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Post by hewhowaits on Apr 14, 2020 12:16:05 GMT -6
Mason's improvement over the previous year was actually the 11th straight.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Apr 14, 2020 12:29:55 GMT -6
Mason's improvement over the previous year was actually the 11th straight. Yep, you're right. I fixed it. My bad.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Apr 14, 2020 20:38:04 GMT -6
2016 was a good year for sure. Leander had their awesome Fourth Dimension show, Carmel and Avon battled it out for the GN title, Castle gave their most memorable performance to date (I will never ever forget Sophie), and Flower Mound had us ALL under their spell at San Antonio. I’m not sure I’ve ever been as astonished by a high school band’s performance as I was FloMo that year. It was just spellbinding in its uniqueness, powerful storytelling and incredibly well played music. Just a phenomenal show.
For reference:
You HAVE to watch that Flower Mound show. You just have to.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Apr 26, 2020 3:48:27 GMT -6
...2017 SEASON REVIEW...
One of the big notable trends this season was bands dropping the more traditional military style uniform and wearing more of a costume fitting of the theme of the show. This was certainly not new, there has been bands doing this all the way back into the 1990s. Those bands that did this were usually few and far between. From this season onward, that would no longer be the case. Many of these more artistically styled band outfits were also very colorful. This was really noticeable during the awards ceremonies with the finalist bands on the field; vibrant colors galore.
There were 20 BOA regionals this season, including four super regionals. The season started Sept 16th with the Canton, OH and Powder Springs, GA regionals. Avon (IN) made the trip over to Canton and won; they were heavily favored to win. Lockport Township (IL) was a respectable 2nd, the closest they have come to a regional win. Dublin Coffman (OH) was 3rd. The Powder Springs regional was won by Harrison (GA), also heavily favored to win. Mill Creek (GA) was a solid 2nd; also their highest finish at a BOA regional, with Milton (GA) 3rd. The second weekend of the season; Sep 23, featured three regionals; Austin, TX, Clarksville, TN and Toledo, OH. As incredibly competitive as Austin was, Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) won and swept the highest achievement awards (tied Vandy in music) and won by almost three points. Vandegrift (TX) was a strong 2nd and packed close together was Round Rock (TX) in 3rd, Leander (TX) in 4th and Cedar Park (TX) in 5th. At Clarksville, Castle (IN) won their third BOA regional title. Franklin (TN) was 2nd with North Hardin (KY) in 3rd. At Toledo, Homestead (IN) won their very first BOA regional title. They beat powerful William Mason (OH) who was having a rough season and had to settle for 2nd. Centerville (OH) was several points down in 3rd. The final weekend of September had two Texas regionals; McAllen and Southlake. At McAllen, Dripping Springs (TX) won. This was their first and so far only BOA regional title. Roma (TX) was 2nd with Pioneer (TX) in 3rd. An interesting judging recap sheet from Southlake as there was just one music performance judge (ensemble). This was an all out battle between Hebron (TX) who won and Flower Mound (TX) who finished 2nd. It was the music scores which pulled Hebron ahead for their third BOA regional title. Marcus (TX) was a strong 3rd and was closely followed by LD Bell (TX) in 4th.
The first weekend of October had a whopping four regionals. At Conroe, TX, Vandegrift (TX) won their 2nd BOA regional. Ronald Reagan (TX) was 2nd with Leander (TX) in 3rd. Weather caused the cancellation of finals at Dayton, OH, so the results were based on prelims. Carmel (IN) won by a mere .15 points over 2nd place Avon (IN). These two bands were head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Topping the rest of the field was Lakota East (OH) in 3rd. The Jacksonville, AL regional also had finals cancelled due to weather. Nation Ford (SC) pulled off an upset and beat Harrison (GA) for their 2nd BOA title. Lambert (GA) was several points down in 3rd. The Newark, DE regional was won by Norwin (PA). Green Hope (NC) was 2nd with Trumbull (CT) in 3rd. BOA hosted a regional in Midland (TX) for the first time this season. It was won by Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) who was in another league in this competition. Bellevue West (NE) did make the trip down and finished a strong 2nd with Timber Creek (TX) in 3rd. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises/upsets at a BOA regional this season was at Winston-Salem, NC. Fort Mill (SC) pulled a huge upset, winning their third BOA regional. They beat Dobyns-Bennett (TN) by a mere tenth of a point. DB was heavily favored to win. Fort Mill came back from fourth in prelims to win this regional. James F Byrnes (SC) also had a very strong show and was a close 3rd.
At the Indianapolis Super Regional, it was a close match up between the two Indiana super powers. Carmel (IN) edged out Avon (IN) for the win by a quarter point. Castle (IN) was a very respectable 3rd, with Union (OK) 4th, Homestead (IN) 5th and Marian Catholic (IL) 6th. No surprise at the St Louis Super Regional that Broken Arrow (OK) won. They would have won by a little larger margin had they not had a low score by one of the music effect judges. Blue Springs (MO) was a strong 2nd and were actually closely followed by O'Fallon Township (IL) in 3rd. Owasso (OK) was 4th with Grain Valley (MO) in 5th. Grain Valley had a very strong season and show; you could tell they were thrilled with that placement. This year marked the last year of the Atlanta Super Regional. Declining enrollment and a costly venue were cited as the blame. Tarpon Springs (FL) won, which is rather fitting as Tarpon had won this regional more than any other band. Wando (SC) was a strong 2nd and tied Tarpon in music. Haltom (TX) made the trip over and took 3rd as did Cedar Ridge (TX) who took 4th. Park Vista (FL) was on their heels in 5th. The regional in San Jose, CA was won quite handedly by West Salem (OR), their 3rd BOA regional title and first win outside of the Pacific Northwest. Lynbrook (CA) was 2nd, their highest finish to date at a BOA regional. Clovis West (CA), the band actually favored to win was 3rd. The Downey, CA (southern California) regional was actually the same weekend as San Jose. Carmel (IN) made the long distance trip and won this regional. This was their third regional win of the season. Carmel has also won more regionals in different states than any other band. Ayala (CA) was a respectable 2nd and Vista Murrieta was 3rd. At the St George, UT regional, it was American Fork (UT) that came away with the win. This marked their 8th BOA regional title. Clovis (NM) was 2nd, the closest this band or any band from New Mexico has come to a regional title. Foothill (NV) was a respectable 3rd.
The San Antonio Super Regional was as competitive as ever. The 14 finalist bands were all separated by just a little over 7 points and the top 6 bands all broke 94 points. Yes, it was an amazing group of finalists. Coming away with the win and taking music and GE was Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX). This was their third regional title of the season for a total of 6 regional titles at the time. They scored a whopping 96.625 points. Their show was titled "Forest Through the Trees". The woodsy theme was complemented by the costuming of the band. They displayed not only some musical prowess but some amazing athleticism. This was a show that often moved fast, with visual designs/demand that echoed much of what was on par in the DCI circuit. In a bit of a break with the intensity, they did a wonderful rendition of Hallelujah. This was one of the best and most successful seasons for CTJ. They unfortunately did not take this show to nationals. In a very respectable 2nd place (yet to win at San Antonio) was Hebron (TX) with their show "Sculpt". Amazing and well executed design. including a ton of geometric designs with a powerful rich sound. This was another awesome show. They were a fraction of a point away from CTJ on the music performance. No offence to CTJ, but Hebron probably should have taken music performance. It was just insanely clean and good and included some incredible soloists. Cracking the top three for the first time was Vandegrift (TX) with their show "Symphony of Silence". This was the music of Beethoven with the Paul Simon classic The Sound of Silence thrown in there. The quality of the music was amazing. Vandy had certainly stepped it up a notch. This may have been the best performance of Sound of Silence by a high school marching band. Avon (IN) made the trip down to San Antonio for the first and so far only time. Perhaps hoping to pull a Carmel 2002, they ended up finishing 4th and took visual. This was actually the lowest Avon had placed in any BOA competition since 2006; showcasing just how strong the competition was. Rounding out the top 7 were Ronald Reagan (TX) in 5th, Flower Mound (TX) in 6th and Marcus (TX) in 7th. In a bit of a surprise, The Woodlands finished 11th and Leander finished 14th. Yes, competition was tough.
There were a total of 100 bands who participated in the 2017 Bands of America Grand Nationals. When the roster came out it was pretty clear that this was going to be a highly competitive nationals, which indeed it was. Upon conclusion of the regionals, I think it was pretty clear that Carmel had positioned themselves as a contender for another title. Of course, there was also Broken Arrow to consider and Avon who had been on Carmel's heels all season. Before the start of the season, there was a lot of speculation about Flower Mound taking home the eagle in light of what they did in 2016.. Their placement at San Antonio put that in doubt. I however was still considering them a potential contender. Upon conclusion of Semi Finals, Carmel (IN) won the Class 4A title and took visual and GE. Broken Arrow (OK) was 2nd in 4A and took music and Avon (IN) was 3rd. In Class 3A, Castle (IN) won and swept the highest achievement awards. This was Castle's first and only GN class title. Dobyns-Bennett (TN) was 2nd in 3A and Fort Mill (SC) was 3rd. In Class 2A, Marian Catholic (IL) won and swept the highest achievement awards. North Hardin (KY) was 2nd in 2A and Bassett (VA) was 3rd. In Class A, Adair County (KY) won and took all highest achievement awards (tying for visual). This was Adair County's fourth consecutive and sixth overall Class A title. This put them second to Bellbrook for the highest number of GN Class A titles. Norton (OH) was 2nd in Class A and tied for visual and Beechwood (KY) was 3rd. While Carmel was favored to win the title in finals, I don't think it was a given. It was quite obvious that Broken Arrow was on their heels. It turned out in finals that the top 5 bands broke 95 points. This also marked the fourth time where all finalist bands were previous GN finalists.
So it ended up that Carmel (IN) walked away with the win. They also became only the second band in BOA history to win more than three GN titles. After Carmel's first win in 2005, many were saying that had Ronald Reagan performed later in finals they would have done better and won, In 2012, many were saying that Broken Arrow got robbed and of course in 2016 with the tie, there were many saying that Avon should have got it. I think much of this was pretty unfair to Carmel. I personally think with this win, Carmel won it with no question. I felt they simply put down such a solid show and ended iit with an exclamation point and showed why they have won multiple GN titles. Their show was titled "Serenity" and featured Speigel im Speigel (Arvo Part), Meditation from Thais (Massenet) and original music by Richard Saucedo. Through the use of props, the band transformed the field into a Zen garden, including several large swings. There was a section where some band members used prayer bowl props, which I felt was a really unique and interesting moment. The show had moments of chaos that was quieted with moments of serenity/mediation. It was another show where Carmel took difficult and wildly complex music and made it seem easy. This show was very clean and controlled, both musically and visually. The sections where the full ensemble showcased their power was so good, I wanted more. Their marching technique combined with their body movements and guard made the visual aspects of this show near perfection. For me, I found this show captivating and moving; I was hooked from beginning to end. Carmel ended up tying for music performance and outright won visual and GE. They also scored an impressive 97.50 points.
Carmel Finalist Feature
I have probably said it many times, but Broken Arrow (OK) knows how to sell a show to the audience. In this case it started right as they entered the field with their unique and fast paced pre show. Broken Arrow wound up in 2nd with their show "Age of Discovery: Return to Xeno". The band was dressed as race car drivers and utilized at least a couple dozen cars that they peddled across the field. The story was that of the band as explorers of an alien world with the guard representing the aliens. What I found absolutely incredible about this show was the amount of choreography of band members peddling the cars all over the field with insanely fast movement of the band on the field; not to mention those flags. I can't imagine how much practice it had to have taken to get all of that down the way this band did. It really paid off because this show was a visual extravaganza from start to finish. The band must have really done some conditioning too as despite all of that movement, they had an outstanding show from a musical standpoint. They tied Carmel in music performance. This was the first time they had won music in GN finals.
Broken Arrow Finalist Feature
I felt Avon (IN) gave their best performance of the season in GN finals. They ended up finishing 3rd. Their show was titled "Test4ment". Several individual wall segment props were moved about the field; at the end forming a wall. The theme I believe had to do with how individual pieces (or performers) come together to form a cohesive unit. Much of this show was fast, with the band flying across the field in some complex drill moves. They obviously got a lot of credit for how well they handled the difficulty in this show; including how well they played given the difficulty. True to Avon's legacy, this show had moments of softness woven into sections of loud and very up tempo moments. I felt the ending segment of this show was so good and impactful. A big shout out to the awesome percussion and guard. This also marked their 11th consecutive top three finish in GN finals.
Avon Finalist Feature
This year marked the third GN appearance (and third finals appearance) for Marcus (TX) who has been on an every four year GN rotation since 2009. Over the last four years, their placements at San Antonio had slipped a bit from their late 2000s/early 2010s glory years. Much of this of course was because the competition at Texas BOA had gotten so tough. Well in GN finals this year, Marcus showed why they are one of the most successful Texas bands. I thought they gave one of their best performances ever in finals. Their show was titled "prODDigy", celebrating the uniqueness of some musical geniuses. They played some wildly difficult classical selections and boy did they really play them well. I actually thought they may nab the music performance award in finals. Big shout out some amazing percussion arrangements. The strong music was completed by large colorful props and oftentimes fast visual designs by the band. I thought they brought forth a more difficult visual package than in years past.
Marcus Finalist Feature
After their stunning show in 2016, I was a bit surprised that Flower Mound (TX) finished 5th in finals. Don't get me wrong, they were still awesome and scored over 95 points (a small fraction behind Marcus). I think they really took on a more challenging show from a visual standpoint. Their show was titled "Fractured Moments". The visuals seemed to be that of stained glass. During the opening of the show, the band was all gray, black and white. Throughout the show, pops of color emerged in the guard and on the band uniforms. By the end of the show, they formed what looked like a giant stained glass window and must have had all of the colors of the rainbow represented. I found the visuals really interesting. Of course their music was outstanding. They took on some very challenging music and really played it well. Shout out to some amazing soloists in this show.
Flower Mound Finalist Feature
Sometimes a big early season disappointment can light a fire under a band, making them work extra hard. I have some suspicion that may have been the case with Dobyns-Bennett (TN) after their disappointing loss at the Winston-Salem regional. They came into nationals this year stronger than I had ever seen this band, managed to make GN finals and then delivered perhaps their best show ever in finals. It landed them in 6th place, their highest finish to date at Nationals. It also tied them with McGavock for the highest finish ever by a Tennessee band at Grand Nationals. Their show was titled "Paradisum" and I felt it was a step up in terms of difficulty from previous seasons. I also loved their selections from The Pines of Rome, one of my favorite pieces to hear on the marching field.
Dobyns-Bennett Finalist Feature
Relative to what they had done last season, The Woodlands (TX) was having a bit of a rough season, thanks largely to Hurricane Harvey which caused prolific flooding in the metro Houston area. So The Woodlands lost a lot of early season practice time. Despite that, they came roaring back by late season. Their show "In the Garden of Cosmic Speculation" really came together at GN. They played with an incredibly big and often loud sound. The show also had a lot of large props, relative to what The Woodlands typically had in their shows. At one point large tent props opened up to reveal huge white spheres, which I had to imagine was not easy learning to move those things about the field. The Woodlands finished 7th in finals. Now I know this was a competitive year, but I thought this show would have scored/placed a bit higher. This marked The Woodlands 9th appearance in GN finals at the time, tying them with LD Bell for the most GN finals appearances by a Texas band.
The Woodlands Finalist Feature
Castle (IN) placed 8th in finals with their show "Fly to Paradise". It had an obvious angels reference which was dedicated to Sophie, their 2016 vocalist who died in an auto accident. You could tell that this band put a ton of emotion into this performance and were determined to make it a good one. In their second finals appearance, I think they delivered their best ever performance. In fact, 8th place is the highest this band has ever placed at nationals.
Castle Finalist Feature
Back for their second appearance in finals was Blue Springs (MO) who finished 9th with their show "Burtonized". The show paid homage to the movies of Tim Burton. It was full of dark and often whimsical moments and turned out to be a pretty big crowd pleaser. I personally loved the visual aspects of this show, both the bands marching technique and drill designs.
Blue Springs Finalist Feature
Finishing 10th was Union (OK) with their show "This Bitter Earth". A little dark and theatrical, it was really cool. I loved their musical selections and thought they really sold the drama in this show. In fact, I thought they should have placed a little higher. This marked Union's 10th appearance in GN finals, spread out over a 31-year time period.
Union Finalist Feature
I will admit that I was worried that this would be the year that Marian Catholic (IL) would miss out on GN finals. They did their job in semi finals and ended up finishing 11th in finals. Their show was titled "Paradise Found". The theme revolved around how man made machines damage/destroy the environment. At one point a tree prop is cut down to reveal a keyboard instrument hidden inside. In typical Marian fashion, the complexity of the music was on another level. This ended up being Marian's 34th consecutive appearance in GN finals (it goes back to the very first time nationals was held in Indy in 1984). Sadly it was their last. Over the last decade Marian Catholic HS has faced declining enrollment and financial strains that I am sure has posed challenges on the marching band, especially in trying to stay competitive with the ever growing large well funded suburban power house programs that have been emerging over the last couple decades. I will admit that GN finals still does not quite seem the same without Marian in them.
Marian Catholic Finalist Feature
While it was no longer impossibly for a band to miss out on making finals at the San Antonio super regional and then turn around and make finals at Grand Nationals, when Round Rock (TX) placed 18th in prelims at San Antonio, I had my doubts if they would be able to make GN finals. Several staffing changes over the last couple years had some impact on their program. They certainly came into nationals with some determination and ended up sliding into finals where they finished 12th. Their show was titled "Errand into the Maze". I felt they had some weaknesses on the visual front. But from a music standpoint, they were pretty solid. It was their music scores which got them into finals.
Round Rock Finalist Feature
Finishing in the unlucky number 13th spot was Homestead (IN) who missed finals by just three tenths of a point, thanks largely to a low music individual score. I am sure this was a big disappointment after the successful season they were having; winning their first BOA regional and then beating Castle for the Indiana Class A state title (Carmel and Avon did not attend state this season). Homestead also had one of the most talked about props this season; an ice skating rink. Yes they actually had a mini skating rink on the field. I personally thought Homestead should have been in finals this season. In 14th was O'Fallon Township (IL) who covered the field in a white tarp. Owasso (OK) was 15th, Winston Churchill (TX) 16th, Center Grove (IN) 17th, Centerville (OH) 18th and Fort Mill (SC) 19th. After finishing 3rd last year, William Mason (OH) had a disastrous season and finished 20th. They had lost their director, due to some inappropriate behavior in an earlier teaching job. They also had misconduct allegations against an instructor. They hired a new director who then abruptly resigned before having to get another director. Given all this drama, I give kudos to this band that they actually attended Grand Nationals and did as well as they did. Luckily, things have stabilized at Mason and they have since returned to Grand National finals.
2017 Carmel GN Finals - A somewhat bad camera angle; if anyone has a better video, please post.
2017 Broken Arrow GN Finals
2017 Avon GN Finals
2017 Marcus GN Finals
2017 Flower Mound San Antonio Finals
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Post by OldSchoolTrumpet on Apr 26, 2020 7:48:53 GMT -6
...2017 SEASON REVIEW...
Finishing in the unlucky number 13th spot was Homestead (IN) who missed finals by just three tenths of a point, thanks largely to a low music individual score.
That's not what kept them out. 2017 was the only year that: (1) I personally predicted that they'd make it in my final prediction prior to the announcement, and (2) I wasn't in LOS on Saturday.
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Post by flynnmac on Apr 26, 2020 10:46:03 GMT -6
Fractured Moments is always a dhow that will resonate with me. 2017 was my freshman year of high school, and we had had a football game against Flower Mound early season. Just watching the show go through from the front sideline durijg halftime was honestly really enjoyable for me.
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Post by TWHSPercDad on Apr 27, 2020 9:45:23 GMT -6
...2017 SEASON REVIEW...
…. Relative to what they had done last season, I felt The Woodlands (TX) was having a bit of a rough season. Their show "In the Garden of Cosmic Speculation" really came together at GN. They played with an incredibly big and often loud sound. The show also had a lot of large props, relative to what The Woodlands typically had in their shows. At one point large tent props opened up to reveal huge white spheres, which I had to imagine was not easy learning to move those things about the field. The Woodlands finished 7th in finals. Now I know this was a competitive year, but I thought this show would have scored/placed a bit higher. This marked The Woodlands 9th appearance in GN finals at the time, tying them with LD Bell for the most GN finals appearances by a Texas band. …. If not a rough season, it was certainly made more challenging with Hurricane Harvey - missed two-weeks of school plus two-weeks of football games (huge!). It was a tough one for all bands in southeast Texas. Very proud of what they were able to accomplish, but will always wonder how much more this program could have developed and improved.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Apr 28, 2020 6:27:49 GMT -6
Completely forgot to mention Hurricane Harvey and all of the flooding in metro Houston at the start of the 2017 season. Thanks for bringing that up. And yea, taking that into consideration really makes what The Woodlands pulled off at Grand Nationals even more impressive.
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Post by baritonemom on May 7, 2020 14:37:29 GMT -6
BOAHISTORY BUFF-see if you can download this video for Carmel's Serenity show at GN finals. A little better angle but some minor Band Mom head and picture taking moments at the beginning. respond here if you ahave trouble accessing-i couldn't seem to upload even with help from a former Marcher... drive.google.com/file/d/1awsIERq-OhYf9FsccUCSlvof1cp_BoLe/view?usp=sharing
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 10, 2020 13:46:09 GMT -6
Got it and love it. Sorry for the late reply. Been busy this week.
Thank you.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 16, 2020 12:20:55 GMT -6
...2018 SEASON REVIEW...
This season seemed to have a real explosion of color in several bands costumes/uniforms and props. Speaking of props, the quality and technological advancements in props were on full display this season. They had certainly come a long way since the early years of props in the late 80s and 90s. BOA had an ambitious 21 regionals planned this season. Severe weather forced the cancellation of the Waco, TX regional, so there ended up being 20 regionals. Had that Waco regional not been cancelled, there would have been seven regionals in the state of Texas. 2018 was also a season that had some comebacks and had a few bands that really defied expectations.
The season started out Sep 22nd with three regionals; McAllen, TX; Midland, TX and Oxford, OH. At McAllen, Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) won handily. Seven Lakes (TX) was a very strong 2nd and was closely followed by John B Alexander (TX) in 3rd. At the Midland regional, Timber Creek (TX) won. This was their first BOA regional title. Coppell (TX) was a strong 2nd with Wyle East (TX) in a distant 3rd. At Oxford, Carmel (IN) won and really blew away the competition. They won by just shy of five points. Centerville (OH) was 2nd and Lake Central (IN) was 3rd. The weekend of Sep 29th featured regionals at Austin, TX; Bowling Green, OH and Clarksville, TN. As had become the norm, the Austin regional was extremely competitive. Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) won and took GE. This was their 8th BOA regional title and fifth title in just two years. Leander (TX) was a strong 2nd and took music. Vandegrift (TX) was on their heels in 3rd. Vista Ridge (TX) was 4th and took visual and James Bowie (TX) was just a couple points down in 5th. I will admit, this was a really good regional for being so early in the season. At Bowling Green, William Mason (OH) won and swept the highest achievement awards. This was their 6th BOA regional title. Brownsburg (IN) was 2nd, so far the closest this band has come to a regional win. Lakota East (OH) was 3rd, with Rockford (MI) in 4th. At Clarksville, O'Fallon Township (IL) won and swept the highest achievement awards. This was their 2nd regional title. Franklin (TN) was 2nd and tied in visual. Castle (IN) was 3rd followed very closely by North Hardin (KY) in 4th.
The first weekend in October this year featured three regionals; Bedford, TX, Houston, TX and Jacksonville, AL. In Bedford, weather delays forced the cancellation of finals. So the results were based on prelims. Flower Mound (TX) placed 1st. Just four tenths lower in 2nd was Hebron (TX). Keller (TX) had a strong show and wound up 3rd. At Houston, Ronald Reagan (TX) placed first and took visual and GE. Vandegrift (TX) was 2nd and took music. The Woodlands (TX) was a strong 3rd. At Jacksonville, Harrison (GA) won by a couple points. Kennesaw Mountain (GA) was 2nd. Nation Ford (SC) was just a couple tenths lower in 3rd and actually tied for music and won visual. The second weekend of October would have had four regionals had Waco not been cancelled. At the Canton, OH regional, Kiski Area (PA) placed 1st. This was their 19th regional title. It was actually 30 years earlier that they won their very first BOA regional. Norwin (PA) was .45 points lower in 2nd. These two bands were head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, which was led by Henry Clay (KY) in 3rd. BOA went to Gaffney, SC for the first time this season. Wando (SC) won and took music and visual. Despite their success, this was actually the first BOA regional title for Wando. Only a few tenths lower in 2nd was Dobyns-Bennett (TN) who took GE. James F Byrnes was a respectable 3rd with Fort Mill (SC) and Nation Ford (SC) on their heels in 4th and 5th. With BOA deciding not to do an Atlanta Super regional any more, they went back to Florida (first time since 2008). Tarpon Springs (FL) dominated the competition and swept the highest achievement awards. This marked Tarpon's 22nd regional title. Park Vista (FL) was a very strong 2nd (their highest finish at a BOA regional to date) with Harrison (GA) in 3rd. A big applause went out to Stoneman Douglas (FL) who finished 4th, the school that had witnessed a horrific school shooting the previous school year. An interesting point about this regional is that one of the participating bands was Gainesville (FL). This was their first BOA competition since their finals appearance in the 1980 Grand Nationals which were held in Florida.
The Indianapolis Super Regional was a little early this season, Oct 19-20. As usual, it proved a battle for the title between Carmel (IN) and Avon (IN). This season, Carmel pulled off the victory and actually swept the highest achievement awards. This was Carmel's second regional win of the season and fifth title in two years. This also marked Carmel's 22nd regional title. Avon was 2nd but still very strong. The rest of the competition was packed fairly close together and led by Blue Springs (MO) in 3rd. Homestead (IN) was 4th and followed closely by Union (OK) in 5th. The same weekend as Indy, was BOA regionals in Newark, DE and Pleasant Hill, CA. At Newark, Norwin (PA) took the title and helped maintain themselves as the band with the most BOA regionals. In a big surprise, John P Stevens (NJ) was a close 2nd and took music and GE. Their visual scores just could not contend with Norwin. Green Hope (NC) was 3rd. At Pleasant Hill, West Salem (OR) won their 4th BOA regional. They swept the highest achievement awards. Arcadia (CA) was 2nd and Homestead (CA) was 3rd. The St Louis Super Regional was won by who else but Broken Arrow (OK). Broken Arrow won music and visual and tied in GE. BA did not run away with this title as in many of the St Louis regionals of seasons past. Blue Springs (MO) was only .45 points behind in 2nd and they tied BA in GE. Leading the rest of the pack of strong performances was Jenks (OK) in 3rd, Lincoln-Way (IL) in 4th and O'Fallon Township (IL) in 5th. At the Powder Springs, GA regional, Wando (SC) won (their 2nd regional title of the season) and swept the highest achievement awards. Harrison (GA) was 2nd with Kennesaw Mountain (GA) in 3rd. At St George, UT, Ayala (CA) made the trip and won. American Fork (UT) who had come to own this regional had to settle for second. San Marcos (CA) did well and ended up 3rd. The week after St George was the Van Nuys, CA regional. Ayala (CA) picked up another win. This was their 11 BOA regional and first time they won two regionals in the same season. Ayala now has more regional titles than any other California band. 2nd place at this regional was Vista Murrieta (CA). Etiwanda (CA) was a solid 3rd.
This was a big UIL year for Texas bands. So the big dogs in Texas did not attend Grand Nationals this year. This made the San Antonio Super regional ever more high profile. It also fell the first weekend of November, so the bands were really polished. The lowest finals score was still over 88 points. The top seven bands all broke 94 points; insane. I would actually say that the top seven performances at this regional could all have been contenders for the eagle at Grand Nationals; or at least a top three finish. This was an impressive group of finalist bands. All of the bands played such complex music with such great technical ability. Flower Mound (TX) ended up winning and took GE. This was their third win at San Antonio in four years. Their show was simply titled "Pop". The band began with all whites and grays and then through props and costumes and tarps, pops (or explosions) of colors appeared throughout the show. It was another uniquely interesting visual design. They of course played well, with wonderful phrasing and emotional impact. What really garnered them the title was their music effect scores. One of the pieces they played was Concerto for Soprano Saxophone by John Mackey. They did a really awesome job with that piece. In 2nd place and just two tenths a point lower was Ronald Reagan (TX). Their show was titled "Loop". Various types of loops appeared in the visual designs. They played the music of Back; a ton of musical selections brilliantly arranged. Powerful and soft at times; I loved this show. They also had some demanding visuals. Since their GN finals appearance in 2016, they really improved from a visual standpoint. I really thought they stood out from the rest of the pack in terms of their marching. They also nabbed the visual performance award and took visual effect. I thought at the time that this was the best Reagan show ever. Then came 2019. In 3rd was Hebron (TX) with their show "Endeavor". This performance showcased why I consider this band to have one of the best sound qualities ever in BOA. The music was just so perfect. They won music performance and were 2nd in music effect. One of the pieces they played was The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky. It was amazing. One of the biggest success stories coming out of Texas this season was Vista Ridge (TX) who finished 4th. They had been a good band for several years but really nowhere near the top echelon of Texas bands. In 2017, they just missed finals in San Antonio. Wow did they improve this season. Their show was titled "Lost and Found" and marked a big turning point in the trajectory of this band. They also went on and won their class in Texas UIL this season. All of a sudden we had yet another Texas giant on the scene. Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) was 5th with their show "Tremendous Sea of Love". Leander (TX) was 6th with their show "Polarity" and Vandegrift (TX) was 7th with their show "RISE". While the scores were certainly tight, I personally thought Vandy was going to place much higher.
The number of participating bands at the 2018 Grand Nationals was 108. To date, that is the most bands that have ever participated in Grand Nationals. To put that number in perspective, back in the early 1980s, the number of participating bands at Grand Nationals was around 40. A whopping 37 bands advanced to Semi Finals. Don't get me wrong, I loved having all those bands in semis. The problem was that it forced an insanely early start to semi finals; much too early. One of the big notable things this year was that the Texas contingent was very lean, just one band. So there was a lot of buzz as to the potential for Carmel to pull a three peat. The bands that had the potential to prevent this based on history and earlier season competitions were Broken Arrow, Avon and Tarpon Springs. Upon the conclusion of Semi Finals, Carmel (IN) took the Class 4A title. This was their fourth BOA GN Class Title. They also took music and GE in 4A. In a bit of a surprise, Blue Springs (MO) was 2nd in 4A and took visual. Broken Arrow (OK) was 3rd in 4A. Dobyns-Bennett (TN) won the class 3A title and took music and GE. This was the first GN class title for DB and the first for a Tennessee band. Homestead (IN) dropped to Class 3A this season (then went back to 4A in 2019) and placed 2nd in 3A. They took visual in 3A. In class AA, Tarpon Springs (FL) was in a league of their own and swept the 2A highest achievement awards. Marian Catholic (IL) was 2nd in Class AA and North Hardin (KY) was 3rd. In Class A, the band that had won the title the previous four years (Adair County, KY) failed to make semi finals. Had they been in a different prelims group, they would have been in semi finals. Bourbon County (KY) did make finals. Had they been in the other prelims group, they would not have made semi finals. Bourbon County then ended up winning the Class A title in semi finals. This was their first Class A title since 2010 as they had been in Class AA for several years. I can not think of another scenario like this ever happening in the Class A Championships. Bourbon County ended up winning music and GE in Class A. 2nd in Class A was Lewis Cass (IN), the closest this band has come to a GN Class A title. Lewis Cass won visual in 1A. Norton (OH) was 3rd in Class A. So upon conclusion of semi finals, I really thought Carmel had this in the bag. I was actually still eyeing Broken Arrow for a potential upset.
Carmel (IN) delivered a wonderful performance in finals. They won their fifth BOA Grand National title and became the third band in history to three peat at Grand Nationals. They did it with an iconic Carmel show titled "Voyage to Valhalla". It featured several musical selections by Gustav Mahler. The premise of the show was that of a Viking voyage across the sea. It featured a huge Viking ship prop that was moved across the field during the course of the show. This was a very fancy looking prop and one that was much talked about this season. The music arrangements echoed that of a movie soundtrack while the ship was on its journey. There were also several visual references within the drill of a ship setting sail. I found the music in this show extremely enjoyable. Carmel of course played it well with amazing sound quality and brilliant phrasing. They made what I had to imagine was extremely difficult music to hold together on a football field seem easy. A the mellophone feature was notable in its difficulty and brilliance. Like their previous two seasons, Carmel's music was clean and controlled yet still emotional. The marching technique, drill execution and color guard were also extremely clean and made difficulty look easy. This show also had a surprise ending. A full orchestra came onto the field for the closing moments. Now stringed instruments have been featured soloists going all the way back into the early 1980s. However, I can't think of any other band that brought as many stringed instruments onto the field as Carmel did in this show. Carmel not only won by breaking 97 points, they swept the highest achievement awards, with all but three judges placing them first. Another interesting point is that very similar to Marian and Avon (the other bands that have three-peated), there were a lot of similarities in the overall layout and style of the shows in the three wins. I guess it goes with the adage, if its not broke, don't fix it.
Carmel Show Explanation
Carmel Director Interview
Carmel GN Warm-Up
After semi finals, I kind of thought that this was the year that Avon would not have a top three finish in GN finals. I should have known not to think that. Avon put forth an incredible performance in finals and wound up in 2nd place. This band just knows how to deliver in Grand National finals. It was easily their best performance of the season. Their show was titled "A Fish Tale". The band had bright yellow-orange jackets and the guard was in bright blue and pink. The whole field was transformed into what looked like a fish tank with the overall theme also having a Romeo and Juliet vibe to it. As usual, it was powerful music and demanding visuals done very cleanly. One of the highlight in this show for me was the ballad, which had a touch of jazz with a muted trumpet and wonderful vocalist. Outside of this, the band was just on fire. They just may have taken more steps than any other band in finals. And don't get me started on the guard. Avon was not only second overall, they were second to Carmel in overall music performance, visual performance and GE.
Avon Show Explanation
Avon Warm Up
One of the big surprises this season was Blue Springs (MO). Although this was their third appearance in Grand National finals, their previous highest finish was ninth. They ended up 3rd in finals. This was a Blue Springs performance unlike any I had seen from them at that time. They had a massive improvement in visual technique and especially in music. I had never heard them play like this. This was a new Blue Springs and I loved it. Their show was titled "From A Different Angle". Pink on the band matched several pink tarps laid out in diagonals. The pit staging was also on the field and at an angle. While the use of tarps and pit and prop placement was nothing new, something about the visual design of this show seemed so fresh. There were also a couple segments of some seriously difficult pass throughs while the band was jazz running. A feature in this show was a vocal soloist who sang "What a Wonderful World" really well. He then had an amazing electric violin feature; talk about talent. So far this is Blue Spring's highest GN finish.
Blue Springs Director and Designer Interview
Blue Springs Vocalist/Violinist Interview
Blue Springs Drum Line Warm Up
Broken Arrow (OK) did perhaps the most patriotic show ever put forth on the field at a BOA competition. Their show was titled "THE United States of America". It was packed full of patriotic songs, brilliantly arranged (although perhaps a bit too rapid transition from Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy into their ballad). Otherwise, this show was a masterpiece and I have a feeling one that may be looked back upon as such for years to come. The band was decked out in red white and blue. The band members even had long blue skirts. The drill spelled out various patriotic words and phrases throughout the show, in different fonts. The visual design seemed to flow between something that would resemble a college half time design, to some sets that had a distinct early era DCI feel and back to more modern sets. Throughout the show, the band was doing a ton of movement with their skirts. It was extremely innovative. And of course, they played incredibly well. One of the music effect judges actually had them first over Carmel. They ended the show with the band spreading a huge American flag across the field. This show was simply awesome and despite the different look, it did not lose the Broken Arrow identity. I think a lot of us were surprised by the 4th place finish. This was the lowest finish at GN since 2009 for BA. It seemed the visual scores were lower than what was typical for Broken Arrow. Perhaps the movements with the skirts could have been cleaner and perhaps it was hard to judge the marching on the field with the long skirts. Anyway, as is typical, Broken Arrow put forth another must see show on the field.
Broken Arrow Snare Drummer
Broken Arrow In The Lot
Putting forth perhaps the most hi tech show on the field to date was 5th place Tarpon Springs (FL) with their futuristic show titled RP1. If the bright blue tarp at the front of the field did not catch your eye, several large screens certainly did. These screens, whose staging varied at time during the show, added additional pops of color, spelled out phrases and even showed images of performers. As is almost always the case with Tarpon, so much going on that you can miss stuff. Which is why you have to watch their shows many times to take everything in. Aside from all of the frills with the screens, Tarpon played and marched fast and aggressively through much of the show. There were some amazing and very difficult technical moments by the band, both musically and visually. Of course the Tarpon guard was on fire. While this show was awesome and entertaining, another interesting aspect of this show was that it was able to blend the classics like Shostakovich with music by Daft Punk.
Tarpon Springs Director Interview
So far, this was the most successful season in BOA for Wando (SC). Not only did they come away with two regional titles, they had their highest finish at Grand Nationals to date; 6th place in their fifth GN finals appearance. This also marked the highest finish at GN for any South Carolina band. Their show was titled "By a Thread". Several large and colorful modern art props dotted the field and were meant to represent moving sculptures hanging by a thread (ie a mobile) The theme was the story of artist Alexander Calder. For me, I felt a higher level of sophistication with this Wando performance. The music also seemed much more nuanced. There were actually a few moments where I felt a little Marian Catholic influence. Perhaps since their director Bobby Lambert was the assistant director at Marian for many years.
Wando Director Interview
After the disaster that was the 2017 season for this band, William Mason (OH) came roaring back this season. Now with a more stable director and staffing situation. They easily made finals after their disappointing 20th place finish in 2017. They ended up placing 7th in finals. While they were not quite up to their 2016 level, this band had a substantial improvement over the previous year. It was the old Mason again. Their show was titled "I See You". The visual designs echoed that of an eye. They had a dozens of large colorful hour glass like props that moved around the field. The props and the bright colors on their uniforms really made the visuals pop. This show had at times fast yet fluid motion with a wonderful sound quality. Shout out to the control of the Mason woodwinds.
William Mason Director Interview
After just missing finals in 2017, Homestead (IN) performed as strong as ever and ended up 8th in finals. This 8th place finish (they also placed 8th in 2014) is so far their highest finish to date at GN. Their show was titled "Model" and featured an artists studio as a prop/backdrop. They had several wooden figure props of models on the field. I guess the artists were sculpting the figures. This was a solid, well performed show which I think they really delivered in finals. In typical Indiana fashion, their marching technique was fantastic. Their score was actually only .15 points higher than 11th place. That is how close the 8th through 11th place bands in finals were.
Homestead Director Interview and Show Explanation
Jenks HS from Jenks, OK (Suburb of Tulsa) was a semi finalist in 2013 and had been near consistent BOA regional finalists for a decade. Jenks had certainly been making strides the last few years. This year was a banner year for them. I hope they have many more to come. Jenks made their first appearance in Grand National finals this year with their show "CarMan". The band was dressed as race car drivers and the guard as mid 20th century mechanics. Jenks was certainly a memorable first time finalist. You could just tell this band was loving every minute of their finals performance. This was a high energy show and they really sold it to the audience well. It had everything from dancing to fast drill segments, loud and powerful music moments and a really strong guard. As a Michigan native I appreciated the large Chevy logo that appeared in the drill design.
Jenks Guard Interview
Returning for their third consecutive GN finals appearance was Dobyns-Bennett (TN) who finished 10th with their show "Rise Above". They had several insanely tall platforms that the band utilized in the design. The idea of standing on props I suspect is to give the visuals a little more three dimensional look. DB certainly achieved that with this show. The band also wore bright yellow shirts that contrasted well with the black platforms. I personally was unsure how I would like this show with the platforms. I have to admit, they were awesome. DB actually tied with 11th place Prosper, but DB had the higher GE score which gave them 10th place.
Dobyns-Bennett Director Interview
One of the biggest success stories this season was Prosper HS from Prosper, TX (North of Dallas). Most of us thought that this would be the first year since 2000 that no Texas bands would be in finals. Well Prosper represented the Lone Star State well. It is because of them that Texas still has had at least one band in GN finals every year since 2001. Prosper was an up and coming band. For me not being from Texas, I often overlook some of these strong and/or up and coming Texas bands that might not be at the top of the Texas BOA regionals but are still very good. The depth of strong Texas bands is just so overwhelming. In fact, I did not really take note of Prosper until the 2017 Grand National semi finals, where they placed 23rd. What a difference a year makes. What was also impressive is that Prosper attended BOA San Antonio, Texas UIL and Grand National which occurred within one week of each other. They just missed out on finals at San Antonio (of course by now we all know that does not mean you will miss finals at GN). In Semi Finals, Prosper delivered perhaps their best show ever. They were actually seventh in Semis. They ended up 11th in finals. Their show was titled "Royal Rising". Another show with bright pops of color on the props. They played several musical selections by Mozart. I absolutely loved their music. And of course, this band is from Texas so they played it brilliantly. Wes Cartwright was one of their designers. Wes also designed for BA, Mason and DB (I think I got them all). I don't know of any other occasion when there were this many finalists bands at one time with the same designer. I don't even know if the legendary Steve Brubaker had that in the late 80s/early 90s.
Prosper Director Interview
Another band that made their first GN finals appearance this year was O'Fallon Township HS from O'Fallon, IL (on the Illinois side of the St Louis metro area). No other band from this far south in the state of Illinois had made GN finals before. O'Fallon also became the first band from metro St Louis to become a Grand National finalist. It was clear for the last several season that O'Fallon was a band on the rise. Their shows had been gaining strength for the better part of a decade and often had innovative visual designs. After their fourteenth place finish in 2017, they landed in finals this year and placed 12th. Like their 2017 season, O'Fallon completely covered the entire field in a white tarp. Their show was titled "Stretching the Canvas". This was an extremely innovative show from a visual design standpoint. The guard utilized several vibrant colors which really popped against the white tarp. Throughout the show there was also an expanding use of pink and then orange ribbons that were hoisted above the band, giving a very three dimensional look to the show. Also impressive is that when you are marching on a white tarp, any subtle visual mistake can seem to be amplified. They were pretty clean.
O'Fallon Township Director Interview
In semi finals, the band that finished in the unlucky number 13th spot was Center Grove (IN). I actually thought they had a shot after delivering a very strong performance in semi finals. Rockford (MI) was 14th, so far their highest finish at GN. Marian Catholic (IL) was 15th, the first time ever that Marian missed finals. I will admit, it was very odd watching Grand National finals without Marian. American Fork (UT) was 16th; a band that I kind of root for to make finals every time they attend. Franklin (TN) was 17th, up and coming Fishers (IN) was 18th, Castle (IN) was 19th and Plymouth-Canton (MI) was 20th.
2018 Carmel - GN Finals
2018 Avon - GN Prelims If anyone has finals please post.
2018 Blue Springs - GN Finals
2018 Broken Arrow - GN Finals
2018 Tarpon Springs - GN Finals
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Post by abtwitch on May 16, 2020 15:40:34 GMT -6
Gonna throw in my two cents on some shows for the 2016-2018 seasons.
Flower Mound 2016 - I remember finishing our prelims run at BOA San Antonio, (first time Westwood had attended the regional since 2001 when they placed 14th, but of course before super regionals were a thing) and going into the stands for results. The last group to perform was in fact Flower Mound, choosing their spot as the defending champions. Since I was not majorly invested into band yet, I had not heard of them. I was absolutely blown away by their performance, even senior year me could tell they were heads and shoulders above any other marching band I had ever seen. I distinctly remember at the beginning of their closer with the trumpet unison feature turning to my friend and saying "holy **** they sound like one trumpet." Hands down, the best show Flower Mound has ever put on the field from an execution standpoint.
Westwood 2017 - Of course I'm going to mention my school's show, what else did you expect? Anyways, Bluebird was the best-performed show to date from Westwood and I couldn't be a more proud alumni. They actually tied with Grain Valley in finals, but lost the tiebreaker due to the penalty rule. Everything in the show was solid and I believe the biggest thing holding them back was a lack of difficulty compared to their competition. The brass had a full sound, the woodwind flourishes were clean, they moved well, the percussion was incredible, and the guard went on to make WGI finals in the spring in Scholastic A. I later got to see this show when I went to BOA San Antonio to watch them and due to them being last to perform in their block, I got to go see my friends and directors immediately after. Everyone was emotional and it took me back to my performance at BOA Atlanta my junior year. This was the first of a few events that I believe led me to switching my major to music.
Avon 2017 - One of the other big reasons I made the trip to SA was the fact that Avon was going to be there and as a blossoming band nerd, I couldn't resist. I got more than I expected from them. Even if their prelims run wasn't their cleanest (I unfortunately did not stay for finals), I was blown away and they definitely stuck out from the rest of the groups when it came to visual design and execution. Test4ment remains my favorite Avon show and I'm not going to deny that a big reason for that is that it's the only Avon show I've seen live. Another thing I'd like to mention about Avon was their students outside of the performance. For a while, they actually sat in front of where my friends and I were sitting to watch bands. They gave standing ovations for every single performance and for some reason I remember Juarez-Lincoln from Mission, TX being one Avon seemed to enjoy a lot (I still have a soft-spot for this south Texas program). I can't imagine finishing a performance and looking into the stands and seeing the students from a three-time national championship band on their feet and cheering for you. The way the students carried themselves made me appreciate Avon on a whole other level.
Claudia Taylor Johnson 2017 - There had been lots of buzz about this show and I had seen some videos, so I was pumped to be able to see them live. I'm honestly having trouble finding the words to describe the experience of watching the show in person as the design in combination with the execution was just so incredibly moving. This show sticks with me to this day.
Hebron 2017 - I mainly want to mention the ballad because... wow. The soloists, the full ensemble, everything top to bottom was impeccable. I can't find anyone who doesn't think Hebron deserved the music caption, and that includes friends who performed in CTJ 2017. Hebron is just a program that never ceases to amaze me.
Unfortunately, 2017 has been the only year since I've graduated that I've been able to attend BOA SA. I hope to show up every year from now on, especially after I graduate from college.
Blue Springs 2018 - As someone who has become incredibly interested in marching band show design the past few years, this show is the perfect full package for me. It truly is a masterpiece in my opinion and is my favorite marching band show of all time. I hope that Blue Springs continues in this direction for many years to come and become not only the first Missouri band to make grand national finals, but also the first to win a grand national title.
2018 as a whole was important for me for a few reasons. 1) I officially became a music major and my interest in marching band increased exponentially and 2) it was my first year being on staff with a band, teching with Westwood. 2018 just seemed to be a buildup for 2019 and I have a lot to say about that season.
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Post by Allohak on May 16, 2020 16:02:53 GMT -6
Blue Springs shoulda won in '18. Bronze was great, but they got robbed.
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Post by ilikeguard on May 17, 2020 10:45:22 GMT -6
Sooooo right about semis starting WAY too early. Our performance time was 7:30, if I remember correctly. That meant being up at 3am after we’d just gotten back to the hotel at midnight before. Unloading the props from the trucks in the wee hours of the morning in November Indianapolis weather is arguably the coldest I’ve ever felt in my life, especially being in sleeveless uniforms. It was still a gift to be able to perform, though! It was strange to enter the building in the dark and come out after performing to see the sun had rose.
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Post by Shroom on May 17, 2020 18:54:03 GMT -6
Blue Springs shoulda won in '18. Bronze was great, but they got robbed. Blue Springs 2018 is probably my favorite HS marching band show, wish they would've won the STL SR too.
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Post by Allohak on May 17, 2020 20:08:52 GMT -6
Blue Springs shoulda won in '18. Bronze was great, but they got robbed. Blue Springs 2018 is probably my favorite HS marching band show, wish they would've won the STL SR too. There is a single word that describes the visual design: stunning.
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Post by macwinlin on May 18, 2020 22:37:06 GMT -6
...2010 SEASON REVIEW...
One of the big questions I still have with this show is that it looked like the monkeys threw actual water on the guard (when the guard was taking on the role of witches); was that real water and if so how did they get away with that? Yes - it was real water. Prior to that year, there wasn't a rule regarding this. After this season, you bet that rule was created.
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Post by TXHillCountryBands on May 19, 2020 12:35:25 GMT -6
Blue Springs 2018 is probably my favorite HS marching band show, wish they would've won the STL SR too. There is a single word that describes the visual design: stunning. Blue Spring 2018 deserves the love but Avon 2019 Visual was on another level. They got my vote for most stunning visual package.
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Post by secret on May 19, 2020 19:02:04 GMT -6
There is a single word that describes the visual design: stunning. Blue Spring 2018 deserves the love but Avon 2019 Visual was on another level. They got my vote for most stunning visual package. After seeing videos of Avon in 2019, I thought they were a lock-in for the Grand Nats championship. But after really hearing Vandegrift live, I knew they were going to win. Vandegrift was musically very strong.
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Post by TXHillCountryBands on May 19, 2020 19:46:55 GMT -6
Blue Spring 2018 deserves the love but Avon 2019 Visual was on another level. They got my vote for most stunning visual package. After seeing videos of Avon in 2019, I thought they were a lock-in for the Grand Nats championship. But after really hearing Vandegrift live, I knew they were going to win. Vandegrift was musically very strong. I agree. Baroque is one of my favorite genre and when I saw this Visual package at Indianapolis Super Regional I was SOLD then San Antonio happened. I saw Reagan, Vandy and Vista live and I felt these programs had the visual to match Avon but were musically superior.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 4, 2020 4:27:27 GMT -6
...2019 SEASON REVIEW...
In nearly 45 years of BOA competition, marching band shows of today have evolved to become completely different from that of the 1970s (the MBA years). What were once very military style looking programs now resemble more of a musical set to motion on a football field. Advancements in technology have resulted in elaborate props and amplified vocals and instrumentation. Band costuming and electronics have also made the shows significantly more colorful and louder. By louder, I guess I mean easier for the audience to hear the music. One thing is certain, decades of competition have resulted in bands and guards performing at a level unheard of during the early years. The level of performance of what were once the top bands in the country decades ago doesn't even compare to how the top bands of today play and move, even taking the stylistic differences into consideration. While BOA powerhouse programs have come and gone over the decades, one thing is certain, there has been a near steady improving trend in the performance level of high school marching bands for over 40 years. This culminated in the 2019 season, which as of this writing is the strongest season I have seen yet.
As I write this, the country is in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, with its potential impacts on the 2020 season yet to be determined. It has already stopped the 2020 WGI season short and caused the complete cancellation of the 2020 DCI tour. It has also affected the spring/early summer training seasons for high school marching bands. So one thing is certain, 2020 will be a bump in the road. Let's just hope it is a small one.
There were a record 22 BOA regionals held in 2019, three of which were super regionals. A total of seven regionals were held in the state of Texas. No state has ever held this many regionals in the same season. It was way back in the fall of 1978 that BOA (or MBA back then) held its first fall regionals, just two back then. So in over 40 years, the number of bands participating in BOA regionals has risen dramatically. I wonder if they realized back in 1978 that the circuit would become so large. The 2019 competitive season started Sept 21st with the Louisville, KY; McAllen, TX and Toledo, OH regionals. In Louisville, Carmel (IN) was in a league of their own and won by over four points. This was Carmel's 23rd BOA regional title, giving them the 2nd highest number of regional wins. Castle (IN) was 2nd, followed by North Hardin (KY) in 3rd and Bourbon County (KY) in 4th. The McAllen regional was won by John B Alexander (TX), their first ever BOA regional title. Roma (TX) and Winston Churchill (TX) tied in score, with Roma placing 2nd due to a higher GE score, giving Churchill 3rd. In Toledo, Homestead (IN) won by nearly two and half points and swept the highest achievement awards. This was Homestead's second BOA regional title. Carroll (IN) was 2nd, their highest finish at a BOA regional. Jenison (MI) was 3rd with Plymouth-Canton (MI) 4th. Sept 28th featured four BOA regionals; busy weekend for BOA. At the highly competitive Austin, TX regional, Vandegrift (TX) had a pretty big win and took music and GE. This was Vandegrift's third BOA regional title. Leander (TX) was a strong 2nd and took visual. They were closely followed by Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) in 3rd and Vista Ridge (TX) in 4th. I was pleased to see Cedar Park (TX) have a good run and place 5th. This year marked the first BOA regional in Cedar Falls, IA. In fact, this was the first ever BOA competition in Iowa. It ended up being quite a battle for the top between Blue Springs (MO) and Rosemount (MN). Blue Springs edged out Rosemount by just a quarter point. Blue Springs took visual, Rosemount took music and they tied in GE. This was the first BOA regional title for Blue Springs and for a Missouri band. Rosemount's close 2nd is the closest to a regional win for this and any Minnesota band. Camdenton (MO) had a strong show at this regional and took 3rd. In Columbus, OH, despite a really low score by the music ensemble judge, Kiski Area (PA) won by just over three points. This was Kiski's 20th BOA regional title. Lakota East (OH) was 2nd and Pickerington North (OH) was 3rd. The other regional on this weekend was Flagstaff, AZ. Coweta (OK) made the long distance trip and won their first regional title. Foothill (NV) was 2nd with Desert Vista (AZ) in 3rd.
The first weekend in October also had four BOA regionals. In Bedford, TX, Flower Mound (TX) had a strong showing and won. This was their seventh regional title in just five seasons. Hebron (TX) was 2nd, followed closely by Marcus (TX) in 3rd and Keller (TX) in 4th. At the Houston, TX regional, Ronald Reagan not only won, every single judge had them in first place. They won by nearly three points. The Woodlands (TX) was a strong 2nd followed by Westwood (TX) in 3rd and Westlake (TX) in 4th. In Muncie, IN, Centerville (OH) won. This was the first regional win for Centerville since 2012. It also marked their 20th total BOA regional title. A close 2nd was up and comer Fishers (IN). Lincoln-Way (IL) was a strong 3rd. The other regional that weekend was in Maryland, just outside of DC. James Madison (VA) and Norwin (PA) tied for the top. This marked the first instance since the 2017 rule change allowing co champions took hold. This was the first win for James Madison. It also marked the first time since the very first regional in 1978 that a Virginia band won a regional title. This also gave Norwin and unprecedented 29 BOA regional titles. In a rather close 3rd was Spring-Ford (PA). The second weekend in October featured regionals in Johnson City, TN; Midland, TX and Orlando, FL. Johnson City proved to be an exciting match between Lafayette (KY) and Dobyns-Bennett (TN). Lafayette edged out Dobyns-Bennett by a mere 0.05 points. Lafayette took music, DB took visual and they tied in GE. This marked the third BOA regional title for Lafayette and their first win since 1997. This 22-year gap between regional titles ties Clovis West (CA) for longest gap between regional wins. I should also mention that Kennesaw Mountain (GA) had a strong showing in Johnson City and finished 3rd. Vista Ridge (TX) completely dominated in Midland and won their very first BOA regional title. Timber Creek (TX) was 2nd with James Martin (TX) in 3rd. Broken Arrow (OK) made the trip to Orlando in lieu of Grand Nationals. They edge out Tarpon Springs (FL) for the win by nearly a point. Both shows were strong and packed with difficulty, especially Tarpon, and certainly would have been enjoyable at Grand Nationals. Wando (SC) was 3rd at this regional followed by Park Vista (FL) in 4th. The weekend after Orlando was the St Louis Super Regional. Broken Arrow (OK) seemed even stronger and won. Every judge had them in first. Broken Arrow's show was titled "YEE HAW" and took a country southwestern theme. The band were dressed as cowboys and cowgirls. They had all the dance moves and a ton of fencing props to make it look like we were at a rodeo. In typical BA fashion, the show was highly entertaining and just so well performed. I see the guard also returned to using some rifles. This was Broken Arrow's 17th regional title. 14 of those wins have been consecutive. BA has so far won every regional they have competed in since 2007. Even though they won in Iowa, I was a little uncertain about how Blue Springs (MO) would fare as I thought they were a bit rough in spots in Iowa. Well, they really cleaned things up by St Louis. They had an awesome show and finished 2nd and broke 90 points. Their show was titled "Land of Make Believe". The St Louis Super regional actually had a strong contingent of Texas bands in attendance. There were six of them in finals. LD Bell (TX)topped them and finished 3rd. Haltom (TX) was 4th, followed by O'Fallon Township (IL) in 5th and another Texas band Coppell in 6th. I was somewhat surprised by Union (OK) in 7th.
At the Waco, TX regional, James Bowie (TX) had a really strong show and won. This was their first regional title since 2016 and made it their 5th total regional win. Keller (TX), who I thought would win, came in 2nd and Waxahachie (TX), say that ten times fast, was a strong 3rd. At the Indianapolis super regional, Avon (IN) won and swept the highest achievement awards. Carmel (IN) was 2nd. Blue Springs (MO) made the trip and finished a strong 3rd. I actually thought Blue Springs would be runner-up as they seemed stronger than in St Louis. Rounding out the top six were Lincoln-Way (IL) in 4th, Homestead (IN) in 5th and O'Fallon Township (IL) in 6th. This was a highly competitive regional and perhaps the most surprising thing was that Marian Catholic (IL) failed to make finals. This was the first time Marian ever missed a regional finals. At Lynchburg, VA, Dobyns-Bennett (TN) placed 1st. Man they had a difficult show. This marked their 5th BOA regional title. Cleveland (NC) had a really strong show and finished 2nd and actually took GE. This was their highest finish at a BOA regional. James Madison (VA) was a strong 3rd. At the Powder Springs, GA regional, weather delays forced the cancellation of finals. Based on prelims, Harrison (GA) won. This was Harrison's tenth regional title, tying them with Lassiter for most BOA regional wins by a Georgia band. James F Byrnes (SC) coming off one of their strongest seasons ever was 2nd and Summerville (SC) was 3rd. At the Bakersfield, CA regional, Ayala (CA) won and they won big. They won by nine and a half points. This was Ayala's twelfth regional title, giving them more BOA regional titles than any other California band. Clovis West (CA) was 2nd and Sierra Vista (NV) was 3rd. This was actually Sierra Vista's highest finish at a regional since their surprise win in 2007. At St George, UT, American Fork (UT) won. This marked their ninth BOA regional title. Clovis (NM) had a strong showing an finished 2nd, the closest this band or any New Mexico band has come to a BOA regional title. San Marcos (CA) was 3rd and making the long distance trip, Fort Mill (SC) was 4th.
Way back in 1980, the very first regional was held in the state of Texas. They were called the Southwest Regionals in those days. It was not won by a Texas band but by an Oklahoma band; Union to be precise. There has been a regional held in Texas every year since, but it took until 1982 for a Texas band to win this regional (Lake Highlands). Now, nearly 40 years later, the San Antonio Super Regional is packed with Texas bands and has become as competitive and as good (if not better) as Grand Nationals. The 14 finalist bands this year were all from Texas. They all scored higher than 87 points and I would say that the top 7 all had the goods to be Grand National Champion. What was so common among all the Texas bands is the wonderful blend of complex woodwind, brass and percussion features, played so well with such amazing sound quality. The state of music education in Texas was certainly on full display. Also have to mention some of the best soloists I have ever heard in BOA. The band that came out on top of this insanely competitive regional was Ronald Reagan (TX) who took visual and GE and broke 97 points. This was the eleventh regional title for Reagan and their first win in San Antonio since 2005. Ronald Reagan was among the best bands in the country in the early to mid 2000s and were runner-up to the Grand National title twice. After a bit of a slump in the late 2000s/early 2010s, they have emerged stronger than ever the latter half of this decade. In fact, I think they gave their best show ever here in San Antonio. Their show was called "Secret World". They did not have any props in this show, it was just amazing visual designs and well played music. This was a show that really drew you in. I found it both powerful and captivating. Every GE judge had them in first place. It was not just the emotional power of the music that helped them win, their execution of some pretty demanding visual moves boosted their score. Yes, we all wanted them to take this show to Grand Nationals. In 2nd place, and with their strongest performance at the time (they topped it two weeks later) was Vandegrift (TX). Vandegrift also won music performance. Vista Ridge (TX) was third with their show "Turning the Tables". A large circular table on the field rotated as members performed on it. Another stunning music performance was topped by some strong visual moves. I thought they had improved on the visual front from last season; much more visual interest in this show. Leander (TX) was 4th, followed by Hebron (TX) in 5th and Marcus (TX) in 6th. True to form, Marcus still had amazing sound quality. Claudia Taylor Johnson was 7th, rounding out the top half of finalist bands. If you had shown me CTJ's performance 10 years earlier and said that would finish seventh at San Antonio, I would have said you are crazy. In a bit of a surprise, Flower Mound (TX) was 9th. Still a strong show, it just did not seem to progress through the season as their shows in years past. Overall, this year's San Antonio was insanely good.
A total of 91 bands participated in the 2019 BOA Grand Nationals, 38 of those bands advanced to semi finals. Having watched the entire semi finals on-line, I can tell you it was a very early start to the day. One of the big surprises upon announcement of semi finalist bands was that Center Grove (IN) failed to make semi finals for the first time. It was just a very highly competitive Grand Nationals. We knew it was going to be competitive given the strong contingent of Texas bands attending. It was also pretty clear that either a Texas band or an Indiana band would be taking home the eagle. On the Indiana front, Avon was having an awesome year and really placed themselves in contention. Based on the incredible performances at San Antonio, there were several Texas bands who seemed capable of winning the GN title. They included Vandegrift, Leander, Hebron and Claudia Taylor Johnson. Upon the conclusion of Semi Finals, Vandegrift (TX) was crowned Class 4A Champion and they swept the highest achievement awards, which turned some heads. Avon (IN) was 2nd in 4A with Hebron (TX) in 3rd. With Homestead and Harrison in 4A this season, the Class AAA competition was completely dominated by Leander (TX) who swept all the highest achievement awards. This was Leander's second Class 3A title. To illustrate how one-sided the Class 3A championships were, Leander actually placed third overall in semi finals. The 2nd place band in class 3A, James Madison (VA), placed 29th overall in semi finals. The point spread between the first and second place 3A bands was around 15 points. The 3rd place band in 3A was Milford (OH). During the latter half of the 2010s, Tarpon Springs was essentially unbeatable in Class AA. Since they were only attending Grand Nationals in even years, it was again Marian Catholic (IL) who won the Class AA title. Marian also swept the highest achievement awards. That means during the entire decade of the 2010s, Marian and Tarpon were the only two bands that won the GN Class AA title. This year however, North Hardin (KY) was 2nd in Class AA and they were actually not too far behind Marian. Miamisburg (OH), in what may have been their best performance ever, was 3rd in Class 2A, less than a point behind North Hardin. The Class A title went to Bourbon County (KY), who swept the highest achievement awards. This was also their fifth GN Class A title. A band that really had a strong season this year was Estill County (KY) who came in 2nd in Class A. Beechwood (KY) was 3rd in Class A and tied Bourbon in visual performance. Yes Kentucky has long been a small school band power in BOA and that trend looks to continue into the next decade. In fact, this marked the 17th time that a Kentucky band won the GN Class A title. No other state has this many GN Class A titles. I felt this was the best GN Semi Finals I had ever seen. And it was sure to be an exciting Grand National finals. To put things in perspective, if you had shown me the performances of the 2019 finalist bands 30 years ago (without the BOA symbol in the back or hearing the announcement) I would have thought that DCI began allowing woodwinds and much larger corps membership. I don't think any of us back then would have thought that these were high school bands. Aside from the fact that I think this was the strongest group of finalist bands to date in BOA, the scores probably could have been a touch higher. Texas also had 6 bands in finals. They became the first state to ever have more than five bands in finals at one time. With 3 Indiana bands in finals, only five different states were represented in Grand National Finals. This ties 2002 as the year with the fewest states represented in finals.
By winning the 2019 Grand National title, the Vandegrift (TX) Viper Marching Band and Vision Dance Company made history by winning the Grand National title in their first trip to Grand Nationals. You have to go back to the early MBA years of the 1970s when a first time participating band won. In the modern era of BOA, this has seemed almost unheard of. I will say that it was amazing to watch Vandegrift from their first season as a new band and new school at the start of the decade to where they were in 2019. Throughout the Texas regionals, we got to see this band grow and improve. We also watched the increase in sophistication of their show designs and growing complexity of their music. This all culminated in their 2019 Grand National Championship performance, which I think was their best ever. They also showed strong improvement from their second place finish in San Antonio just two weeks prior. Vandegrift's show was titled "Aria, Queen of the Night". Most of their musical selections were by Mozart. While the futuristic props and stylish band outfits set the tone of the theme. It seemed to me that the music did much of the story telling in this show. It was a masterclass blend between woodwind, brass and percussion moments, with sections of full ensemble power. They really attacked the music and played with such confidence, yet still had wonderful phrasing and powerful emotions. The music featured great woodwind tones, almost sounding like one woodwind instrument. Crisp clean and amazing percussion. There was one section that I thought was a snare drum solo (perhaps with a mic because it was pretty loud); turns out when I saw the up close cam it was the entire snare line in perfect unison. Andrew Markworth of Centerville fame did their percussion by the way. I will also say that they gave some of the best brass moments that I have ever heard from a marching band. There were sections that the brass were playing a flurry of notes in perfect unison, like one brass instrument. Of course I have to mention an amazing trombone solo in this show and a pretty strong saxophone quartet. They had all these wonderful musical moments all while moving fairly fast across the field. The visuals flowed pretty seamlessly throughout the whole show. They (like Stephen F Austin from the previous decade) announced their guard as a dance team. The Vision Dance Company danced around the field while doing some pretty intricate work with their skirts. They did however have some moments where they used flags. Vandegrift ended up second in music performance by the slimmest of margins. Their near perfect scores from both music effect judges led to them winning GE and taking the overall title by breaking 97 points. Not bad for their first trip to Grand Nationals.
Avon (IN) on the other hand had their 18th Grand National finals appearance. They finished 2nd. This was the sixth time they were runner-up to the Grand National title, more times being runner up than any other band. This also marked the thirteenth consecutive time that they finished in the top three in Grand National finals; a record that may never be broken. Avon delivered an amazing finals performance yet again. In fact, I thought this was their best performance ever and like so many of their other 2nd place finishes, would have been a worthy Grand National Champion performance. Their show was titled "Un-BAROQUE-n". The band costuming and props gave the old world Baroque look and feel. Throughout the show (love it or hate it) a guard performer also served as a featured narrator often saying "Eight beautiful notes, placed in perfect order". I assume the meaning being that with just eight notes, you can create amazing music. And that Avon did. They blended a ton of classical selections with some modern pop in a wonderful arrangement. The music was both enjoyable and in my opinion one of the best music performances Avon has put on the field. I imagine they worked hard on their music given the contingent of Texas bands they knew they would face. While I felt Avon was robbed of the visual performance award in semi finals, they did win it finals. This marked the ninth time that Avon won (or tied) for the visual performance award in finals, another BOA record that may never be broken. The way they performed such challenging drill is amazing. Speaking of visual design, this show was amazing and the band and world class guard executed it near perfectly, given them the highest visual effect score. The power and emotion that they delivered in the ending of this show made me think that they may actually pull off the win.
Returning for their second trip to Grand Nationals and making their second appearance in finals was Hebron (TX) who again finished 3rd. I knew that they would be really strong, but I must say they delivered an amazing show in finals. It was like they were gunning for the title. Their show was titled "Among the Stars". Star props and visual designs echoed that of the whole idea of stars. Much of the theme seemed to be told through the music. Much like Vandy, Hebron's show was a perfect balance of complex woodwind, brass and percussion features intermixed with amazing full ensemble sound. The complex moments were so clean that it sounded like one instrument. I consider this band to be one of the best ever in BOA in terms of overall sound quality and they really proved my point in this show. There were some sections, particularly in the tone and quality of the brass, that were just crazy good. Also a big shout out to some amazing soloists. Hebron managed to edge out Vandegrift by a very slim margin for the music performance award. While I thought their music effect scores should have been higher, they just were not quite as solid as Avon or Vandy on the visual front to pull ahead of them in my opinion. This band still remains on my radar for potential future GN Champion.
Carmel (IN) proved how difficult it is to win four in a row. They placed 4th in finals. It was, in my opinion, their best show of the season. Their show was titled "Eternal Beloved". The music was very complex (The Queen Symphony by Tolga Kashif) and I imagine hard to perform on the field. There were sections of the show that I found very moving and enjoyable. There were a few sections, however, that did not seem to resonate with the audience like their previous three trips to GN had done. While still very clean, overall, the show was not quite as polished as the last three seasons, hence the 4th place finish. This season did mark Carmel's 24th consecutive appearance in Grand National finals, making them the band with the second highest number of finals appearances. This also marked the 20th time Carmel finished in the top 5 in finals; astounding.
On of the most talked about shows this season was Leander (TX) who finished 5th. This was their third appearance at Grand Nationals and third time making finals. The 5th place finish is their highest finish at nationals to date and this was their best performance to date. Their show was titled "Radioactive". Large nuclear power plant cooling tower props and hazmat symbols adorned the field. Throughout much of the show there was this underlying tension that erupted at the end when the cooling towers started spewing confetti-like streamers. The show was a mix of fast and intense moments and soft yet powerful sections. Huge shout out to an amazing trombone and muted trumpet soloists. For me, one of the most stunning sections in this show was when they played "Benedictus". If you don't put some emotion behind that song it can really fall flat. Leander did a wonderful job with it. At one high point brass members were draped in blue fabric; first kneeling and then row by row standing to give a huge impact. That would have brought me to my feet had I been in the stadium.
You know that this is a strong competition when a performance like Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) lands in 6th place. This was also the third trip to GN for CTJ and their third time making finals; with this being their highest finish. This band certainly had a ton of crowd appeal. Their show was titled "The Circle of Life" and was based on the Lion King. CTJ has been and still is very much on par with the visual trends in DCI. This show in particular, seemed to really capture the visual design changes that have been noted in DCI the latter half of this decade. The powerful music performance combined with their unique visual look certainly made this an enjoyable show. You could really tell that the kids were enjoying performing it. It was like they did not care how they would place, they just came out there and performed their best and had fun doing it. This band did perhaps one of the best performances of John Lennon's Imagine I have ever heard from a high school marching band. Another one of the biggest highlights in this show was the soloist battle between a trombone and alto saxophone. It was so good, it got an immediate standing ovation from the entire audience in Lucas Oil Stadium. This was before the conclusion of the show. I don't think that has ever happened before. The band got another standing O at the finish of their show. I don't have a formal education in music, so I am not in a position to be a judge. It just seems to me that given the reaction of the audience, CTJ should have had much higher music effect scores.
William Mason (OH) opted not to attend any BOA regionals this season. So there was a bit of an unknown as to how they would perform at nationals. Well, they were awesome and finished 7th in this their eighth time in finals. While this was the same placement they got in 2018, this was a much stronger show, competition was just tougher. Their show was titled "What Lies Beneath". Talk about color; bright pink and yellows adorned the band and props. This show was well played and flowed so well from start to finish. As is typical with this band, I loved the way the woodwinds were featured. And when you have as strong a woodwind section as Mason, why not give them some big moments. After their disastrous 2017 season, it was nice to see this band back on the rise. I noted in their 2016 performance that they had the goods to be a future GN champ. After the rough patch in 2017, I again saw that potential in Mason with this performance.
Taking on a little different style this season was The Woodlands (TX) who finished 8th. Their show was titled "On the Town" based on the musical by Leonard Bernstein. It was about World War II sailors on shore leave in New York. The costuming and props helped set the stage. This was another crowd favorite. The Woodlands made this such an enjoyable show to watch. Another bunch of amazing soloists (Texas really features awesome soloists in their bands). When I watched this, I thought that had my grandparents still been alive they would have enjoyed seeing this show. The band captured the essence of the 1940s really well, especially considering this time period was nearly 80 years ago. This marked The Woodlands tenth appearance in GN finals, making them the Texas band with the most finals appearances to date.
The sixth Texas band in finals was Round Rock (TX) who placed 9th with their show "A Simple Gesture". The premise of miming was what the show was about. This was Round Rock's fourth trip to nationals and fourth time in finals. After barely making finals in 2017, there was no question they would be in finals this season. They nailed this show with an amazing music performance. I thought it was their best show since their 4th place finish at nationals in 2013. While yes, they had the mime theme going on there, the props did not seem to overwhelm the visuals. It had just enough of 'old school elements' so that I really enjoyed it.
Making their fifth GN finals appearance was Homestead (IN) who finished 10th. Even though they did not place as high as in 2018, I thought they had a much stronger show. Again, this was a more competitive year. Their show was titled "A Reclamation Project" and featured a Brussels Requiem by Bert Appermont. This song and show was about the 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels Belgium. While props set the stage of being in Brussels, it was the music that really told the story. I really felt this was a more emotional performance from Homestead than in years past. They also have that Indiana marching style, which is awesome. In a year with so many great performances, I thought Homestead may have been a little overlooked. I enjoyed it and thought they did a good job tackling such a mature theme.
After their seventh place finish in St Louis, I was unsure of Union's chances at Grand Nationals. I was pleasantly surprised by their showing. They ended up finishing 11th in finals. Their show was titled "The Orchestra's Guide to a Young Person" and was a bit of a play on the classic A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. The show began with the band sitting in chairs on platforms as if playing in the orchestra. They moved their legs in sync with the music. It was very unique. The chairs became featured props throughout the show. This was a risky and highly innovative visual design (reminded me a little bit of 2016 The Academy in DCI). Although they did not participate in BOA every year of the 1980s and 1990s, Union actually attended the 1979 June Grand Nationals in Whitewater. So they have a very long history with BOA. This was Union's 11th time in GN Finals. These appearances are spread out over time going all the way back to 1986 (they were a finalist at the 1981 Summer Nationals as well). This band has given BOA many innovative shows over the years, this one is certainly among them.
Ayala (CA) has been a BOA power in California going back to the mid 2000s. The last couple years has seen a bit of an improvement in this band. I was really glad to see them make finals. This was their third appearance in finals. Each time they have placed 12th. Their show was titled "Wonderland". A little bit dark at times, this was a really fun show to watch. The band was very thrilled to make finals (they have not always made finals). This was their first appearance in finals since 2013. Like a lot of California bands, Ayala showcased a strong color guard and very good percussion. I loved their keyboard arrangements as well. Back in the 1970s, California (particularly the San Francisco/San Jose region) emerged as a hot spot for corps style competitive marching bands. I am sure the proximity to powerful DCI programs like Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard had a lot to do with that. Given the distance, I fully understand why we have not had many California bands in Grand National finals in the modern BOA era. Given the population of California, I am surprised that there have not been more powerful band programs emerge (although there are several strong CA bands that just don't participate in BOA). I suspect some financial strains in the CA public schools over the decades may be some of the reason, especially seeing how CA continues to be a hot bed for drum corps. California has however had some pretty strong indoor color guards and drum lines. That seemed evident to me in Ayala's show.
The band that fell short of making finals was Fishers (IN) who was 13th. This was however the highest finish to date for this band, still very much an up and coming band program in my opinion. They really put forth a more sophisticated show this season in comparison to years past, so I have my eye on them. In 14th place was Lawrence Township (IN). This was an extremely highly innovative show from both a music and visual design perspective; very Broadway-ish. Love or hate the style, MPLT was extremely good. I felt they may have made finals with that show; their best show ever in my opinion. In fact, they may very well have made finals but two of the visual judges were not impressed. Harrison (GA) was 15th with a show that any other year probably would have made finals. Park Vista (FL) in their first trip to GN was 16th. After a rough showing at the Indy Super Regional, Marian Catholic (IL) had a very strong show in semi finals and placed 17th. We also got to see them in finals exhibition at least where they gave us a taste of typical Marian (crazy difficult) with their serpent themed show. Rounding out the top 20 were Brownsburg (IN) in 18th, Rockford (MI) in 19th and Centerville (OH) in 20th.
I will say, that looking back at this past decade, we had what I refer to as the big four; Carmel, Avon, Broken Arrow and Tarpon Springs, who delivered innovative, strong and highly difficult shows with a tremendous amount of consistency from season to season. They have certainly been steering the direction of BOA. The other story this decade, particularly the end of it, is that of Texas bands as a whole. This season more than any so far, suggests that Texas bands are taking BOA to a whole new level.
2019 Grand Nationals Recap
2019 Vandegrift GN Finals - High Cam
2019 Vandegrift GN Finals - Multi Cam
2019 Avon GN Finals Sorry about the language in the caption. This is the best video I could find of their finals performance.
2019 Hebron GN Finals
2019 Carmel GN Finals
2019 Leander GN Finals
2019 CTJ GN Finals
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Post by thewho on Jun 4, 2020 17:28:55 GMT -6
I can't believe it's already the end! I really wish I could've jumped in when relevant with anecdotes of various years. The time I had back then just doesn't exist for me today anymore, but you'd best believe it I never regretted typing all that stuff up despite it being lost to the internet vortex.
Buff, from the bottom of my heart (and I'm certain the community's), thank you for taking on this massive project to recount the decades of high school band. Even though you started out initially trying to figure out the BOA scores from way back in the starting days in 1976, you've turned this into something that's absolutely essential to this activity. Students, designers, arrangers, judges, etc. now have a resource to look to and reach from with your recounting of the many shows that made BOA, well, BOA. I'm certain that a few that may had marched in your day with you greatly enjoyed reading this thread, and many more got a small glance at a past they never knew through your eyes. I always got excited when I see the new post notification for this thread because I knew there would never be a bad post at all. In an era where sharing an audio-visual experience is difficult, the praise and ovations you give for the shows in finals each year not only reflect on the staff, designers, directors and students, but also you.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 5, 2020 5:46:18 GMT -6
It was my pleasure. I want to thank all those who contributed with their comments and in many instances helped jar my memory. Also thanks to TheBigTall for his extensive research to get the pre 1985 results.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jul 22, 2020 6:40:57 GMT -6
...2020 SEASON REVIEW...
Well the unthinkable happened. For the first time ever, BOA had to cancel an entire season. The Covid-19 pandemic has posed the most significant challenge to the marching arts in modern history. This came after cutting short the WGI season and forcing the complete cancellation of the 2020 DCI tour. So 2020 will essentially be expunged from the BOA history books. So if Avon makes top 3 in 2021 Grand National finals, they will continue to sustain their top three streak. If Vandegrift attends Grand Nationals in 2021 and wins, that will be considered back to back Grand National titles.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Sept 10, 2020 22:12:02 GMT -6
I'll expand on thewho 's thoughts for 2011: I adored TW that year. They set the tone for what the band would look like under Joni Perez and haven't let up since. They sounded utterly PHENOMENAL on Beethoven 7 for the opener. Their version of Alanis Morissete's "Univited", heard on the field many times, is still the best to date, and one I wish Oregon Crusaders had been able to replicate a little more closely in 2018. I’ve been listening to this show today and I just can’t get enough of their version of Uninvited!!!
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Post by srv1084 on Oct 7, 2020 7:55:56 GMT -6
Catching up on a lot of this at the moment, and had a few thoughts on the most recent years: Dobyns-Bennett 2017 - Hands down the best mellophone section in BOA history. This was top-level drum corps performance out of that section. The entire band played masterfully and caught me by surprise that season. Blue Springs 2018 - One of the best show designs I've ever seen on any field/venue. It was a production, not a marching band show. The staging, production quality, and professionalism is unmatched by anything I've seen in recent years, and that vocalist is easily the best vocalist I've heard in this activity. I was getting major "Aqua" vibes after their finals performance, thinking they had just done the impossible to sneak in for a title. At the very least, I felt they deserved that silver medal. Vandegrift 2019 - One of the greatest music and sound designs in recent years. The show flowed seamlessly and they were able to very tastefully infuse electronics in a way that is often overlooked given how perfectly it blends in with the overall music design. Just enough of a touch of modern in an overall classical production. Seeing this show early season made them a no-brainer champion prediction for me. Cue the "but Reagan wasn't there" comments! The "tie" 2016 - I still can't fathom what was going through their minds when they decided to break a tie for a championship title. My heart still breaks for those Avon kids. To be told that you achieved enough to win the title (both in score and in winning both ACHIEVEMENT captions) and have it diminished in that moment is still one of the few moments in this activity that has made me sick to my stomach.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jun 2, 2021 14:40:17 GMT -6
boahistorybuff I’m featuring the LD Bell 2010 show tomorrow on my Instagram account for Throwback Thursday. I want to thank you for all of the work you put into these summaries, making my job on Instagram featuring bands just a little bit easier!
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 2, 2021 18:01:28 GMT -6
boahistorybuff I’m featuring the LD Bell 2010 show tomorrow on my Instagram account for Throwback Thursday. I want to thank you for all of the work you put into these summaries, making my job on Instagram featuring bands just a little bit easier! You are very welcome LeanderMomma. LD Bell 2010 was indeed a very good show and a brilliant concept. Very appropriate to feature that show near Memorial Day too.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jun 2, 2021 19:52:54 GMT -6
boahistorybuff I’m featuring the LD Bell 2010 show tomorrow on my Instagram account for Throwback Thursday. I want to thank you for all of the work you put into these summaries, making my job on Instagram featuring bands just a little bit easier! You are very welcome LeanderMomma. LD Bell 2010 was indeed a very good show and a brilliant concept. Very appropriate to feature that show near Memorial Day too. My thoughts exactly!
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rickofavon
Senior Member
Never let the drumming die.
Posts: 75
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Post by rickofavon on Nov 17, 2021 10:20:23 GMT -6
That was my senior year at Avon, can remember being in our band room when they were announcing the semi-results it was like, "Oh Gosh begosh we're gonna medal!" Talk about a gut punch when the results came out for finals standing on the field. To place 7th, exactly where we did my freshman year felt like a big circular trip. I was a young dumb kid and was pretty upset in the moment. Made some pretty dumb decisions in the airlock to vent my frustration. With age and proper reflection you're review is spot on. I did make some good friends with the PCEP drumline that night in the RCA Dome airlock as we were leaving. Even hung out a few times after graduation during the winter season the following year. After graduating I attended quiet a few GN Finals and got to witness the band I was in achieve some great things. Those encore moments and cheering on my underclassmen friends were timeless, especially 09 watching the drum major simply own the encore performance. I still have that audio I recorded from my phone somewhere on a thumb drive. Just a few random shout-outs. "Hide and Seek", The Woodlands - loved it. Vandergrift, simply amazing feat and amazing sound. I watched that Chesterton, IN show from 81 a few days ago. That was something to see. I can't wait to read your season review for the 2021 season. These should be in a book somewhere so the knowledge isn't lost to time.Question: During the MBA years I notice results are broken up by class. Six open, six A but was there a proper finals where these groups played back to back, same judge panels between the classes and such? Curious.
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