Best marching bands in your state

[hostrauser]

California only has a few out of the many programs that would even have a glimmer of hope if they ever competed against corps.

Ayala is clean both visually and musically but doesn't have the impact (2007 is another story. Look it up, it is drum corps loud and matched ear ringing levels I got from cadets that season).

Upland always has a strong brass sound and great marching technique but their drums tend to hold them back. You can tell this group and Ayala have BD influences.

Mission Viejo is clean but I feel their productions boring.

Arcadia is the only one that can definitely have a chance at beating corps in volume but that's if they teach the brass to play with the edge that G bugles got. 18 tubas, 24 trombones, 10 baritones, 12 mellos, 30 trumpets. They pack a punch and make the audience jump back in their seats every time. It pays to be 300+

About six to eight years ago Arcadia HS did Barber's "Adagio for Strings" as their ballad. They marched about 425 that year, and when they reached the apex of the crescendo they were LOUDER than Vanguard was in 2000. Saw both shows in person and that's my judgment.

James Logan, at ~250 kids, can bring the volume too.

Rancho Bernardo in San Diego had some ridiculously good, clean productions in the mid-2000s.

But still, we're light-years away from the sustained difficulty and cleanliness of a Top 15 or so corps.

[skajerk]

The most extreme example: Duncanville H.S. back in 1991. Won High Music. 12th out of 12 bands in Visual at Finals.

In Texas's defense, though, what they accomplish is incredible, especially considering the UIL Practice Restrictions (no one is allowed to practice more than 8 hours per week in any activity: band, football, cheer, etc). With the time limitations, yeah, I'd be focusing on Music over Visual, too.

For comparison, last I checked, the Plymouth-Canton (MI) marching band practices 15-20 hours per week.

Yep! I''m a tech at a 4A school here in the Houston area and this drives all of us crazy. That restricts us to four 2 hour rehearsals a week AND we lose an hour of one of those rehearsals a week to practice the half-time routine with the drill team. It was made worse last season because of the heat wave we went through. We lost almost 1 outside rehearsal a week because we had to move inside (to the band room, the gyms are always in use). Our band camp was even worse! Hopefully this year the heat will go back to it's normal discomfort level of "Africa hot".

But, even so, for a 2nd year still school, we made finals at area regionals and were only a couple spots from going to State! The thing that bites here is (not sure how it is elsewhere), the TX State finals are every other year for your class. This year was 1A, 2A and 4A, next year will be 3A and 5A.

[soccerguy315]

But, even so, for a 2nd year still school, we made finals at area regionals and were only a couple spots from going to State! The thing that bites here is (not sure how it is elsewhere), the TX State finals are every other year for your class. This year was 1A, 2A and 4A, next year will be 3A and 5A.

In VA, we don't have a state competition, but there is a state assessment, where they give out I, II, III, IV, and V... (I is the best) like the concert festival in the spring. If you get a I at both, you are a "state honor band."

[Dan Balash]

About six to eight years ago Arcadia HS did Barber's "Adagio for Strings" as their ballad. They marched about 425 that year, and when they reached the apex of the crescendo they were LOUDER than Vanguard was in 2000. Saw both shows in person and that's my judgment.

James Logan, at ~250 kids, can bring the volume too.

Rancho Bernardo in San Diego had some ridiculously good, clean productions in the mid-2000s.

But still, we're light-years away from the sustained difficulty and cleanliness of a Top 15 or so corps.

Can we get a Logan, Rancho Bernardo or Arcadia appearance at the California BOA regional?

K thanks! :)

[CloudHype]

In my state, with the exception of 3 bands I can think of (and I design for 1 of them),guards still wear school colors for their show. It's a nightmare if you try integrate them into the design...but on second thought, you get told just to place them in the back anyway. The "best band in the state" (no state contest), if you have a video showing them between the 35's, you will never see their guard... they are out to the side, the whole show. Their brass will always be in front of the front hash, percussion around the hash and woodwinds behind the font hash but not behind the back hash.... This is a 200+ piece band.

Edited April 20, 2012 by CloudHype

[hostrauser]

Can we get a Logan, Rancho Bernardo or Arcadia appearance at the California BOA regional?

K thanks! :)

Hey, both Logan and RB attended the SoCal regional back in 93. (A year so flush with great bands that former perennial-power and BOA Finalist Etiwanda H.S. was 6th in prelims and 11 points out of 1st).

Not a chance for James Logan. They can barely scrape together enough money to do four or five competitions a year. They are NOT in an upper-middle class suburb (whereas both Rancho Bernardo, just up the street from me, and Arcadia are), and their staff (led by band director Ramiro Barrera, former program coordinator for Blue Devils and Madison Scouts) does an incredible job each year on a shoe-string budget.

Rancho Bernardo... maybe. They got a new director two years ago and, while they're not quite as good, they're still above average. RB's prime was about 5 years ago, in the mid-to-late 2000s. Rob Jett was both designer and caption head for their visual program, and they moved well and their guard was out of this world. I don't think he's there any more.

Arcadia... maybe. The past few years they've really stepped it up a notch, programming-wise. Their guard and drum-line are both WGI powerhouses. They always play very, very well, but visually their shows are hit and miss. Last year's show was the most "BOA-worthy" show I've seen from them, but they're still visually weak compared to most BOA powerhouses. Actually, Arcadia is probably the closest thing California has to a "Texas" band... they're big and can play the heck out of the music, but the visual often holds them back from full potential. But like I say, last year was a step forward, so maybe that's changing.

2011 Arcadia H.S. - "Power and Grace" (music of Swan Lake and The Firebird)

[Wildabeast]

Hey, both Logan and RB attended the SoCal regional back in 93. (A year so flush with great bands that former perennial-power and BOA Finalist Etiwanda H.S. was 6th in prelims and 11 points out of 1st).

Not a chance for James Logan. They can barely scrape together enough money to do four or five competitions a year. They are NOT in an upper-middle class suburb (whereas both Rancho Bernardo, just up the street from me, and Arcadia are), and their staff (led by band director Ramiro Barrera, former program coordinator for Blue Devils and Madison Scouts) does an incredible job each year on a shoe-string budget.

Rancho Bernardo... maybe. They got a new director two years ago and, while they're not quite as good, they're still above average. RB's prime was about 5 years ago, in the mid-to-late 2000s. Rob Jett was both designer and caption head for their visual program, and they moved well and their guard was out of this world. I don't think he's there any more.

Arcadia... maybe. The past few years they've really stepped it up a notch, programming-wise. Their guard and drum-line are both WGI powerhouses. They always play very, very well, but visually their shows are hit and miss. Last year's show was the most "BOA-worthy" show I've seen from them, but they're still visually weak compared to most BOA powerhouses. Actually, Arcadia is probably the closest thing California has to a "Texas" band... they're big and can play the heck out of the music, but the visual often holds them back from full potential. But like I say, last year was a step forward, so maybe that's changing.

I don't see Logan doing BOA anytime soon. Barrera never took Clovis West (of Fresno) when they were considered tops in the state.

Don't know about RB as I haven't personally seen them in a while.

Arcadia will be getting a new director, so we'll see what changes are made.

[kickhaltsforlife]

2011 Arcadia H.S. - "Power and Grace" (music of Swan Lake and The Firebird)

Thanks for the video. I love good marching band videos. Haven't watched the whole thing yet... my connection is lagging today... but I really enjoy the sound. Marching could be better (a bottom half uniform change might help, lol). But a lot of attention to detail for the size of the band. Drill is effective too. It has to be so hard writing for a band that large. But more entertaining than most BOA shows I've had an opportunity to watch from last year... especially that video from that one thread... who was that Broken Arrow? Bore. Lol. Nice stuff though. I can appreciate.

It's just crazy to think of high schools with bands that large. Especially in this area. Where bands less than 50 kids is quite popular.

[hostrauser]

California runs the gamut. Back in the 70s/80s there were probably twenty bands in the state over 300. Now it's just Arcadia and Reedley. Probably 20 or 30 over 200 kids, though, including Rancho Bernardo and James Logan.

On the flip-side, both Channel Islands HS and Calaveras HS were under 20 kids the last time I saw them.

Really, it's impressive California produces as many drum corps and drum corps-ready kids as it does, considering pretty much every school marching band receives almost no state funding and has to be wholly self-sufficient (WITHOUT fair-share fees, which are illegal in the state now).

[fsubone]

California runs the gamut. Back in the 70s/80s there were probably twenty bands in the state over 300. Now it's just Arcadia and Reedley. Probably 20 or 30 over 200 kids, though, including Rancho Bernardo and James Logan.

On the flip-side, both Channel Islands HS and Calaveras HS were under 20 kids the last time I saw them.

Really, it's impressive California produces as many drum corps and drum corps-ready kids as it does, considering pretty much every school marching band receives almost no state funding and has to be wholly self-sufficient (WITHOUT fair-share fees, which are illegal in the state now).

And without charging band fees, which is now becoming illegal over big swatches of the state.

I agree with you. There are the top WBA bands, (Logan, Mission Viejo, Upland, Ayala, Clovis West), but they rarely do anything BOA. I think Clovis West is doing a bit of it, but not Grand Nationals competition.

Logan is mostly a performing arts school though, and they always seem well funded, at least enough to fund a 300~ person band, with a backup marching band of freshmen, plus the rest of their ensembles.

And let's not throw Reedley into any argument here. They're just a parade band, and they do march bright green violins....

I think the reason they see so many kids go DCI is because of the proximity of the corps. With that many corps, that's a lot of staff that works at the high schools in the off-season, which gets the kids to a high level, and gets them into drum corps. And lots of band directors come out of drum corps into California programs.

Edited April 20, 2012 by fsubone