music. Hebron's music book this year is so ridiculously hard. I remember going to DCI Denton this year and thinking, "Man, Penstriped was harder on the brass than this..." 

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I thought the same on more than one occasion

[TXTrumpetGuy]

Fourth block, perhaps my favorite of the day so far!

Vista Ridge: Wow. They sound so good. The brass book is so well written and the kids play the heck out of it. The duet in the ballad is gorgeous, and the soloists sound so good together despite being so far apart from one another. The drill in the closer is so crazy and they nail it. Absolutely a medal contender, this may be the best Vista Ridge show I've ever seen.

Coppell: The flute soloist is so good! The rest of the band complements the soloist really nicely with a huge opening statement. They just keep getting better with the music in the opener. A beautiful saxophone solo in another killer ballad. The trumpet feature to open the closer is my favorite moment of the entire show. Every musician handles the rhythmic challenges of this music really well, making for an exciting finish.  Definitely their best run of the year for me!

Seven Lakes: Holy wow. What a big sound. The guard work at the end of the opener was *clean*. There are a lot of notes in the closer, and everyone is pulling it off. A really fun show and I think in the finals bubble. 

Oak Ridge: Every section in the brass balance really well together. The entire band really sounds good in all dynamic ranges. The low brass is throwing down, and their formations look really good. Overall a very solid performance!

Wylie East: The brass knows how to pack a punch. The Little Fugue arrangement is great, and showcases a lot of skills. The trumpet soloist sounds great, and really kicks off what is a beautiful ballad. The trombone feature in the closer is AWESOME, and I love how the crowd gets into it. The ending is so much fun, and the band is having a blast, as they should!

Tomball Memorial: What a fun show. These kids move so well on the field, everyone looks the same. The musical selections are really great all throughout, but the music in the closer really brings the show home. A really entertaining program.

Klein Oak: That first movement is sick. The double silk moment at the end of the ballad is really impactful too. Everyone looks really good in their movement, but especially their choreography. Mackey continues to play really well on the field, and they kill their rendition of Wine Dark Sea.

Harlingen: More Wine Dark Sea! The low brass is really holding it down with their volume. The ballad is beautiful, and the trombone solo might be the best brass solo I've heard today. The trumpet double tonguing feature in the closer sounded really good! You can tell how much the band loved performing this show at the end. A great performance!

[Jnp]

  On 11/8/2022 at 12:00 AM, TXTrumpetGuy said:

Fourth block, perhaps my favorite of the day so far!

Vista Ridge: Wow. They sound so good. The brass book is so well written and the kids play the heck out of it. The duet in the ballad is gorgeous, and the soloists sound so good together despite being so far apart from one another. The drill in the closer is so crazy and they nail it. Absolutely a medal contender, this may be the best Vista Ridge show I've ever seen.

Coppell: The flute soloist is so good! The rest of the band complements the soloist really nicely with a huge opening statement. They just keep getting better with the music in the opener. A beautiful saxophone solo in another killer ballad. The trumpet feature to open the closer is my favorite moment of the entire show. Every musician handles the rhythmic challenges of this music really well, making for an exciting finish.  Definitely their best run of the year for me!

Seven Lakes: Holy wow. What a big sound. The guard work at the end of the opener was *clean*. There are a lot of notes in the closer, and everyone is pulling it off. A really fun show and I think in the finals bubble. 

Oak Ridge: Every section in the brass balance really well together. The entire band really sounds good in all dynamic ranges. The low brass is throwing down, and their formations look really good. Overall a very solid performance!

Wylie East: The brass knows how to pack a punch. The Little Fugue arrangement is great, and showcases a lot of skills. The trumpet soloist sounds great, and really kicks off what is a beautiful ballad. The trombone feature in the closer is AWESOME, and I love how the crowd gets into it. The ending is so much fun, and the band is having a blast, as they should!

Tomball Memorial: What a fun show. These kids move so well on the field, everyone looks the same. The musical selections are really great all throughout, but the music in the closer really brings the show home. A really entertaining program.

Klein Oak: That first movement is sick. The double silk moment at the end of the ballad is really impactful too. Everyone looks really good in their movement, but especially their choreography. Mackey continues to play really well on the field, and they kill their rendition of Wine Dark Sea.

Harlingen: More Wine Dark Sea! The low brass is really holding it down with their volume. The ballad is beautiful, and the trombone solo might be the best brass solo I've heard today. The trumpet double tonguing feature in the closer sounded really good! You can tell how much the band loved performing this show at the end. A great performance!

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Which bands played wine dark sea?

[LeanderMomma]

  On 11/7/2022 at 5:10 PM, OldViolet said:

Dang! My email was returned. Is the address a .org and not .com?

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Yes evidently it’s music@uiltexas.org so sorry! 

Edited November 8, 2022 by LeanderMomma

[Dallas Hobbs]

  On 11/8/2022 at 12:12 AM, LeanderMomma said:

Yes evidently it’s music@texasuil.org so sorry! 

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They emailed me back and said they’ll give my feedback to whoever needs it

[LeanderMomma]

  On 11/7/2022 at 7:11 PM, Xenon said:

Just to make sure everyone has the right information, the correct email address for UIL Music is music@uiltexas.org not .com. The UIL absolutely does want to hear your opinions and feedback on this.

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Thanks friend!  

[littlejaw]

  On 11/7/2022 at 11:49 PM, itsstephenyo said:

For sure, I'm not saying Hebron is beating out SCV, Bluecoats, BD, etc, but they might be pushing top 10/top15 corps in terms of music. Hebron's music book this year is so ridiculously hard. I remember going to DCI Denton this year and thinking, "Man, Penstriped was harder on the brass than this..." 

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I’d have Hebron 20th maybe, and if they spent the same amount of time as a DCI group maybe 15th. It’s a different beast entirely.

[LeanderMomma]

  On 11/8/2022 at 12:13 AM, Dallas Hobbs said:

They emailed me back and said they’ll give my feedback to whoever needs it

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I still have the email wrong in your post. Ugh I’m so weary I’m not thinking straight!  It’s music@uiltexas.org.