The pressure was steep last Saturday as some of the best high school marching bands in North Texas competed in the 2016 UIL 6A Area B Marching Band Contest, held on October 29th at Pennington Field. Twenty-five bands competed, including Coppell, for one of five spots in the upcoming state competition in San Antonio. Following the preliminary round, Coppell was one of ten bands selected to perform in finals that evening. Coppell wrapped up with a 4th place finish overall, advancing to the state contest.
“I thought our student-performers delivered two outstanding performances at Area,” said Gerry Miller, Director of Bands for CISD. “The preliminary presentation was very calculated; many smart decisions were made on the field and we had a clear run. Moving into finals, we added a bit of an emotional edge to the show and I think that helped our adjudication panel see just how important this is to the Coppell Band.”
The UIL state marching competition is the pinnacle of contests for Texas high school marching bands. Held every two years, bands must earn a Division I rating in the region contest to qualify for Area, and then rank in the top five at Area to compete in the state prelims. A total of forty bands across the state are scheduled to compete this year in the UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest preliminary round on November 8th. Only twelve of the highest ranking bands will advance to the state finals which will be held on November 9th.
During the UIL region contest, bands are judged on tone, musicianship, marching execution including posture and equipment carriage, and marching style/competencies. During the area and state contests, bands are scored on their individual marching, ensemble marching, drill style and competencies, and integration of marching components through staging and choreography. Music performance is also scored, including brass, woodwind and percussion performance, ensemble performance and musicianship. A total of five judges make up the adjudication panel – three assess marching and two assess music.
“With so many outstanding bands in Texas, especially in North Texas, it is a huge accomplishment for any band to make it to the state competition,” said Miller. “It takes hours of practice, discipline, sweat, motivation and teamwork to develop the kind of musical and marching precision expected there.”
Miller added, “I am looking forward to my first UIL State run with Coppell. This will be my fifth trip to State in eight years, and each one has revealed pleasant surprises about the ensemble. Students grow so much from the process. The performances are great, but what leads up to the performances will stay with our students for life.”
The 2016 UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest will be held November 8-9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Coppell is scheduled to compete in the preliminary round at 8:15 p.m. on November 8. For more information, go to chsbandboosters.com.