). Again, while not perfect they should at least be close.Lastly, the judges are the professionals getting paid to do this, not me. And there’s a reason why they use seven people each focusing on a specific area: because no one human being can possibly absorb everything that’s being performed musically and visually all at once. Thus, where the BOA judges and I disagree, they are right and I am wrong.
BOA GLENDORA REGIONAL - PRELIMS
WILLIAM S. HART H.S., NEWHALL, CA
Class AAA (Estimated 10-12 Enrollment: 1,648)
Show Title: “Witch Among Us”
Repertoire: “Witch Among Us” by Michael Pote
96 Performers (70 musicians/25 guard/1 drum major)
Comments: Visual design of this show is great, but the musical design is lacking a lot of fire and impact. The upper brass really dominated the ensemble sound of the group. It was kind of a clinical performance: there was a lot of good technique displayed, but it was fairly blah and emotionally flat. Don’t know if it was the early performance slot or what, but I expected a lot more. Was surprised that they didn’t make Finals, but I can’t honestly argue that they belonged.
My score: 78.7, 8th place
BOA score: 69.20, 11th place
CENTENNIAL H.S., BAKERSFIELD, CA
Class AAA (Estimated Enrollment: 1,313)
Show Title: “Building the Machine”
Repertoire: “Building the Machine” by Gary P. Gilroy
77 performers (52m/23g/2dm)
Comments: The percussion and guard seem mostly competent, but the winds need a lot of work. A lot of fundamentals missing, lack of consistent approach to intonation and sound production, complete free-for-all on visual technique. A lot of this show seems to be written above the band’s ability, which is not the kids’ fault.
My score: 62.5, 16th place
BOA score: 57.45, 16th place
CHAMINADE COLLEGE PREP H.S., WEST HILLS, CA
Class AA (984)
Show Title: “The Joy of Cirque”
Repertoire: “Atmadja”, “Reve Rouge”, “Urban”, and “Joy” from Cirque du Soliel productions, music by Benoit Jutras
44 performers (37m/6g/1dm)
Comments: Section 6.05 of the BOA adjudication manual states: “Props built and/or used by participating bands at Bands of America events shall be limited to a maximum height of 12 feet (including safety or other railing or equipment). No participant may be, or be placed on, any portion of any prop where the participant’s feet are more than six (6) feet above the playing surface of the stadium, unless appropriate safety railing and/or other safety equipment are in place and in use.” Chaminade really pushed the boundaries of that rule with the two guard members doing aerial acrobatics. Sadly, the acrobatics were more of a distraction than a contribution, as they seemed to be aimless and not match the flow of the show in any way, shape, or form. A lot of fundamental tuning and intonation problems from winds. The visual was cleaner but simpler than Centennial’s over-written book, but the musical and visual arrangements were very disjointed and lacked flow. The props took FOREVER to set up and break down and I’m very surprised Chamindae didn’t take a penalty.
My score: 56.1, 18th place
BOA score: 52.65, 18th place
MURRIETA VALLEY H.S., MURRIETA, CA
Class AAAA (1,756)
Show Title: “SoundTracks”
Repertoire: N/A
109 performers (87m/20g/2dm)
Comments: Band has a large and good woodwind section. The brass section plays with mostly good technique, but the sound got very muddy at times and the ensemble blend and clarity was lacking. Jazzy music and the railroad motif bears some mild similarities to the Blue Devils’ 2004 show. Band tired quickly, they were blasted off the field by thunderous goo from the synthesizer during the ballad. And then the show abruptly ended, making me think they still don’t have the closer on the field. Come on gang, it’s November. Even in California you need to be working on cleaning and fine tuning, not finishing additions by now.
My score: 73.3, 12th place
BOA score: 62.35, 13th place
DESERT VISTA H.S., PHOENIX, AZ
Class AAAA (2,242)
Show Title: “The Blue Hour”
Repertoire: “Danse Macabre” (Camille Saint-Saens), “Hymn to a Blue Hour” (John Mackey), “Blue Shades” (Frank Ticheli)
132 performers (115m/15g/2dm)
Comments: I was quite impressed with visual design of this show, and the percussion performance and most of the woodwind quality. The brass section was very under-powered for a group this size: their sound all but disappeared unless they were in front of the near hash marks. As became a trend throughout the day, the band sounded terrific when standing still and much worse when on the move. Not so much a feet-in-the-horns sound, but a loss of strong fundamentals of intonation and air support. Was quite pleased to see them make Finals, Desert Vista was one of the few groups on the day that surprised me in a good way.
My score: 77.4, 11th place
BOA score: 70.35, 10th place
FOUNTAIN VALLEY H.S., FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA
Class AAAA (2,568)
Show Title: “FIRE”
Repertoire: “Firebird Suite” (Igor Stravinsky), “Ritual Fire Dance” (Manuel de Falla), “Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash)
139 performers (114m/22g/3dm)
Comments: The pit seemed very over-amped for the entire show. There was a lot of good individual skills displayed by the performers, but ensemble cleanliness both musically and visually was sorely lacking. The band has some nice body movement. Visually the show collapsed in the last minute, and there were a ton of interval and spacing problems in finale. Show has a lot of potential and the students seem to have the skill for it, but in prelims it was very, very dirty.
My score: 78.1, 10th place
BOA score: 75.00, 7th place
IMPERIAL H.S., IMPERIAL, CA
Class AA (769)
Show Title: “Awakenings”
Repertoire: “Pictures at an Exhibition” (Modest Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel), “Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot” (Giacomo Puccini), “Firebird Suite” (Igor Stravinsky)
110 performers (100m/9g/1dm)
Comments: Well… I know Imperial is from a rural, low-income area and doesn’t have thousands of dollars to throw at arrangers, but this show design is about 20 years out of date. Extremely simplistic drill with almost no visual accoutrements, and leaden, lifeless musical arrangements. I thought the band performed a little better than Chaminade and Centennial, but there was just no effect or emotion in the show. The band’s sound is something you can work with a fortissimo, but completely falls apart at lower dynamics. Remember kids: you need A LOT of air to play at piano or quieter, you just have to hold it in and control the speed you push it through the instrument.
My score: 57.1, 17th place
BOA score: 56.50, 17th place (includes 0.3 penalty)
BUCHANAN H.S., CLOVIS, CA
Class AAAA (1,898)
Show Title: “Neptune’s Realm”
Repertoire: “Aquarium” from “Carnival of the Animals” (Camille Saint-Saens), “Largo” from “New World Symphony” (Antonin Dvorak), “Neptune – The Mystic” from “The Planets (Gustav Holst)
111 performers (92m/17g/2dm)
Comments: One of the more interesting show designs of the day for me. Very outside the box and not what you’re used to seeing from a high school band. The inclusion of a lot of slower, melodic pieces, including the rarely-performed-on-the-field “Neptune” complements a very competent visual design. The execution wasn’t there, though, and the visual technique was dreadful. Half the kids in the band just walk from point to point. That said, the guard was definitely a visual strong point, and the drumline battery was a musical strength (far ahead of the winds in performance quality). The last minute of the show was a standstill, looks like they still have a few pages of drill to finish. This might be worth checking out on the BOA stream, because it really seemed quite fresh and original to me, even if the execution wasn’t there.
My score: 70.6, 13th place
BOA score: 60.60, 14th place
CLOVIS H.S., CLOVIS, NM
Class AAA (1,660)
Show Title: “Ready, Set, Action!”
Repertoire: Cirque du Soleil’s “Iris” by Danny Elfman
212 performers (180m/29g/3dm)
Comments: Some good musical moments and sound production from this group, but there was a fair amount of ensemble dirt. The woodwinds of this group were top-notch and quite a bit better than the brass, particularly the saxophone soloists. The visual carries their show, kind of a tribute/pastiche to old-school Hollywood, and is much more strongly designed and executed than the music. Clovis was the reverse of most groups: they got better as the show wore on and the best brass intonation of the day for ANY group so far was at the end of their show. Judges saw and heard a lot of flaws I missed, though, as this was the group we disagreed most on.
My score: 81.9, 4th place
BOA score: 72.30, 9th place
MURRIETA MESA H.S., MURRIETA, CA
Class AAA (1,641)
Show Title: “The Rise of the Machines”
Repertoire: “The Rise of the Machines” by Gary P. Gilroy
88 performers (71m/16g/1dm)
Comments: Musically fair, but the arrangements seemed fairly by-the-numbers and didn’t grab me. Group has a solid guard and well-designed visual book, but the band from this brand-new school don't have all the visual fundamentals down to execute it. There was a lot of late rushing to marks.
My score: 68.7, 14th place
BOA score: 62.75, 12th place
CLOVIS WEST H.S., FRESNO, CA
Class AAA (1,674?)
Show Title: “in a child’s dream”
Repertoire: N/A
105 performers (83m/20g/2dm)
Comments: Very surprised to see this school in AAA. They had 2,300 kids last year, and their middle school feeder had almost 600 8th graders. But hey, whatever. Clovis West is going to do well regardless of class. By far the best group of the day so far. Excellent conception of intonation and tone production, terrific ensemble sound with smooth blend and good balance. Show design is national caliber, with excellent staging, development and flow both musically and visually. Not sure they have the horses this year to pull it all off, though, the band wore down and you could hear the fatigue at end.
My score: 83.1, 2nd place
BOA score: 77.15, 3rd place
THOUSAND OAKS H.S., THOUSAND OAKS, CA
Class AAAA (1,897)
Show Title: “Cloud 9”
Repertoire: Music of Bach, Beethoven, and Dvorak
136 performers (117m/18g/1dm)
Comments: A good visual design opens the show, and there are some very nice musical moments. The group plays well, and the 10-member concert horn feature in the ballad was wonderful… except concert horns aren’t designed to project outdoors. They really could use the assistance of being amped. The groups consistency of sound isn't there enough, they’ll sound Top 3 for a passage, then get fuzzy and lose balance. The entire ballad seemed to be a standstill, and even with some body movement it just completely killed the flow of the visual effect.
My score: 79.0, 7th place
BOA score: 75.15, 6th place
COVINA H.S., COVINA, CA
Class AA (1,143)
Show Title: “The Grid”
Repertoire: “The Grid” by Frank Sullivan
79 performers (61m/17g/1dm)
Comments: Even considering they are one of the smaller groups of the day, there just wasn’t a lot of volume coming from the winds. They certainly weren’t projecting to the press box. That said, they had a good woodwind sound but a few tone and tuning issues in the brass. Visual execution was largely solid, but there were a couple of individuals that definitely seemed to be lagging behind the group (it seemed to be the same two or three kids missing marks, getting off-step, etc.). The brass section as a whole but especially the upper brass does not support their notes with enough air, leading to some fuzzy tone and a lot of tentative attacks.
My score: 64.3, 15th place
BOA score: 58.35, 15th place
VISTA MURRIETA H.S., MURRIETA, CA
Class AAAA (2,476)
Show Title: “The Abyss”
Repertoire: “To the Edge”, “The Plunge”, “Into the Deep”, and “No Escape”
209 performers (172m/33g/4dm)
Comments: Band has a big musical sound with strong bass that I love, but there were some upper voice blend issues from both woodwinds and the brass. Guard is rock solid, one of the best of the day. The visual book is performed competently but the visual design seemed very casual to me and I wanted more. There were far to many stopped transitions putting almost no demand on lower body visual technique, and it led to a very herky-jerky feel and not a solid flow. They have some lower body movement in the ballad that is well-designed and works well in the show, but the execution of it seemed a little tentative and I don’t think everyone on the field has quite “bought into” it yet. The band is large and usually covers a lot of the field; this led to some problems with front to back musical phasing with kids on the far side of the field not anticipating the beat enough. It may have sounded great on the front sideline, but it was off when it reached the upper stands.
My score: 80.2, 5th place
BOA score: 77.00, 4th place
RUBEN S. AYALA H.S., CHINO HILLS, CA
Class AAAA (1,832)
Show Title: “Nexus in 4 Movements”
Repertoire: N/A
201 performers (168m/30g/3dm)
Comments: Just wow. The band’s concept of tone production, control of sound, and consistency of visual technique and execution across the ensemble are all exceptional. There is masterful spacing and few interval problems with any set. Just wonderful technique and ensemble cleanliness on fast woodwind runs, it’s no surprise a BOA music judge told me a few years ago he considers Ayala to be one of the nation’s top woodwind sections. The five-time WGI champion percussion section just chews nails and spits them out. It’s just a treat to watch them, and the band was quite obviously more skilled and the show better executed than anyone at the competition.
My score: 87.5, 1st place
BOA score: 83.55, 1st place
UPLAND H.S., UPLAND, CA
Class AAAA (2,803)
Show Title: “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
Repertoire: “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Kevin Shah
?? performers, probably 240 or so (??m/24g/3dm)
Comments: A good sound, but not quite as good as Ayala or even 2011 Upland, really. Visually a lot less spectacular, despite all the colorful props and visual hijinks. Band had a lot of inconsistent visual technique, spacing and interval issues. Judge John Howell definitely got it right having them 6th in Individual Visual. The woodwinds and percussion are very solid musically, but the upper brass had some harsh tone and blend issues. This was another group that sound awesome when they were stationary, but significantly less awesome when on the move. Along with Vista Murrieta, I noticed a few prominent front to back musical phasing problems with Upland. Some of this stuff is picking nits, but that’s what you have to do with the top bands. Upland was still very good, and I loved the (intentionally) ridiculous sousaphone solo at the beginning of the show. In an era where it seems every other band performs a show that tries to say “Oooh, we’re dark and spooky and mysterious, PHEAR US” it was nice seeing a bright, colorful, light-hearted show performed so well.
My score: 82.9, 3rd place
BOA score: 79.05, 2nd place
HOMESTEAD H.S., CUPERTINO, CA
Class AAAA (1,735)
Show Title: “Poseidon’s Dream”
Repertoire: “Harrison’s Dream” (Peter Graham), “Instinctive Travels” (Michael Markowski), “Dream is Collapsing” from “Inception” (Hans Zimmer)
231 performers (195m/33g/3dm)
Comments: Band was 7th in visual in prelims, and really fortunate to have placed that high. I was stunned by the amount of block drill with sloppy formations, poor carriage, and jagged visual transitions. Homestead has a lot of work to do on their drill. Percussion and guard were stellar, which is common with bands who compete regularly in the WBA circuit, where both percussion and guard are 10 point subcaptions of the total score. Homestead had a big, full, good sound, but not quite as rich or as full of a tone as Ayala or Upland. Indeed, with their big sound, stationary playing and full-stop visual transitions, Homestead is kind of the northern California twin of Vista Murrieta in the south. This group was very, VERY slow getting off field, but I was glad to see they didn’t take a penalty: all bands had to exit via a small gate at the northwest corner of the field that you could only go two across through. That’s not the band’s fault.
My score: 79.4, 6th place
BOA score: 76.4, 5th place
FOOTHILL H.S., HENDERSON, NV
Class AAAA (2,096)
Show Title: “The World Above”
Repertoire: N/A
217 performers (190m/24g/3dm)
Comments: The opening flute solo was under-miked and difficult to hear. Hopefully they fixed it at finals, but it was actually kind of refreshing in an era where every soloists mike is cranked up to eleven. The intro goes on and on takes quite a while to develop, it’s an awfully long time to have the entire ensemble just standing there doing nothing. Coming after Vista Murrieta, Ayala, Upland, and Homestead, the lack of power from this group was noticable. A little surprised that a group this size could have such a tentative sound and hesitant attacks at times. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: they sounded fantastic when playing fortissimo and standing still, not as good at lower dynamics or when on the move. Air support, air support, air support. Not air STRIKES, I’m not asking for F-16s to napalm the field. Fill up those lungs, kids, it’s the only way you’re going to create a good sound. Foothill was very clean, but the demand of the show definitely seemed several notches below most of the other bands that made finals. That said, what they do, they do pretty well.
My score: 78.3, 9th place
BOA score: 72.95, 8th place
***********************
Hope you enjoyed my commentary. Maybe some year I’ll be able to get out to Grand Nationals and Alan and I can do a joint review, a la Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show.
“That was wonderful!”
“Bravo!”
“I loved it!”
“That was great!”
“Well, it was pretty good.”
“Well, it wasn't bad.”
“There were parts that weren't pretty good, though.”
“It could've been a lot better.”
“I didn't really like it.”
“It was pretty terrible.”
“It was bad.”
“It was awful!”
“Terrible! Ekh! BOO!”
“BOOOO!”
Or maybe not. (And I’m sure I just really dated myself with that cultural reference.)
My Prelims Scores:
87.5 Ayala H.S., CA
83.1 Clovis West H.S., CA
82.9 Upland H.S., CA
81.9 Clovis H.S., NM
80.2 Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
79.4 Homestead H.S., CA
79.0 Thousand Oaks H.S, CA
78.7 William S. Hart H.S., CA
78.3 Foothill H.S., NV
78.1 Fountain Valley H.S., CA
----------------------
77.4 Desert Vista H.S., CA
73.3 Murrieta Valley H.S., CA
70.6 Buchanan H.S., CA
68.7 Murrieta Mesa H.S., CA
64.3 Covina H.S., CA
62.5 Centennial H.S., CA
57.1 Imperial H.S., CA
56.1 Chaminade College Prep H.S., CA
Actual BOA Prelims Scores:
83.55 Ayala H.S., CA
79.05 Upland H.S., CA
77.15 Clovis West H.S., CA
77.00 Vista Murrieta H.S., CA
76.40 Homestead H.S., CA
75.15 Thousand Oaks H.S., CA
75.00 Fountain Valley H.S., CA
72.95 Foothill H.S., NV
72.30 Clovis H.S., NM
70.35 Desert Vista H.S., AZ
-----------------------
69.20 William S. Hart H.S., CA
62.75 Murrieta Mesa H.S., CA
62.35 Murrieta Valley H.S., CA
60.60 Buchanan H.S., CA
58.35 Covina H.S., CA
57.45 Centennial H.S., CA
56.80 Imperial H.S., CA
52.65 Chaminade College Prep H.S., CA
