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Phantom Phan's CHINO REVIEW (Parade & PM Field Show)

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 9:31 am
by Hostrauser
Well, this was my first trip to the Chino Invitational, and, assuming that I will be moving to SoCal next year, it should become one of my regular visits. Spectacularly well-run band review (some of the NCBA sites should call Mr. Rodda for lessons *cough*). My only complaint: need to get a better sound system for next year. When announcing from the press box (during the field show) it was plenty loud, but when announcing from the field (for the awards ceremonies) it was barely audible. Thanks again to Dennis Rodda for setting me up with a VIP pass. :D

I present to you my comments as I wrote them down (edited for a PG rating :wink: ). I will have broader, overall comments at the end of each competition.

Band Review
Host Band:
Chino
: decent auxiliary, but not a terribly difficult routine; terrific sound; great alignment, but a few step problems; not a huge issue (phasing). I scored them at 91.0.

CLASS M:
Ramona JHS
: an okay sound with decent low brass; absolutely atrocious marching -- I don't think any two members of the band were in step with one another... North Park MS: I don't like the guard girls showing off before the roll-off -- save the showboating for the warm-up zone; outstanding marching, alignment and technique both fabulous; decent sound (only decent); balance and blend okay, fairly top heavy and woodwindy sound; active and talented auxiliary... El Roble IS: sound produced is very weak considering the size of the ensemble; pretty good auxiliary -- good shields, fair silks; marching alignment good, individual technique so-so; nice drill team... Giano IS: okay marching alignment, rather poor technique; horn angles, please; nice volume, but it's accompanied by balance and blend problems (some rather piercing individual players).

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
92.40 North Park MS         85.0 North Park MS
85.95 El Roble IS           73.5 El Roble IS
77.25 Giano IS              70.0 Giano IS
76.95 Ramona JHS            67.0 Ramona JHS
CLASS D:
Northview
: okay sound on an easy march ("Washington Post"); fair marching technique, decent alignment... Monrovia: pretty good drum major; some marching problems -- a lot of swaying and duck-step; not a very blended or balanced sound; good individual sound, not so good ensemble sound... Chino Hills: sharp uniforms for the new band; seem like a "field show takes priority" band; good sound from the woodwinds, not so good brass intonation; fair marching technique, a few alignment and step problems... Sonora: pretty good auxiliary; again, decent sound on a pretty easy march ("King Cotton"); nice alignment and technique, but a lot of phasing and step issues; not quite all together marching-wise; outstanding drill team.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
85.35 Sonora                81.5 Sonora
81.20 Monrovia              78.0 Northview
79.80 Northview             77.7 Chino Hills
78.55 Chino Hills           77.0 Monrovia
CLASS C:
San Dimas
: flags fair, apparently no routine for the shields; nice sounds; good rank alignment, but spacing is off because the diagonals aren't there; a few step issues; nice strong sound... Don Antonio Lugo: decent drum major; good individual tone -- some blend issues; very piercing trumpet player; a few phasing issues, okay alignment... Ganesha: outstanding drum major, nice speed on the mace; fairly good sound; pretty good visually, nice alignment, decent diagonals, no major step/phasing issues.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
89.55 Ganesha               84.0 Ganesha
86.70 Don Antonio Lugo      83.0 San Dimas
83.45 San Dimas             82.0 Don Antonio Lugo
CLASS B:
Temple City
: nice military drum major; pretty good sound; decent marching; okay alignment and diagonals, a few phasing issues; not exceptionally good or bad in any area... Diamond Ranch: another great, speed-demon roll-off by the drum major (mace); pretty good auxiliary; nice sound, very nice; pretty good marching, nice alignment, technique, and diags... Kaiser: yet another fantastic drum major; very nice sound; good rank alignment, but kind of a "muddled" block; diagonals aren't as crisp as they should be... El Rancho: Hmm, "North Park Deluxe," heheh; the speed of these mace drum majors is incredible, outstanding drum major; piercing trombone sound, time to reel those mavericks back in with the rest of the band; much like NPMS, look fantastic -- terrific alignment, technique, and diagonals; don't sound as good as Diamond Ranch or Kaiser, though; nice job, guard... Schurr: outstanding sound; very active guard; good alignment and diagonals, individual technique good, a token few phasing issues; very, very, very nice sound on a pretty difficult march ("Pride of the Wolverines"); second favorite group of the day.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
93.45 Schurr                92.5 Schurr
92.75 El Rancho             89.5 Kaiser
92.15 Kaiser                89.2 Diamond Ranch
90.80 Diamond Ranch         89.0 El Rancho
87.95 Temple City           87.5 Temple City
CLASS A:
Glendora
: less speed, but a very precise, traditional drum major roll-off (mace); a few clams in the introduction, rough start; very nice auxiliary; good overall sound except for the trumpets, who struggled the entire march; not quiet enough in the trio, no contrast when the low brass came in ("British Eighth"); look nice... Diamond Bar: another good, active guard unit; outstanding sound; very nice diagonals, pretty good alignment, only a few phasing issues; really would like to see this unit with white or black pants -- too much purple... Montebello: very active guard; very nice sound; nice alignment and diagonals; very good drill team; solid from top to bottom... El Dorado: good sound, but not quite as good as the two prior; very nice alignment, extremely clean feet; sharp uniforms; outstanding color guard... Arcadia: I don't care if they do have 50 years of tradition, I think Arcadia's parade uniforms are ugly; that's the only "flaw" I could come up with for this group; terrific drum major; terrifc auxiliary, very active and together; outstanding, incredible sound; terrific alignment, perfect diagonals and technique; simply ridiculous how good they are, there just aren't words to describe them.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
94.85 Arcadia               96.0 Arcadia
93.70 Montebello            92.0 Montebello
93.00 Diamond Bar           91.7 El Dorado
92.85 El Dorado             91.5 Diamond Bar
92.15 Glendora              89.0 Glendora
BAND REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES
Middle Schools
Music - 460.0 North Park MS
BAND - 92.40 North Park MS
High Schools
Music - 472.0 Arcadia
BAND - 94.85 Arcadia

PHANTOM'S SWEEPSTAKES
Middle Schools
Music - North Park MS
BAND - 85.0 North Park MS
High Schools
Music - Arcadia
BAND - 96.0 Arcadia

TOP TENS

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Judges' Top Ten:            Phantom's Top Ten:
94.85 Arcadia               96.0 Arcadia
93.70 Montebello            92.5 Schurr
93.45 Schurr                92.0 Montebello
93.00 Diamond Bar           91.7 El Dorado
92.85 El Dorado             91.5 Diamond Bar
92.75 El Rancho             89.5 Kaiser
92.40 North Park MS         89.2 Diamond Ranch
92.15 Glendora              89.0 El Rancho
92.15 Kaiser                89.0 Glendora
90.80 Diamond Ranch         87.5 Temple City
GENERAL COMMENTARY
  • The SCSBOA uses one criteria, correct? Middle Schools and High Schools are on the same scale? I ask because I've seen North Park MS beat out High Schools for Sweepstakes at other SCSBOA events, and (according to the judges) they were 7th overall at Chino. Which I think is complete bunk. A handful of years ago I saw North Park MS at the Vallejo Band Review (NCBA), and they were quite easily handled by Sullivan MS of Fairfield. And, quite honestly, I think there's probably five or six middle school marching bands in the state of California that are better than North Park MS on any given day (especially musically). North Park MS is a very good Middle School band, but they are nowhere NEAR the level of a Diamond Bar, Schurr, or Arcadia. To have North Park scored that close to those ensembles is simply preposterous.
  • I was simply amazed at how FAST the mace drum majors were spinning their batons. Never seen anything like it in the NCBA. El Rancho's drum major, Janette Aldara, deserves special mention. This young lady looks to be only a little over five feet tall (the mace is nearly as big as she is), and yet she spun that thing in such a way as to make a kung-fu bo staff master jealous. Amazing. A well-deserved first place, and a well-deserved high score.
  • Does SCSBOA stand for "Southern California SOUSA Band and Orchestra Association?" All day long, Sousa, Sousa, Sousa. 10 of 17 High Schools played Sousa marches, and three bands that cancelled (Sultana, West-Torrance, and Mt. Carmel) were also slated to perform Sousa. I heard "Ancient & Honorable Artillery Company" three times. It's not even one of Sousa's better marches! Didn't hear a single British march all day, not even from Glendora (yeah, the "British Eighth" is an homage to the British march style, but Zo Elliot was from New Hampshire, not England). C'mon, guys, use some imagination and spice it up a little.
  • And now, the question all of you have been waiting for: at a neutral competition with impartial judges, how would the NCBA bands fare against the SCSBOA bands on parade? Well, I think the NCBA's heavy-hitters (Benicia, Golden Valley, and Las Plumas/Oroville, specifically) would be able to hold their own against most of the SCSBOA's big dogs: Schurr, Montebello, Diamond Bar, El Rancho, El Dorado, etc. However, I think the "big three" (Arcadia, Rancho Bernardo, and Mt. Carmel) are pretty much beyond everyone's reach.
Woo, I'm tired. I wrote this immediately after finishing my eight hour drive home from San Diego. I need to go to bed. So, how about we let this little piece create a firestorm today, and I'll finish up with the field review later on this evening? :)

Criteria

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 10:32 am
by JCYS
The last I had heard, SCSBOA did not use a criteria sheet for street judging, only for field shows. I'm sure my So Cal colleagues could correct me if I'm wrong.

Everyone should aspire to run their show as well as Chino. Nobody could beat Dennis Rodda and Harold Nelms for an absolutely top notch and perfectly run show...YEAR AFTER YEAR for what, like almost 25 years or more now?

And I agree, I like Sousa as much as anyone, probably more, but I enjoyed band reviews much more back in the 70's and early 80's when you could hear so much more variety in marches on the streets of So Cal. You could go to say Chino and hear about 8 different Alford marches, Washington Grays, Purple Pageant, Purple Carnival, Law & Order, French National, In Storm and Sunshine, and yes, lots of Bravura's, British 8ths and Standard of St. Georges, and a few Sousa marches too!

Kind of like it is in....Northern California today! :D

JCYS

Chino Invitational

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:38 am
by dr
jcys wrote:The last I had heard, SCSBOA did not use a criteria sheet for street judging, only for field shows. I'm sure my So Cal colleagues could correct me if I'm wrong.

<snip>YEAR AFTER YEAR for what, like almost 25 years or more now?
A criteria sheet has been in use in parades for a number of years now. I'm only a tabulator so maybe one of the adjudicators can elaborate (vore?).

It's actually been all 33 years that Harold and I have been coordinating the Chino Invitational. It's a lot of work, but it is such a great pleasure to see the results on the day of the event that it makes it all worthwhile. We are blessed to have the CHS students, Music Boosters, and staff who work so very hard to make this event a success. They are second to none. And they make Harold and me very, very proud. :D

Criteria.... love it or hate it...

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 1:00 pm
by vore
Criteria reference is used for SCSBOA field tournament adjudication. With the exception of parade auxiliary (an individual award), it is not used for SCSBOA parade adjudication or band & orchestra adjudication.

Training sessions (long required by SCSBOA but no longer required by SCSBOA - more on that later...) have been used since the dawn of SCSBOA marching band adjudication in the early 1950's. I have presented over 25 sessions at the SCSBOA fall and/or winter conferences as well as numerous SCSBOA parade and field adjudication conferences since 1977. These (and other) sessions have been used to train the judging pool and the competitors as to the "what, why and how's" of the adjudication process.

While there is a SCSBOA Field Adjudication criteria reference printed on the back of all field adjudication sheets, this does not exist for parade adjudication (with the exception of the auxiliary sheet).

There is a very complete Parade Adjudication Manual available from SCSBOA that details the various captions, terms through definition and useage.

The new SCSBOA PAC Manual contains a section I wrote a few years back which all music and showmanship judges are instructed to review prior to an event. This section gives instructions/suggestions to all SCSBOA music and showmanship judges as to how to proceed through the process of adjudication for their caption.

I also have available "packets" of the "HOW TO JUDGE MUSIC" and "HOW TO JUDGE SHOWMANSHIP" that I put together for Tom Cole (Rancho Bernardo HS) and myself when we presented training sessions for adjudicators using the Arcadia HS Band (Tom Landes, Director) back in 1997. Let me know if you want a copy of either.

Actually, all good adjudicators could use a blank piece of paper and put things in the correct order... but people love paperwork.

Point of interest: SCSBOA now calls their judges "independent contractors". Judges are no longer required to wear their SCSBOA Judge Badges as they are now IC's. Also, under the independent contractor laws of California, SCSBOA can no longer require judges to attend training sessions. If one is an independent contractor, one cannot be trained by the person/company hiring them as that would make that person an employee of that company.

Interesting isn't it? We can't train you but you must do things our way... Hopefully, common sense and reason will again prevail and this "pandora's box" may be fixed. For now... some people have shot themselves in the foot.

John Hausey
Former VP of SCSBOA Parade Adjudication
Former VP of SCSBOA Festivals
Director of Bands
Magnolia HS 1976-1997

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 9:58 pm
by Hostrauser
Okay, now we start to get wild. The PM Field Show results puzzled me... needless to say, the judges and I disagreed on a few of the ensembles.

PM Field Show
AM Winners Exhibition:

I did not write down any comments for Northview or Santa Margarita Catholic, but I was impressed with Santa Margarita's "Time" show.

CLASS 3A:
Don Antonio Lugo
- Performing: "Chicago - The Musical"
An okay show. To me, they sounded just like every other 50-piece High School marching band. A fair sound quality, with some decent trombone work. The drill seemed very easy to my eyes. Guard was active but not particularly together for most of the show. An interesting note - no snares in the drumline (1q/4b/1c). Show had your basic Broadway visual bells and whistles: finger snapping, Rockettes-style kicks.
Serrano - Performing: "Dreams, Illusions, and Nightmares"
Not sure what all of the music was from, but I recognized Charles Rochester Young's "Tempered Steel" right off the bat. I liked the "swaying" at the start of the mysterious opener, reminded me of Leigh's show this year. Band produced a nice sound and had an active drill. I thought this was a very nicely designed show, with good musical arrangements (including an active drumline: 2s/2q/3b/8p) and a creative visual book. I'm not sure why the judges' slammed them so badly, this group would score in the mid-high 80s in the NCBA.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
71.00 Don Antonio Lugo      84.5 Serrano
70.45 Serrano               76.5 Don Antonio Lugo
CLASS 4A:
Mayfair
- Performing: "The Music of John Rutter"
The brass was a little raspy in the opener; air support, gang, blow through the horns. Not nearly enough guard routine in the show, too much walking from place to place without doing anything with the equipment. The band had moments of nice sound, but seemed to struggle staying together. Those white stripes on the pant legs probably killed them visually, too. Show still seems like a work in progress, but there isn't much time left to clean it up.
Santa Fe - Performing: "Through the Eyes of a Child"
It seemed like Santa Fe rushed to get on the field. They were given the okay to enter the field just as the band was reaching the staging area. Was the band behind or the announcer ahead of himself? Looked like they managed to get everything set up in time, though. After a rough start they had a very good, strong sound. The kids obviously loved the music ("Sesame Street," "Back to School," "Pure Imagination," and "Mister Rogers's Neighborhood") and sold the show very well. Active drill with little downtime.
Glen A. Wilson - Performing: "Around the World... A Cinematic Journey"
About this time I noticed a disturbing trend: every band had their own custom announcer, who read off the bombastic introduction while the band was setting up. Not many bands up North do that, and it struck me as a little pretentious (likely because I'm just not used to it). Band seemed a little weak for their size. Wilson reminds me of what Lynbrook HS (San Jose) was like in the late 1990s: a very nice sound with good tone, balance, and blend, and not nearly enough volume. The drill seemed very easy (sorry Ryan), and the tempos (tempi?) weren't taxing. Show was clean, but didn't seem particularly difficult (compared to others that evening).
Claremont - Performing: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
Gee, I don't need to buy the DVD now, there were so many sound bites from the movies in this show. The pit seemed a little over-miked. The brass had a couple of rough spots. The drumline (4s/3q/5b/9p) was very active; there was some drum dirt, but they were playing a solid book. Drill was very active, and all over the field (around all the props). This was quite the production, but it was a little overdone of the "special effects." Would be spectacular if they toned down the effects and had more musical cleanliness.
Valencia - Performing: "Celebration - 70 Years of School and Community"
Valencia's show was a tribute to... themselves! Heh. ;) Didn't recognize the music (by Dr. Collette Hausey, based on themes by David Schaeffer). Nice opening impact from the band, and an overall good sound. Nice power hits from the winds throughout the show. Guard was very active; guard had a harder routine than Leigh or Saratoga up north, but wasn't as clean. Tosses galore, especially on the weapons, and I noticed more than a few drops. Group really seemed to tire out at the end and lost power.
Warren - Performing: "Into the Raging River"
I'm seriously considering starting up a Steven Reineke Anti-Fan Club. I just don't think much of him as a composer, and it still irritates me that the end to Raging River is a note-for-note rip-off of David Arnold's "Independence Day." The fact that the original is no great shakes led me to think the musical book was rather unimpressive. But, the arranger (Lewis Norfleet, I believe) redeemed the musical book in part by tossing in bits from "Tempered Steel," which I think is a great piece. Anyway, I can't hold that against the kids. This show was kind of dirty, though, both musically and visually. The first hit from the band wasn't together, and they never seemed to "click" in the performance.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
84.35 Valencia              88.0 Valencia
79.10 Glen A. Wilson        85.0 Santa Fe
78.50 Claremont             83.7 Glen A. Wilson
76.85 Warren                83.5 Claremont
76.80 Santa Fe              81.7 Warren
72.50 Mayfair               80.0 Mayfair
CLASS 5A:
Temple City
- Performing: "Tribute to Aaron Copland"
Temple City pretty much stuck to the basics with this show, and they gave a good performance. The arrangements of the popular Copland pieces (Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring, Hoe Down) were pretty standard, as was the visual book. The show wasn't off the charts with excitement or effect, but the kids produced a good sound and gave a solid musical performance.
West - Performing: "42nd Street"
Here's a musical you don't see very often on the field. I was impressed with the guard's "tap dance" routine through most of the opener, but that was really the only highlight that stands out in memory. They produced a pretty good sound from what sounded like a fairly easy musical book. In fact, West and Temple City were fairly similar: neither of them tried anything truly extraordinary, but they both gave solid musical performances and had minor problems with visual dirt.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
78.50 West                  83.2 Temple City
75.20 Temple City           83.0 West
CLASS 6A:
Diamond Bar
- Performing: "Evita"
You want a drumline? 6 snares, 4 quads/quints, 6 basses, 7 cymbals, and 26 in the pit. Then again, you can get away with it when you're marching 300 or so. The first musical impact was terrific, but the lines were a little askew. That seemed to be the story of Diamond Bar tonight: the music was very, very nice, but the visual performance just wasn't quite there. Way too much dirt to catch up to El Dorado or Arcadia.
El Dorado - Performing: "Chicago"
Setup behind the pit area (on the field, off-center to the left) was an elevated stage. This is where the ragtime jazz band sits, in black shirts with light-colored ties, and they set the tone for the whole show. What a great conceptual idea! The full ensemble hits were outstanding from this group. Actually, everything was. The drill was clean but not particularly memorable. The guard was outstanding, cleaner than Valencia's, I felt. But the meat of the show was the outstanding ensemble tone carried throughout; El Dorado was a delight to listen to.
Arcadia - Performing: various (see below)
Arcadia's musical book was basically a collection of "Drum Corps' Greatest Hits": Gavorkna Fanfare (Cavaliers 1992), Jeremiah Symphony (Cadets 1985), Adagio for Strings (Vanguard 2000), and On the Waterfront (Vanguard 1997). The band produces an awesome sound, truly incredible (although a couple of the soloists struggled a little). In Adagio the brass comes off the field and onto the track, around the director's platform, right in front of the audience, for the big power chord at the end. Awesome, although I'm not sure about bringing the band off the field in the middle of the show. Call me a traditionalist or whatever: I think it's okay to start of the field and move onto it, or to finish the show off the football field proper... but I'm not sure I like the complete abandonment of boundaries in the middle of the show. Finally, whoever writes the drill for Arcadia (Brian Murphy?) is a genius. Most bands struggle to write a creative drill for 100 members, Arcadia gets a creative drill for 400 members. There's always something interesting or terrific going on somewhere, and the ensemble's always moving. It amazes me every time I see it, how they can pull it all off.

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Judges' scores:             Phantom's scores:
89.65 El Dorado             94.0 Arcadia
88.10 Arcadia               93.9 El Dorado
87.55 Diamond Bar           91.0 Diamond Bar
Host Band:
Chino
- Performing: "Frontier to Frontier"
The opening fanfare sounded a little rough. They had a good overall sound, but it seemed like they weren't quite together on a couple of attacks. Very nice visual book and nice guard work. The drumline sounded solid, too. Here, too, some soloists struggled towards the beginning of the show (if I recall correctly, the first two soloists struggled a bit, but the last two were fantastic). One musical arrangement complaint: at the end, the band breaks out of Holst's "Jupiter" to play a few strains of "God Bless America" before going back to The Planets to finish the show. I didn't think that flowed well at all. I don't think those two pieces lead into each other very well. I scored them at 90.5.

PM FIELD SHOW SWEEPSTAKES
Auxiliary - 90.20 Valencia
Visual - 178 El Dorado
G.E. - 317.5 El Dorado
Music - 401.5 Diamond Bar
BAND - 89.65 El Dorado

PHANTOM'S SWEEPSTAKES
Auxiliary - El Dorado
Visual - Arcadia
G.E. - El Dorado
Music - Arcadia/El Dorado
BAND - 94.0 Arcadia

TOP TENS

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Judges' Top Ten:            Phantom's Top Ten:
89.65 El Dorado             94.0 Arcadia
88.10 Arcadia               93.9 El Dorado
87.55 Diamond Bar           91.0 Diamond Bar
84.35 Valencia              88.0 Valencia
79.10 Glen A. Wilson        85.0 Santa Fe
78.50 Claremont             84.5 Serrano
78.50 West                  83.7 Glen A. Wilson
76.85 Warren                83.5 Claremont
76.80 Santa Fe              83.2 Temple City
75.20 Temple City           83.0 West
GENERAL COMMENTARY
  • I had a hell of a time deciding between Arcadia and El Dorado for field sweeps. I thought El Dorado had a better guard... but Arcadia had a better Visual performance... but El Dorado had more effect... but Arcadia tried the hardest musical book of the night... but El Dorado had more musical cleanliness... and on and on. Eventually, I chose Arcadia for two reasons: I thought they had a better visual performance, and they played difficult music very well. I could keep this argument going forever, though, and certainly was not disappointed when El Dorado took sweeps. It could have justifiably gone either way.
  • Not sure about Valencia winning Auxiliary sweeps. Yes, they had a ton of difficulty and a very creative guard routine... but El Dorado had a solid guard routine, also, and they were quite a bit cleaner. The Girlfriend (capitalization required) was annoyed with the end result: she had El Dorado's guard solidly in front of everyone else.
  • And now, the question you've all been waiting for: how would LEIGH HS have fared at Chino? Well, Leigh is kind of like a "Valencia Plus." Leigh and Valencia are pretty similar, and while I think Valencia's guard tries harder stuff, I think Leigh is better both musically and effectually. Effect-wise, Leigh could hold their own against the 6A big boys, because Leigh's shows tend to be bursting at the seams with effect. Musically and Visually, I don't think they're quite at that level. Bottom line, if Leigh were at an SCSBOA event they'd be a 5A band (I believe) and likely win their class. Think of Leigh as a very good 5A band, but not quite the caliber of an El Dorado, Arcadia, Mt. Carmel, or Rancho Bernardo. I believe Leigh would've scored in the mid-80s (84-86) at Chino this year.

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 10:19 pm
by guardthepiccolo
is there any place online to see arcadia, mount carmel, and RB's parade? According to everything i've heard, they seem like such great bands with awesome music programs. I want to see what level of parade they're at. :lol:

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:05 pm
by MonsoonTrumpetSectLeadr05
Phantom Phan wrote:CLASS 4A:
Mayfair - Performing: "The Music of John Rutter"
The brass was a little raspy in the opener; air support, gang, blow through the horns. Not nearly enough guard routine in the show, too much walking from place to place without doing anything with the equipment. The band had moments of nice sound, but seemed to struggle staying together. Those white stripes on the pant legs probably killed them visually, too. Show still seems like a work in progress, but there isn't much time left to clean it up.
id juss like to mention that last week we played with a big huge sound at loara, 1 of the judges liked it and said that no other band up to that point had played as intense as we did, whereas the other told us that we were TOO LOUD and that "you guys should learn how to be musicians".....so we decided to do that whole quiet musical "musician" spiel and really didnt quite help us. yep we have snags on our show and we are still working on improving it

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:48 pm
by Hostrauser
PantherBandFreak wrote:is there any place online to see arcadia, mount carmel, and RB's parade? According to everything i've heard, they seem like such great bands with awesome music programs. I want to see what level of parade they're at. :lol:
Wouldn't be worth it even if there was. Until you see them in person... there's just no way to describe it. :)

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 12:16 am
by TrumpetsRule17
go to arcadia festival of bands 11-15-03
last opportunity i think to see all three of us at one time even tho we wont be competing as hosts on street/field

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 12:34 pm
by Ryan H. Turner
So...is "easy" drill "bad" drill, Phantom? Because in my book, a "good" drill would be the drill that is designed to the strengths of the band, rehearsal hours available, the music, etc.

Not debating with you about whether their drill is easy...but was it "bad"?

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:35 pm
by DJ-PsiLon
PantherBandFreak wrote:is there any place online to see arcadia, mount carmel, and RB's parade? According to everything i've heard, they seem like such great bands with awesome music programs. I want to see what level of parade they're at. :lol:
This isn't of their parade but from their field show the year after I graduated so it would be the 01-02 season.

Right click and save as would be the best option to view this. It's 36.6 megs.

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/pusdrbh ... rcadia.mov

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2003 6:37 pm
by Hostrauser
RyanTurner wrote:So...is "easy" drill "bad" drill, Phantom? Because in my book, a "good" drill would be the drill that is designed to the strengths of the band, rehearsal hours available, the music, etc.

Not debating with you about whether their drill is easy...but was it "bad"?
Easy drill is bad drill if it is not sufficiently interesting or detailed enough. I realize this is a very vague and subjective definition, but it's the best I can come up with on short notice.

The thing is, the people in the audience won't have any clue as to "the strengths of the band" (at least until they start performing) or "the rehearsal hours available." All the audience/judges can really do is compare the drill to the music. I wish I had some specifics I could point out, but I didn't write any down while trying to get everything absorbed.

Easy drill is also bad drill if it is accompanying and easy passage of music and does nothing to heighten it. Drill should be written with the other two captions in mind: music and effect. The drill needs to fit the music (easy music does not always call for easy drill, hard music does not always call for hard drill) and needs to heighten, not detract, from the general effect of the show. I just felt that Wilson's drill didn't ADD a whole lot to their effect. But, then again, I've got no drill-writing experience whatsoever, so this is definitely a layman's point of view.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:19 am
by dudewheresmycar
[UCI]-Mike wrote:This isn't of their parade but from their field show the year after I graduated so it would be the 01-02 season.

Right click and save as would be the best option to view this. It's 36.6 megs.

http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/pusdrbh ... rcadia.mov
Thanks Mike! I never get tired of The Wind and Lion. That show was awesome.