Band Competitions

Yesterday Ya-Ya's Thundering Herd Band played their best ever in the competition at McGavock High School near Opry Mills Mall. They ended up in the Finals in the evening and earned a 1st place in their division for Musicality and 2nd overall in their division.

Grandpa and I stayed for the Finals and the results. I wonder if these marching bands are turning into Show/Stage bands. The majority of the others in the Finals all included all kinds of drama, props, stages, very fancy presentations. The music and marching definitely took a secondary place. It was those bands that earned the majority of awards.

I wonder if our Music director will have to step it up next marching season. Our band is pretty traditional with our "Guard" having beautiful choregraphy and banners that add to and express the music. Where these other bands seem to express the dance, choregraphy, drama going on by the dancers, Guard, etc.

For example. One local band played music from Cirque de Soleil. The Guard were dress in pink ballerina tootoos, had whitened faces, pink tights and white wigs. They carried white step ladders onto the field and they climbed up and down the ladders, swung off them, etc.

Another band played music from an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz that is out in London, England, so I heard. There were witches, good and bad, huge backdrops, white smoke and wizard. It was weird.

Another band, Father Ryan, was very classy. Their band dresses in black and shiny gold. Their Guard swung 8 foot shiny brass poles around which caught the lights from the stadium and shimmered in the darkened sky. It was very beautiful, just unconventional - they won many awards.

From what I see, if The Tundering Herd, wants to move on in competition, they are going to have to go the way of the spectator at least in the routines they give the Guard to do.

The Herd has one more week of competitions and then we may make the State finals.

Love to all,
Grandma