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

[golfgal]

I have seen both Owasso and Union. I loved Unions. Owasso's was ok, but not nearly as wonderful as last years! DS said that Owasso changed the name of their show, and changed the show, since I've seen it last. He said it made more sense now and was better. I always say... "If you are a color guard person in Owassos band...you will end up dead by the end." hee-hee Just in the show, of course. I haven't got to see Broken Arrow's show. DS wasn't has impressed as he expected to be.

Owasso's show at BOA was called "The Last Straw". It's pretty cute. I'm trying to remember if anyone "died"-I don't think so. The kids that played the Scarecrows were amazing.

BA's show was, well, um...vulgar is a term I read elsewhere. If my DD was in their colorguard I probably would have made her quit....they of course march well and their colorguard was very much in sync with each other as usual. A LOT of people in the stands we sitting with their mouths hanging open in shock that a high school would allow their kids to do a show like that. We were sitting by a lot of BA parents and they are not happy with the show. One Dad turned around and asked me "so, what do you think of BA's show this year". I was trying to be diplomatic but he said "that's ok, you can say what you are thinking. We are probably thinking the same thing" . They only had about 1/2 their show on the field. During prelims the drum major turned around and looked at the director in what seemed like he was asking "are we done now"--like he didn't quite know when the show ended. The audience did not either until the band started marching off the field---oops.

I usually love watching BA, but not this year.

 

[Katy Belle]

Owasso's show at BOA was called "The Last Straw". It's pretty cute. I'm trying to remember if anyone "died"-I don't think so. The kids that played the Scarecrows were amazing.

BA's show was, well, um...vulgar is a term I read elsewhere. If my DD was in their colorguard I probably would have made her quit....they of course march well and their colorguard was very much in sync with each other as usual. A LOT of people in the stands we sitting with their mouths hanging open in shock that a high school would allow their kids to do a show like that. We were sitting by a lot of BA parents and they are not happy with the show. One Dad turned around and asked me "so, what do you think of BA's show this year". I was trying to be diplomatic but he said "that's ok, you can say what you are thinking. We are probably thinking the same thing" . They only had about 1/2 their show on the field. During prelims the drum major turned around and looked at the director in what seemed like he was asking "are we done now"--like he didn't quite know when the show ended. The audience did not either until the band started marching off the field---oops.

I usually love watching BA, but not this year.

DS didn't mention that BA's show was vulgar...but he is a teenage boy. There were some shows last year that I found very questionable. Certainly NOT necessary.

I got my program from the last show... Owasso's show was called FIXation at that time. The name change was a good move. The end of the show at that time... had the scarecrow in the middle, with the color guard all on the ground, dead, around him... the color guard was dressed in black..perhaps they were crows??? The scare crow picked up the arms of the girls and dropped them, to show they were dead. A bit weird. But... it was a good show and they are amazing and huge. I always enjoy watching them.

 

[golfgal]

DS didn't mention that BA's show was vulgar...but he is a teenage boy. There were some shows last year that I found very questionable. Certainly NOT necessary.

I got my program from the last show... Owasso's show was called FIXation at that time. The name change was a good move. The end of the show at that time... had the scarecrow in the middle, with the color guard all on the ground, dead, around him... the color guard was dressed in black..perhaps they were crows??? The scare crow picked up the arms of the girls and dropped them, to show they were dead. A bit weird. But... it was a good show and they are amazing and huge. I always enjoy watching them.

I TOTALLY missed that reference-I bet you are right and they were crows. I think they changed out of part of their black costumes but it all starts to blend together after a while. I'll ask DH how the show ended, I can't remember. At one point most of the band is in a square around one scarecrow and one of the colorguard gives the scarecrow a kiss on the cheek and the band starts to wiggle their plumes so it kind of looked like a heart fluttering. It was REALLY cute.

For BA--at the beginning of the show the CG members jump up on a band member and wrap their legs around their necks, kind of a reverse piggy back ride, there is a lot of slapping and pushing and just really suggestive movements through the show.

 

[Katy Belle]

I TOTALLY missed that reference-I bet you are right and they were crows. I think they changed out of part of their black costumes but it all starts to blend together after a while. I'll ask DH how the show ended, I can't remember. At one point most of the band is in a square around one scarecrow and one of the colorguard gives the scarecrow a kiss on the cheek and the band starts to wiggle their plumes so it kind of looked like a heart fluttering. It was REALLY cute.

For BA--at the beginning of the show the CG members jump up on a band member and wrap their legs around their necks, kind of a reverse piggy back ride, there is a lot of slapping and pushing and just really suggestive movements through the show.

That was really cute! I had never seen wiggling plumes before!

As for BA... BOOOOO! Not necessary. Sheesh. These are teenagers and this is BAND.

 

[golfgal]

That was really cute! I had never seen wiggling plumes before!

As for BA... BOOOOO! Not necessary. Sheesh. These are teenagers and this is BAND.

BA had a part in their show last year, Z0, which I loved, that the band is in small groups and they walk shaking their heads. Another cute, fun visual.

I did see one of the BA colorguard drop a flag, that in itself was amazing because it never happens .

 

[Katy Belle]

BA had a part in their show last year, Z0, which I loved, that the band is in small groups and they walk shaking their heads. Another cute, fun visual.

I did see one of the BA colorguard drop a flag, that in itself was amazing because it never happens .

True! It amazes me that flags/rifles don't get dropped! We did see one show this year where a CG girl couldn't find her rifle!!! She searched through her pile of flags and it was just not there. We could see it...3 places down by some flags, but it was way too far for her. She finally struck a pose with a big smile and just waited until she could join in. I felt so sorry for her. As crummy as our CG looks at times this year, I haven't seen them drop anything!

 

[klj27]

In addition to my daughter in color guard I have a son who will be joining marching band in one or two years. He is in grade school band right now and plays the trumpet. He started in 5th grade and is now in 7th. He has been using a student trumpet that my husband got in 5th grade and was also used by two other cousins. He told me the other night that he would like a new trumpet for Christmas. His trumpet actually sounds fine but it looks a mess.

I don't want to spend a lot of money because we have a very nice trumpet that he can use when he marches in high school so I really need something that will last for a year and a half and as a backup trumpet.

Any opinions on this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002472BYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ACPGV300K93D

 

[Gina]

What an interesting weekend!! Enlightening, if nothing else. I'll be glad when it's a UIL State year for us again!!

This was the first competition I can think of for us that used BOA scoring, and we are soooooo not a BOA band. We don't have props or gimmicks, we just march. What I don't get is why the director even enters our band into contests like this, when that style is so not our focus. It shakes the kids' confidence when they do amazingly well at one contest and then not so well at the next (scoring-wise.) I really don't get what the band director is thinking.

Anyways, thank heavens we have a UIL contest tomorrow!! But the the one at Sam Houston State University this weekend. I looked up the info on their page, and they don't claim to use any specific scoring system. It just says they score 35 points max for music, 35 for marching, and 30 for overall effect. That seems awfully BOA-ish to me... And it seems the weirder the show, the better they score on "overall effect."

The bands' shows I really liked (like Mickeymo's band from Clear Brook!) had an awesome mix of beautiful visuals with just a few simple props, and a great musical score. I'm glad they made it to the finals -- they deserved it. The bands that ended up in the top 5 were the more bizarre of the finalists. The bottom 5 were the stronger in music and marching to me. But hey, what do I know??

If anyone knows more about the Sam Houston State U. contest, please let me know!

The Broken Arrow show sounded really... different... and unnecessary. What a shame.


-gina-

 

[golfgal]

In addition to my daughter in color guard I have a son who will be joining marching band in one or two years. He is in grade school band right now and plays the trumpet. He started in 5th grade and is now in 7th. He has been using a student trumpet that my husband got in 5th grade and was also used by two other cousins. He told me the other night that he would like a new trumpet for Christmas. His trumpet actually sounds fine but it looks a mess.

I don't want to spend a lot of money because we have a very nice trumpet that he can use when he marches in high school so I really need something that will last for a year and a half and as a backup trumpet.

Any opinions on this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002472BYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ACPGV300K93D

I would check with the high school band directors. Chances are you do NOT want to use their really nice horns for marching band. They get VERY dinged up very easily in marching band. Our directors won't let the kids use their nice instruments for marching band unless they have a solo and it works to switch instruments before the solo-which doesn't always work. You can get his current trumpet cleaned up at any good music store and it is probably less expensive then buying another one. They will hammer out dents, etc.

What an interesting weekend!! Enlightening, if nothing else. I'll be glad when it's a UIL State year for us again!!

This was the first competition I can think of for us that used BOA scoring, and we are soooooo not a BOA band. We don't have props or gimmicks, we just march. What I don't get is why the director even enters our band into contests like this, when that style is so not our focus. It shakes the kids' confidence when they do amazingly well at one contest and then not so well at the next (scoring-wise.) I really don't get what the band director is thinking.

Anyways, thank heavens we have a UIL contest tomorrow!! But the the one at Sam Houston State University this weekend. I looked up the info on their page, and they don't claim to use any specific scoring system. It just says they score 35 points max for music, 35 for marching, and 30 for overall effect. That seems awfully BOA-ish to me... And it seems the weirder the show, the better they score on "overall effect."

The bands' shows I really liked (like Mickeymo's band from Clear Brook!) had an awesome mix of beautiful visuals with just a few simple props, and a great musical score. I'm glad they made it to the finals -- they deserved it. The bands that ended up in the top 5 were the more bizarre of the finalists. The bottom 5 were the stronger in music and marching to me. But hey, what do I know??

If anyone knows more about the Sam Houston State U. contest, please let me know!

The Broken Arrow show sounded really... different... and unnecessary. What a shame.


-gina-

Most BOA bands just march too . Some of the smaller ones use props to "contain" their show so they look bigger, etc.

 

[klj27]

I would check with the high school band directors. Chances are you do NOT want to use their really nice horns for marching band. They get VERY dinged up very easily in marching band. Our directors won't let the kids use their nice instruments for marching band unless they have a solo and it works to switch instruments before the solo-which doesn't always work. You can get his current trumpet cleaned up at any good music store and it is probably less expensive then buying another one. They will hammer out dents, etc.

We spent a hundred - two hundred dollars on the trumpet he is using now when he started band. New mouthpiece, etc. The trumpet that he can use in high school is the one my husband used in marching band in high school so I feel okay with that.

I guess I am wondering if the trumpet I posted will be decent for a year and a half more of grade school band.

 

[golfgal]

We spent a hundred - two hundred dollars on the trumpet he is using now when he started band. New mouthpiece, etc. The trumpet that he can use in high school is the one my husband used in marching band in high school so I feel okay with that.

I guess I am wondering if the trumpet I posted will be decent for a year and a half more of grade school band.

No, I would not waste the money on a $124 trumpet. It is NOT going to sound good. Looks have nothing to do with the sound quality which is why I would bring his current horn in for a cleaning, polish and dent repair vs buying a $124 horn from Amazon. Why not just let him use the nice horn you have now .

 

[Gina]

Most BOA bands just march too . Some of the smaller ones use props to "contain" their show so they look bigger, etc.

Nope, all of these bands had lots of props and gimmicks -- instruments twirling on invisible strings, elaborate color guard costume changes, big odd props or props that just made no sense. Much more attention on visual. It's just very, very different, and that's fine -- we just shouldn't be there, that's all. Or if the director wants them competing at BOA-scored contests, he needs to change the focus, add those other elements that BOA scores on. UIL scores on music and marching, that's it -- there is no "overall effect" score at all.

I'm not at all saying one system is right and one is wrong -- they're just so different. Out of curiosity, Since UIL is just Texas, what other scoring rubrics are used across the country, aside from BOA?

 

[klj27]

No, I would not waste the money on a $124 trumpet. It is NOT going to sound good. Looks have nothing to do with the sound quality which is why I would bring his current horn in for a cleaning, polish and dent repair vs buying a $124 horn from Amazon. Why not just let him use the nice horn you have now .

Because he is 12.

The old one doesn't have dents and it has been cleaned and polished but it has been through three middle school/high school boys and is 26 years old. It was considered a student trumpet when my in laws bought it.

I agree that the $124 (Not purchased through amazon the lowest price I saw for this trumpet was $160.) trumpet is not going to be high quality. The thing I keep going back to though is that we would be replacing a student trumpet with a student trumpet so how different would it be. Decisions.

 

[golfgal]

Nope, all of these bands had lots of props and gimmicks -- instruments twirling on invisible strings, elaborate color guard costume changes, big odd props or props that just made no sense. Much more attention on visual. It's just very, very different, and that's fine -- we just shouldn't be there, that's all. Or if the director wants them competing at BOA-scored contests, he needs to change the focus, add those other elements that BOA scores on. UIL scores on music and marching, that's it -- there is no "overall effect" score at all.

I'm not at all saying one system is right and one is wrong -- they're just so different. Out of curiosity, Since UIL is just Texas, what other scoring rubrics are used across the country, aside from BOA?

Ok, I guess BOA is more like DCI then??

I don't know that we have a formal rubric for scoring here. Most are scored on a 100 point scale like BOA but it really depends on where the judges do most of their judging as to what they are looking for. Three of the local competitions we go to use BOA judges so they are scored like BOA. The others use more local judges and it's hit or miss what they are looking for. It's interesting to hear the judges tapes from those compared to the BOA judges though. They are more impressed with the WOW things vs the technical aspects of the show like the BOA judges are. Yes, overall visual is important in BOA but the visual isn't the props, etc. (most BOA judges don't really LIKE all the props, etc.). They are looking more for how the show is put together, do the formations the band makes flow together, is the colorguard show in sync with the rest of the band, etc. Usually bands with big props and a lot of "stuff" in their shows don't score all that well in BOA. Union, for one example from St. Louis, has 3 black screens that they move around-that is "it" for props. We didn't have any props at all in our show and we scored pretty high. Our colorguard doesn't change costumes either. Last year they did have a skirt on at the start of the show and took that off part way through--but it fit with the theme of our show.

BOA judges want to see a cleanly marched show that is well played when it all comes down to it.

 

[klj27]

Nope, all of these bands had lots of props and gimmicks -- instruments twirling on invisible strings, elaborate color guard costume changes, big odd props or props that just made no sense. Much more attention on visual. It's just very, very different, and that's fine -- we just shouldn't be there, that's all. Or if the director wants them competing at BOA-scored contests, he needs to change the focus, add those other elements that BOA scores on. UIL scores on music and marching, that's it -- there is no "overall effect" score at all.

I'm not at all saying one system is right and one is wrong -- they're just so different. Out of curiosity, Since UIL is just Texas, what other scoring rubrics are used across the country, aside from BOA?

We march mainly MSBA but did attend BOA regionals and will be at BOA Grand Nationals.

MSBA scores General Effect, Music, visual, percussion and auxilliary. Percussion and Auxilliary scores are not factored into your overall score but they are given individual trophies for being high scored in the class. MSBA puts you in classes based on the number of musicians in your band (field commanders and guard do not count.) This benefits us because we have a large guard that scores very well and they definately increase our visual score, but they don't bump us up a class.

 

[momof1princess]

Nope, all of these bands had lots of props and gimmicks -- instruments twirling on invisible strings, elaborate color guard costume changes, big odd props or props that just made no sense. Much more attention on visual. It's just very, very different, and that's fine -- we just shouldn't be there, that's all. Or if the director wants them competing at BOA-scored contests, he needs to change the focus, add those other elements that BOA scores on. UIL scores on music and marching, that's it -- there is no "overall effect" score at all.

I'm not at all saying one system is right and one is wrong -- they're just so different. Out of curiosity, Since UIL is just Texas, what other scoring rubrics are used across the country, aside from BOA?

i'm not sure what the scoring system is called, but in my area (NE alabama) all bands at competitions receive a single number score - usually a 1 or 2. i think the score can be up to 4, but you DON'T want anything more than a 2. a 1 is the highest score (superior), weird as that sounds. each element of the band is scored (drum major, colorguard, percussion, etc.) individually, and then the band receives an overall score based upon those numbers. at our last competition, a week ago, we got all 1s, which made the band director and our kids ecstatic, as we'd received an overall 2 at the prior competition.

 

[klj27]

i'm not sure what the scoring system is called, but in my area (NE alabama) all bands at competitions receive a single number score - usually a 1 or 2. i think the score can be up to 4, but you DON'T want anything more than a 2. a 1 is the highest score (superior), weird as that sounds. each element of the band is scored (drum major, colorguard, percussion, etc.) individually, and then the band receives an overall score based upon those numbers. at our last competition, a week ago, we got all 1s, which made the band director and our kids ecstatic, as we'd received an overall 2 at the prior competition.

That is how OMEA scores and I am so glad we don't participate in their comps anymore. The classes are determined by the number of students in your school. My daughter marches for an all boys school. Right now they have girls from three all girls high schools. We would have to add up enrollment for all four schools grades 10-12 to determine our class. Even though we only march 50 some musicians (70 some total) we would be placed with schools that have over 2500 students.

 

[golfgal]

That is how OMEA scores and I am so glad we don't participate in their comps anymore. The classes are determined by the number of students in your school. My daughter marches for an all boys school. Right now they have girls from three all girls high schools. We would have to add up enrollment for all four schools grades 10-12 to determine our class. Even though we only march 50 some musicians (70 some total) we would be placed with schools that have over 2500 students.

This is a tough one--how to place bands. I know BOA uses school size for grades 10-12 but that causes issues because there are several bands that draw from more than one school in their district yet they claim the enrollment at the "one" high school--putting them in a lower class. The only time this really matters is at nationals through-not the regionals.

One show around here uses band size based on woodwinds and percussion, that puts everyone pretty much where they belong as far as comparable band sizes and then they have a "sweepstakes" champion and that band is the overall winner no matter which class. I think they do that because they are a REALLY small school with a HUGE marching band-they are class A for BOA but march about 220 kids. The class A band that just won that class at St. Louis has 6, yes six, kids that march (and 5 or 6 colorguard)--no drum majors even (Jackson Academy), so if you go by school size, you have this 220 band against the 6 member band .

Bands like Broken Arrow, it just doesn't matter, they have over 200 kids that march and 1400 kids/grade in their school. Any way you look at it, they are just BIG. .

 

[golfgal]

BOA does do ratings and score so bands get a I, II, etc. as well as a score out of 100.

 

[klj27]

This is a tough one--how to place bands. I know BOA uses school size for grades 10-12 but that causes issues because there are several bands that draw from more than one school in their district yet they claim the enrollment at the "one" high school--putting them in a lower class. The only time this really matters is at nationals through-not the regionals.

One show around here uses band size based on woodwinds and percussion, that puts everyone pretty much where they belong as far as comparable band sizes and then they have a "sweepstakes" champion and that band is the overall winner no matter which class. I think they do that because they are a REALLY small school with a HUGE marching band-they are class A for BOA but march about 220 kids. The class A band that just won that class at St. Louis has 6, yes six, kids that march (and 5 or 6 colorguard)--no drum majors even (Jackson Academy), so if you go by school size, you have this 220 band against the 6 member band .

Bands like Broken Arrow, it just doesn't matter, they have over 200 kids that march and 1400 kids/grade in their school. Any way you look at it, they are just BIG. .

We marched A at BOA regionals and we our class regional champions because we were the only A band there......