UIL 6A Area B 2023

[tlivingston]

Was there for the first half of prelims this morning and I want to give a shout out to Bowie and Grand Prairie.  Both of those bands played and marched well.  The directors there are doing great work.

I was also super impressed with the way Haltom City held their volume level in reserve and only hinted at it until the very end.  Excellent control from that group. 

[crunchycookie3]

It seems the other areas know their prelims placements, does anyone know how it stacked up here?

[Gehrig4]

And we’re back!   Jj Pearce on the field now - Haltom and bell are all that’s left.  
 

45 mins or so until awards

[Gehrig4]

Haltom really surprising with great visuals and a really nice sound.     Almost a patriotic feel     Love seeing them with this kind of effort.   The run movement at the end was very cool.      I honestly think this might have a shot.    

[Clarinet Lord]

1.Coppell

2.Waxahachie

3.Ld Bell

4. Timber Creek

5.keller

6.Holtom

7th.Berkner

WOW

[Asaiah]

Let's go Hachie!!

[Vidal28]

With the site moving slower than a bleeping snail the last several hours!!…. Finally able to get back on the site and post my thoughts.

TC- as solid of a start as you can ask for when you’re up first!! There was a plague of electronics failures for many bands tonight and they were lucky not to have dealt with any iirc. Very solid in all respects. Ambitious movement, varying and challenging spacing environments where nothing went off sync or wavering timing-wise. My only complaint, which is simply a different preference for the sound palette and balance of the group, very good, but I just felt the high brass, specifically trumpet were swallowed up by the middle voices a bit too much, I felt there wasn’t enough variance and brilliance to the sound. Minor preferential complaint that isn’t super impactful ultimately, great job TC! Guard was very good too, almost forgot to mention! 
 

Berkner- Really enjoyed y’all’s show, becoming more and more consistent as a finalist in this area is a great place to be, very challenging show and very smartly staging ensemble and section features at critical moments, the soloists were great, lots of demand both visually and musically in this show for sure!! Very curious to see where y’all place!

Wax- very fun pre show and announcer, it’s 1849 and we know it with all they have going on staging/costuming wise! Love all of the soloists, my only minor complaint is that I feel there may be a bit too much reverb with their feedback to us, I don’t really think they need it, they all sound great! Very strong all around in all sections. Always enjoy that one major 7th chord in the ballad, look forward to that warmth every time it comes up. Same with Rocky Point which is becoming a staple for this band to play, I have definitely heard you guys play this in the recent past and you guys do a great job with it! Very much deserving of a state spot, best of luck to y’all.

Duncanville- Solid, all-around program, they definitely make their show feel very complete and whole with the time allotted, many exposed section moments, mentioned earlier in the thread there was that cool trumpet fanfare opener, many in the area are evoked of another show notably using that tune(✈️) pretty much every section having a color, team to call their own is pretty cool. I feel that with some bands tonight, not just Duncanville, they felt pretty in-the-pocket, risk-averse with their sound, which with UIL is of course not a bad path to go on, but it left me wanting a bit for more impactful moments musically. Still though, great job as a whole, very deserving to have made it this far!

Coppell- This one hurt me, one of the electronics failures affecting Coppell’s opening woodwind ensemble, loved hearing it the first time at BOA DFW prelims with it all working, y’all were nails there and I’m sure that hasn’t changed!! I just wasn’t able to hear the opening tune that well! They were definitely my prediction for Area champion going into the contest and they still confirmed my belief, despite the bits of bad luck that happened. Coppell has a habit of reprising one of their tunes right at the end and they did so again, really enjoyed that! Haha

KC- unfortunately yet again another victim of the electronic failures, especially when it’s a show where the featured soloist is pivotal to the show, and yet they still made the crowd incredibly excited and entertained with their stellar brass section, they have definitely elevated over the last several years in the ambition and difficulty department. I loved the intensity and intent they brought to everything they did, the ballad was unique with the muted trumpet feature always being an interesting part of the color in that moment. The closer definitely had some folks moving in their seats, great contest to premiere it in too. I definitely want them making state and also making noise at BOASA, they’re trending upward as of late, I think they can!

I’m going to do a “to be continued” with the second half of finals, my predicted state finalists are the ones I expected before the contest:

1. Coppell

2. Waxahachie

3. Timber Creek

4. Keller

5. Keller Central

6. Bell

7. Southlake Carroll

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

8. Berkner

9. Duncanville

10. Haltom

11. Pearce

12. Lake Highlands

Let’s see if I’m right!!

 

[Dallas Hobbs]

My heavens, the server was in shambles all night and I couldn’t post anything because the dang website would not load!

[RandomGuardPerson]

2 hours ago, Clarinet Lord said:

1.Coppell

2.Waxahachie

3.Ld Bell

4. Timber Creek

5.keller

6.Holtom

7th.Berkner

WOW

I’m so proud of Berkner, it’s nice to see a RISD school going to state this year!!!!

[LeanderMomma]

5 hours ago, Dallas Hobbs said:

My heavens, the server was in shambles all night and I couldn’t post anything because the dang website would not load!

Yes it was!  I hope it doesn’t happen again next week!

[balumni2023]

Congratulations to all the Area B finalist bands and the top 7 moving on to State! I think every band should be proud of the amount of hard work and talent that they put on the field. 
 

The only lock I have for State finals is Coppell, but any of the top 7 could make it depending on how strong their runs are. It’s just going to be super competitive, but with Cedar Ridge not advancing to State, that frees up a spot. 

[ilovebandRAHHH]

6 hours ago, Dallas Hobbs said:

My heavens, the server was in shambles all night and I couldn’t post anything because the dang website would not load!

ik i asked earlier but what were your thoughts on richardson? unfortunately we were victims of electronic issues

[BandNerd07]

Was it just me or did this whole page crash for several hours yesterday? Anyways here is my commentary for yesterday.

I'm extremely happy for Haltom and Berkner making state. Berkner I definitely had in finals, but wasn't so sure they could snag a state spot. As for Haltom, I wasn't so sure that they would even get past area prelims but to see that the qualified for state is beyond me.

I was definitely shocked that Keller Central didn't make it. They are a really good band that I was really hoping to see make state.

As for SLC, as much as I really like their show, I guess their show was more of a BOA show than UIL, which is why I was disappointed but understandable at the same time.

Dville had an alright show, but for me, it wasn't really as memorable as last year's show.

I was also excited for Pearce sneaking into finals here as well. Wow, 3 Richardson ISD bands in area finals. It really seems like RISD is trying to become a really good district for marching band, like LISD and KISD. With Richardson High just barely out, I think they will get it next year as they improved a lot this year. 

Lake Ridge not making finals was a shocker. I knew from the very beginning that their show wasn't as strong as it was in past years, but was definitely not expecting them to miss finals. 

What the heck happened to Fossil Ridge!?!?!?! They were having a pretty good season, but found out that they went from 13th last year to 23rd. 

James Martin placed lower than I was expecting them to. I knew they were having an issue adapting to a director change but I didn't know that would be enough to drop them to 21st.

So yeah, there's my takeaways from area b this year!

[Brent]

6 hours ago, RandomGuardPerson said:

I’m so proud of Berkner, it’s nice to see a RISD school going to state this year!!!!

RISD has only been in this district for a short time. But Berkner was a perennial State band for 20+ years in their old district. Good to see them rising to the occasion here. 

[Percplayer19]

Congratulations to the Haltom Band and their directors. 

[Linkus]

Thoughts on legacy?

[Gehrig4]

Really loved @Vidal28 analysis - and I won’t simply echo - but I’ll give a simpler analysis 

coppell-  it’s balanced.  It’s challenging.   It’s professional.   They play with confidence.    It makes such a difference. 
 

waxahachie - let me start by saying from the first time I saw this show I loved the music.   It’s cohesive and full of moments.   It’s thematic and bright.    But let me also say that I truly think you don’t go from where they were a week ago to state finalists if there are judges on the field.   2nd place?   Zero chance.  The marching is nowhere near that level.    But congrats to them.   Hate the game not the player.   
 

bell- I didn’t wanna like it.    But I did.    I’ve seen this show three or four times now. When I first saw it,  I felt it was trite , and even artsy pretentious.   But last night- the sound was so full and dynamic and it was marched with great execution (and I had binoculars).  They deserved their placing.   Nice work 

tc- the thing that struck me was this- Timber Creek Is no longer a fringe band.  They’ve beaten Keller over and over again over the last two years - they’ve three peated to state.  This show is more challenging and dynamic than any of their previous -   While we were stunned and shocked that they got in before - this time - would anyone have been shocked if they placed second?   Nope.  
 

keller-  first the good-     The sound has improved tremendously through the season.  Visually it’s better too.    But that drill is crunchy and it was the weakest of the top five for sure.    I also wonder openly if this is a band whose show selections have jumped the shark.  If you want your audience to sign and hold out their pinky while drinking champagne - always remember they’d rather hear the flintstones theme.  
 

haltom - they walked on the field and I said - love the uniforms. Love the setup.  
this will be “cute”.    Then they blew me out of my seat.   I knew they made it at the end.   If Keller had done this show with their musical ability - look out.    So fun to see their kids celebrate through the gate at the end of the field.  
 

berkner- area always has at least one band with just utter joy.    This was it.   Look, they beat Carroll and central (who has to be heartbroken) and that’s not nothin.  
 

one judge made the difference as Carroll got spiked and Berkner got a very favorable ordinal.  (4 vs 12).    Remove the “Russian judge” and Carroll wins.   (29 - berkner 32, central 34).     Prelims were Carroll 23 , Berkner 29. (In music).  

if you want to cause chaos in judging - don’t show the points.       
again, hate the game not the player.  
 

you’d have to be salty this am if you’re Carroll- and you can see why.   But it is what it is.   We were lucky to have 7 bands go.   Last two were 5 and 6.  

looking forward - I agree that Coppell has a finals glare to them - sorry haters.   Wax tops out here- but could bell or tc move up?  
it’s sure a gauntlet at state.  Yikes.   But let’s play the cards and see.  

fun night.  
 

[Tubalord11]

Congratulations to Coppell on the 3-peat! Not many surprises here in the 1st-5th range. Really feel bad for KC, was hoping this would be the year that they got in, but ik it's only a matter of time before they do! Super happy for Haltom and Berkner, ik the kids must have been super excited when they announced the results. Nice to see Pearce finally slipping into finals after years not making it due to 1 or 2 judges tanking their rankings, very well deserved. I'm not too surprised about Lake Ridge, I think they could still do fine at BOA Waco, but it's just not a super strong show, definitely have some work to do over there, but they've got one more comp to finish strongly on, and I believe they will. Congrats to all our state qualifiers, this state marching contest is turning out to be possibly the most difficult one in terms of getting into finals 

[cjm715]

Congrats to Haltom and Berkner on making the SMBC!! How long has it been for both programs since they’ve been to San Antonio for UIL?

 

[OldBandDude]

Huge fan of the shows from Berkner, Haltom, and Keller.  These are just fun shows that each had some incredibly memorable elements.

I was super curious whether SLC would make it.  My initial instinct after watching their finals performance was "no."  The flute and F Horn soloists were incredible but the marching precision was definitely lagging behind the finalists.  

Such an incredibly competitive Area.

[BandNerd07]

9 hours ago, Dallas Hobbs said:

My heavens, the server was in shambles all night and I couldn’t post anything because the dang website would not load!

Yeah I know right! Out of all days, it just had to be area Saturday...

[BandFanForever]

2 hours ago, BandNerd07 said:

Was it just me or did this whole page crash for several hours yesterday? Anyways here is my commentary for yesterday.

I'm extremely happy for Haltom and Berkner making state. Berkner I definitely had in finals, but wasn't so sure they could snag a state spot. As for Haltom, I wasn't so sure that they would even get past area prelims but to see that the qualified for state is beyond me.

I was definitely shocked that Keller Central didn't make it. They are a really good band that I was really hoping to see make state.

As for SLC, as much as I really like their show, I guess their show was more of a BOA show than UIL, which is why I was disappointed but understandable at the same time.

Dville had an alright show, but for me, it wasn't really as memorable as last year's show.

I was also excited for Pearce sneaking into finals here as well. Wow, 3 Richardson ISD bands in area finals. It really seems like RISD is trying to become a really good district for marching band, like LISD and KISD. With Richardson High just barely out, I think they will get it next year as they improved a lot this year. 

Lake Ridge not making finals was a shocker. I knew from the very beginning that their show wasn't as strong as it was in past years, but was definitely not expecting them to miss finals. 

What the heck happened to Fossil Ridge!?!?!?! They were having a pretty good season, but found out that they went from 13th last year to 23rd. 

James Martin placed lower than I was expecting them to. I knew they were having an issue adapting to a director change but I didn't know that would be enough to drop them to 21st.

So yeah, there's my takeaways from area b this year!

The Fossil kids were super devastated and confused. They had a really good run at 8:30 in the morning, and they beat many of the bands that placed ahead of them earlier in the season. They just fielded their part 4 like the day before Prosper, and it was complicated, so maybe it still wasn't as clean as it needed to be? They were also sandwiched directly between LD Bell and Duncanville in prelims, so maybe their weaker areas looked even more obvious by comparison?? Who knows? All we can say is that there was a lot of shock and a ton of tears. Very sad. But congrats to the bands that advanced!! Great job!

[Dallas Hobbs]

Btw my apologies for not commenting on Richardson high school. I know someone asked about them. Somehow I forgot to comment on them. I even forgot to put a place for them in my prelims placement predictions!🤦🏾‍♂️ But I see that they got 14th place out of 35(!) bands so they must have been superb anyway!

[CosmicLimbo]

A little late to the party but huge congrats to Haltom and Berkner! Incredible incredible achievement and I’m sure those kids are just buzzing with excitement! Good luck in San Antonio!

[Vidal28]

From my HR post, more thoughts on the advancing groups:
Had an inkling that Berkner’s show would get rewarded, had them 8, just outside of state in my predictions, great run from them, a very smart and well executed show with lots of difficulty involved and they played really well. They definitely deserve it!! As some folks mentioned, also Duncanville felt me wanting a bit, the theme was cool but everything else putting it together was all just a bit too underwhelming for them to make it out of Area. I had Haltom out by some distance, 10th in my predictions. They definitely played it safer with their control and sound output, but they also presented out onto the field with all the kids they had out there, and had a really fantastic look with their wind and guard costumes, they moved well, had challenging movement including a very difficult pass-through cover down drill move to end it! Very creative in those regards, even though they played it a bit safe for me musically and left me wanting a bit, that’s not a bad strategy at all for UIL!! 

The two bands that got the short end of the stick in KC and Carroll yet again were radically in contrast to them, many explosive moments to be had, and I was definitely rooting for KC to make state, probably my favorite of the night for me! Both bands now are able to focus on their only contest remaining, BOASA and St. Louis, respectively. No doubt they wanna make some noise and end their seasons on a high note, I believe they can! 

Keller is rounding into form again, a 5th place finish isn’t too alarming considering they comfortably made it in and aren’t too terribly focused on UIL this year. They had a bit of a rough start with the bugle feature right at the very beginning but they pulled it together and they definitely gave me several chills with the Mahler to end their show especially. There are moments where they go too heavy on synth buildup, especially with their transition away from their ballad where there’s lots of synth buildup only for it to abruptly end and stop before moving on to their closer. I’d highly advise them to just remove that, because that is one unnecessary moment of audience whiplash in an otherwise very beautiful show!!