2023 USBands Dallas Regional (Sept. 30)

[BandNerd07]

As if this contest hasn't been stacked enough, John Horn is attending. This is probably going to be the most stacked contest in North Texas. Even more so than Plano East, Wylie, and HEB.

[Tubalord11]

  On 7/10/2023 at 9:29 PM, BandNerd07 said:

As if this contest hasn't been stacked enough, John Horn is attending. This is probably going to be the most stacked contest in North Texas. Even more so than Plano East, Wylie, and HEB.

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It’s definitely going to be hard getting into finals, but definitely not as competitive overall or better quality bands compared to Wylie and HEB, and probably not PESH. Their are a ton of bands, but it’s mainly lower tier bands, while HEB and Wylie has the top of the top, snd PESH to be honest, but those bottom 6 spots are gonna be very competitive. 

[BandNerd07]

Here's how I group the bands attending:

Locks:

Southlake

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Likely:

Burleson

Burleson Centennial

Mansfield

Summit

North Crowley

North Forney

John Horn

Possible but not likely:

Godley

Weatherford

Timberview

Cleburne

Joshua

Lamar

Everman

Crowley

[Tubalord11]

  On 7/11/2023 at 2:28 AM, BandNerd07 said:

Here's how I group the bands attending:

Locks:

Southlake

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Likely:

Burleson

Burleson Centennial

Mansfield

Summit

North Crowley

North Forney

John Horn

Possible but not likely:

Godley

Weatherford

Timberview

Cleburne

Joshua

Lamar

Everman

Crowley

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Perfect list 

[BandNerd07]

One thing I've just been concerned about is how the Crowley ISD bands stand here. Like imagine not making finals on your own home turf...

[RyanRaider22]

Nobody here has mentioned Ryan. I think they for sure can place above Everman and both Crowley schools. They've also been getting bigger every year. In 2021 they had 7 trombones and are now up to 22.

The other bands are kind of a wildcard honestly. They might beat Tview and Lamar as well, but I don't have faith in them beating the larger bands just because it's easier to find mistakes in smaller bands like Ryan.

I think summit has also been free falling down hill over the past year. Not a bad band at all, just definitely not where they used to be.

[Tubalord11]

  On 7/17/2023 at 12:22 PM, RyanRaider22 said:

Nobody here has mentioned Ryan. I think they for sure can place above Everman and both Crowley schools. They've also been getting bigger every year. In 2021 they had 7 trombones and are now up to 22.

The other bands are kind of a wildcard honestly. They might beat Tview and Lamar as well, but I don't have faith in them beating the larger bands just because it's easier to find mistakes in smaller bands like Ryan.

I think summit has also been free falling down hill over the past year. Not a bad band at all, just definitely not where they used to be.

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Summit got a new band director after 2021, so last year was a rebuild year for them. I do think Ryan will place well, but they have still been “struggling” to find any moment to get them placed high at any comp. Idk if it’s the staff, but I’ve seen them a good amount, normally at Golden Triangle, and they always sound good, but place towards the bottom. 

[RyanRaider22]

  On 7/17/2023 at 3:35 PM, Tubalord11 said:

Summit got a new band director after 2021, so last year was a rebuild year for them. I do think Ryan will place well, but they have still been “struggling” to find any moment to get them placed high at any comp. Idk if it’s the staff, but I’ve seen them a good amount, normally at Golden Triangle, and they always sound good, but place towards the bottom. 

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(Sorry for the little rant lol)

I think there's several reasons Ryan sounds great but places towards the bottom compared to the big guys.

I think the reasons as an alumni would be:

Until 3 years ago, one out of our two middle school feeders had an incompetent band director put there by the district. (They have a boa level director now) and the other middle school has always had a great director. The district in general doesn't really care about us. They throw all their money at Braswell while our band hall is running out of space, with little support or recognition from the district other than the occasional Twitter post.

Most schools have an entire team for the band while our program only has 2 directors in charge of everything. (One of which is battling cancer currently :/)

A very transient and economically disadvantaged student population. In 2021 we had to come up with an entirely different show on the fly during band camp because most of our percussion section moved away or had to start working jobs to support their families.

I think the biggest reason is the animosity our school gets from sadly both competing students and other band parents from other programs. We've been called slurs by other band programs members and their parents sadly aren't much better. It's easy to lose motivation when even parents are saying in the stands "oh it's Ryan, those guys are lazy." Or "these guys don't even have show themed uniforms. Haha!"

They're a great program with a lot of adversity to overcome, but that's what makes them stronger as players and as people. I can vouch for that. 😎

[BandNerd07]

Dang, that sucks. I never knew about what the Ryan band has been through. I'm pretty sure I can't even find a single video of Ryan from this year. The other bands (Denton, Braswell, and Guyer) probably have a team for the band and are respected by the other programs. So sorry to hear that. 😞

[Tubalord11]

  On 7/17/2023 at 11:39 PM, RyanRaider22 said:

(Sorry for the little rant lol)

I think there's several reasons Ryan sounds great but places towards the bottom compared to the big guys.

I think the reasons as an alumni would be:

Until 3 years ago, one out of our two middle school feeders had an incompetent band director put there by the district. (They have a boa level director now) and the other middle school has always had a great director. The district in general doesn't really care about us. They throw all their money at Braswell while our band hall is running out of space, with little support or recognition from the district other than the occasional Twitter post.

Most schools have an entire team for the band while our program only has 2 directors in charge of everything. (One of which is battling cancer currently :/)

A very transient and economically disadvantaged student population. In 2021 we had to come up with an entirely different show on the fly during band camp because most of our percussion section moved away or had to start working jobs to support their families.

I think the biggest reason is the animosity our school gets from sadly both competing students and other band parents from other programs. We've been called slurs by other band programs members and their parents sadly aren't much better. It's easy to lose motivation when even parents are saying in the stands "oh it's Ryan, those guys are lazy." Or "these guys don't even have show themed uniforms. Haha!"

They're a great program with a lot of adversity to overcome, but that's what makes them stronger as players and as people. I can vouch for that. 😎

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Dang bro I’m sorry. I’ve always loved watching y’all, and that’s really sad to hear. I mean tbh, not to me rude or anything, but you can tell they throw all the band $ into Braswell as they are only getting better and doing better each year, but at y’all’s cost. Ryan has so much more potential imo than Denton and Guyer hs, so hopefully someone realizes this and starts putting in more resources into Ryan. 

[BandNerd07]

But anyway, I decided to make an overview of all of the other bands attending this comp:

J.J. Pearce, Lewisville, Southlake Carroll, V.R. Eaton: Locks for Finals

Cleburne/North Crowley- Both of these programs have had a rough start back from COVID, but they've made massive improvements this past season and has made Finals at most of their contests, which was rare for them in 2021. They've also made their highest placement at their respective Area since their Region (Region 30) formed in 2016. 

Crowley/Everman- They've been on the low for some time and has gotten 2s at Region consecutively since 2018. I don't know what's going on with these programs but I don't think they will be able to claim a Finals spot.

Lamar- I don't really know what happened to them because it seems like they've gotten worse this year with them getting 2s at Region. They're not really one to miss out on Area like that but I wouldn't expect them to make it.

Burleson/Mansfield/Summit- There has been a decline in the quality of their shows over the year I'm noticing. I'm not saying they're going to be out of Finals as they have a greater chance of making it then Crowley, Everman, and Lamar. But COVID might also be to blame. 

Burleson Centennial- I guess you could say that Centennial is also a lock, but I don't think they're quite on the level of the first 4 bands yet. But nonetheless I'd still be shocked if they missed Finals.

Joshua/Weatherford- They have improved more this year, but not at the rate of Cleburne or North Crowley. In fact, I'd say they would be lower than Cleburne and NC if making Finals at all. 

Irving/Timberview- Being smaller bands, they still manage to play twice their size and beat several bands twice their size. They will probably not claim a Finals spot, unfortunately as Burleson has moved down to Class 2, with them.

John Horn- They tend to have rough starts early season, but by the end of the season they can be really good. This being an early season contest, we'll just have to see how they do.

Denton- They're kind of been on the lower end for some time, but they're also not terrible. I'd say they'd be in the last band in Finals or one of the first out of Finals.

Godley- They're also a small band, Class I in fact, but this is also one that you shouldn't judge. Sure they're a smaller 4A band, but they do have a reputation of making Finals, even if their on the bottom end. Plus, it's a freebie for them anyway being the only Class I band here.

Castleberry, Grandview, Troy- These bands are 3A-4A bands so they're not going to be big as you can imagine, but unfortunately their chances of making Finals are slim because of how many band that are competing, and too many 5A-6A bands here.

North Forney- I'd say they have just as good of a chance as making Finals here as Cleburne and North Crowley.

Midlothian Heritage- This one is polarizing for me because they can either do well, and not do so well, depending on the comp they're going to.

 

So overall here's just a little something about each band, and I came up with the conclusion of who has the higher chance of making Finals:

Southlake Carroll

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Burleson Centennial

Cleburne

North Crowley

North Forney

Burleson

Mansfield

Summit

Godley

 

 

 

[RyanRaider22]

  On 7/18/2023 at 1:02 AM, BandNerd07 said:

Dang, that sucks. I never knew about what the Ryan band has been through. I'm pretty sure I can't even find a single video of Ryan from this year. The other bands (Denton, Braswell, and Guyer) probably have a team for the band and are respected by the other programs. So sorry to hear that. 😞

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Sorry for the bump but, I did some digging and other than the video I uploaded of "Horizon" part 1 from late August (which is missing the flute duet and synth stuff) the only other video I could find is parts 2 and 3 of "Horizon" when Ryan played against Aledo the night before Area B.

Late August:

Night before Area:

 

[RyanRaider22]

  On 7/18/2023 at 1:37 AM, BandNerd07 said:

But anyway, I decided to make an overview of all of the other bands attending this comp:

J.J. Pearce, Lewisville, Southlake Carroll, V.R. Eaton: Locks for Finals

Cleburne/North Crowley- Both of these programs have had a rough start back from COVID, but they've made massive improvements this past season and has made Finals at most of their contests, which was rare for them in 2021. They've also made their highest placement at their respective Area since their Region (Region 30) formed in 2016. 

Crowley/Everman- They've been on the low for some time and has gotten 2s at Region consecutively since 2018. I don't know what's going on with these programs but I don't think they will be able to claim a Finals spot.

Lamar- I don't really know what happened to them because it seems like they've gotten worse this year with them getting 2s at Region. They're not really one to miss out on Area like that but I wouldn't expect them to make it.

Burleson/Mansfield/Summit- There has been a decline in the quality of their shows over the year I'm noticing. I'm not saying they're going to be out of Finals as they have a greater chance of making it then Crowley, Everman, and Lamar. But COVID might also be to blame. 

Burleson Centennial- I guess you could say that Centennial is also a lock, but I don't think they're quite on the level of the first 4 bands yet. But nonetheless I'd still be shocked if they missed Finals.

Joshua/Weatherford- They have improved more this year, but not at the rate of Cleburne or North Crowley. In fact, I'd say they would be lower than Cleburne and NC if making Finals at all. 

Irving/Timberview- Being smaller bands, they still manage to play twice their size and beat several bands twice their size. They will probably not claim a Finals spot, unfortunately as Burleson has moved down to Class 2, with them.

John Horn- They tend to have rough starts early season, but by the end of the season they can be really good. This being an early season contest, we'll just have to see how they do.

Denton- They're kind of been on the lower end for some time, but they're also not terrible. I'd say they'd be in the last band in Finals or one of the first out of Finals.

Godley- They're also a small band, Class I in fact, but this is also one that you shouldn't judge. Sure they're a smaller 4A band, but they do have a reputation of making Finals, even if their on the bottom end. Plus, it's a freebie for them anyway being the only Class I band here.

Castleberry, Grandview, Troy- These bands are 3A-4A bands so they're not going to be big as you can imagine, but unfortunately their chances of making Finals are slim because of how many band that are competing, and too many 5A-6A bands here.

North Forney- I'd say they have just as good of a chance as making Finals here as Cleburne and North Crowley.

Midlothian Heritage- This one is polarizing for me because they can either do well, and not do so well, depending on the comp they're going to.

 

So overall here's just a little something about each band, and I came up with the conclusion of who has the higher chance of making Finals:

Southlake Carroll

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Burleson Centennial

Cleburne

North Crowley

North Forney

Burleson

Mansfield

Summit

Godley

 

 

 

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This is a great list. I love Tview's interesting shows and Godley is a strong group. I saw John Horn last year and they were great with a nice warm tone throughout. They had a solid performance. Castleberry did very good for themselves last year. They made it to finals at several contests but I agree there are too many large bands for them to place at the top most likely.

[Zkxng]

Just going back onto the Southwest attendance thing, They are going they just need to register for the event. How are you feeling about them?

  On 7/18/2023 at 1:37 AM, BandNerd07 said:

But anyway, I decided to make an overview of all of the other bands attending this comp:

J.J. Pearce, Lewisville, Southlake Carroll, V.R. Eaton: Locks for Finals

Cleburne/North Crowley- Both of these programs have had a rough start back from COVID, but they've made massive improvements this past season and has made Finals at most of their contests, which was rare for them in 2021. They've also made their highest placement at their respective Area since their Region (Region 30) formed in 2016. 

Crowley/Everman- They've been on the low for some time and has gotten 2s at Region consecutively since 2018. I don't know what's going on with these programs but I don't think they will be able to claim a Finals spot.

Lamar- I don't really know what happened to them because it seems like they've gotten worse this year with them getting 2s at Region. They're not really one to miss out on Area like that but I wouldn't expect them to make it.

Burleson/Mansfield/Summit- There has been a decline in the quality of their shows over the year I'm noticing. I'm not saying they're going to be out of Finals as they have a greater chance of making it then Crowley, Everman, and Lamar. But COVID might also be to blame. 

Burleson Centennial- I guess you could say that Centennial is also a lock, but I don't think they're quite on the level of the first 4 bands yet. But nonetheless I'd still be shocked if they missed Finals.

Joshua/Weatherford- They have improved more this year, but not at the rate of Cleburne or North Crowley. In fact, I'd say they would be lower than Cleburne and NC if making Finals at all. 

Irving/Timberview- Being smaller bands, they still manage to play twice their size and beat several bands twice their size. They will probably not claim a Finals spot, unfortunately as Burleson has moved down to Class 2, with them.

John Horn- They tend to have rough starts early season, but by the end of the season they can be really good. This being an early season contest, we'll just have to see how they do.

Denton- They're kind of been on the lower end for some time, but they're also not terrible. I'd say they'd be in the last band in Finals or one of the first out of Finals.

Godley- They're also a small band, Class I in fact, but this is also one that you shouldn't judge. Sure they're a smaller 4A band, but they do have a reputation of making Finals, even if their on the bottom end. Plus, it's a freebie for them anyway being the only Class I band here.

Castleberry, Grandview, Troy- These bands are 3A-4A bands so they're not going to be big as you can imagine, but unfortunately their chances of making Finals are slim because of how many band that are competing, and too many 5A-6A bands here.

North Forney- I'd say they have just as good of a chance as making Finals here as Cleburne and North Crowley.

Midlothian Heritage- This one is polarizing for me because they can either do well, and not do so well, depending on the comp they're going to.

 

So overall here's just a little something about each band, and I came up with the conclusion of who has the higher chance of making Finals:

Southlake Carroll

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Burleson Centennial

Cleburne

North Crowley

North Forney

Burleson

Mansfield

Summit

Godley

 

 

 

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Southwest is going, they just need to register for the event, how are you feeling about them? Another thing is they tied with Burleson at Area last year and won over them due to preference.

[BandNerd07]

Yeah, I'd say that they are at a level around Tview, Cleburne, and North Crowley. These bands actually did not score far from each other at the Birdville Festival last year.

[BandNerd07]

But if anything, this contest is really a bloodbath because most of all of these bands are on the same tier or closer to the same tier and realistically, any one of these bands could take that finalist spot. I kinda just nickname this "The BOA for mid-lower tier bands" if anything.

[BandNerd07]

I know probably no one’s going to talk about or even mention North Crowley, mainly due to their low placements at contests these last few years, but here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t sleep on them:

• We just recently underwent a major staff change (not a new head director, but a new associate director, percussion director, and color guard director.
• We have a VERY challenging and cohesive show theme this year (the staff changes help and a higher level of show will result in better placements in contests)
• We have freshmen who can play at a really high level (we’ve never had this many freshmen in wind ensemble like ever), and the feeder middle schools are also very good.

And I know many of you may think that I’m just biased toward the band I’m in, and I’m not saying we’re god tier bands like Hebron, Vandegrift, or The Woodlands. In fact it probably won’t happen anytime soon, but we might be considered as a B Tier band. Also not to mention our band has grown A TON since we’ve gotten out of COVID, and everyone here at NC is having a really good feeling this year. We might just be the band that surprises everyone at Area B later in the season.

[Dave609]

  On 7/26/2023 at 12:33 AM, BandNerd07 said:

I know probably no one’s going to talk about or even mention North Crowley, mainly due to their low placements at contests these last few years, but here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t sleep on them:

• We just recently underwent a major staff change (not a new head director, but a new associate director, percussion director, and color guard director.
• We have a VERY challenging and cohesive show theme this year (the staff changes help and a higher level of show will result in better placements in contests)
• We have freshmen who can play at a really high level (we’ve never had this many freshmen in wind ensemble like ever), and the feeder middle schools are also very good.

And I know many of you may think that I’m just biased toward the band I’m in, and I’m not saying we’re god tier bands like Hebron, Vandegrift, or The Woodlands. In fact it probably won’t happen anytime soon, but we might be considered as a B Tier band. Also not to mention our band has grown A TON since we’ve gotten out of COVID, and everyone here at NC is having a really good feeling this year. We might just be the band that surprises everyone at Area B later in the season.

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wish ya'll the best of luck this season! 

[BandNerd07]

UPDATE: There is now 30 bands registered for this contest and as confirmed by USBands, there will be 12 bands in finals. This contest is also now wait listed.

[BandNerd07]

  On 7/18/2023 at 11:38 PM, Zkxng said:

Just going back onto the Southwest attendance thing, They are going they just need to register for the event. How are you feeling about them?

Southwest is going, they just need to register for the event, how are you feeling about them? Another thing is they tied with Burleson at Area last year and won over them due to preference.

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Well, at this point I doubt they are going because this contest is now closed and is currently being waitlisted.

[BandNerd07]

So it looks like Lamar and John Horn are out, and Southwest and Stephenville are in.

[Skillet2019]

  On 7/11/2023 at 2:28 AM, BandNerd07 said:

Here's how I group the bands attending:

Locks:

Southlake

Lewisville

V.R. Eaton

J.J. Pearce

Likely:

Burleson

Burleson Centennial

Mansfield

Summit

North Crowley

North Forney

John Horn

Possible but not likely:

Godley

Weatherford

Timberview

Cleburne

Joshua

Lamar

Everman

Crowley

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Godley went to BOTH of their USBands competitions last year and won D2 in both and won all captions(there was more than one). In Saginaw, yes they placed 12th in Finals, but the 2nd one(held at ATT Stadium), they placed 7th.

[BandNerd07]

  On 8/26/2023 at 4:13 PM, Skillet2019 said:

Godley went to BOTH of their USBands competitions last year and won D2 in both and won all captions(there was more than one). In Saginaw, yes they placed 12th in Finals, but the 2nd one(held at ATT Stadium), they placed 7th.

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Yeah, I think I had made this list before realizing that the group champion automatically makes finals regardless of placement in prelims, and Godley is the only Group 1 band here, so they're basically guaranteed a finals spot, unless another Group 1 band enters this competition. With that being said, this competition is already really stacked as it is and being the smallest band there, I just don't see them placing high in finals. I'm not implying that they are a bad band in any way, but compared to bands like SLC, Lewisville, and North Garland, I just don't see them getting super high here.

[BandNerd07]

  On 4/22/2023 at 3:42 AM, BandNerd07 said:

The USBands Dallas Regional will be held on Saturday September 30, 2023 at the Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium.

Tentative Schedule:

Godley HS - 8:30

Grandview HS - 8:45 

Waco HS - 9:00

Timberview HS - 9:15

Irving HS - 9:30 

Troy HS - 9:45

Everman HS - 10:00

Burleson HS - 10:15

BREAK - 10:30

Southwest HS - 10:45

Stephenville HS - 11:00

MacArthur HS - 11:15

Summit HS - 11:30

Joshua HS - 11:45

North Forney HS - 12:00

North Crowley HS - 12:15

BREAK - 12:30

Ryan HS - 12:45

Denton HS - 1:00

Midlothian Heritage HS - 1:15

Parkway HS (LA) - 1:30

Cleburne HS - 1:45 

Crowley HS - 2:00

BREAK - 2:15

North Garland HS - 2:45

Weatherford HS - 3:00

V.R. Eaton HS - 3:15

Mansfield HS - 3:30 

Centennial HS - 3:45 

J.J. Pearce HS - 4:00

Southlake Carroll HS - 4:15

Lewisville HS - 4:30

 

 

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The schedule is now out!

[BandNerd07]

Okay, so here the thing as we get closer to the day of this contest. This is going to be the biggest comp (at least in DFW) this week. Though it might not have as many state tier bands like HEB or Wylie, it is definitely going to be a fun show. I think bands like Southlake, Lewisville, Pearce, and Centennial are secure in finals, it is going to be a be a war for these bands to get into finals:

Mansfield

Summit

North Forney

North Crowley

Cleburne

Everman

Midlothian Heritage

Ryan

Timberview

Burleson

Crowley

So there ya go, 11 potential finalists, but only 8 of these are actually going to make it. Lmk what yall think this comp might look like this Saturday.