A Great Job done by Ayala.

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A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by JLGORMAN » Sun Nov 17, 2013 8:07 am

In all the threads being posted, much is said about a Band Review with 41 Bands, and a championship lineup determined by a Grid. While both may seem important, little recognition was given to the performance of the Ayala Band at the Bands of America National Grand Nationals in Indianapolis. Think of what they accomplished this week. By the way, Mark Stone knows that as a Texan I have kidded CA Bands about their performances, but his Band did an outstanding job far above what was accomplished at Hemet or Arcadia.

1.Ayala beat 78 out of 90 Bands they competed against. That is far more than 41 Bands(as much as I like Parade Bands, Ayala's accomplishment was greater).

2. They won and advanced to the finals with one of the smaller Bands in the contest. They were dwarfed by the Bands from LD Bell, Marcus, the Woodlands, Avon and Carmel.

3.They also won while competing in a judging venue which is much different than is seen on the West Coast. BOA does not give out awards to Perc, AUX, DM, basically the Band gets the awards. This is something those of us in the Midwest and South are used to . You cannot win a contest based on your aux groups. You have to play and win with your music and drill.

4. Their performance this year showed a great deal of maturity in sound. Is it a Texas Sound, NO, but it was far better than most of the other Bands that they beat.

I think that folks in CA should congratulate this Band for representing CA so Well.
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by airons0678 » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:24 am

Well written! In what has been called one of the most competitive Grand National fields ever, TREMENDOUS job. Congratulations Mark Stone and the Ayala BAC.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by BariBigBird06 » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:40 am

CONGRATULATIONS AYALA! An incredible feat to be sure, especially in a year with such a stacked field!
JLGORMAN wrote:...but his Band did an outstanding job far above what was accomplished at Hemet or Arcadia.

1.Ayala beat 78 out of 90 Bands they competed against. That is far more than 41 Bands(as much as I like Parade Bands, Ayala's accomplishment was greater).
Wow. Really? Was it really necessary to belittle the efforts of 41 bands in order to praise the accomplishments of another?
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Jim Bunselmeier » Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:54 am

Congratulations, Ayala. A second finish in the top 12.

I find it interesting that Ayala is a smaller band when they get to BOA finals. In Southern CA they are one of the largest bands and I don't think anyone ever thinks their size ( being too small) ever hurts their performance (competitiveness).

Add to Ayala's accomplishment just getting to Indiana. The commitment a band program must make to travel 2,000 mile is huge.
I think they traveled further than any other band.

They will be performing an encore of sorts at the Chino Valley USD field showcase Wed. Nov 20 at Chino HS. You can also see Don Lugo, Chino Hills and Chino. the event starts at 7PM.

This is a chance to be entertained by some of the best bands in southern CA. Admission is free. A limited snack bar will be open.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by cup_o_noodles007 » Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:10 am

i just feel like, in most of JLGORMANS posts, he sees the need to condescend to others and anoint himself as the one moral arbiter of marching band.


Nevertheless, Ayala has always been an outstanding representative for California, and this year is no exception. Congratulations to them.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Hostrauser » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 pm

Not sure where you get your numbers, JL, but Ayala was one of the 20-25 LARGEST bands and GN. Ayala is about 200. Center Grove only marches about 140, Lawrence Central is about 160, and Class A powerhouse Beechwood only has about 40 kids.

Ayala might have been one of the smallest of the 12 bands to make finals, but out of the 92 bands in prelims, they're definitely top half size wise.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Wolfgang » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:43 pm

Hostrauser wrote:Not sure where you get your numbers, JL, but Ayala was one of the 20-25 LARGEST bands and GN. Ayala is about 200. Center Grove only marches about 140, Lawrence Central is about 160, and Class A powerhouse Beechwood only has about 40 kids.

Ayala might have been one of the smallest of the 12 bands to make finals, but out of the 92 bands in prelims, they're definitely top half size wise.
Beechwood has about 100 kids in their band. Their recruiting is off the charts because their high school enrollment is somewhere in the 200s.

They would be an outstanding band in any class (Due to the large # of great bands at Grand Nationals, some of the spreads between really good bands are wider than they "really are" because the judges have to fit all the groups within a narrow range).

You are right, Ayala's band size would be in the top 20% of the bands at the contest.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Hostrauser » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:46 pm

Wow. The last time I saw a band picture of them they were only 40-50.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by shagadalex » Sun Nov 17, 2013 4:54 pm

cup_o_noodles007 wrote:i just feel like, in most of JLGORMANS posts, he sees the need to condescend to others and anoint himself as the one moral arbiter of marching band.


Nevertheless, Ayala has always been an outstanding representative for California, and this year is no exception. Congratulations to them.
I loved the way he inserted the underhanded "wasn't as good as a Texas sound but good anyway" comment, as well :lol: :td:

I think what's being missed here is the fact that since many of us are from California in some degree, have connections to the schools via relatives, being alumni, etc, and actually got to go watch the Arcadia Review or other local competitions whereas news of Ayala competing in this event is "by word of the grapevine" at best. No need to belittle the accomplishments of all the bands who competed at Arcadia in the process.

Many of us are in it to watch the hard work of a body of students paying off and having something to be proud of, not just the competitive side of it.
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by uci_guy » Sun Nov 17, 2013 6:27 pm

I'm looking at WGI Percussion Champ scores for 2013, and I don't see any Texas schools. A whole lot of California though... :)
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by 8-ball » Sun Nov 17, 2013 8:15 pm

lol. Nice one.

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by JLGORMAN » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:03 pm

uci_guy wrote:I'm looking at WGI Percussion Champ scores for 2013, and I don't see any Texas schools. A whole lot of California though... :)
1. Very simple. WGI is not a UIL recognized activity and thus is not eligible for school support. It is considered a club activity and not a scholastic activity.

2. The majority of our Bands are heavily involved from Nov to Mar in all Region Auditions, All Region Bands, then All Area Auditions, All Area Bands and then auditions for All State Bands which perform at the TMEA Convention in March. The purpose of auditions at three levels is to insure that every young musician has an equal chance of making the all state Band. This emphasis takes priority over other things to include Percussion Most of our Schools are members of PASIC, or Guard which we have independent organizations and groups.

3. Also our solo and ensemble festivals are also held during this same period. One of the criterion for satisfactory performance on a teacher rating is how many students are involved in SOLO and ENSEMBLE performances along with all state support both by the director and his of her staff.

4. The UIL does not consider Guard as a area for rating in Music or Marching Contest. The UIL rates Bands strictly on Music (60%) and Marching (40%). Because of this policy which I agree with we have the Nations Best Musical Marching Units. We are not the greatest Guard or percussion folks, but please understand that we are good because of a Music program that starts kids in the third grade. Given the choice of music lessons or training Guard units, most of our single staff schools are going to Music Every Time. I think most of us in the music field think that is the right choice. Thus you may not see us in WGI.
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Hostrauser » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:07 pm

Here's my opinion: if California school music programs still received the support from the state that the bands in Indiana and Texas enjoy (ESPECIALLY at the K-8 level), California would be wiping the field with the rest of the country.

Just like we were 30-40 years ago, when almost no one in the country could touch Independence, Live Oak, or any number of the dozens of SoCal powerhouse bands. Prop 13 changed everything for California. For the worse. :td:

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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by JLGORMAN » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:45 pm

Hostrauser wrote:Here's my opinion: if California school music programs still received the support from the state that the bands in Indiana and Texas enjoy (ESPECIALLY at the K-8 level), California would be wiping the field with the rest of the country.

Just like we were 30-40 years ago, when almost no one in the country could touch Independence, Live Oak, or any number of the dozens of SoCal powerhouse bands. Prop 13 changed everything for California. For the worse. :td:
I would not disagree with you. I grew up in Southern CA during the days of the great Loara, Arcadia, and Pasadena Bands. It hurts a great deal to see what CA was and what it could have been.
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Re: A Great Job done by Ayala.

Post by Mark Stone » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:55 pm

Thank you for all of your kind words of support.

Also my congratulations to Valley Christian for their fine performance!
Mark Stone, Ayala High School

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