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Post by Leasingflyer on Mar 10, 2020 17:13:03 GMT -6
I’ve heard “Texas this” and “Indiana that” but what about the other states like South Carolina and Georgia? What are your guys’ opinions on them?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2020 19:38:09 GMT -6
GA and SC are just kinda vibing on their own, not a ton to do boa wise and Georgia doesn’t have any type of state championship so not a lot of people know many of the good GA groups
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Post by ilikeguard on Mar 10, 2020 21:09:27 GMT -6
Ask anyone who doesn't follow Powder Springs or lives in that area and the only name they'll be able to come up with is Harrison
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Post by thewho on Mar 10, 2020 22:56:44 GMT -6
So Georgia used to be a bit of a national powerhouse across the nation in the '90s and '00s when Cobb County was at the apex of its dominance. Lassiter with the legendary Alfred Watkins, of course, and Kennesaw Mountain with David Starnes, along with several others on and off years such as Alan C. Pope, McEachern, Kell, etc. Harrison is the child of those programs to an extent when both powers began declining at their respective rates. Gary Markham was the helm of all tbese programs successes as the Instrumental Director for the Cobb County district.
Sometime around 2012 or so, Kennesaw Mountain began noticeably declining despite having McGrath (director of the GN champions PCEP in '90s). The numbers were very obviously down year after year. Someone posted on the old MFA/BOA forums (hosted by MFA) about how the decline happened in Kennesaw Mountain and the remaining Cobb County schools- the gist of it was tougher requirements across the board in multiple disciplines (math, science, all that stuff) that cut into a lot of students' times. The 2014 band that made GN Finals was actually mostly freshmen and sophomores because many juniors and seniors were not able to make time for band. Gary Markham had also left at this point, meaning Cobb County programs lost a very valuable advocate in Gary Markham. It's a bit unfortunate, but the Cobb County programs was the main powerhouse that was driving the Georgia scene. Harrison is the legacy of those programs, but the scene isn't really quite the same without both Kennesaw Mountain and Lassiter.
South Carolina, on the other hand, is actually doing pretty well. SCBDA, like ISSMA, is providing a competitive environment for bands to succeed. I don't think the competitive level in SC would surpass other states, but there's a very healthy enrollment in the state championship circuit (the aforementioned SCBDA) year after year. Historic-wise, South Carolina actually has fairly deep roots in the activity, with the advent of the first super-powerhouse Rocky Mount, Irmo, Wando and of course, Carolina Crown. To a lesser extent, Fort Mill, James F. Byrnes and Nation Ford are also stalwarts in the activity. The waves made by SC in the activity weren't as much as, say, Indiana or Texas, but there's still a significant amount to account for, not to mention a couple today by Wando.
I'm actually pretty interested in seeing whether SC will continue to grow into the activity. I don't think SC is as flush with driven members as much as Indiana is for a variety of reasons (another story for another time), but there's a lot of organic growth happening within the state to support the scene, namely Carolina Crown. Time remains to be seen whether alumni of the SC schools would have a similar impact on the scene, but Carolina Crown at the very least is keeping the talent within the state. I think that, with time, SC could eventually build an influential niche in the activity similar to Indiana. It all depends on whether school systems are willing to invest a little more into the pageantry arts.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2020 5:10:54 GMT -6
It’s not like KM and lassiter are bad now, KM still places well at BOAs and Lassiter just rarely does boa anymore
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Post by hewhowaits on Mar 11, 2020 5:48:34 GMT -6
Historic-wise, South Carolina actually has fairly deep roots in the activity, with the advent of the first super-powerhouse Rocky Mount, ... Rocky Mount is in North Carolina.
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Post by Leasingflyer on Mar 11, 2020 5:58:32 GMT -6
Personally, I think Powder springs is a competition where it can be really competitive depending on the year. Since finals was canceled we never know if the Georgia and South Carolina bands in the top five would change, move etc. I do agree that Georgia is slowly going down but some bands are getting better!
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Post by thewho on Mar 11, 2020 12:34:04 GMT -6
Historic-wise, South Carolina actually has fairly deep roots in the activity, with the advent of the first super-powerhouse Rocky Mount, ... Rocky Mount is in North Carolina. You are correct on that, my bad.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on Mar 11, 2020 20:34:06 GMT -6
So Georgia used to be a bit of a national powerhouse across the nation in the '90s and '00s when Cobb County was at the apex of its dominance. Lassiter with the legendary Alfred Watkins, of course, and Kennesaw Mountain with David Starnes, along with several others on and off years such as Alan C. Pope, McEachern, Kell, etc. Harrison is the child of those programs to an extent when both powers began declining at their respective rates. Gary Markham was the helm of all tbese programs successes as the Instrumental Director for the Cobb County district. Sometime around 2012 or so, Kennesaw Mountain began noticeably declining despite having McGrath (director of the GN champions PCEP in '90s). The numbers were very obviously down year after year. Someone posted on the old MFA/BOA forums (hosted by MFA) about how the decline happened in Kennesaw Mountain and the remaining Cobb County schools- the gist of it was tougher requirements across the board in multiple disciplines (math, science, all that stuff) that cut into a lot of students' times. The 2014 band that made GN Finals was actually mostly freshmen and sophomores because many juniors and seniors were not able to make time for band. Gary Markham had also left at this point, meaning Cobb County programs lost a very valuable advocate in Gary Markham. It's a bit unfortunate, but the Cobb County programs was the main powerhouse that was driving the Georgia scene. Harrison is the legacy of those programs, but the scene isn't really quite the same without both Kennesaw Mountain and Lassiter. South Carolina, on the other hand, is actually doing pretty well. SCBDA, like ISSMA, is providing a competitive environment for bands to succeed. I don't think the competitive level in SC would surpass other states, but there's a very healthy enrollment in the state championship circuit (the aforementioned SCBDA) year after year. Historic-wise, South Carolina actually has fairly deep roots in the activity, with the advent of the first super-powerhouse Rocky Mount, Irmo, Wando and of course, Carolina Crown. To a lesser extent, Fort Mill, James F. Byrnes and Nation Ford are also stalwarts in the activity. The waves made by SC in the activity weren't as much as, say, Indiana or Texas, but there's still a significant amount to account for, not to mention a couple today by Wando. I'm actually pretty interested in seeing whether SC will continue to grow into the activity. I don't think SC is as flush with driven members as much as Indiana is for a variety of reasons (another story for another time), but there's a lot of organic growth happening within the state to support the scene, namely Carolina Crown. Time remains to be seen whether alumni of the SC schools would have a similar impact on the scene, but Carolina Crown at the very least is keeping the talent within the state. I think that, with time, SC could eventually build an influential niche in the activity similar to Indiana. It all depends on whether school systems are willing to invest a little more into the pageantry arts. Tbf Carolina Crown didn't move to Ft. Mill until 1997. They were initially founded in Charlotte, hence the "Crown" name, and were based there until 1995 before moving to Belmont, NC and then Ft. Mill two years later.
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