• Welcome to Fearless Friday Bulletin Boards. Please login or sign up.

 FF is powered by:        Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Ranking Arkansas's Marching Bands (By Conference)

Started by x14113, November 12, 2013, 10:30:21 am

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

x14113

I'd love to put this on the FB board, but since this would be deemed off-topic there...

Anyway, a simple topic (I guess)--How would you rank all the marching bands you've seen in your conference this year?

Let's how orderly this remains...  ;D

x14113

November 12, 2013, 11:07:25 am #1 Last Edit: November 12, 2013, 11:09:36 am by x14113
I'll start off by ranking the bands of the 4A-1.

(the Roman numerals note the assessment region the school is in.  I'll put up a map if everyone gets puzzled about it.)

1 ) Berryville (VI):  They've been the pinnacle of the conference's marching bands for a long time now, to the point where they're getting some blame for the football program's struggles.  With their longtime directors going elsewhere, they've taken a bit of a hit this year (indeed, the two bands below them actually sound better), but are still a solid group overall.

2 ) Prairie Grove (VII):  Gerry Nichols has always had great participation wherever he went, but this is the best marching group he's had since leaving Waldron.  Their sound was slow to develop (it wasn't so great when Ozark came to town), but it was locked at the right time, and the show's theme was well-executed.  Definitely a step up from the last few years.

3 ) Ozark (VIII):  Far and away the best-sounding band in the conference, and unlike the past few years, it was there since Week 1.  Outside of that and their excellent-and-ever-improving color guard, though, there isn't much more than that--the marching and general effect are just merely adequate.  This, though, is a deliberate tactic of its longtime director--it's very clear that Kevin Hume focuses his rehearsal time on things that can be carried over into concert season, which is just as (if not more) important in terms of winning those coveted Sweepstakes awards.

4 ) Farmington (VII):  The Crimson Regiment took a step down this year, with clear intonation issues that has plagued them all season.  Being out of tune is not something you ever want, but it's even worse when the band in question is both large and loud, like Farmington is.  Still, their show and their marching weren't too bad.

5 ) Gravette (VI):  Another band that took a step up this year, and in the simplest way possible--unlike prior years, you don't need hearing aids to listen to this group.  Now, if they can improve both intonation and marching...

6 ) Gentry (VI):  Not much has changed with this group in terms of quality, but should feel concerned about their rival band jumping them this year.  The most memorable thing I've seen from them the past few years was their drum major in 2010:  she was one of (if not the) best that year.

7 ) Pea Ridge (VI): Unlike Gravette, you still need hearing aids for this group.  The fact that PR was the only band in the conference to not perform at the War Eagle Classic last month should tell you enough.

8 ) Lincoln (VII): Unlike PR, this group was at the WEC.  After watching (and hearing) them...you'd wish PR was there instead.  (OTOH, this group does seem to have a lot of support behind it--they actually won Fan Favorite at the WEC, which was determined by...the amount of cash in your assigned jar.)

Overall, a stronger year for the conference than in years past.  Let's see how it fares with Ozark and Farmington's departure.

Fox 16 Arkansas Fox 24 Arkansas