2011 Marching Band Season post--already....

[mickeymo]

I'm all for balance but I couldn't imagine trying to coach a high school sport with only 1 1/2 hours/day for practice. Having the class helps too but even so, that is really a short practice time. Most sports here work out fine with marching band-the only exceptions are volleyball and that is because they have tournaments every Saturday and the band has competitions every Saturday so you would have to miss too much of one to do the other and girls soccer because the soccer coach won't let the kids be in marching band. We even have football players in the marching band, they just march the half-time show in their football pants and band uniform top.

Football and Volleyball are the two sports which don't work with marching band, practices & games conflict. For the rest, the coaches and the directors pretty much work together, providing the student has room for both band and their sport in their schedule.

Just my limited observation based on our experiences over how fanatical Texas is about sports, I can't imagine what life would be like if our governing body didn't have these limits in place and I think my family's life is pretty crazy now!!!

 

[golfgal]

Football and Volleyball are the two sports which don't work with marching band, practices & games conflict. For the rest, the coaches and the directors pretty much work together, providing the student has room for both band and their sport in their schedule.

Just my limited observation based on our experiences over how fanatical Texas is about sports, I can't imagine what life would be like if our governing body didn't have these limits in place and I think my family's life is pretty crazy now!!!

That is probably true

 

[KiminChicago]

Our first football game is tonight and the temperatures right now are in the upper 90's with high humidity. A cold front is supposed to come through at some point, bringing thunderstorms, but I don't know if that will happen before, during or after game time. We could miss out on our first opportunity to see the band.

DS's bus took a wrong turn yesterday on the way home, so he got off the bus as soon as he could and walked home and he was just dripping, so I can only imagine what it will be like tonight with their uniforms on. Fortunately the uniforms are mostly white.

On a more positive note, they had chair placements this week and my lowly freshman is second chair. The band director was considering having him learn the bass clarinet after marching season ends, but then she heard his audition -- I guess second chairs don't change instruments....

 

[mickeymo]

Our first football game is tonight and the temperatures right now are in the upper 90's with high humidity. A cold front is supposed to come through at some point, bringing thunderstorms, but I don't know if that will happen before, during or after game time. We could miss out on our first opportunity to see the band.

DS's bus took a wrong turn yesterday on the way home, so he got off the bus as soon as he could and walked home and he was just dripping, so I can only imagine what it will be like tonight with their uniforms on. Fortunately the uniforms are mostly white.

On a more positive note, they had chair placements this week and my lowly freshman is second chair. The band director was considering having him learn the bass clarinet after marching season ends, but then she heard his audition -- I guess second chairs don't change instruments....

Congrats to your son! That is great news! And... Bless you or your uniform committee for having to keep white uniforms, white!!!

You''re having Texas football weather - I posted on my FB status last week I missed midwestern football weather... I guess I have to be more specific to say I miss midwestern football in October & November...

 

[marcyinPA]

Sorry to hear about all the high temps for the first football games! It's cool here...low 70s. My DS asked me this morning if I thought he'd need his Under Armour. LOL Um, not unless you want to lose a few pounds.

 

[Gina]

We attended BOA Grand Nationals in 2009, it is amazing the performances all of the schools can put on the field, the energy is electrifying. So the Texas marching band community is proud that the schools who do travel to BOA Grand Nationals can do so well against very strong programs across the US. Last year, I think Texas sent 5 bands, out of those 5 bands, LD Ball placed 3rd, Stephen F. Austin placed 9th, and Cedar Park placed 10th.

LD Bell is something else. Amazing to watch! I think all the bands here in Texas, as well as the football teams, do admirably well with the restrictions. And frankly, I'm glad for the restrictions. Balance is important, and as a single parent there aren't enough hours in the day as it is. Plus, the record-decimating heat this summer has been hard enough for these kids to deal with in 8 hours' of practice per week.

SO excited for the game tonight!!!! But I'm a 3rd-generation Texan -- football is the religion I was raised in and adore. The combination of a football game starring the team of the town I also adore + watching my son march is almost more than I can handle excitement-wise!! But I manage somehow.

Good luck to everyone playing & marching tonight! And to the FB Kempner team, I'm sorry you're going to lose tonight, but we ARE the Oilers...

 

[momof1princess]

our kids are going to be sweltering-they only have ONE uniform, the wool one, and it'll still be about 94 degrees (BEFORE you factor in the heat index) when they march tonight. thankfully, they have kids in beginner band who are there to bring them ice water whenever they want it.

 

[mickeymo]

LD Bell is something else. Amazing to watch! I think all the bands here in Texas, as well as the football teams, do admirably well with the restrictions. And frankly, I'm glad for the restrictions. Balance is important, and as a single parent there aren't enough hours in the day as it is. Plus, the record-decimating heat this summer has been hard enough for these kids to deal with in 8 hours' of practice per week.

SO excited for the game tonight!!!! But I'm a 3rd-generation Texan -- football is the religion I was raised in and adore. The combination of a football game starring the team of the town I also adore + watching my son march is almost more than I can handle excitement-wise!! But I manage somehow.

Good luck to everyone playing & marching tonight! And to the FB Kempner team, I'm sorry you're going to lose tonight, but we ARE the Oilers...

Is your game home or away? - think of me at 5, I'm boarding a bus as a chaperone & our game is in Conroe I looked at the schedule - our team plays yours Halloween weekend and if our team continues to play like they did last week, it won't be pretty.... The band won't be there - we're traveling to Atlanta for the BOA super regional competition.

For everyone else across the country dealing with this heat, make sure you are taking care of yourself!!! Drink plenty of water & stay hydrated! Sometimes in taking care of the kids, it's easy to forget about yourself!

 

[jen0610]

We attended BOA Grand Nationals in 2009, it is amazing the performances all of the schools can put on the field, the energy is electrifying. So the Texas marching band community is proud that the schools who do travel to BOA Grand Nationals can do so well against very strong programs across the US. Last year, I think Texas sent 5 bands, out of those 5 bands, LD Ball placed 3rd, Stephen F. Austin placed 9th, and Cedar Park placed 10th.

Here, Avon is the powerhouse of ISSMA's A class. ISSMA classes are based on the number of students attending the high school. Avon has won BOA's Grand Nationals 3 years running. They are gunning to do it again this year.

They march the ISSMA's as a tune up BOA. They had a preview show the end of July and they already had the opener done and polished. Most of the other schools they march against, hadn't even started band yet - for the marching season.

They are very, very, very hard to come close to beating. Carmel, who hasn't marched ISSMA, for the last couple of years - they did strickly BOA - is back this year and marching ISSMA for basicly the same reason Avon does. Helps refine their show. With Carmel back in the mix for ISSMA, it's going to be a very tight race for the 10 slots that go to state here in IN. The general option in the state - by those who know marching - there are 6 bands who with no if's and's or but's about it, are going to state. The other 4 slots, there will be 14 bands at semi-state slugging it out for those slots.

 

[mickeymo]

Here, Avon is the powerhouse of ISSMA's A class. ISSMA classes are based on the number of students attending the high school. Avon has won BOA's Grand Nationals 3 years running. They are gunning to do it again this year.

They march the ISSMA's as a tune up BOA. They had a preview show the end of July and they already had the opener done and polished. Most of the other schools they march against, hadn't even started band yet - for the marching season.

They are very, very, very hard to come close to beating. Carmel, who hasn't marched ISSMA, for the last couple of years - they did strickly BOA - is back this year and marching ISSMA for basicly the same reason Avon does. Helps refine their show. With Carmel back in the mix for ISSMA, it's going to be a very tight race for the 10 slots that go to state here in IN. The general option in the state - by those who know marching - there are 6 bands who with no if's and's or but's about it, are going to state. The other 4 slots, there will be 14 bands at semi-state slugging it out for those slots.

Avon, Carmel are definitely powerhouses - throw in Marion Catholic & Broken Arrow along with the rest of the entries over 3 days of competition - BOA Grand Nats is amazing! It was just too expensive for our band to travel to Indy this year - our district put a limit on the travel budget to $500/ per student - it is cheaper and closer (only 13 hours on a bus versus 24) to go to the Atlanta Super Regional.

 

[Gina]

Is your game home or away? - think of me at 5, I'm boarding a bus as a chaperone & our game is in Conroe I looked at the schedule - our team plays yours Halloween weekend and if our team continues to play like they did last week, it won't be pretty.... The band won't be there - we're traveling to Atlanta for the BOA super regional competition.

Conroe!! Why are y'all playing so far away?? This is our first home game of the season, which is why I'm overly excited. Games at The Rig are always sold out and so much fun. Can't wait!

Have fun chaperoning, and good luck in Conroe!! I'm sorry I won't get to see y'alls band next month!

 

[KiminChicago]

Well, I know that our kids will be getting plenty to drink! I ran into the band director just a little while ago at Costco -- she was stocking up on bottled water and Gatorade. She only had a minute to chat since she had to get back to school, but she told me that she had debated whether or not DS was ready for second chair, but that was where his audition placed him and she was sure he'd rise to the challenge. Can't wait to see the band play tonight, although DS just got home and told me that if it was raining, they weren't going to do the dance break since no one wants to put their instruments down on a wet field.

I never really thought about it, but if it rains, that white is going to be murder to get clean! I hope we get some cleaning instructions, since I have no idea what I'm doing. I can only imagine what the white shoes will look like after tonight

 

[golfgal]

Avon, Carmel are definitely powerhouses - throw in Marion Catholic & Broken Arrow along with the rest of the entries over 3 days of competition - BOA Grand Nats is amazing! It was just too expensive for our band to travel to Indy this year - our district put a limit on the travel budget to $500/ per student - it is cheaper and closer (only 13 hours on a bus versus 24) to go to the Atlanta Super Regional.

I wish we would go to Nat'ls but it would extend our season into the cold and no where to practice. We see Carmel, Marion Catholic and BA at the St. Louis Regional so that is fun. We usually finish right behind them so I think we would make finals at Nat'ls so that would be fun.

Is Atlanta closer than St. Louis for you?

 

[KiminChicago]

Well, we made it through our first game and half-time show. It was a lot of fun -- DH never went to his high school's games so he had no idea what it was going to be like. No rain, so the band was able to put their instruments down and do their dance. While they were in the stands, the band director told them they could take their uniform jackets off, so they were cooler. Then after half-time, the band was dismissed so DS put his uniform in the car and hung out with some of his buddies until the game was over. Unfortunately our team lost 40 - 17. The good news is that the football team did score a couple of touchdowns so the band got to play the fight song a couple of additional times.

 

[mickeymo]

I wish we would go to Nat'ls but it would extend our season into the cold and no where to practice. We see Carmel, Marion Catholic and BA at the St. Louis Regional so that is fun. We usually finish right behind them so I think we would make finals at Nat'ls so that would be fun.

Is Atlanta closer than St. Louis for you?

I just checked Mapquest - Surprisingly, Atlanta is about an hour closer. Our director made the decision to travel to Atlanta, so I don't know the deciding factors or if other options were under consideration. I know cost was a huge factor against Indy, even before the district placed a $500 limit on travel. The kids are excited they will get to have some fun on Sunday. Indy was tough, they're only allowed to miss two days of school; travel 24 hours on a bus, perform, get back on the bus.

 

[momof1princess]

well, we lost our 2nd football game last night, 27-0 (lost the first one 21-0), but the band did really well! the halftime show isn't quite complete yet, there are still 2 songs to add, but i was very impressed by how much they've improved since last week's game the band director was too-he said they've shown a lot of improvement.

our first band parents meeting is this thursday night, and i'm really excited! this will be my first one : we're supposed to decide if and where we'lll go on our big band trip! i'm SO hoping for WDW!

 

[golfgal]

I just checked Mapquest - Surprisingly, Atlanta is about an hour closer. Our director made the decision to travel to Atlanta, so I don't know the deciding factors or if other options were under consideration. I know cost was a huge factor against Indy, even before the district placed a $500 limit on travel. The kids are excited they will get to have some fun on Sunday. Indy was tough, they're only allowed to miss two days of school; travel 24 hours on a bus, perform, get back on the bus.

No thanks.... The buses for our band take about 12 hours to get to St. Louis when you factor in bathroom stops/lunch stops, etc. (it's about a 9 hour drive straight through with stops for gas). The kids are pretty sick of the buses after that. Busing is EXPENSIVE, especially if you travel over the allotted driver hours and have to have a second driver along. We are RIGHT at that time so we don't have to take a second driver but other bands from our state do. Indy is about 10-12 hours straight driving for us so the buses would be probably 15 hours. There has been a lot of talk about starting a regional in Minnesota to get more of the MN, SD, WI, IA bands into BOA but the only place to hold that would be the Metrodome and the acoustics there are horrible. The new roof is supposed to help so we will see if it is better.

The new stadium on the U of MN campus is BEAUTIFUL and an excellent place to hold a BOA contest but it is not a dome and weather can be very iffy.

Still waiting to see our show in uniform--we will see it this Friday in uniform for the first time-as long as it doesn't rain.

 

[marcyinPA]

Our football team won last night...first game. The other school doesn't have a band (it's a boys school for "at risk" boys) so our band was the entertainment. My DS said that the home fans gave them a lot of compliments at the snack stand and while they were marching back to the buses. That's always nice to hear, because some schools are NOT that nice.

It was a LOONNNGGG night though. The buses left school at 4:45 (DS never even came home...just brought his uniform in the morning, went for dinner with some friends, and then back to school) and they arrived home at midnight.

Thankfully, this is the only away game that is that far away.

 

[golfgal]

Our football team won last night...first game. The other school doesn't have a band (it's a boys school for "at risk" boys) so our band was the entertainment. My DS said that the home fans gave them a lot of compliments at the snack stand and while they were marching back to the buses. That's always nice to hear, because some schools are NOT that nice.

It was a LOONNNGGG night though. The buses left school at 4:45 (DS never even came home...just brought his uniform in the morning, went for dinner with some friends, and then back to school) and they arrived home at midnight.

Thankfully, this is the only away game that is that far away.

In our old town, this was par for the course. Our "close" games for any sport were 45 miles away. When we moved here we had a basketball tournament that was 50 miles away and they made it into an overnight trip . People will complain having to drive 20 miles to a game/contest, etc. It's kind of funny. When our friends come up for band shows here, one of them is in a neighboring town that takes 3 minutes to drive to, we live near the border. Every year they say the same thing, NOT FAIR. It is nice not having to drive forever to go to things though.

 

[Pembo]

After our 0-55 loss last week, we lost again 6-17 but again the band was awesome. They wore jean shorts and their band tshirts and looked better that last week. My son said it was hot on the field! In the stands it was warm but not horrible, maybe it's all that Disney-in-the-summer-training! It was nice to watch them without their hats. I could follow DS all over the field better. In the opener of the comp show he is ALL over the field, I lost him last week.

The other band had band shorts and shirts and wore their gloves. They were good but I'm biased, we were better.