Bands in the PNW + 2022 Rankings

[antroot]

Hello, I was told I could create a thread about the marching arts scene here in the PNW. This will be a long post, but I feel like it's good to tell the recent story of this circuit and the bands in it, since I doubt many people here know it. I'm just a big nerd about this, really. If you don't want to read all this, skip below to my preseason rankings of bands in the PNW.

My knowledge is mostly about the bands in Washington and Oregon specifically. Last year was quite a shake-up in some ways, as many bands performed in ways they hadn't before the pandemic.

In the PNW, our circuit is called the NWAPA circuit. They oversee a lot of the fall marching band and winter percussion/guard competitions up here. The competitions are almost all held in Oregon, with Kamiak H.S.'s Music in Motion competition being the only one in Washington up until this year, when Mead H.S. from Spokane, WA, partnered with NWAPA to make their independent competition (the Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships, PNWMBC) a NWAPA sponsored event.

A lot of Washington schools tend to not go to Oregon competitions because historically, Oregon bands are better, and it's also a good chunk of change to transport a band down south. The only WA schools that regularly attend OR competitions are Kamiak and Skyview. Skyview goes to the Oregon competitions because it's more convenient location-wise (they're practically in Oregon, since they're in Vancouver). Kamiak attends the Oregon competitions because they are a bit more developed as a band and wish to attend more challenging competitions.

West Salem H.S., from Salem, OR, is the best band program in the state of Oregon, generally. From 2012-2018 (up until the last competition of that year), they had gone undefeated in the NWAPA circuit for fall marching band. If you follow BOA, you may recognize them as they were the first Oregon band to go to Grand Nats back in 2018. Their final competition before heading to Grand Nats in 2018 was NWAPA Championships. Where they lost to Grants Pass. What happened there?

Grants Pass is an isolated, but developed city in southern Oregon. Grants Pass H.S. is the only high school in the city, and because of that, they have the biggest band in the PNW. 2018 was a special year for them because they had been chosen to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that year. Enrollment for the band that year skyrocketed, and they fielded 240 members in 2018. So now you've got two bands, both with big enrollments for different reasons. West Salem, throughout the season, kept up their undefeated streak, even when going up against Grants Pass at an early season competition. But Grants Pass at NWAPA Championships, man. I saw their finals performance live in 2018. I still believe it to be the most magical band performance to grace the PNW.

The 2019 season looked similar, but now Grants Pass was the top dog. West Salem was winning whatever comps Grants Pass didn't go to. But in the end, Grants Pass took first again. But, something interesting was happening in the 3rd-5th placements as well. Kamiak H.S., who had infamously never broken top three since 2014, always landing in 4th place, took third! Beating out a rival, Sherwood H.S., who had been landing in the 3rd spot below West Salem and Grants Pass for a few years prior. Mountainside H.S., a brand new school built in 2017, had also quickly risen up the ranks, earning themselves a 5th place finish.

The 2020 season was practically non-existent up here, with some bands opting for zoom/videos of their shows, or just fielding something non-competitive in the spring. This hurt all programs up here, and for 2021, every school was fielding a smaller band than what they typically had in previous years.

So, FINALLY, how did the 2021 season differ from before the pandemic, and how does that affect things going into the 2022 season?

Well, Grants Pass lost to Kamiak twice. In weird ways. At the Sunset Classic competition, Grants Pass won in prelims, and Kamiak took first overall in finals. At NWAPA Championships, Kamiak beat Grants Pass in prelims, only for Grants Pass to gain six points between prelims and finals and win by a couple points. West Salem, in earlier season competitions, fell below 2nd place for the first time in well over a decade, beat by both Sherwood and Mountainside multiple times in the season. West Salem somehow trumped them both by tiny point margins at NWAPA Champs though, taking 3rd overall. So, a very exciting season in that three bands that had previously competing against one another for 3rd, 4th, and 5th, now all had serious chances of getting first. But, it all ended a bit anticlimactically with Grants Pass and West Salem winning as expected, HOWEVER, Kamiak H.S. was now stuck in between them.

So, what do my top 15 PNW preseason rankings look like at the moment?

1. Grants Pass, OR *The strongest band in northwest corner of the country; Fielding yet another huge band this year, also have a very strong guard program
2. Kamiak, WA *The most dominant program in Washington state, beat a much larger school by nearly ten points at the PSFOB, the largest independent competition in WA
3. West Salem, OR *Seen some footage of this group, VERY strong already
4. Mountainside, OR
5. Sherwood, OR *If their name sounds familiar, its because they were this year's WGI PSO Class Champs; their percussion program is very strong!
6. Central Valley, WA *Used to be the top dog program in the state, but COVID and Ridgeline being built shrunk them from 180 to 60 kids, still a strong program though
7. Ridgeline, WA *They are fielding a huge guard this year. Proportionally, 40% of the band is guard, holy moly
8. Mead, WA
9. Chiawana, WA *Interestingly beat Central Valley at a competition last year, but ultimately got fourth place and Central Valley got first at WSU Champs
10. Century, OR
11. Glencoe, OR
12. Sunset, OR
13. Cheney, WA
14. Sprague, OR
15. Mt. Spokane, WA

I could talk about ALL of these bands more, but I've yakked enough. These rankings were determined by scores last year, what I could tell of the quality of their programs from their performances, and from what I've seen from this year as they prepare for the season. I'll be updating as scores come out over the course of the season. If anyone wants to contribute their two cents on this topic, please do! And if you've got any questions, feel free to ask

[nomorehoney]

Very cool, love the storytelling lol. Kept me on my toes. Thanks for the information!

[boahistorybuff]

Love this!!!

Please keep us updated on how the PNW bands do this season. I would love to see BOA attempt another regional here in the near future.

[Marching Observer]

Sept 21, 2022 17:47:45 GMT -6 boahistorybuff said:

Love this!!!

Please keep us updated on how the PNW bands do this season. I would love to see BOA attempt another regional here in the near future.

They just need to not have it rain. Which is a big ask in the PNW 😂

[LeanderMomma]

Sept 21, 2022 18:09:54 GMT -6 Marching Observer said:

Sept 21, 2022 17:47:45 GMT -6 boahistorybuff said:

Love this!!!

Please keep us updated on how the PNW bands do this season. I would love to see BOA attempt another regional here in the near future.

They just need to not have it rain. Which is a big ask in the PNW 😂

yeah it would pretty much have to be indoors!

[boahistorybuff]

Yes, they would either need to hold it in September or on the other side of the Cascades. Back many many years ago, during the MBA years, they held a few regionals at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID, right next to the Washington state line. There is now an indoor stadium there.

Whether they hold one in the future or not, still like to hear about the bands of the PNW. So keep the updates coming, I will be reading.

[antroot]

A good friend of mine went to record the bands making their debut appearances at the first NWAPA competition hosted at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. However, because it was a clinic competition, no public scores were released. I trust my friend's opinion on bands however, as she's been into this activity for as long as I have. She believes this to be the ranking of bands at yesterday's competition.

1. Century
2/3. Roseburg/Glencoe  *it's close; both bands performed at a relatively similar level, so it's hard to say which band the judges preferred
4. Westview
5. Aloha
6. McMinnville
7. Kelso

Again, just take this with a grain of salt, as it's just one person's opinion based on what she saw as she recorded all of the bands. But based on what I knew of these bands coming in, this seems accurate.

[antroot]

Oh, I've forgotten about the first competition that happened in Washington state. It's typically a smaller one, but I think this is the smallest it's been. This is in part because its early season, and the band hosting it is still recovering from the impact of COVID. It's also independent, not sponsored by the NWAPA circuit. The judges are pretty much the same judges we see judging NWAPA events though.

-Results from the 2022 Peninsula Classic-
1st - North Thurston     *A small band, but always outperforming their own size class AND bands much larger than they are. A real small but mighty group.
2nd - Bainbridge
3rd - Bonney Lake
4th - North Mason     *A bit of a surprise to me. I thought they would have scored higher. Their show concept is nice and I believe they were the biggest band in attendance.

Peninsula HS also performed in exhibition.

[boahistorybuff]

What kind of program does University HS of Spokane have these days? This band had a ton of success in the early BOA (MBA) years of the 1980s; two regional wins (80 and 85) and the Summer National Title in 1983.

[antroot]

Sept 25, 2022 18:28:07 GMT -6 boahistorybuff said:

What kind of program does University HS of Spokane have these days? This band had a ton of success in the early BOA (MBA) years of the 1980s; two regional wins (80 and 85) and the Summer National Title in 1983.

In recent years, University HS has not been very successful competitively. As of right now, they are fielding only 44 members.

Last year at the WSU Marching Band Championships, they took 12th out of 16th bands. I have some friends who marched at University, and they say they still have all those trophies and such that they won back in the 80s. Here's a deep cut: the current band director for Kamiak H.S. (who I've ranked as the current best marching band in WA) marched at University H.S. during this very successful period of time for them (at least for their 1985 regional win).

[antroot]

I will be keeping track of three marching band competitions this weekend happening Washington and Oregon. They are:

Pacific Coast Invitational (NWAPA) - Salem, OR
Attending bands:
Hillsboro HS
Madras HS
North Salem HS
South Albany HS
McKay HS
Grants Pass HS
Sprague HS (host)

Kamiak Music in Motion (NWAPA) - Everett, WA
Attending bands:
Oak Harbor HS
Cascade HS
Bonney Lake HS
North Thurston HS
Glencoe HS
River Ridge HS
Tahoma HS
AC Davis HS
Kamiak HS (host)

Southeastern Washington Cavalcade of Bands (Independent) - Kennewick, WA
Attending bands:
Richland HS
West Valley HS
Kamiakin HS
Central Valley HS
Pasco HS
Vallivue HS
Sunnyside HS
University HS
Cle Elum HS
Hermiston HS
Mead HS
Ridgeline HS
Chiawana HS
Southridge HS
Wenatchee HS
Hanford HS
Cheney HS
Kennewick HS (host)

I'm surprised the independent event is the one with the most attendees, but thinking critically, it makes sense. A lot of the Cavalcade attending bands are smaller (due to them being located in rural central/eastern WA), and cannot afford to travel all the way to the "west side" for the Kamiak show, or god forbid all the way to Salem, Oregon for the Sprague show. Central Valley, Ridgeline, Mead, Chiawana, and West Valley could probably go to the Kamiak show, but if it's cheaper to go to the closer show, then the band is going to the closer show.

Grants Pass will be making their competitive debut this Saturday at the PCI, where I expect they will win first. AC Davis will most likely win Kamiak show, being the biggest band by about 60 members (marching 140 total). Kamiak will probably "win" their show in the scores though, but since they're exhibition, their score won't be released publicly. As for the Cavalcade winner... it's hard to tell. I'd bet it's either Central Valley or Ridgeline. Those two schools were duking it out all season last year, with Central Valley winning at their last meetup.

[ilikeguard]

Really enjoying these updates! If you have a minute, I shot you a dm about discussing and covering these groups in a little different format. You’re providing some really great info!

[antroot]

Coming at y'all with a quick update from the west side. Finals performances are still going on for the Southeastern Washington Cavalcade of Bands. I do not have finals results for the Pacific Coast Invitational quite yet, but I do have finals results for Kamiak's Music in Motion competition (Everett, WA).

10/1 Kamiak Music in Motion (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - A.C. Davis HS | Yakima, WA - 75.68
2nd Place - North Thurston HS | Lacey, WA - 72.35
3rd Place - Tahoma HS | Maple Valley, WA - 71.85
4th Place - Glencoe HS | Hillsboro, OR - 66.90
5th Place - Cascade HS | Everett, WA - 64.28
6th Place - Oak Harbor HS | Oak Harbor, WA - 57.70
7th Place - Bonney Lake HS | Bonney Lake, WA - 57.50
8th Place - River Ridge HS | Olympia, WA - 52.63

High General Effect - North Thurston HS
High Music - A.C. Davis HS
High Visual - A.C. Davis

These results went just about as I predicted them. A.C. Davis with the win, and North Thurston coming in second despite being a much smaller size than the other bands in attendance. Small but mighty! (A little birdie told me that my predictions about Kamiak HS held true as well.)

Will update with the rest of the competitions as soon as I get more information! Happy banding!

[antroot]

Got the PCI results!

10/1 Pacific Coast Invitational (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Grants Pass HS | Grants Pass, OR - 75.85
2nd Place - North Salem HS | Salem, OR - 67.40
3rd Place - McKay HS | Salem, OR - 62.08
4th Place - South Albany HS | Albany, OR - 59.45
5th Place - Hillsboro HS | Hillsboro, OR - 57.48

High General Effect - Grants Pass HS
High Music - Grants Pass HS
High Visual - Grants Pass HS

As expected from Grants Pass. I will say that North Salem getting second is a nice surprise. They took the 2021 season off to recover a bit more from Covid, so coming back after not performing since 2019 and getting second is great for them.

[antroot]

And the final for tonight, the results for the Southeastern Washington Cavalcade of Bands.

10/1 Southeastern Washington Cavalcade of Bands (Independent) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Ridgeline HS | Liberty Lake, WA - 81.275
2nd Place - Cheney HS | Cheney, WA - 80.425
3rd Place - Mead HS | Spokane, WA - 77.05
4th Place - Chiawana HS | Pasco, OR - 74.075
5th Place - Pasco HS | Pasco, WA - 72.925
6th Place - Hanford HS | Richland, WA - 72.375
7th Place - West Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 70.35
8th Place - Central Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 69.55
9th Place - Vallivue HS | Caldwell, ID - 67.825
10th Place - Richland HS | Richalnd, WA - 64.65
11th Place - Hermiston HS | Hermiston, OR - 63.00
12th Place - Kamiakin HS | Kennewick, WA - 61.1

High General Effect - Ridgeline HS
High Music - Ridgeline HS
High Visual - Cheney HS

First off, biggest shake-up here is Central Valley's placement. Someone said on here that before the pandemic, and before the opening of Ridgeline HS, Central Valley could easily be named the best marching band in Washington state. That couldn't be said last year, and it seems that it definitely cannot be said now. It makes sense that when Central Valley's band director and staff moved to Ridgeline to start anew, they'd be taking all of their expertise with them. I also got a look at Ridgeline's show, and it is wonderful! Really shows what a band from Washington can do. It is such a SHAME they are not going to NWAPA Championships this year.

This is one of the biggest problems with the PNW. There ARE good bands here, but everyone is so spread out (Kamiak in the Puget Sound area, AC Davis in Central WA, Ridgeline in Eastern WA, West Salem in Central OR, Grants Pass in Southern OR) that finding a good venue for all of them, especially if BOA would want to hold another competition here, is difficult. One band or another would have to travel a long distance to get to wherever this huge regional (PNW Super Regional? ) competition would be hosted. If one where to triangulate and find a venue to give everyone similar travel times, you'd be out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere near the borders of WA/OR. And nothing is in the middle of nowhere.

Anyways, I also got a look at Cheney's show, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of musicianship and performance in the show. Without knowing the results, I believed they were going to place high. And lo and behold, they got second and took the high visual award! This is a good sign of growth in the program after a few recent years of middling competitive success.

I'll try to write some more of my thoughts tomorrow, maybe even try to crank out some new rankings. Happy banding!

[antroot]

29 bands will be attending NWAPA Championships (11/5) at the University of Oregon. They are:

Phoenix HS
Tigard HS
North Salem HS
Madras HS
Douglas HS
Aloha HS
Liberty HS
Kelso HS
Brookings-Harbor HS
South Albany HS
McMinnville HS
Sprague HS
Sunset HS
Southridge HS
Glencoe HS
Westview HS
Skyview HS
Hermiston HS
Hillsboro HS
McKay HS
Sherwood HS
West Salem HS
Sheldon HS
Kamiak HS
Del Norte HS
Mountainside HS
Roseburg HS
Grants Pass HS
Century HS
and the University of Oregon Marching Band (which makes 30 performing groups in total)

The top 15 placing bands in prelims will move on to perform in finals! It'll be a very fun day!

[antroot]

Alright, alright. I wasn't able to do a recap on last week, and now I gotta do this week so here we go. IT'S A BIG POST SO BUCKLE UP

LAST WEEK,
I went to the Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships in Mead, WA. This has been a historically independent event, but this year they went and partnered with the NWAPA circuit. Coming into this show, after seeing the results of the Cavalcade of Bands the week prior I expected Ridgeline to win. I also had my eyes on West Salem, because they're historically good as well. Also had my eyes on AC Davis, who had won the Kamiak Music in Motion show the week prior (10/1).

So, what happened?

10/8 Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Ridgeline HS | Liberty Lake, WA - 84.90
2nd Place - West Salem HS | Salem, OR - 83.35
3rd Place - Mead HS | Spokane, WA - 80.00
4th Place - Mt. Spokane HS | Spokane, WA - 78.30
5th Place - Chiawana HS | Pasco, WA - 77.10
6th Place - AC Davis HS | Yakima, WA - 76.10
7th Place - Hanford HS | Richland, WA - 74.75
8th Place - Central Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 72.60
9th Place - Centennial HS | Boise, ID - 69.75
10th Place - Eisenhower HS | Yakima, WA - 66.25
11th Place - University HS | Spokane Valley, OR - 63.00
12th Place - Cle Elum-Roslyn HS | Cle Elum, WA - 61.1
13th Place - Clarkston HS | Clarkston, WA - 58.75
14th Place - Highland HS | Pocatello, ID - 58.40

High Music, Visual, Auxiliary, Percussion - Ridgeline HS
High General Effect - Ridgeline HS and West Salem HS (tie)

So, first of all. Seeing a mid 80s score this early into the season surprised me. But after seeing Ridgeline, it did not surprise me. I also have to get into something that has been a thing since I' marched here, and I'm sure it's found just about everywhere in the country. Score inflation. Did Ridgline earn a true 84.90, a NWAPA 84.90? Personally, I don't think so. Just from the feel I've gotten looking at scores, especially from independent Washington events (which this one was very similar to still, despite the new NWAPA label), Washington scores tend to be a little inflated from Oregon scores, even when they're being judged by the same circuit. It's a whole thing which I won't get into here.

As for just pure band thoughts... Mt. Spokane was my favorite show of the competition. It's an Elton John show, but their bigger school size (150 kids) allows them to really expand and create a really fun, magical experience with the music of Elton John. It was also the only show to get a standing ovation. It was a real crowd pleaser. I also liked University's show. It tells the story we all know of the Ugly Duckling, and honestly is pretty consistent in the way it tells the story throughout. Nice and entertaining. West Salem did not present a full show at this competition, finishing at the end of their ballad. I wonder if they would've beat Ridgeline, who not only had a full show, but looked clean. I have a feeling Ridgeline has been working on the show for a while. The level of cleanliness is nice to see.

Another event happened that Saturday, all the way down in Sherwood, OR. These guys, as I've mentioned before, were the Percussion Scholastic Open Class Champions at WGI World Championships in Dayton earlier this year. A really strong program. Sherwood was hosting, but also competing. So knowing the bands that were coming, I was assuming it would be a battle for first between Sherwood, Mountainside, and Century HS.

So, what happened?

10/8 Sherwood Fall Showcase (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Sherwood HS | Sherwood, OR - 78.60
2nd Place - Mountainside HS | Beaverton, OR - 75.45
3rd Place - Century HS | Hillsboro, OR - 74.78
4th Place - Sprague HS | Salem, OR - 74.03
5th Place - Southridge HS | Beaverton, OR - 70.90
6th Place - Westview HS | Portland, OR - 70.25
7th Place - Aloha HS | Aloha, OR - 68.15
8th Place - South Albany HS | Albany, OR - 58.98
9th Place - Tigard HS | Tigard, OR - 57.83
10th Place - River Ridge HS | Olympia, WA - 51.95

High Music, Visual, GE - Sherwood HS

A Sherwood sweep! Although now I hope you can see the questionable discrepancy in scores between the PNWMBC and the Sherwood show. I would consider West Salem, Sherwood, and Mountainside about equal in terms of the ability and achievement on the field, and looking at scores, West Salem would have easily won the competition, right? Well... let's keep moving.

ANOTHER event that happened last Saturday (10/8), was the Pride of the Northwest Competition, hosted by Grants Pass HS. Another high profile PNW band hosting a competition out here.

So, what happened?

10/8 Grants Pass' Pride of the Northwest (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Roseburg HS | Roseburg, OR - 78.60
2nd Place - Liberty HS | Hillsboro, OR - 75.45
3rd Place - Del Norte HS | Crescent City, CA - 74.78
4th Place - Crater HS | Central Point, OR - 74.03
5th Place - McMinnville HS | McMinnville, OR - 70.90
6th Place - Hillsboro HS | Hillsboro, OR - 70.25
7th Place - Brookings-Harbor | Brookings, OR - 68.15
8th Place - Phoenix HS | Phoenix, OR - 58.98
9th Place - Douglas HS | Winston, OR - 57.83

High Music, Visual, GE - Roseburg HS

Grants Pass puts on this show to serve smaller, more regionally isolated schools such as itself. Of course Grants Pass is a unique band in this group being an entire city with one high school, leading to their big band size (175 this year). Roseburg also falls into the category somewhat, being a band of 110 this year I believe. I watched their (Roseburg's) show on YouTube, and I think it's pretty neat.

Ok. Done with LAST WEEK'S recap. Overall, some scoring discrepancies that are a little concerning especially in the NWAPA. However based on performances and public scores, I would put West Salem as the #1 band in Oregon, and Ridgeline as the #1 band in Washington after this week. But let's keep movin'!

THIS PAST SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15th,
I sat in on the WSU Marching Band Championships in Pullman, WA. Despite Washington State University being a sponsor of the NWAPA circuit, the event remains independent since its relatively recent creation in 2015. A great stadium, a great crowd, and some great bands. What more could you want? Ridgeline was coming to this one, and so was Cheney, who had given Ridgeline a good fight for first place, two weeks prior at the Cavalcade of Bands (taking the Visual caption, keeping Ridgeline from sweeping).

So, what happened?

10/15 WSU Marching Band Championships (Independent) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Ridgeline HS | Liberty Lake, WA - 85.800
2nd Place - Cheney HS | Cheney, WA - 84.650
3rd Place - Mead HS | Spokane, WA - 83.550
4th Place TIE - Kennewick HS | Kennewick, WA - 75.550
4th Place TIE - Central Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 75.550
6th Place - University HS | Spokane Valley, OR - 71.700
5th Place - Richland HS | Richland, WA - 69.400
6th Place - Lewiston HS | Lewiston, ID - 67.200
7th Place - Kamiakin HS | Kennewick, WA - 65.450
9th Place - Southridge HS | Kennewick, WA - 65.200
10th Place - Clarkston HS | Clarkston, WA - 63.650

High Music, High Guard, High Percussion - Ridgeline HS
High Visual - Cheney HS

Same result as two weeks ago, just with some higher scores. Personally, I would've given High Guard to Mead HS (which they DID take from Ridgeline in prelims). I'll take some time right now to gush a little bit about Cheney show. It's relatively simple show, based on the phrase "As Above, So Below" (also the title of the show) and its meaning. The use of these big, bright arrow props is just great. And I'm surprised by the speed at which they can whip around. We're just used to props in the marching world moving. so. slowly. that it can be a bit startling seeing those big arrows whip around wildly. It's cool. The musicianship is stellar, with a nice clarinet choir being featured throughout. And they look great, too.

Another independent event happened in Washington, this one being the Harvest Marching Band Festival, co-hosted by AC Davis HS and Eisenhower HS. It's a bit unfortunate that two events happened in Washington, as we're already tight on bands here. This led to smaller attendance at both this event and WSU Champs than previous years. Oh well.

So, what happened?

10/15 Harvest Marching Band Festival (Independent) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Mt. Spokane HS | Spokane, WA - 85.65
2nd Place - Chiawana HS | Pasco, WA - 83.80
3rd Place - Pasco HS | Pasco, WA - 80.57
4th Place - West Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 78.30
5th Place - Cle Elum-Roslyn HS | Cle Elum, WA - 72.08
6th Place - Wenatchee HS | Wenatchee, WA - 70.38
7th Place - Highland HS | Pocatello, ID - 64.15
8th Place - Sunnyside HS | Sunnyside, WA - 59.25

High Music, High Guard, High Percussion - Mt. Spokane HS
High Visual, GE - Chiawana HS

I didn't think much of this event prior to it happening, but I would've predicted similar outcomes. Mt. Spokane, as I said earlier, was my personal favorite show from the week prior, so I'm glad they got a dub in one way or another. Chiwana was also a good show from the PWNMBC competition, so I'm glad they got some recognition here. Unfortunately, as is the case for some bands in this region, due to finances, the culture, finances, time, and finances, some bands end their competitive season here. This was Chiawana's last show. I'm sure it was the last for many bands at this event and at WSU Champs as well. Unfortunate we don't get to see more, but that's how it is.

Finally, the last event to cover, the only NWAPA event this past Saturday (after having THREE the week prior), the Sunset Classic, hosted by Sunset HS. It sure is a "classic" all right, being one of the oldest competitions in the region, predating the NWAPA by decades. Kamiak was finally making their competitive (scored, placed) debut in competition, they were really the last band I need to get a read on in order to start getting an idea of what band will look like come NWAPA Championships.

So, what happened?

10/15 Sunset Classic (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS

1st Place - Kamiak HS | Mukilteo, WA - 85.35
2nd Place - Sherwood HS | Sherwood, OR - 83.50
3rd Place - West Salem HS | Salem, OR - 83.30
4th Place - Sheldon HS | Eugene, OR - 77.55
5th Place - Glencoe HS | Glencoe, OR - 75.85
6th Place - Hermiston HS | Hermiston, OR - 71.40
7th Place - Skyview HS | Vancouver, WA - 70.05
8th Place - Liberty HS | Hillsboro, OR - 67.40
7th Place - McMinnville HS | McMinnville, OR - 67.10
8th Place - Kelso HS | Kelso, OR - 65.00

High Music, Visual, Guard, Percussion - Kamiak HS
High General Effect - Kamiak HS and West Salem HS (tie)

Doesn't this sound familiar? The captions awards are practically a copy of the results seen when West Salem went up against Ridgeline a week ago. Granted, now it's a West Salem with a full show on the field, but wow! The point gap between Salem and Ridgeline a week ago was 1.55. The point gap between Salem and Kamiak is 2.05. It does NOT help me in ranking when both schools literally tie in the same caption as well. Also, let's not ignore Sherwood coming up from behind and overtaking West Salem in finals (they were a place behind in prelims).

So NOW, this Sunday, October 16th, I can say that Grants Pass is the #1 band in Oregon at the moment (previously said Sherwood, but after further review, I have given it back to GP), and the #1 spot in Washington is a tie between Ridgeline and Kamiak.

I will say this: There's a cruel irony in that Kamiak and Ridgeline have not, and will not, cross paths in any way this season.

This took me two hours to compile and give some commentary on. If you have any questions, ask! I can go deeper. Happy banding!

[antroot]

I'll keep running my mouth for a little bit more. I have some videos of the performances from yesterday and from last week, so if you're curious to see, here you go.

Ridgeline HS - "Bird Set Free":


Kamiak HS - "Petals":


West Salem HS - "The Dark Days Will Pass":


Sherwood HS - "Rise":


Cheney HS - "As Above, So Below":


Roseburg HS - "Hurricane Rising":


Mt. Spokane HS - "How Wonderful Life Is":


The videos I put above are my recommendations for the best bands the PNW has to offer.

[macwinlin]

Wasn’t Skyview one of the more dominant bands in the PNW? Interesting to only see them with a result at one contest in this thread (10/15 Sunset Classic)

Also, does Evergreen still exist? I remember seeing them in the early 2000s.

[antroot]

Oct 16, 2022 14:52:14 GMT -6 macwinlin said:

Wasn’t Skyview one of the more dominant bands in the PNW? Interesting to only see them with a result at one contest in this thread (10/15 Sunset Classic)

Also, does Evergreen still exist? I remember seeing them in the early 2000s.

You're correct. Emphasis on the was. They're smaller now, and haven't been super successful competitively, although I do enjoy their shows still.

Now for Evergreen... Their last year competing was in 2016. With the introduction of a new director, they stopped their competitive marching program immediately. They were still a very successful band too, earning 2nd Place at NWAPA Championships in 2015. I don't know how a director could even bring themselves to just stop something that meant a a lot to alumni and current students. They claim it was a financial thing, and that their funds would be redirected to strengthen their concert band programs, but I've not heard anything significant from Evergreen bands since. I think as of now they're trying to get a proposition passed to rebuild the school entirely. Maybe that'll kickstart something in the band program? A new band room is always energizing.

[boahistorybuff]

Oct 16, 2022 14:52:14 GMT -6 macwinlin said:

Wasn’t Skyview one of the more dominant bands in the PNW? Interesting to only see them with a result at one contest in this thread (10/15 Sunset Classic)

Also, does Evergreen still exist? I remember seeing them in the early 2000s.

I assume you do mean Skyview Washington and not SkyView Utah. The Utah band was the one that won the first BOA regional in Moscow ID back in 1979 and has been a frequent BOA participant in more recent years.

[boahistorybuff]

I think antroot is challenging me for amount of content in one post. I say bring it on, I am up for the challenge.

[LeanderMomma]

Oct 18, 2022 19:58:18 GMT -6 boahistorybuff said:

I think antroot is challenging me for amount of content in one post. I say bring it on, I am up for the challenge.

😁

[LeanderMomma]

I gotta say, my interest in the PNW marching band scene is now piqued!

[antroot]

Oct 18, 2022 19:58:18 GMT -6 boahistorybuff said:

I think antroot is challenging me for amount of content in one post. I say bring it on, I am up for the challenge.

Oh I'm sure you could easily out-band me with your knowledge. My knowledge lies really in the recent development of bands up here, from about 2008-now. I'm always trying to learn more about these bands though.

[antroot]

I just realized I never put a video of GRANTS PASS up above. If you haven't caught it yet, I rank them as the best marching band up here in the Northwest corner of the country.

Here's a YouTube link to a show they did about a week ago. If you don't have time to watch the whole video, at least take a look (or a listen?) at 8:25 in the video. Those guitarists in the front ensemble are just great. And the entrance of the winds afterwards with Dvorak's New World Symphony? Also great. Enjoy!

[antroot]

Hey, it's me again.

Over the weekend, there were two competitions that happened up here. One in Washington and another in Oregon. The one in Washington was the Everett Puget Sound Festival of Bands, an independent event, hosted by Cascade HS, which has been running for the past 3 decades. The other event in Oregon was a NWAPA event, the Liberty Marching Arts Challenge, hosted by Liberty HS. I attended the Everett show, as that one was also the second biggest in the region this year, with 21 bands in attendance.

10/22 Puget Sound Festival of Bands (Independent) - FINALS RESULTS
1st Place - Cheney HS | Cheney, WA - 86.93
2nd Place - Kamiak HS | Mukilteo, WA - 86.18
3rd Place - Mt. Spokane HS | Spokane, WA - 84.73
4th Place - A.C. Davis HS | Yakima, WA - 82.45
5th Place - Century HS | Hillsboro, OR - 79.58
6th Place - West Valley HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 75.28
7th Place - Kennewick HS | Kennewick, WA - 74.30
8th Place - Eisenhower HS | Yakima, WA - 70.60
9th Place - Wenatchee HS | Wenatchee, WA - 68.15
10th Place - University HS | Spokane Valley, WA - 66.63
11th Place - Bainbridge HS | Bainbridge Island, WA - 63.93
12th Place - Sumner HS | Sumner, WA - 63.68

High General Effect, High Visual - Cheney HS
High Music - Mt. Spokane
High Percussion - West Valley HS
High Color Guard - Kamiak HS

Whew, what an event this was! Cheney HS took the top spot from Kamiak HS, who had won this competition every year since 2016! Kamiak had won in prelims, but Cheney was only a half point behind. Kamiak also had to perform first in finals due to their homecoming, which I felt was a bit lame as they basically had no crowd, and it was still daylight! Regardless, I still believe Cheney had a slighter better performance.

The mix of bands who won captions was also a bit of a surprise to me. West Valley winning the percussion caption, despite placing 7th, might seem a bit strange at first, but I heard from a friend that the school has a significant chunk of percussionists both marching AND teaching there who have marched with the Columbians (WA's open class drum corps), and/or IMPACT Percussion (WA's open class indoor percussion group). Mt. Spokane getting high music was also not much of a surprise. They have some killer musicians in that ensemble. Kamiak's color guard caption was also well deserved. They move and dance with such confidence, much more than the other groups. I believe they have two recent Blue Devils CG members teaching there.

Now this gets a bit into personal opinion (all of this is anyways), but I believe Kamiak would have won this competition had they performed last in finals. They just swept an OREGON competition the week before! Like many other bands on the west side of the state, I assume they were not allowed to rehearse outside last week at all due to the obscene amount of smoke and ash the state received (good ol' rain got rid of it the day prior to the competition). However, scores are scores, and performances are performances, so I'll be putting Cheney above Kamiak (but both below Ridgeline) for this week's rankings.

The Oregon competition went just about as I would have expected it.

10/22 Liberty Marching Arts Challenge (NWAPA) - Finals Results
1st - Grants Pass HS | Grants Pass, OR - 86.40
2nd - Mountainside HS | Beaverton, OR - 82.25
3rd - Hanford HS | Richland, WA - 81.95
4th - Sunset HS | Portland, OR - 76.15
5th - Sprague HS | Salem, OR - 75.75
6th - Southridge HS | Beaverton, OR - 72.75
7th - Westview HS | Portland, OR - 72.60
8th - Skyview HS | Vancouver, WA - 69.60
9th - McMinnville HS | McMinnville, OR - 67.20
10th - North Salem HS | Salem, OR - 65.60
11th - Tigard HS | Tigard, OR - 64.05
12th - Douglas HS | Winston, OR - 61.40

High General Effect, High Music, High Percussion, High Color Guard - Grants Pass HS
High Visual - Mountainside HS

I don't really know what to say other than these results are just as I expected them. Grants Pass losing the visual caption isn't a surprise either. If Grants Pass has an Achille's heel, it's their visual quality. They can PLAY, but their visual technique and care is middling. Grants Pass seems to have an army of winds instructors listed on their program, but not a single visual instructor. If they can clean themselves up visually, they'll be unstoppable.

I'll finish this recap by saying this: Personally, I haven't seen a season where band is more interesting in WASHINGTON. Oregon, for YEARS, has been what people associate with the "good bands". But finally, it seems like the Washington bands are giving these Oregon bands a run for their money. I'm not saying Washington bands haven't ever done that before, but it was usually just Central Valley or Evergreen that would place top three at Oregon competitions. This exciting year will hit a climax next week when Ridgeline comes down to Oregon for the Century Showcase (the third biggest comp up here). I predict Ridgeline to win.

Happy banding!

[antroot]

Second to last post for the season!

Yesterday, Century HS from Hillsboro, OR hosted their annual Century Showcase. It's been a wildly popular competition in the region, known for hosting the most Washington bands out of any Oregon competition, and for also just being a plain fun event. So how'd it go?

10/29 Century Showcase (NWAPA) - FINALS RESULTS
1st Place - Ridgeline - 89.95
2nd Place - West Salem - 88.15
3rd Place - Mead - 87.50
4th Place - Sherwood - 85.35
5th Place - Mountainside - 83.85
6th Place - Central Valley - 80.95
7th Place - Glencoe - 79.60
8th Place - Sheldon - 79.15
9th Place - Sunset - 77.55
10th Place - Southridge - 74.50
11th Place - Aloha - 73.40
12th Place - Kamiakin - 70.95
13th Place - Hermiston - 70.40
14th Place - Hillsboro - 70.15
15th Place - Liberty - 69.35
16th Place - Tigard - 66.35
17th Place - South Albany - 59.45
18th Place - Madras - 50.55

High Visual, High Auxiliary - Ridgeline HS
High Music, High General Effect - West Salem
High Percussion - Sherwood HS

What a wildly impressive set of bands, to start off with. It has been lots of fun to follow them throughout the season and document their growth. As I predicted, Ridgeline took first at this competition. They've made a huge statement, to only be in their second year of existence, and to have beat every Oregon band except for Grants Pass. That's not to detract from the other bands however, as this was a very close competition.

Sherwood's percussion just can't be beat (except for maybe Kamiak, who has), West Salem's show is a delight to listen to, and they have an impactful prop/uniform change within the show which I'm sure helped net them that high GE award. Ridgeline, with their 30 member guard took first in color guard (although Mead wasn't far behind, only losing that caption by half a point). Ridgeline also moves extremely well.

The highlight of the night was Century. Every year, at their own competition, they decide to have a little fun with their show since they perform exhibition. In 2019, they turned off the stadium lights and performed while their massive, light-up triangle props lit the field. Many in the region still talk about it. So how do they beat something like that?

You synchronize a fireworks display to your show.

That's right. Century LIT OFF FIREWORKS in the distance while performing their show. Along with newly added lights to their props, the Century show was just pure eye candy, and was downright magical, living up to the show's title, "FX". (A little birdie told me they got a 100 from the judges in visual effect, haha)

------

So, that's that. I'll include some links below to the performances from tonight. I recommend all of these. I'll be back next week with the results of the penultimate competition, NWAPA CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Happy banding!

Ridgeline HS - "Bird Set Free"


West Salem HS - "The Dark Days Will Pass" (sorry for the video quality, it's the only one I could find)


Mead HS - "The Last Train Home"


Sherwood HS - "Rise"


Mountainside HS - "We're All Mad Here"


Century HS - "FX"

[antroot]

Heya! Last post from me probably. I got sick and wasn't able to go to NWAPA Champs, so I can't really say much except for what's on paper. So here ya go!

11/5 NWAPA CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINALS RESULTS
1st Place - Grants Pass - 92.30
2nd Place - West Salem - 89.65
3rd Place - Kamiak - 89.20
4th Place - Sherwood - 88.35
5th Place - Century - 86.00
6th Place - Mountainside - 84.90
7th Place - Sprague - 82.30
8th Place - Sunset - 81.80
9th Place - Sheldon 81.00
10th Place - Glencoe - 79.85
11th Place - Roseburg - 79.25
12th Place - Southridge - 75.05
13th Place - Westview - 74.80
14th Place - Aloha - 74.30
15th Place - McMinnville - 72.80

High Visual, High Music, High General Effect, High Auxiliary - Grants Pass
High Percussion - Sherwood


Ok I do have a few things to say I guess.

- This was Aloha's first appearance in finals in a LONG time. They used to be a huge band in the 80s-90s, but redistricting, new schools opening, and time, has changed that. Nice to see them back.
- Grants Pass is still the undisputed champion of the region. I'm sure they'd break into semis if they attended Grand Nats. Who knows if we'll ever see that.
- The top four placements are the same as they were three years ago at the last NWAPA Champs. Nothing's really changed I guess! (especially after the craziness of last year) I believe this is Century's first time breaking into the top 5 ever.
- Sherwood getting high percussion isn't surprising. However, I would expect Kamiak to be basically neck-and-neck with them, if not taking high percussion themselves. Instead, Kamiak got 4th in percussion, which is VERY strange to me.
- I'd love to see more good Washington bands come down for this event. Ridgeline, Cheney, Mead, Chiawana, Mt. Spokane, Hanford, AC Davis, Central Valley. So many key bands in the region missing from this event.
- i love band


Well, this is it for the PNW region. It's the end of the line for ALL bands in WA/OR. I'll make a ranked list soon probably, and add some links of these bands performing, when they're up. Happy banding!

[antroot]

Edit: I'm adding timestamps for highlights to each show, just moments that stood out to me personally.

NWAPA Champs videos:

Grants Pass HS - "Valkyrie" - Highlights @ 4:30, 6:05, and 7:10


West Salem HS - "The Dark Days Will Pass" - Highlights @ 1:26, 3:18, 7:08


Kamiak HS - "Petals" - Highlights @ 0:57, 4:10, and 6:36


Sherwood HS - "Rise" - Highlights @ 1:47, 2:31, and 7:03


Century HS - "FX" - Highlights @ 1:14, 4:30, and 6:27


Mountainside HS - "We're All Mad Here" - Highlights @ 1:44, 4:26, and 7:03


Roseburg HS - "Hurricane Rising" - Highlights @ 1:27, 3:55 (please just watch this entire movement, the music is great), and 6:38



All really great ensembles! Grants Pass is BOA level band. West Salem is a clean, meticulous band. Kamiak's designs are some of the best. Sherwood's percussion can't be beat. Century is a band that knows how to have fun. Roseburg's and Mountainside's music is so great. I love these bands. Please give them all a watch if you can.