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Post by drumcorpsgeek on May 27, 2020 16:44:52 GMT -6
Y’all are hilarious. I find it hard to fathom the band scene will be much stronger in northeast. Everyone is leaving there and coming south. Will the northeast become a powerhouse region for band? I highly doubt it. But I do think certain programs are on the rise, which typically inspires growth amongst their competitors, too. We on the forums may not notice this, though, because most of these programs stick to their regional circuits––NYSFBC in NY, NESBA and MICCA in MA, and MAC in NY/CT (though MAC hasn't hosted a fall season in a couple years). Most of my optimism comes from the recent successes of many WGI scholastic groups. Off the top of my head, from NY, we've seen East Syracuse-Minoa, Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Central Square, Mohonasen, Arlington, Victor, and Cicero-North Syracuse (known as "North Syracuse Central" in WGI) succeed at regionals and at WGI Championships. From MA, there's been Billerica, Wakefield, Mansfield, and King Philip. From CT, there's obviously Trumbull, but also Norwalk, Bethel, and Masuk. I'm less familiar with WGI percussion, but there's been a slow burn of success from this region, too. With an increase of programs with successful WGI groups, plus a steady increase of drum corps kids in the northeast sticking around and teaching, I do believe we'll find a lot of these programs modernizing and finding more success than ever before. The biggest question that remains, IMHO, is whether these bands will actually go out of their way to attend BOA regionals... only time will tell! I think the biggest problem up here in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast is numbers. Many bands just aren't that big. Yes, you can do alot with a smaller number, but it is very hard to be competitive on the big BOA stage with having less than 100 kids. I think another problem you see is just untapped potential, not from circuits, but from districts and band directors. With my band, we see all of the bands we play against for football each year at football games and only 2 compete at a hardcore level. One of those, Bangor HS (PA), is currently undergoing a director change to a DCI alum, so we could see some more action from them at a higher level this decade. My whole problem with this is that you see circuits based right here in PA such as TOB/TIA, USBands, Cavalcade, along with 2 drum corps right in the area (Cadets, Surf). The resources for the industry are there, but between the schools and programs they just aren't where you would expect from an area so prominent in the activity. I do also see the indoor stuff happening up here. It's not too prominent near me, but farther up in the Northeast it definitely is. The WGI Albany regional draws alot of groups that we might not be able to see otherwise. You have the stellar indoor programs of Norwalk, Trumbull, etc. that are giving these programs name recognition.
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Post by marimba11 on May 27, 2020 19:23:17 GMT -6
Will the northeast become a powerhouse region for band? I highly doubt it. But I do think certain programs are on the rise, which typically inspires growth amongst their competitors, too. We on the forums may not notice this, though, because most of these programs stick to their regional circuits––NYSFBC in NY, NESBA and MICCA in MA, and MAC in NY/CT (though MAC hasn't hosted a fall season in a couple years). Most of my optimism comes from the recent successes of many WGI scholastic groups. Off the top of my head, from NY, we've seen East Syracuse-Minoa, Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Central Square, Mohonasen, Arlington, Victor, and Cicero-North Syracuse (known as "North Syracuse Central" in WGI) succeed at regionals and at WGI Championships. From MA, there's been Billerica, Wakefield, Mansfield, and King Philip. From CT, there's obviously Trumbull, but also Norwalk, Bethel, and Masuk. I'm less familiar with WGI percussion, but there's been a slow burn of success from this region, too. With an increase of programs with successful WGI groups, plus a steady increase of drum corps kids in the northeast sticking around and teaching, I do believe we'll find a lot of these programs modernizing and finding more success than ever before. The biggest question that remains, IMHO, is whether these bands will actually go out of their way to attend BOA regionals... only time will tell! I think the biggest problem up here in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast is numbers. Many bands just aren't that big. Yes, you can do alot with a smaller number, but it is very hard to be competitive on the big BOA stage with having less than 100 kids. I think another problem you see is just untapped potential, not from circuits, but from districts and band directors. With my band, we see all of the bands we play against for football each year at football games and only 2 compete at a hardcore level. One of those, Bangor HS (PA), is currently undergoing a director change to a DCI alum, so we could see some more action from them at a higher level this decade. My whole problem with this is that you see circuits based right here in PA such as TOB/TIA, USBands, Cavalcade, along with 2 drum corps right in the area (Cadets, Surf). The resources for the industry are there, but between the schools and programs they just aren't where you would expect from an area so prominent in the activity. I do also see the indoor stuff happening up here. It's not too prominent near me, but farther up in the Northeast it definitely is. The WGI Albany regional draws alot of groups that we might not be able to see otherwise. You have the stellar indoor programs of Norwalk, Trumbull, etc. that are giving these programs name recognition. Right smaller schools and smaller school districts. Each town has its own school district making the district small which thus mean smaller schools hence less numbers, hence: smaller bands. It’s curious some of the largest high schools in the north east are some of the most disadvantaged.
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Post by thewho on May 27, 2020 20:22:45 GMT -6
Great thread! This will be super fun. Various BOA Guesses- Top 10 at the Indy Super will be guaranteed finalists at GN Finals, similar to the premise of making San Antonio Finals.
- An (indoor) Super Regional will be situated for the 4 Corner states. With the advent of two recent circuits in AZ and UT (AZOBA and UMEA), 4 Corners bands start becoming a force to reckon with for the '30s.
- BOA will begin hosting A/2A, 3A/4A, and mixed competitions, the majority of the competitions being mixed.
- A MN regional at the US Bank Stadium happens.
- An El Paso regional actually happens, and Clovis (NM) wins.
- IL will put 3 bands in GN Finals at the same time, and Marian Catholic will not be among the finalists.
- IN will put in 5 GN Finalists at the same time. The potential 6th IN band will be 13th.
- FL becomes the next circuit to begin producing quality programs, quickly becoming evident in the first 3 years of the '20s.
- MI will see 3 different GN finalists in this decade.
- Camdenton (MO) makes GN Finals.
- A Texan band will win St. Louis.
- Blue Springs will GN.
- OK puts in 3 bands at the same time.
Green Level Catawba Ridge will finish higher at GN's than Nation Ford and Fort Mill ever had.- A Super Regional will happen somewhere in the Carolinas.
- BOA will continue to struggle in California and PNW as far as setting up a regional, unless it is indoors.
Class A Bonanza!- Avon and Carmel will continue to dominate the top 2 spots, for the next 5 years or so.
- Homestead will continue to hold down the consensus 3rd spot, barring for a year or so when they manage to upsurp the Avon/Carmel norm and win the state championship and finish within the top 4 at GN Finals.
- Fishers will continue to improve drastically, finally finding success in GN Finals and medaling at the state finals after creating their unique style. In fact, Fishers shockingly wins a state championship between 2027-2029 following an extremely back-and-forth-and-fro with Avon and Carme all season long. Fishers is a guaranteed #3 from that point on.
- Though it took a little time, Brownsburg begins finishing at an extremely consistent rate in the upper half starting in 2024, finishing somewhere between 4-6. Brownsburg becomes the new Lake Central, where while not quite on par with the top 3 (and Fishers), is clearly a notch higher than the other Class A bands. (They also make GN Finals thrice, finishing 11th and 12th, for those times unlike Lake Central)
- Despite a stellar mid-'10s, Castle slips below those the aforementioned 5 bands, but still manages to finish within state finals all the way through 2029. Regularity, however, is not a word Castle subscribes to. Close calls and strong, triumphant shows define their decade, including a GN Finals finish.
- Lawrence Township, while downgraded from their championship days, still continue to finish strong with a golden Indy Super finalist streak despite extremely tough competition in the coming years. Two years of unfortunate (poor) judging leaves Lawrence Township on the outskirts of state finals, but still finish within the top 10 for the majority of the decade. Some occasional years bring them into consideration for GN Finals, and they finally break through in 2023.
- Carroll finally strikes gold and begin entering the conversation for Indy Super finals on a consistent yearly basis in 2022. Carroll never really quite managed to break through the double digits from that point, but they make finals every year barring one. Carroll makes GN semifinals and finishes in high teens, but never seems to be a strong pick for finals despite being an outside shot on some years.
- Speaking of which, the lower half in 2024 is just a crapshoot between 10 bands: Ben Davis, Carroll, Center Grove, Decatur Central, Goshen, Noblesville, Penn, Plainfield, Whiteland and Zionsville. Concord also enters the conversation on the occasion they compete in A. Pike, Columbus North, Floyd Central and Franklin Central continue to enter the conversation, but never put out shows strong enough to advance past 17th.
- Lake Central's program continues to struggle, until 2025 when the band manages to field a rather large band. The show is enough to get them to semi-state, but the band is still caught up in the aforementioned lower half competition. Lake Central, however, breaks through to state finals in 2028.
- Portage rejoins Open in 2023 but still struggles to find success in Class A. Westfield steps into Open even earlier and begin forcing themselves into the Class A conversation as they begin picking up recognized names in the activity. State finals remains elusive for Westfield, but finishing 11th and 13th in 2028 and 2029, respectively, provide hope for the next decade. Warren Central joins Open in 2029. Success in the circuit for both programs remains elusive and remains to be seen in the '30s. Lafayette Jefferson continues to remain in Scholastic through the decade. Elkhart competes in Class A but struggles with breaking through to state finals, occasionally getting knocked out of semi-state a couple times.
Class B- A demotion for Concord to Class B results in a string of 3 straight, unanswered, dominant Class B championships, the first of its kind since Greenwood from 1995-1997.
- The top 4 (Jasper, Greenwood, Concord, Northview) is a thing of a past now. The consensus top 3 of the decade trades championships between Greenwood, Munster and Greenfield-Central. Barring the Concord years, the championship remains between the trifecta. Greenwood wins 3 while Munster and Greenfield-Central win 2.
- Northview continues to be a top 5 pick, but never breaks past 4th barring 2 years. Internal turmoil, the retirement of the Medworths, and Brazil's ruralness take their hits on Northview and causes a decline in the program. Northview slips to 6th in 2029, but the capacity of whether the program could compete for the state championship again is uncertain.
- The Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation looks to continue its success with music programs after having Ev. North, F.J. Reitz and Ev. Harrison finishes at state finals in 2019, with the town support firmly behind them. However, the top 3 continues to remain an enormous hurdle to overcome. Reitz climbs the rankings every so slightly, moving from a 6-8 finish to a 4-6 finish in the latter years. An Evansville school manages to break the top 3 in 2028, but not in 2029. Evansville's government's investment towards the arts and culture in the town begin becoming an burgeoning cultural center in the Midwest and begin attracting worthy candidates around the area and state to begin setting up the EVSC's success in the pageantry arts.
- No state finals wins unfortunately defines the decade for Jasper. The one year Jasper was right up there ended in heartbreak as they finish runner-up. The decade still sees some strong finishes with maybe 2 years putting them in contention for state championship with the new top 3.
- Class B continues to see a battle between the last few spots at state finals between North Side, Pendleton Heights, Northridge, DeKalb, Bloomington North, and Plymouth. Leo competes where they can when they are promoted to Class B.
- One surprise state finals finish in 2021, however, comes from the upbeat Mt. Vernon (F'ville). Like many of the other bands, Mt. Vernon also fights hard to get into state finals, but manages to gather a few placements in state finals including a 6th. Mt. Vernon becomes a familiar face in the Open circuit, moving on from Scholastic.
Class C/D- Western continues to see a dominance through the first half of the '20s, winning several more state championships along with picking up another BOA GN Class A title. Nearing the end of the decade, whispers of the retirement of director Brian Caldwell begin picking up. The retirement finally happens and knocks Western a further down the peg. Western continues to be a standout, but maybe not quite the first #1 band that comes to people's minds as they were before. Not to worry, though, the new director was handpicked by Caldwell himself and would get Western back to their old form in no time.
- Edgewood continues to ebb and flow as they deal with the band size changes, dropping in and out of state championships contention through the decade, but when they're on, they're on. Edgewood picks up another state championship along with a BOA GN Class A runner-up championship in the same year. A couple of state finals runner-up placements also define their decade.
- Beech Grove and NorthWood do the impossible and beat out Western. Beech Grove shocks with an upset in 2023 and NorthWood in 2027.
- Vincennes Lincoln enters the conversation for the state championship, but never breaks past 3rd.
- Lewis Cass wins at least 2 more Class D state championships, electing to compete in Class C for a few years. Lewis Cass does not win a championship during those times, but still finish within the top 5.
- The strength of the community around Forest Park continue to push the program to higher levels and results in 2 state championships. One particular year brings an extremely strong band, strong enough to make GN semifinals on score alone and win the BOA Class A title dominantly, including beating out Western and Bourbon County.
- Springs Valley continue to finish close to the top, but never giving judges a clear argument for winning the state championship. One year makes the difference as Springs Valley finally wins its lone state championship of the decade.
- Paoli finds the strength to come back from the behind to win a state championship, coming back from being the pack of Lewis Cass, Springs Valley and Forest Park all season long.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on May 27, 2020 21:20:36 GMT -6
- Green Level will finish higher at GN's than Nation Ford and Fort Mill ever had.
A legitimate prediction, though Green Level is the split off of the other Cary powerhouses. Catawba Ridge is the split off of Ft Mill and Nation Ford.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 27, 2020 22:28:45 GMT -6
Great thread! This will be super fun. Various BOA Guesses- MI will see 3 different GN finalists in this decade.
I would certainly love to see this. Michigan band programs have long had to deal with funding problems, actually going back 40 years. This has always put us at a bit of a disadvantage. So having three Michigan bands make GN finals this decade is probably a long shot. Rockford has been on a roll the last couple years, so I am hopeful for them. PCEP is still a consistent semi finalist so perhaps a comeback for them. Lake Orion has done well in state competition, just have not had as much success in BOA. I was impressed with them last season, so perhaps they will rise this decade. Walled Lake Central is a fairly well off school district. If they could just combine their three high schools into one marching band, they could have the potential to be quite a force. Dakota HS is fairly new in MCBA and perhaps will be an emerging band program in coming years. Grand Blanc, Novi, and L'Anse Creuse have been pretty solid the last few years. Jenison and Reeths-Puffer are still in the mix too. They are smaller schools so it would be a long shot in the competitive environment that BOA is now in.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 27, 2020 22:34:53 GMT -6
As for the northeast, New York and Pennsylvania once had several powerful and innovative marching band programs; among the best in the country. The 1970s, 1980s and early to mid 1990s were the glory years for this area. Would love to see a resurgence in programs from this area this decade.
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Post by hewhowaits on May 28, 2020 5:31:42 GMT -6
Right smaller schools and smaller school districts. Each town has its own school district making the district small which thus mean smaller schools hence less numbers, hence: smaller bands. It’s curious some of the largest high schools in the north east are some of the most disadvantaged. Each town having its own district doesn't seem to hurt entities such as Avon, Carmel, Centerville, William Mason...
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Post by principalagent on May 28, 2020 8:25:52 GMT -6
Right smaller schools and smaller school districts. Each town has its own school district making the district small which thus mean smaller schools hence less numbers, hence: smaller bands. It’s curious some of the largest high schools in the north east are some of the most disadvantaged. Each town having its own district doesn't seem to hurt entities such as Avon, Carmel, Centerville, William Mason... Those towns are also considerably larger than towns in New England.
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Post by Allohak on May 28, 2020 8:40:24 GMT -6
Each town having its own district doesn't seem to hurt entities such as Avon, Carmel, Centerville, William Mason... Those towns are also considerably larger than towns in New England. Suburban sprawl is real
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Post by marimba11 on May 28, 2020 13:33:42 GMT -6
Each town having its own district doesn't seem to hurt entities such as Avon, Carmel, Centerville, William Mason... Those towns are also considerably larger than towns in New England. Right exactly. These towns are significantly smaller, and it seems only getting smaller except in more disadvantaged situation.
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Post by thewho on May 28, 2020 16:08:38 GMT -6
- Green Level will finish higher at GN's than Nation Ford and Fort Mill ever had.
A legitimate prediction, though Green Level is the split off of the other Cary powerhouses. Catawba Ridge is the split off of Ft Mill and Nation Ford. Ah, my bad. The correction then is Catawba Ridge will finish higher than both of those bands.
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Post by marimba11 on May 28, 2020 16:17:04 GMT -6
A legitimate prediction, though Green Level is the split off of the other Cary powerhouses. Catawba Ridge is the split off of Ft Mill and Nation Ford. Ah, my bad. The correction then is Catawba Ridge will finish higher than both of those bands. Catawba Ridge will be a powerhouse very shortly.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on May 28, 2020 20:45:30 GMT -6
Right smaller schools and smaller school districts. Each town has its own school district making the district small which thus mean smaller schools hence less numbers, hence: smaller bands. It’s curious some of the largest high schools in the north east are some of the most disadvantaged. Each town having its own district doesn't seem to hurt entities such as Avon, Carmel, Centerville, William Mason... Carmel especially is by no means small. In fact Carmel High School is one of the largest public high schools in the country. Doesn't hurt that the town is very affluent as well. Ah, my bad. The correction then is Catawba Ridge will finish higher than both of those bands. Catawba Ridge will be a powerhouse very shortly. Agreed. I was very impressed with them last year.
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Post by bandfan4 on May 30, 2020 13:27:36 GMT -6
In the case of Norwin and Kiski, the demographics over the years and the changes in the financial situations of the area have had a direct correlation on their marching band. Yes, they have been successful at the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern Ohio BOA regionals and probably will remain so but not at a level to compete with the big names at a Super Regional.
In the 1980s when Norwin began to make a name for themselves, they had over 180 members and that was grades 10-12. Now they are on average of 150 members and that is grades 9-12. Kiski has had similar decreases in class sizes and has had marched some 8th graders the last few years.
As the population has moved out, the industries have changed, and there are more activities to choose from, it has eroded their pool to recruit and impacted their fundraising. Still great, solid marching band programs that consistently produce good shows year in and out.
What is interesting though is how they have been able to grow their colorguard programs over the last so many years. Norwin is a consistent SW finalist at WGI Championships and Kiski looked to be on target to make SO finals their first year in the class.
Two really good programs that still provide an incredible experience for their members. Hopefully, that will continue into the new decade!
I would assume the story here is similar to other programs in the Northeast.
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Post by trumpet300 on May 30, 2020 17:43:07 GMT -6
In the case of Norwin and Kiski, the demographics over the years and the changes in the financial situations of the area have had a direct correlation on their marching band. Yes, they have been successful at the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern Ohio BOA regionals and probably will remain so but not at a level to compete with the big names at a Super Regional. In the 1980s when Norwin began to make a name for themselves, they had over 180 members and that was grades 10-12. Now they are on average of 150 members and that is grades 9-12. Kiski has had similar decreases in class sizes and has had marched some 8th graders the last few years. As the population has moved out, the industries have changed, and there are more activities to choose from, it has eroded their pool to recruit and impacted their fundraising. Still great, solid marching band programs that consistently produce good shows year in and out. What is interesting though is how they have been able to grow their colorguard programs over the last so many years. Norwin is a consistent SW finalist at WGI Championships and Kiski looked to be on target to make SO finals their first year in the class. Two really good programs that still provide an incredible experience for their members. Hopefully, that will continue into the new decade! I would assume the story here is similar to other programs in the Northeast. I agree. Thought not what they once were, they still do a great job and create awesome shows. No matter the year though, I never count out either group when discussing finals at regionals or super regionals.
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Post by ilikeguard on Jun 2, 2020 10:34:38 GMT -6
Camdenton (MO) makes GN Finals. That’s what they’re going for! Crazy to think about the possibility, looking at just 5 years ago. Back then the goal was to make St. Louis finals 😆
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Post by ilikeguard on Jun 2, 2020 10:44:12 GMT -6
I’d like to see a third (and maybe more) MO band make semifinals. I’m looking at Nixa and Blue Springs South in particular, but it would be nice to see Kickapoo, Fort Zumwalt North, Rockwood Summit, and Grain Valley work up the courage to attend.
I think I saw it earlier, but Windermere, FL will make semis within the next few years. It’d also be really neat to see Tarpon Springs be dethroned at one of their GN years by another AA band such as MC, North Hardin or possibly even Camdenton.
I can see Grain Valley making an attempt to reclaim their former glory as #2 in the state and one of the top AA bands in the country.
And of course, I want to see Blue Springs win GN! They’re on their way there.
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Post by SpartanMarcher on Jun 2, 2020 14:23:32 GMT -6
Mililani becomes the first Hawaiian school to make GN finals by 2030
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Post by ohioguy2 on Jun 2, 2020 21:29:09 GMT -6
Has anybody heard from NE Brigand in awhile? The one guy who knows everything about Ohio marching band?
I figured he would have had some kind 10 part analysis of every marching band in the state by now.
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Post by abtwitch on Jun 2, 2020 22:07:46 GMT -6
Mililani becomes the first Hawaiian school to make GN finals by 2030 They're gonna have to step up their execution a lot, their shows are some of the hardest in the country (especially visually, just look for their 2019 show on YouTube) but they are very dirty.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jun 3, 2020 7:32:37 GMT -6
Has anybody heard from NE Brigand in awhile? The one guy who knows everything about Ohio marching band? I figured he would have had some kind 10 part analysis of every marching band in the state by now. You’re right. He hasn’t been around since Christmas. Hopefully he’s doing ok.
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Post by SpartanMarcher on Jun 3, 2020 9:56:23 GMT -6
Mililani becomes the first Hawaiian school to make GN finals by 2030 They're gonna have to step up their execution a lot, their shows are some of the hardest in the country (especially visually, just look for their 2019 show on YouTube) but they are very dirty. I think they’re definitely moving in the right direction fairly quickly, especially looking at the success their indoor programs have had in the past couple years.
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Post by josephbandfan on Jun 3, 2020 16:54:01 GMT -6
I'm confident that Mililani will make top 20 at GN this decade and hopefully finals. They really move like the wind.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on Jun 3, 2020 20:32:04 GMT -6
Has anybody heard from NE Brigand in awhile? The one guy who knows everything about Ohio marching band? I figured he would have had some kind 10 part analysis of every marching band in the state by now. You’re right. He hasn’t been around since Christmas. Hopefully he’s doing ok. He's been active on DCP, posting today even. So I would guess that he's ok.
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Post by bearscott85 on Jul 8, 2020 13:20:33 GMT -6
I’d like to see a third (and maybe more) MO band make semifinals. I’m looking at Nixa and Blue Springs South in particular, but it would be nice to see Kickapoo, Fort Zumwalt North, Rockwood Summit, and Grain Valley work up the courage to attend. I think I saw it earlier, but Windermere, FL will make semis within the next few years. It’d also be really neat to see Tarpon Springs be dethroned at one of their GN years by another AA band such as MC, North Hardin or possibly even Camdenton. I can see Grain Valley making an attempt to reclaim their former glory as #2 in the state and one of the top AA bands in the country. And of course, I want to see Blue Springs win GN! They’re on their way there. Yeah AA, Miamisburg beat MC in prelims at GN, I hoping that they continue to grow....
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Post by ilikeguard on Jul 13, 2020 14:50:11 GMT -6
I’d like to see a third (and maybe more) MO band make semifinals. I’m looking at Nixa and Blue Springs South in particular, but it would be nice to see Kickapoo, Fort Zumwalt North, Rockwood Summit, and Grain Valley work up the courage to attend. I think I saw it earlier, but Windermere, FL will make semis within the next few years. It’d also be really neat to see Tarpon Springs be dethroned at one of their GN years by another AA band such as MC, North Hardin or possibly even Camdenton. I can see Grain Valley making an attempt to reclaim their former glory as #2 in the state and one of the top AA bands in the country. And of course, I want to see Blue Springs win GN! They’re on their way there. Yeah AA, Miamisburg beat MC in prelims at GN, I hoping that they continue to grow.... AA is looking fantastic this decade. Lake Hamilton wasn’t on my radar when I made this post originally, but I’ve got my eye on them too.
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Post by paddy on Jul 13, 2020 16:47:30 GMT -6
Yeah AA, Miamisburg beat MC in prelims at GN, I hoping that they continue to grow.... AA is looking fantastic this decade. Lake Hamilton wasn’t on my radar when I made this post originally, but I’ve got my eye on them too. Lake Hamilton was overscored in prelims.
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Post by ilikeguard on Jul 13, 2020 17:09:35 GMT -6
AA is looking fantastic this decade. Lake Hamilton wasn’t on my radar when I made this post originally, but I’ve got my eye on them too. Lake Hamilton was overscored in prelims. I have heard that. I still think they deserve to be in the conversation though!
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Post by N.E. Brigand on Jul 21, 2020 14:49:58 GMT -6
Has anybody heard from NE Brigand in awhile? The one guy who knows everything about Ohio marching band? I figured he would have had some kind 10 part analysis of every marching band in the state by now. You’re right. He hasn’t been around since Christmas. Hopefully he’s doing ok. Thanks to you both for thinking of me! But as Quinnie noted, I was fine. I just didn't have much to say about marching band in the off-season -- which as of today has been confirmed to be an off-year -- and well, I had too much to say about drum corps, so it's probably for the best that I wasn't posting here too.
If trends in Ohio don't move in the 2020s at the same speed they did in the 2010s, then I wouldn't expect a lot of change. As others have said, Mason could finally win; I hope it's with something more exciting than their past three shows. One of the Lakotas might make Grand Nationals finals. Maybe Miamisburg will come close to doing so. Perhaps Pickerington North makes finals at the Indy super regionals. Some time in the next ten years, Grove City will again show up at a BOA even and again do really well in music. Centerville keeps on trucking. I'd love to see Ohio's best Class A band, which in my opinion is not Norton, show up at a regional: would BOA's judges agree with me about that?
But I think the first question is this: what effect will the better part of a year with (at least) no large ensemble rehearsals have on different groups? Which bands have the structure in place to come out of such disruption with the smallest loss in quality? And what effect will the economic disruption have on school funding? Which districts are more at risk of net getting a renewal passed?
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Post by N.E. Brigand on Jul 21, 2020 16:28:53 GMT -6
My whole problem with this is that you see circuits based right here in PA such as TOB/TIA, USBands, Cavalcade, along with 2 drum corps right in the area (Cadets, Surf). Just nit-picking, because it doesn't undermine your argument in the least (quite the opposite): if "the area" means Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and assuming no corps goes under during the pandemic (or for other reasons, like Encorps last year or Cadets2 the year before that -- both of whom were from those states), then I count eight competing corps. Besides the two you mention, there's a DCI Open Class corps, four DCA Open Class corps, and one DCA Class A corps. (It may be worth noting that the best alumni corps, which I think is the best non-competing corps other than the Commandant's Own, also hails from that area.) And I will use this as an excuse to encourage people not to write off DCA. The best shows in that circuit are very entertaining and not too far in quality below the productions of DCI's lower finalists. And it's my firm opinion that the single riskiest drum corps show of the past ten years, by which I mean the show that deliberately set its corps the biggest design challenge to overcome, was in DCA not DCI. (Unfortunately video of a number of the better shows can be hard to come by--and many shows don't really click until championships, as last year in particular showed when corps didn't have a chance to rehearse before Prelims and then cleaned up tremendously in just a few hours for Finals, so video from earlier in the season is often misleading.) If anyone cares, this is how I would rank those eight groups, based on their performances over the last three years, and noting the title of what I think is the best show from each corps during that period:
Cadets (DCI), "The Unity Project" (2018)
. .
Reading Buccaneers (DCA), "Behind the Suit" (2017)
. .
Hawthorne Caballeros (DCA), "Out of the Box" (2019) .
Fusion Core (DCA), "Purple Heart" (2019)
Bushwackers (DCA), "Pablo" (2018) .
Jersey Surf (DCI) "FantaSea" (2019)* . .
Skyliners (DCA), "Xscape" (2017) . .
Raiders (DCI), "Gateway to the Unknown" (2019)
*Surf's 2019 show was pretty close to those from two corps I list above it (and technically superior, probably), but was also a marked step up from Surf's previous two shows.
I hope that DCA and its members weather this year off and thrive in the coming decade, but I worry. Three of the best groups (Minnesota Brass, Cadets2, Empire Statesmen) went inactive in the past ten years, and while some other groups have improved to partly fill those gaps (e.g. Atlanta CV, Fusion Core, White Sabers), there hasn't been a corresponding influx of new corps to round out the field and provide a base for the future.
Anyway, back to the upcoming decade's band predictions.
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