High School Bands

[Mo_Citytx281]

What is your favorite high school band that you love to see at halftime???

[Trinity Trojan Fan For Li]

Let's see how long it takes this thread to be zapped to GAME DAY.

[Mr. Rod]

Willowridge haven't seen them since i was a kid though but they were my favorite high school band.

[Mo_Citytx281]

yea my favorite is Willowridge

[Bro. Malcolm X]

Let's see how long it takes this thread to be zapped to GAME DAY.

Giving All Honor and Praise to God the Father. I thank HIM for his Grace. I thank HIM for his Mercy. I thank HIM for sending Jesus, the Perfect, into the world.

:D

[Wrecking Crew 12]

I like Dallas Carter's band.

[FatBoy of Troy]

Hands down...L.D. Bell :notworthy Best band in the U.S.A. (They got shafted last year at BOA)

Nice halftime breather while watching Trinity beating the stuffing out of their football team.:eek:

[Otis Campbell]

Saw an Aledo/Dallas Lincoln playoff game several years ago. You shoulda seen the looks from the Aledo folks when they got a view of the Lincoln band and drill team.

[CaneDadCat5]

Best Show Band - FB Willowridge (Hands Down). End of Thread.

Best UIL Band - FB Austin.

Most Intimidating Band - ALLEN

Honorable Mention:

Dallas Carter
Pearland
R.R. Stoney Point

[twcpfan1]

I like bands that look like High School bands and not well financed, gawdy and overly coreographed, but boring noise machines. I particularly like the smaller schools that march military style. I think it was Montgomery High School I saw once when several members of the Football, Drill and Cheerleading Teams had to pull double duty and march with the band at halftime (military style of course). That in my opinion is what it's all about. One of the very few times I enjoyed a halftime show.

[pied]

I always enjoy these threads. Well amybe not always, but most of the time. Music in the end is a subjective art, and rying to say who is the best comes down to preference. Preferring a military style over a corps or show band type style is perfectly understandable. I appreciate the efforts and long hours all the kids and directors put in to ultimately entertain people. At times, the competitive side takes over and gets out of hand in my opinion.

[pied]

I like bands that look like High School bands and not well financed, gawdy and overly coreographed, but boring noise machines. I particularly like the smaller schools that march military style. I think it was Montgomery High School I saw once when several members of the Football, Drill and Cheerleading Teams had to pull double duty and march with the band at halftime (military style of course). That in my opinion is what it's all about. One of the very few times I enjoyed a halftime show.

Wonder if you feel the same way about the football team. Would you prefer a under-funded, less practiced, boring football team who had participants from more of the student body?

[wesaxman34]

Hands down...L.D. Bell :notworthy Best band in the U.S.A. (They got shafted last year at BOA)

Nice halftime breather while watching Trinity beating the stuffing out of their football team.:eek:

FYI to the Hurst-Euless-Bedford people out there:



Jeremy Earnhart is no longer a band director at LD Bell - when it is said and done, he has been the main reason Bell has been so successful.

The tradition and support from the community, parents, alumni, etc, have helped out tremendously, too.

Good luck to the Blue Raider Band this summer!


*Edit*

Here is a link: http://www.ldbellband.org/info/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=865&mode=&order=0&thold=0



Van Mathews will replace him, and he will be a great fit for Earnhart's position. I did not mean to suggest that Bell has been taking a sky dive after Earnhart left - they will be a great hands. Again, good luck to them!

[pied]

Joe Grzybowski might have thought he was allright....

[wesaxman34]

Joe Grzybowski might have thought he was allright....

Mr. G is a great guy. I certainly wasn't taking anything away from what he did at Bell. Jeremy Earnhart walked into a great program with Grzybowski as a mentor and took the baton, if you will, when he retired.

I'm not going to say Earnhart wouldn't have as successful at Bell (at least on the national radar) if it weren't for Mr. G, but let's just say he was very fortunate to have been in the position he was in. ;) Nethertheless, Earnhart is a genius when it comes to marching band, and it would be ridiculous to say that he wasn't a big reason for their most recent national and state championships.

[twcpfan1]

Wonder if you feel the same way about the football team. Would you prefer a under-funded, less practiced, boring football team who had participants from more of the student body?

Well funded, well coached and heavily supported football teams will actually give you a better product and better results on the field. In any case, if I know my football team is producing the best results possible with me having to play the smart band kids who actually grew up in my community, it would give me more gratification than winning a title with virtual professionals with corporate backing and a bunch of kids who transferred in 9th and 10th grade.

My argument was not as much to do with funding as it is the finished product they produce at halftime. The mega 5a bands and their fancy artsy shows just does not do it for me inspite of the funding and professional coreographers. Guess it's my lack of refinement.

[pied]

Well funded, well coached and heavily supported football teams will actually give you a better product and better results on the field. In any case, if I know my football team is producing the best results possible with me having to play the smart band kids who actually grew up in my community, it would give me more gratification than winning a title with virtual professionals with corporate backing and a bunch of kids who transferred in 9th and 10th grade.

My argument was not as much to do with funding as it is the finished product they produce at halftime. The mega 5a bands and their fancy artsy shows just does not do it for me inspite of the funding and professional coreographers. Guess it's my lack of refinement.

I don't understand the analogy. If you are relating this to having specialists with the percussion section or haveing the drill designed by a pro, I think that you see a very similar aspect in strength/speed training and coaches going to seminars to beef up their play book.

I get why artsy shows don't do it for you(at least I think I do). That's cool, what I don't think is cool is when people harp on the kids for pouring their time and effort into these shows. I think most people would consider it crazy to complain about a team who competed well, but ran the wishbone because it was boring to them.

Not ceratin what you mean about corporate backing.

[twcpfan1]

I don't understand the analogy. If you are relating this to having specialists with the percussion section or haveing the drill designed by a pro, I think that you see a very similar aspect in strength/speed training and coaches going to seminars to beef up their play book.

True and I'm sure the competition judges see it that way. What the extra coaching and funding does is just not as apparent to me in band as it is in football. It's really a matter of preference. I happen to prefer the smaller military style bands. The fact that you had cheer kids and football OL's marching along added to the appeal (to me anyway)

I get why artsy shows don't do it for you(at least I think I do). That's cool, what I don't think is cool is when people harp on the kids for pouring their time and effort into these shows. I think most people would consider it crazy to complain about a team who competed well, but ran the wishbone because it was boring to them. For your information, I have an all stater in one of the big artsy bands in the state. I did not marginalize the effort and dedication of any of these kids. I simply expressed a preference for the type of bands I prefer to watch.

Not ceratin what you mean about corporate backing.

Oh I don't know. When you have all the burgers, buns, salads and hotdogs donated at your spring game for you to sell to boost your football program... When every kid has the same shoe brand and model... the little toy football and t-shirts the cheerleaders throw at the crowd with some compay's logo on it... shall i go on?


...

[pied]

Great for you. I was not specifcally talking about you, although I can see why you might think that. I apologize for the confusion.

I thought you were referring to corporate backed bands.

[bleedblue]

The only reason Bell's band is considered good is because of their production values and budget. The fact that Bell spends far more on their band than other schools tells the story. When the band budget is larger than the football budget at a school thats just wrong. But thats the case at Bell. It's rumored that the band budget at Bell is well into the 6 figure range. Pathetic.

If every other school spent as much as Bell on their bands then Bell's band then no one would care about Bell's band.

And this is coming from a Bell grad.

[judrok1]

San Antonio Churchill
Converse Judson
Spring Westfield

[BDB]

The only reason Bell's band is considered good is because of their production values and budget. The fact that Bell spends far more on their band than other schools tells the story. When the band budget is larger than the football budget at a school thats just wrong. But thats the case at Bell. It's rumored that the band budget at Bell is well into the 6 figure range. Pathetic.

If every other school spent as much as Bell on their bands then Bell's band then no one would care about Bell's band.

And this is coming from a Bell grad.

yea no. bell has one of the deepest music programs i've ever seen. the level that they played at from top to bottom was insane. they have that budget because they've earned it.

i agree that bell isn't one of the more exciting bands to watch at halftime, but damn they're good at what they do.

[RedRage00]

I like Allen's based on size alone....they are loud and pretty good in the stands.

[farmerfan]

I like Allen's based on size alone....they are loud and pretty good in the stands.

The 6th Army is indeed intimidating and very loud. They play some great songs too. Seeing them march into Tx Stadium during the playoffs was enought to put chills in me.

FM Marcus has a damn good band. Always has and probably always will. At least that has been the case since the early '90's

[J-Rock Mom]

I would like to see a band that makes you want to get up and shake what yo mama gave ya. And not always play the same songs every game.

[pied]

Talked to some band kids this weekend, they go back to work this week.

[marcusdrillmom]

I appreciate the time and dedication the band kids put into their shows. No matter what style you like best military, corp or production these kids work very hard. So I enjoy listening and seeing all of them!

I know their budgets are big, but most bands at the 5a level carry over 250 kids. That alone makes it more expensive.


entertaining bands I saw last year

Marcus (homer choice I know)
LD Bell
Southlake
Katy (playing great shortly after a hurricane and having been out of school for a week)
Coppell

[Wypirates03]

I appreciate the time and dedication the band kids put into their shows. No matter what style you like best military, corp or production these kids work very hard. So I enjoy listening and seeing all of them!

I know their budgets are big, but most bands at the 5a level carry over 250 kids. That alone makes it more expensive.


entertaining bands I saw last year

Marcus (homer choice I know)
LD Bell
Southlake
Katy (playing great shortly after a hurricane and having been out of school for a week)
Coppell

As much as I hate military style bands, one of the best in the state is Pine Tree. I watched them back in 2001, and they were great!

The best bands I have seen for corp style marching is... in no particular order

Coppell
Wylie
LD Bell
FM Marcus
Mesquite Poteet
Ronald Regan
Winston Churchill
Duncanville
Cedar Park
Friendswood
Birdville

I guess they wouldn't really be considered corp style for the most part. Corp style has a 3rd movement that's percussion only. Most bands in texas do not do that as they are limited to 8 minutes for UIL contests. Most states have a 12 minute limit so they can have that extra movement.

[Wypirates03]

San Antonio Churchill
Converse Judson
Spring Westfield

I agree 100% with Churchill. Saw them a few years ago. Great band.

[Wypirates03]

FYI to the Hurst-Euless-Bedford people out there:



Jeremy Earnhart is no longer a band director at LD Bell - when it is said and done, he has been the main reason Bell has been so successful.

The tradition and support from the community, parents, alumni, etc, have helped out tremendously, too.

Good luck to the Blue Raider Band this summer!


*Edit*

Here is a link: http://www.ldbellband.org/info/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=865&mode=&order=0&thold=0



Van Mathews will replace him, and he will be a great fit for Earnhart's position. I did not mean to suggest that Bell has been taking a sky dive after Earnhart left - they will be a great hands. Again, good luck to them!

I don't think he's the sole reason for their success. Mark Higgenbothem (spelling) wrote a bunch of their music. He's a great composer, and as long as he continues to write pieces specifically for Bell, they'll have a great band.

[bigdaddydog]

I Like "The Big Green Marching Machine" Fron Longview.

It had been so long since I had seen a military show with baton twirlers. It was a very good change of pace when we played them last season.

The other band I really enjoyed was the Miami Northwestern Bulls. When they played Southlake at SMU.

I did'nt know you could get that much sound from 4 Tubas!! :notworthy They did not have the polish and discipline of an LD Bell but what they lacked they made up for in wanto.

Like someone said they was shakin what mama gave them.


~

[b756561]

The only reason Bell's band is considered good is because of their production values and budget. The fact that Bell spends far more on their band than other schools tells the story. When the band budget is larger than the football budget at a school thats just wrong. But thats the case at Bell. It's rumored that the band budget at Bell is well into the 6 figure range. Pathetic.

If every other school spent as much as Bell on their bands then Bell's band then no one would care about Bell's band.

And this is coming from a Bell grad.

bleedblue I disagree with your statement. In fact, I strongly disagree. It should depend upon the school and the number of students involved in the activity. I am going to use the Allen Eagles as an example even though I realize they are not what most would refer to as an average band. I remember one year the Allen band had something like 650 members. That was 650 teenagers who voluntarily met for practice before and after school for how many days a week, how many weeks a year. Everytime they were at practice, they were in an organized safe environment. In other words, it kept them from being on the streets and possibly participating in some illegal activity. Now I don't know where you place your priorities, but I for one want what is best for the largest number of students at a school, not just a chosen few who play football. Neither my tax dollars nor your tax dollars go to the school district so we can have a winning football team. That money goes to educate and train ALL the students in the district and that is as it should be. True, I like it when my school wins as many games as possible each year, but I want that money to be spent to help all the students in the district equally. If, as in Allen, you have 4 times as many students involved in band as you do in football, then should not the band be entitled to a larger share of those TAX dollars? The money should follow the student, not the activity. True, some activities are inherently more expensive than others. It will cost more to fund 100 members of the football team than 100 members of the track team. But to say the football team is more important that the track team or that "When the {track} budget is larger than the football budget at a school thats just wrong" well you miss the point of what public education and the extra curricular programs are all about. IMO

If on the other hand you are talking about money that has been raised by a booster club, then that is up to the individual booster club as to how successful they are at fundraising. Please remember, by law, that fundraising money can not be considered when working out a budget for each segment of the school district.

[Wypirates03]

Bands cost more to operate....

Travel to all away games (same as the football team)
Contests (usually 4-6 per band) - More than the football team)
Uniforms (about 300 bucks a pop, but they don't have to order new uniforms every year) - but there is a rental fee usually for every student. Not sure if there is a rental fee associated with football.
Fees to purchase music
Fees to rent instruments (on occasion)

[SWMHebron]

Bands cost more to operate....

Travel to all away games (same as the football team)
Contests (usually 4-6 per band) - More than the football team)
Uniforms (about 300 bucks a pop, but they don't have to order new uniforms every year) - but there is a rental fee usually for every student. Not sure if there is a rental fee associated with football.
Fees to purchase music
Fees to rent instruments (on occasion)

Some costs associated with contests (from a former drill team mom with experience in this):

Transportation, not just bus rental(s) but meals and lodging for the driver(s)
Hotel
Food -- 3 meals a day plus snacks

I just had to arrange that stuff for 40-46 drill team girls. I cannot imagine the logistics of arranging for a 350-600 member band.

[Wypirates03]

Some costs associated with contests (from a former drill team mom with experience in this):

Transportation, not just bus rental(s) but meals and lodging for the driver(s)
Hotel
Food -- 3 meals a day plus snacks

I just had to arrange that stuff for 40-46 drill team girls. I cannot imagine the logistics of arranging for a 350-600 member band.

My sister is going to be a freshman on the Wylie drill team this year. I asked my mom about how much it's going to cost per member this year, and she threw up $1700 bucks. I was like "Seriously?" And she said that that is the starting costs minus fundraisers.

She was also going to do band, and my parents were going to support it... but after learning what the costs were, my sister told my parents she would chose one or the other. I also have a brother that's going to be in the band this year (freshman) - They are twins.

[SWMHebron]

My sister is going to be a freshman on the Wylie drill team this year. I asked my mom about how much it's going to cost per member this year, and she threw up $1700 bucks. I was like "Seriously?" And she said that that is the starting costs minus fundraisers.

She was also going to do band, and my parents were going to support it... but after learning what the costs were, my sister told my parents she would chose one or the other. I also have a brother that's going to be in the band this year (freshman) - They are twins.

It never ends.

[da hawaiian]

Allen Escadriile