Hello everyone, So on the weekend of the 12th, we had a few staff members out and about at shows. We now have reviews of every band that attended Washington and Lake Park. The Lake Park reviews and scores were done by Dan and the Washington Reviews were done by me and the Washington Scores were done by Chris (saxyman). Enjoy!
Lake Park Competition Review: 09/12/2009 By Dan Balash
I decided to go to the Lake Park Lancer Joust on September 12th. I made my way from my home to Roselle in about an hour and a half, purchased my ticket and my program, and made it to my seat, top row, 50 yard line. It was a perfect view. When I got there, Lake Park was rehearsing on the field behind the Press Box, and already, the show is MUCH better than last year (more on them later.)
I am not a judge, nor do I claim to be. I do this just for fun. Also, I’m not trying to be harsh at all, even though it does seem like it at times.
Each post will be the respective block of bands before the break. All pictures are clickable for a bigger view.
Here’s the view from my seat:
And now on to the reviews.
Hobart High School (IN) (Class A)
Show title: “Rhapsody in Blue”
Hobart High School takes the field first, performing the George Gershwin classic, Rhapsody in Blue. They are a smaller band, with 2 cymbals in the pit and one wind chime, and 5 guard. The leadership is checking the spacing of the opening circle before they start, which isn’t a bad idea. To start the show, the drum major is down on the field, and performs the opening cymbal roll. Nice trumpet solo to start the show. However, the main theme is very slow. Check your lines and spacing, as it’s a bit harsh. Nice trumpet and trombone duet. Make sure everyone is lateral sliding to the front, as some people are facing the direction they are marching. Also, make sure you’re moving in time. It’s distracting watching feet when 2 people next to each other are on opposite feet. Watch the sax pitch, as it’s very sharp. Flute soloist is very quiet. Perhaps nerves are playing a major part. During the ballad, the band stands still a lot. It seems as there is a minute in between drill moves at times. When you’re making a direction change, don’t stomp your foot when planting. Nice pass through near the end. Cymbal missed their crash near the end.
Overall, not bad for a first time out for the year. They don’t compete much, so it’s nice to gain the experience.
My score: 46.05
My placement in class: 2nd
Geneseo (Class AA)
Show selections: Variations on a Korean Folk Song, Miss Saigon
Geneseo takes the field next. The band is adorned in either headbands, or hats like these: (http://www.guildcraftinc.com/images/products/full/216-271%20Asian%20Hat.jpg). Lots of props around the field, including a medical area, a direction sign (pointing out how far it is to the next city), and a tent. There is a pre-recording voiceover as they take the field-clips from the television show MASH. Very cool opening, as there is an “army” on side 2 training to go into battle. It’s a cool visual moment. Watch your brass sound. Clarinets, make sure you know when the moves happen so you don’t crash into the people next to you. Nice sounds coming from a brass quartet. Nice color from the guard. Good sounds coming from the percussion. Good body work as well. There is a lot going on in this show, from the army, to surgery happening in the medical area. Watch your spacing. Brass, watch your attacks.
General thoughts: This is the band I was most impressed with on the day. They were much improved over last year at ISU. I can’t wait to see this at ISU.
My score: 53.70
My Place in class AA: 3rd
Oak Park/River Forest:
Show title: “A Classical Renovation”
Oak Park/River Forest takes the field next. Nice pit opening. Watch the brass spacing. Pit seems to be dragging a bit, as there’s a small tear. Don’t move at a halt. If you happen to take an extra step, hold the spot, as judges tend to catch it when you move. Trumpets, play to the press box, not the sides. Guide your lines, as some of them are pretty nasty. Watch your pitch sousaphones and high brass. Some of the segments of the show have no real ending, and it’s a bit distracting. Woodwinds are a bit quiet. Play out some more. Check the upper body, as some are facing front, and some are facing the sides. Move in time, please.
Some pretty harsh visual moments. Music wasn’t bad, although I didn’t recognize any of it.
My score: 48.60
My place in class AA: 9th
Elk Grove:
Show title: “Under the Big Top”
Elk Grove was next. Spacing was an issue through this show. Brass sound was kind of weak. Don’t waddle when you’re marching. Watch your tone, low brass. Nice oboe solo for Send in the Clowns-maybe you could mic it? It was a bit quiet up top. The version sounds like the Santa Clara Vanguard version, which is not a bad thing. Watch your pitch, brass. There is a HUGE trumpet hole in the drill. The show ends after Send in the Clowns. Was that it? It left me wanting more.
Not a bad show. Drill problems abound and some musical errors as well.
My score: 51.05
My placment in AA: 7th
A.A. Stagg
Show title: “Amazonian Rainforest”
Stagg is next. They’re performing a Key Poulan show this year, which isn’t usually my cup of tea, but this arrangement isn’t bad at all. Nice Dynasty drums; I think they might be Marian’s old ones. I seem to recognize the finish on them. Nice pit sounds to start the show. Watch your spacing, saxes. Nice sounds coming from the battery. Opening is very fast-paced. Lateral slide, please. Know your direction change, bass drums. I don’t want you colliding with each other. He did make a nice recovery, however. Mediocre sounds coming from the brass. I know you can do better. Nice sounds with the rainsticks. Nice guard as well. Nice percussion feature; will be pretty cool when it’s cleaned. Woodwinds need to be louder. Don’t swing your shoulders when you move. Watch your lines at the end!!
Not bad. Some good sounds coming from the band, and this was a pretty well-designed show. Can’t wait to see it in a few weeks.
My score: 53.00
My placement in class AA: 4th
Wheaton North (Class A)
Show title: “Reflections” featuring the music of Richard Saucedo
Wheaton North is next. The drum major couldn’t get the baton out of his jacket to start the show-crowd chuckles a little bit. Nice start to this show. It has a nice flow. Nice percussion. Watch your lateral sliding. Nice color in this show. Watch the sousa sound, as it’s not very good. Great percussion body movement during the feature. Did the center snare march DCI? They seem pretty cohesive as a unit. Watch your spacing. Uh-oh…is the flute microphone not on? I can’t hear it up here. Good tympani. He is adding a lot to the music. The body movement isn’t together, but it’s early. Nice guard work. There’s a big hole in the drill. This is a good Saucedo show-he’s another writer who I’m not usually a big fan of.
Nice job. They earned their class championship, and the right to play in exhibition in finals. Pretty impressive start.
My score: 59.95
My placment in class A: 1st
Plainfield North was supposed to be next, but they had some issues with their bus, so Glenbrook North went next.
Glenbrook North (Class AA)
Show title: “Quidam: The Music of Cirque Du Soleil”
Glenbrook North is next before the break. First thing I notice is the guard is using Air Blade rifles. Guard in wigs, pit in masks to convey the feel of the show. There is a door prop on the field. Voiceover (which needs to be turned down) talks about this being the story of Zoe, who is the main character. Watch your sound, brass. There is a comment from Mr. Snoeck, who I was sitting in front of all day: “2 dozen too many rimshots on the drums.” Good comment. The drumline just seemed to keep doing rimshots. Uh-oh. A tenor drum goes the wrong way and crashes into a bass drummer. They both make a nice recovery, however. Watch your spacing and know where the direction changes happen. Don’t stop your move early, as it looks bad when the whole rest of the band is moving and you are not. Watch your sousa sound. Winds turn into the color guard for a moment, as they all spin flags. Nice moment. The violin solo is not heard, and it ruins what could have been a nice moment. Clarinets, don’t back down on your sound. It’s pretty good, but it starts to hurt.
Not a bad show at all. They need to add more voiceover, but a nice start to the season.
My score: 49.60
My placement in AA: 8th
Plainfield North:
Show title: “Sweet Dreams”
First things first: Did they get the show idea from Carmel 2008? It seems like the same guard uniforms and same design, but that’s just me. The show starts off with “Go to Sleep”, and transitions into “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Watch your tone, brass. Please don’t move at a halt. Woodwind voice is incredibly dirty. Nice transition into the ballad. Trumpet tone is harsh. Watch your spacing. Nice transition into Van Morrison’s Moon Dance. The mellophones are really rocking, enjoying the moment. Guard is carrying rifles, but they aren’t doing much with them…maybe the work will be added later? Nice flute solo. The show is very dense visually, as the soloists have a hard time being seen because they’re right in the middle of the drill. Nice ending.
This show was pretty good. The kids had fun with it, and it’ll only get better from here.
My score: 52.95
My placement in AA: 5th
Xavier (Iowa) (Class A)
Show title: “The Music of Samuel Hazo” including Olympiada and Each Time You Tell Their Story
First things first: Ken Snoeck was absolutely cracking me up before they took the field. He kept asking his wife (who was the announcer, and did a fantastic job) how to spell Xavier and yelled at a woman from there for filming off-center.
Anyways, back to the review. They also have a small pit, one bass drum and a gong. They start the show very far backfield, which isn’t a good thing for a band their size. Brass tone is very, very weak. The saxophones look lost out there. Percussion is very dirty. Make sure you know where you’re going, folks. Don’t look down at the ground. You need to look confident out there. Trumpet solo weak. Nice voiceover work with the poem from Each Time You Tell Their Story.
I’m not usually very rough on bands, but man, was this show weak. At least they tried…
My score: 34.95
My place in class A: 3rd
Naperville North
Show title: (see picture)
Naperville North takes the field next. Some props around the field including a house/store, and a prop with the show title on it. Drum Majors are dressed in period costumes. The show starts with a silent section from the pit and winds. The show continues with “reels” of film around a circle of marchers. As the show starts, the reel starts to unravel. Very cool opening. Watch your tone, brass. Nice soprano saxophone solo during the “Sheik of Araby” section. There’s a male sheik during this section. Watch your lines as there’s some people sticking way out of the drill. Nice sounds coming from the band. There is a lot going on during this show; your attention cannot stay in one place. Turn down the synth near the end, as it feels unbalanced.
A very gimmicky show, but they perform it well. It reminds me of a Velvet Knights show from the early 90’s. First standing ovation of the day, and well deserved.
My score: 64.40
My place in class: 4th
Lockport
Show title: “Hydromatics:” Water, Steam, Ice
Lockport is next. Nice opening to start the show. Good tempo being set by the percussion. Watch your spacing. Good work done by the pit. Clarinets are barely audible from where I am sitting. Drill is kind of slow moving. Hopefully, they jack the tempos in the next few weeks. Watch your sound when you’re playing to the backfield. Saxes, don’t look down at the ground when you’re moving. You never know what could happen. Some nice sounds coming from the winds. Nice body work as well. Watch your lines at the end of the show.
Not a bad show. It’ll improve drastically in the next few weeks. Can’t wait to see them at ISU.
My score: 60.15
My placement in AAA: 8th
Downers Grove South
Show title: “Dimensions”
DGS is next. Nice spacing from the woodwinds to start the show. Percussion is “gacking” a little bit. Make sure you don’t do that. Mellophones are standing on platforms during their feature. Very cool moment. Watch your lines. Good woodwinds. Don’t move at a halt, folks. Nice flute soloist. Good guard feature-they’re all on the risers that the mellophones were on earlier. Watch your tone, brass. Good sounds coming from the band. Some nice, dissonant sounds coming in. Good body movements.
Very nice show. I was pretty impressed with them Really earned their spot in finals.
My score: 60.45
My place in class AAA: 7th
Victor J. Andrew
Show title: “Reflections” featuring Scary by Bjork, Staralfur by Sigur Ros, and The Four Sections by Steve Reich
VJA is next. I’ve heard good things in Dan Romano’s last year, and now is the time to prove it. Every wind is carrying in a mirror as they take the field. Uniforms are updated for 2009. Guard looks amazing in silver uniforms. Very nice opening to the show. Show has a nice flow to it. All the drill moves reflect each other-if one triangle is facing forwards, the other one faces backwards. Some really nice solos in this show. Make sure you guide down the lines. Turn down the synth a little bit-I’m getting a bounce back from the bass. They usually have the best percussion in the state-and this year is no different. They sound pretty darn good already.
I love this show already. It’s a bit short at this moment-I’ve been told they have about another 2 minutes or so to add. This show is going to develop nicely, and I can’t wait to see it later on at ISU, Lincoln-Way, and wherever else. Dan Romano will definitely be leaving on a high note with this show.
My score: 63.75
My placement in AAA: 5th
Huntley
Show title: “Desert Winds”
I hear the dulcet tones of Almighty Father coming from backfield during the warm-up, something that always makes me happy. Huntley’s director is a Marian graduate, so it makes sense. Nice percussion feature to open the show. Make sure you’re lateral sliding to the front. Uh-oh…show’s starting to tear a little bit. Make sure that you keep together. Show is also kind of dragging. Watch your spacing side to side. Watch the sousaphone sound, as it’s kind of getting blatty. Nice sound on the trumpet solo. Bongo player, don’t rush. Make sure you guide your lines back to front. Oof. Sound is getting kind of bad here. Make sure you know where to go.
Nice first 2/3 of the show. The ending is rather dirty, the kids are getting tired, and the sound really starts to suffer. It’ll be better in a few weeks when the kids become more confident with the show.
My score: 51.70
My placement in class AA: 6th
Lincoln-Way East
Show title: “Nocturne” including Song to the Moon by Antonin Dvorak
LWE is next. They bring back the props from the “Serenade” show. Pit is backfield, up on top of the props. Very cool start to the show. Nice soprano saxophone solo. Good sounds coming from the band. Nice trumpet solo. Oooh. A spider web is formed in the front on side 1. Brass is a bit dirty. Nice sounds coming from the pit. Did you borrow the circles from Lincoln-Way Central’s show last year? I think those are supposed to be lily pads, but I’m not quite sure.
Show is pretty cool right now. Very short, as they have a lot more to add. I can’t wait to see how they stack up at the Louisville Regional on September 26th. Will this show 3-peat at ISU? That remains to be seen…
My score: 68.50
My placement in class AAA: 1st
Morton
Show title: “The Butterfly Effect” including themes on the Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
As the guard takes the field, I notice that I absolutely love their uniforms. Much better than last year’s, in my opinion. Very cool open to the pre-show. As they’re announced, they have a trumpet solo that takes over. Needs a bit of work, just like last year’s solo. Great sound coming from the band. Nice muted trumpet feature. Saxophone feature right in front isn’t bad at all. And yes, they have a bass saxophone. I wish I could remember what the woman sitting in front of me called it…. If you’re going to play to the box, make sure everyone does it. There’s some folks that don’t seem to be doing so. Saxophones, make sure you all lateral slide. Watch your tone, as it is getting a bit loose. Nice end to the opener. Good 2nd feature from the saxophones. Nice sounds coming from the band. Nice take on Rite of Spring. Percussion is a bit dirty. Nice work in the guard.
Good start to the show. I can’t wait to see how this show evolves. I think they could make a run at top 5 at ISU, finals at the St. Louis Super Regional, and perhaps even a Grand National semifinals spot. Craig Fitzpatrick has really evolved in the past couple of years as an arranger, and I think he will become more in demand as the years go on. Jeff and staff have done wonders with this group over the past couple of years.
My score: 65.70
My placement in class AAA: 3rd
Prospect
Show title: “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue” featuring Libertango by Astor Piazzolla, Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre, and Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
Prospect is next. Nice clarinet soloist to start the show. Nice synth. Nice brass attacks coming out. Nice soprano saxophone soloist as well (even though I couldn’t find him at first.) Musically, show sounds a little bit dirty as they go on. Nice transition into Cloudburst. Nice writing with Rhapsody in Blue being a recurring motif throughout the show, coming back in each segment. Good guard. Pit sounds a little bit loud to me. Watch your spacing. Brass sound at the end is a little woogity.
Nice show. I’ve become a fan of them over the past few years. I can’t wait to see them at ISU, to see how the show has developed more.
My score: 67.3
My placement in Class AAA: 2nd
John Hersey
Show title: “Copland’s America”
John Hersey takes the field next. This is a band I have never seen before. As the show starts, I notice there’s a marcher with an arm sling. Now, that’s hardcore. Watch your sound, saxophones. Sound in the brass is a bit dirty. Nice Applachian Spring. I thought I would be sick of it by now, but surprisingly, I’m not. There are a ton of musicians in the pit. Percussion is a bit dirty. Watch your lines. The soloist is kind of hidden. Beginning of Rodeo is dirty, and the pit is a bit overbearing. Nice guard color. Nice crowd feature with “BEEF” at the end of Rodeo. I, however, am the only one in the section to do it. The people look confused at me. Oh well…it isn’t the first time. Nice company front to end the show.
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: Please come to ISU!! Pretty good show, they should challenge Prospect again at U of I.
My score: 62.65
My placement in AAA: 6th
Waukesha North
Show title: “Colors Through the Night”
Waukesha North is our Wisconsin representative today. There is a guitar in the pit to start the show. Nice percussion opening. Pit’s kind of loud. Sousaphone sound leaves a lot to be desired. Pit is off-center from the 50. Show feels kind of rushed. Make sure you lateral slide. The head Drum Major grabs a mellophone and joins the band, and another drum major grabs a flute for a solo. Watch your spacing. Oops. The soloist didn’t have her microphone on, or it wasn’t turned on loudly enough for us to hear. Make sure you guide. Nice trumpet feature. Percussion is dirty during their feature. Nice visual move that seems to go on a bit too long for my liking. Watch the mello sound at the end.
Last year’s Wisconsin Class 4A state champion didn’t dissapoint. Not a bad show, wasn’t really my cup of tea however.
My score: 59.35
My place in AAA: 9th
Waubonsie Valley
Show title: “Heavy Metal” featuring the music of Charles Rochester Young
First thing I notice when they take the field is that they are quite a bit smaller. Man, that split with Metea Valley hurt them a bit. Cool opening to the show. Good sounds coming from the band. Woodwinds are a bit quiet, however. Make sure you guide. Nice saxophone sound. Good guard as well. Just as I notice how pleasant sounding they are, their tone starts to take a turn for the worse. That’ll get better in the next few weeks. They are marching garbage can lids as cymbals-it’s kind of quiet. They need to get into this part more, make sure it is raucous and cool. The band does a ton of visual at the end-make sure it’s in time.
Pretty cool show. Needs a bit of work, but they have time to make it even better.
My score: 60.40
My placement in class AA: 2nd
Lemont
Show title: “The Music of Samuel Hazo”
Lemont takes the field next. They’re doing the music of Sam Hazo, which we’ve seen earlier already with Xavier. Good opening to the show, however, the sound is a bit harsh. Can’t hear the features in the show. Don’t play timidly. Drumline, turn it down a little bit. You’re drowning out the rest of the band. However, it’s a pretty cool moment. Don’t drag, band. Watch the drum major. Good guard soloist. Watch your pitch. Show seems to drag again a little bit. Ooh. The pedaled sousaphone note didn’t quite make it.
Not bad. Some very rough moments in the show. I think nerves had a lot to do with this performance.
My score: 57.40
My placement in class AAA: 10th
Wheeling
Show title: “Holidays-The Music of Ron Nelson” including Rocky Point Holiday and Sonoran Desert
Wheeling is the last band to perform in prelims. Oooh. VERY cool opener, as the guard is all playing clarinet at the beginning of the show (Rocky Point Holiday). Very impressive. Watch your spacing. In addition, make sure you know where you’re going. Nice trumpet playing!! He got up to the 3rd octave…not quite sure what note, however. Nice trade-off feature between clarinet and trumpet. Nice sounds throughout the show. Guard work isn’t quite done at the end. Watch your trumpet voice at the end.
Very nice show. I was pleasantly surprised, the guard playing clarinets was impressive, very good work throughout the show. Another band that I wish was coming to ISU…
My score: 62.30
My placement in AA: 1st
Lake Park
Show title: “Elements of Balance”
Lake Park performs next in exhibition. They are the final band to perform in prelims. Very cool opening to this show. Nice sounds coming from the band. They’re marching 4 baritone saxophones. Watch your spacing. Ooh. Percussion is a little bit dirty. This band is really moving. A baritone saxophone looks like he’s having a little bit of trouble playing and moving at the same time. Some cool water sounds in the water movement. Nice GE moment when a guard girl catches a ball designed to look like a drip of water. Snares and quads take off their normal drums and picks up blocks of wood built like their normal drums. This part of the show is VERY cool. Uh-oh. One of the bass drummers forgot to put her shako back on. Ending is a bit weak and not done.
Very good show. This show is much, much better than the past few years of shows Lake Park has put on the field. I was very impressed with it. Don Hill has written a very good show with a ton of demand and room for growth. Let’s see if Lake Park can manage to execute what he has written.
For finals reviews, I’m just going to post pictures and some general thoughts. I would post my scores, but I lost them…stupid OpenOffice not saving my files.
Wheaton North
Definitely deserved the Class A title. Good show, could be in the mix for top 3 at ISU.
Waukesha North
Definitely more energy than in prelims. They made their show much more enjoyable. Definitely will compete for a Wisconsin state title again.
Waubonsie
First thngs first: The man in front of me got told to shut off his camera prior to Waubonsie taking the field. Apparently, the judges/people running the competition don’t like someone filming the whole show? They made a request for everyone to film their bands only. Better show than prelims by far. Could make a run for a lower finals spot at ISU
Wheeling
Well deserved Class AA title. Very nice prelims performance. Guard is on fire with their playing of clarinets. Nice sound, not bad drill. A little bit dirtier than prelims. Good show.
John Hersey
BEEF!! Percussion is really “dutting” loudly. I can hear it, the judges can hear it, everyone can. Nice show, crowd was rather silent when they were announced in 9th.
Downers Grove South
Not as good of a run as in prelims, in my opinion. Quite possibly a darkhorse for a finals spot at ISU. If they clean, and get the visuals all together, they could perform in finals.
Naperville North
Very cool show, absolutely oozing with General Effect. Maybe next time some of the outcomes could be different? Easily the crowd favorite of the night.
Lincoln-Way East
Show is much cooler at night. I thought for a bit that the animals on the props were going to come off at first. Very, very nice show. Can’t wait for the LWE/Prospect duel for the 5A ISU title.
Morton
Show wasn’t as clean as prelims. Still not bad. Earned their 4th place finish. Will be an awesome show when it is completed. Trumpet soloist needs to not be so nervous. Can’t wait to see them at ISU.
Prospect
Show was much better in prelims. They had some minor tears and mental errors throughout the show. One of those things that just happens. Just don’t let it happen again. 
And now the fog rolled in. Alan Barone (VJA’s percussion instructor) graciously allowed us to use this picture. This is the VJA percussion marching into the stadium through the fog.
Victor J. Andrew
Awesome show. Music is pretty cool, drill is well-written. They had a very good show. Great show for Mr. Romano to retire to. He’ll go out on a high note.
Lake Park
Fog was really starting to roll in now. They had a GREAT performance. Ending was a bit shoddy, but it’ll get much better, quickly. This is my favorite Lake Park in quite some time.
Overall thoughts on the day: Pretty good show. 7 ISU finalists, including the Grand Champion, and 2 Class Champions. I was looking at the 1997 recap and came upon this: Carmel, Chesterton and Lake Central all came. Yowza. Could we get a few more out of state bands like that? That would be awesome early season.
Lake Park puts on an excellent show, and I’ll more likely than not be back next year.
Washington Panther Invitational: 09/12/2009 By Mark Overholt and Chris Klaus
The twenty-third annual Washington Parade and Field competition featured 19 bands divided into 4 classes for the field portion of the show. The bands were divided based on both band size and school size. Chris (Saxyman on the forums) and I took notes and did a score sheet for each band that was competing in the field show. We also watched the parade, but neither of us knows enough about parade scoring to do a decent job on a review, hence why this review is only on the field show. There are a few things to note before we get into the review. We try to be as unbiased as possible. That was our review and score sheet has a shot and being remotely close to the real scores. Second, this review is totally for FUN! We in no way mean to slander any band performing or degrade the hard work they put into their shows. That being said, we do have critical comments on every band based on what we saw on the field. As far as the score sheet is concerned, that was also for fun. We are by no means professional adjudicators. (FYI, adjudicator is probably my favorite word this time of year) We attempt to score a band ourselves, which is a job normally undertaken by 5 or 6 different people. And we only have one perspective on the band, which is from the stands. The scores we have are different than the real scores, obviously. But they are written down as we see them from the stands. Baring all this in mind, let’s get onto the review!
Class A
Farmington – The Farmington Golden Wave was the first band on the field that afternoon. They were performing a selection from the Beatles. First thing I noticed was they had some decent fundamentals from the start. During pretty much the entire first song, I saw good toes and decent horn angles. The trumpet section had good blend, I couldn’t hear anyone sticking out too awful much. Then even further into the first song I noticed I could hear different sections too! I could hear woodwinds mixed in with low brass and trumpets. This was nice to hear, since a lot of the time, music this early in the season is dominated by the higher instruments, mainly trumpets and mellophones. A part there where the trumpets were pinching to reach the high notes, more air and less straining will help you get those high notes easier. Chris noticed that Farmington had 5 piccolos…and they were mostly in tune, a very hard task indeed. The ‘High Step’ part in the middle of the show was very cool to watch. Make sure you are landing smoothly though. You do not want your sound to ‘bounce’. On some final notes, try and watch the drum majors more. There were plenty of attacks that were not together. This goes especially for the bass drums, who seemed to be all over the place in the last song. Also, the sets look a little unclean…but being so early in the season, I am sure those will be fixed. All in all, a great way to start off the competition and a great way to start off the season.
Okaw Valley – Okaw Valley was next. This is the first time they have been to Washington. The played the music of Greese. The guard had very authentic looking ‘Pink Ladies’ jackets on, and the drum majors looked like Danny and Sandy. The costuming was very cool. First things we noted were that they were a small band, but had a pretty full sound for such a small band. They also had decent section to section blend, which was nice. This helped make their sound feel bigger, which helps with a smaller band. They could use work on the fundamentals though. Get those toes higher, control your upper bodies on holds…don’t fall over from a sudden stop. Keep your shoulders square with the sideline on lateral moves. In terms of visual GE, along with the costuming, we thought the ‘Hand Jive’ was a cool addition, where the entire band put down their horns for a few bars and did the dance they did in the movie. Musically, the sound was dropping off at the end and the drums were quite muddy. But the ending phrase sounded great. Maybe work a bit more on the closer, and this show will sound great.
Tri-Valley – Tri-Valley was up next. They did music from the Beatles. The first song was pretty good in terms of blend and balance. There were some really impressive solo performers. One of the big things I noted was the section blend of the trumpets. I heard all three parts! Which is something I miss a lot of times, normally the firsts dominate. If you play a higher number part, I want to hear you more. 3>2>1! Forms looked pretty clean in the first song, and the end of the first song had a good cover down move, which they pulled off well. The remaining songs could use some music work however. Some side to side phasing happening. Watch your DMs to cure that. Trumpets were getting a little harsh and there was one trumpet I could hear above the rest for a portion. But overall, this was a good show. I have really enjoyed seeing tri-valley get better and better each year since they started competing in 2003 (I think).
Paxton-Buckley-Loda – Last in class A was PBL. They were playing The Phantom of the Opera. So here is a problem…Say I can only play bass guitar. Most bands will put me on the sideline. But I want to march. PBL says OK! They had a bass guitar player with a wireless transmitter marching with the band. It was a pretty cool thing to see. This show has the potential for a lot of GE, and PBL did a decent job of taking advantage of that. The guard had some cool fan and mask props to use during Masquerade and they had an opera ‘stage’ and the phantoms mirror, which is where the DM came from at the beginning of the show. All the sections had pretty good sounds, notably low brass and clarinets. Trumpets needed a bit of work cleaning their fingers. The solos were also good in this show, especially the Flugelhorn solo. It sounded awesome! A few fundamental things to work on, spacing, toes, etc…But as a package, this was a great show and I hope to see it again this year.
Class 2A
Herscher – Herscher was the first band in 2A, and they played Into the Storm. I have played one of the pieces in concert band, so it was really cool to hear it on the field. For the most part, they had good section to section blend and they also played good dynamics as well. Their sets flowed from one to the next well for the most part. My few gripes were about fundamental marching. Spacing was kind of off and there were multiple instances of failed cover downs. The show was also really short, but my guess is they still have at least one piece to add to it. This was a fun show to watch!
Metamora – Metamora played a show called Bach to the Future, where they played some contemporary arraignments of Bach music. Conceptually, this was a great show. I love the idea behind it. They opened with the melody of Little Fugue in D-Minor which was very well played. They had a good balance between powerful brass sound, and nice woodwind sound, which really brought out the contrast in the fugue. There were a few problems with attacks, as I said before…watch the DMs and you should come in together. There was also some slight phasing in the brass for a section. Again…I loved this show, and can’t wait to see it again.
Mt. Zion – MT. Zion played music from John Williams, which is always a crowd favorite. And they definitely had an assortment, from Indiana Jones and Superman to Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. During Superman, there was a guard member that was being carried by others to make it look like she was flying. It was a cool effect. Overall, this show could have done with less trumpets. At one point I could hear 1 trumpet sticking out, and another point, I felt all the trumpets were just screaming at me. Let some other instruments take some of the load. There were some of the same problems as before, attacks not together, drums aren’t too clean yet, and the ending isn’t done yet.
Eureka – Eureka is playing Geometries, which is another original show, composed by their director. At the beginning, there was decent spacing, but it degraded slightly throughout the show. There was some nice blend between sections, but it seemed to me that everyone was playing mp the entire show. I could have used more dynamic contrast. The trumpets seemed to be fighting each other as well. Some good fundamentals though. Saw a lot of good cover downs and some good toes. The drums are a tad muddy throughout the show. The alto solo during the second song was great…but I could hardly hear it for some of it. Either play out or mic the solo…because it should definitely be heard as it is the focal point of the second movement. The ending sounded good, but they were also standing still for half of the last song. Hopefully they can finish the show soon. Final thoughts, I could have used more sound. The first pieces lends itself to low brass a lot, but there was just no sound. The big hits seemed…not so big. This show has great potential, but it is just not there yet for what it could be.
Streator – Streator played music from the Beatles. One of the biggest things I heard in this show was brass. There was a lot of brass sound everywhere. It was very blended and very powerful, which was cool. I thought that most of the show was just loud though. There were a few soft parts, but they were few and far between. I couldn’t hear the woodwinds very much either. But I can’t take anything from their trumpet section, they sounded really good. The alto solo near the end was very good as well. There were some spacing issues and to me, the drill seemed very easy, but it was marched fairly well.
2A note: 2A was very tough for us to score. The top 4 shows were really good and really close to each other. We had the top 4 shows separated by less than a point, with 1st place getting 50.60 and 4th place getting 49.70. So keep those thoughts in mind when reading the reviews and score sheet for 2A
Class 3A
Note: Pekin is the only band I personally did not see, so I am trying to extrapolate a review from Chris’s notes.
Pekin – Pekin started off the second half of the competition with their show, Westward Visions. To start with, there was a trumpet duet that had some wrong notes in it. There were some fundamental errors that needed addressing like cover downs and shoulder position during lateral moves. There was also some slight phasing side to side. On some positive notes, the percussion feature was nice and the saxes had a good sound. The drill however did not complement the powerful sound that they were going for.
Canton – Canton played A Blast from the Past, which was a show with selections from the Beatles. This was the fourth time we had heard Beatles music that day, so I won’t lie…I was getting a little tired of it. But that aside, the show was decent. Although it was not up to the caliber I was used to from Canton. They had such a small sound for a band their size. There were multiple instances where the band just didn’t seem together, like they were playing at their own tempo. There were also spacing issues throughout the show. Again, this show has the potential to be good…with how good I know Canton has been in the past, but as of right now, I am not seeing it.
Champaign Central – Central played a show called Out of the Box. The concept for this show was great. They played some music that was definitely very original and it worked well with the theme. At the beginning the snares were all over the place. It almost looked like they were playing every note as a flam, which was causing for some muddy sound. It got better, but at the beginning it wasn’t great. The alto soli in the first song sounded pretty cool though, which was nice. The set spacing looked good as well as the transition, and the cover down was also fantastic. Toward the end, there was some issue with foot tempo. And at the end, the band was a little blatty. That may just be because they were getting tired, or they haven’t practiced the end much yet. Anyway, this show was really fun and I loved the concept.
Dunlap – Dunlap’s show was called Bitten: The Transfiguration. It was a show about vampires, for which the color guard portrayed very well. They had a rolling start, which started with a synth and a baritone soli. The baritone soli was fantastic, but I thought the synth was too loud. Turn the synth down and let the baritones shine. The opening track was the opening movement of Scheherazade by Korsakov. This did not make much sense to me, but I liked it none the less. One thing I noticed was Dunlap’s lack of trombones. Everyone either played a mellophone or a baritone. This was great when they didn’t out power everything. Of course when they did blend in, you could hear how out of tune the trumpets were in the first few songs. There was some issue with spacing in the woodwinds but not too bad. The synth came back toward the end, and I am still not a fan of it. It was a part that alto saxophones could have played in my opinion. So this was a decent show. The Guard did a good job of telling the story and it was fairly clean. It is good to see the split band concept finally starting to pay off. (Note: Dunlap Cadet was not at this show, which was weird to me.)
Pontiac – Pontiac played Men Of Steel, which they used as a pun to play songs like Kryptonyte, Tempered Steel, and Iron Man. The thing that struck me the most was how this was one giant piece. They had the themes from each of the songs…but there was no break in between them as they transitioned. It was a very cool effect…but I am sure a very tiring one, so props to those kids for pulling that off so early in the year. The trumpets impressed me the most here. They sounded great and played some very technical parts with ease. It was cool to hear. As for the song Tempered Steel…I have played this song twice in concert band…and it is tough sitting down with music in front of you. Putting this on the field is just fantastic! And it was played very well with minimal mistakes. My biggest gripe was how the sound did die off at the end a bit. I think they were just getting a tad tired…and I would as well. This was probably one of my favorite shows of the day.
Class 4A
East Peoria – East Peoria was the first out of the gate for 4A. They played music from Cirque De Soleil. Their sound has really filled out from previous years. This sounds like a completely different band than I heard two years ago, during their first season back. I was really impressed. There were some spacing issues in the clarinets and the baritones could have done with more blend between themselves. Like many bands I heard, you need to attack together. Watching the DMs and subdividing will help. East Peoria has only learned just over half of their drill because they played the last bit of it standing still. The music during this last song was good, but I felt the trumpets and mellos were clashing. Again…E. Peoria has come leaps and bounds since they restarted their competitive marching program in 2007. Keep up the good work guys!
Normal West – NW’s show was ‘Everyday Heroes.’ There was a large backdrop of 4 letters, spelling Hero in the backfield. The show started with a guy talking through a wireless headset…which kept cutting out. I thought the talking was effective…but the technical issues need to be worked out. The theme was that of people. Just normal people, who became Heroes without even trying. While what I would call a ‘sappy’ theme…it has the potential to work very well as a show. I did have a major gripe with the theme though, which I’ll bring up in a minute. The first song was a song about Rosa Parks. First thing I noticed was how clean the drum line was. It was quite good. Also the base clarinet soli was quite good as well. There was a part in the first song where the music just sounded lost. But they got it back on track. Toward the beginning of the second song, the amps started feeding back…another technical thing to work out. As I looked back field, I noticed all of the drum line has set their drums down and picked up individual chimes. I had never seen that before and it was a neat effect. Now for my show design gripe: Guitar Hero. The Guitar Hero section was played well, although there was an instance where the snare line clicks were not in time with the ‘rock band’. This section was very good, with a lot of GE already in there. The band had colored dots, and they were in a block. There was a different colored dot per column. This made it seem like you were playing Guitar Hero, very cool. The gripe…it does not fit with the design other than the play on the word hero. The entire rest of the show is about people, and people changing the world. Maybe without the talking intro, and the description of Heroes…this section works. But I think the Guitar Hero part was just good filler and because it had the word Hero in it. Well anyway, that is my personal opinion. Again, it was played very well, I just thought as a show design, it didn’t fit. This was definitely the best played show of the day, and I look forward to seeing it really clean.
Galesburg – Galesburg was up next, playing How the West Was Won. The trumpet solo at the beginning was good, but the rest of the trumpets seem to be pinching when they all come in. All of the songs they played seemed to be short, but the transition between them was good. I loved the woodwind sound at the beginning of the 3rd song. In the third song, the trumpets weren’t together and a tuba was behind the beat. I do have a note here that just says bass clarinets with a smiley face next to it! But then, just like that, the show ended. There are a lot of short songs in this show, and it will flow better once they are all done. For now though, it was good for the date.
Limestone – Limestone did a show called Speed of Sound. This is a show I have been looking forward to seeing. Limestone surprised me a lot last year. They played better than I ever expected them to…so I was enthusiastic to hear them this year. They did not disappoint. The opening move was cool! But right after it, I noticed many failed cover downs. There was a nice, powerful hit that was very effective. The brass just has a great sound. I am hearing some really great balance and tone. There were some beautiful chords. There was another cover down failure toward the end of the first song. The set transition was very smooth however. My favorite song of this show was the second one, ‘Sonic Boom.’ It was a slow and passionate piece. And Limestone played it with such care and emotion, it was hard to ignore it. It was beautiful and melodic and just a really cool sound to hear. It is this song that makes me want to hear this show again! This third song was played standing still. In summary, the music here was fantastic. The feet and fundamentals could use some work, but I am sure will be cleaned in time. Watch out for Limestone in October!
Quincy – Quincy was the last competition band, and they played Latin Fire. The first note of the show just made me go WOW! It was very loud and powerful from ever member of the large band and I was not expecting the volume right out of the gate. The rest of the band proceeded to back off except for the trumpets. Quincy does have some really good trumpet players. They played very high most of the show. If they can clean up some of the technical, it will be great! The improve solo was good, but seemed a bit forced. Throughout the first song, I could hardly hear the woodwinds over the trumpets. But then the second song came, and I could hear Woodwinds…because it looked like the trumpets were getting a break. The pit and the band were not together on the second song. When the trumpets came back in, you could tell all but one was totally spent. Try not to blow your chops in the first 3 minutes. Latin shows are always cool, but I thought this one was too brass dominated. Balance the sound between the sections and I think you have a great show here.
I really enjoyed the entire day here at Washington. I come to this show every year and it is one of my favorites. See you all next year. Also here is the link to the score sheet Chris and I worked on:
http://www.ilmarching.com/files/WashingtonScoreSheet.xls