Fun fact: Texas is big. Another fun fact: there are just a couple of bands in Texas *wink*, and it can be exhausting to try and keep up. Luckily for you, I’m a little obsessed with Texas bands, so I can do my best to help you figure out who to look out for this season, regardless of where in Texas you find yourself. For this series of periodically released articles throughout the season, I will split the state into five more digestible sections (as pictured below) - Central, North, South, Southeast, and West - with physical geography, UIL Region/Area alignments, and competitive overlap all taken into account. This edition will primarily focus on competitions from September 23rd, September 30th, and October 7th.
If you want to stay updated on all the marching contest schedules in Texas without the hassle of searching, we've compiled a comprehensive list that you can access. If you have any schedules or information not on our page, send it to info@generaleffect.media!
Central Texas
Starting in Central Texas, we’ve got quite a few interesting storylines to watch for this season, beginning with some notable staff changes. The biggest news in this region was Vista Ridge’s (TX) longtime head band director, Bryan Christian, announcing his retirement. Shawn Murphy left his successful stint at the breakout Liberty Hill (TX) to fill the vacancy. Cedar Ridge (TX) also saw the departure of their head director, Chris Musacchio, with Arminda Velasquez taking the wheel after serving as the assistant band director since 2015 and Bryant Sharpley coming down from Avon (IN). Also worth mentioning is the departure of David Duffy from Moe & Gene Johnson (TX).11
National Spotlight
From this region, we also have a handful of bands competing nationally. Westwood (TX) will be attending the BOA St. Louis Super Regional, where they will be competing for a medal with bands such as Blue Springs (MO), Bentonville (AR), and fellow Lone Star representative Southlake Carroll (TX). In November, three bands from the Austin area will be traveling to Indianapolis to compete at BOA Grand Nationals: Round Rock (TX), James Bowie (TX), and Dripping Springs (TX). All three programs are in the conversation for potential finalists, with a lot of eyes on Round Rock, especially as they made quite the resurgence last fall after missing Grand Nationals Finals for the first time in 2021. James Bowie will also be hoping to regain status as a Grand Nationals Finalist, with their last trip in 2016 ending with the band missing finals. Dripping Springs will be making their first trek to Indianapolis, which is also their first BOA competition outside of Texas since a BOA St. Louis trip in 2018.
Keeping It Local
Looking to the more immediate future, our first weekend of competition brings us one of the most competitive regionals of the entire country: BOA Austin. This contest consistently features most, if not all, of the top bands in the Austin area, and in fact, 14 of my top 15 ranked bands in Central Texas are competing at BOA Austin; the odd one out, McNeil (TX), is hosting, so we’ll see quickly whether my rankings will have aged well.
On September 30th is the Capital City Marching Festival, co-hosted by the LASA (TX) and Austin LBJ (TX) bands, which typically boasts a more localized lineup due to dates generally coinciding with BOA Austin. Still, this year, Dripping Springs and McNeil are headlining the contest in what could be an exciting race for first place.
The headlining competition for October 7th is the Vista Ridge Marching Festival, one of the most significant independent contests in Central Texas outside of the Texas Marching Classic (which is occurring the following week). McNeil is the clear favorite for this contest, but other local programs, including Weiss (TX) and Tom Glenn (TX), will get a chance to compete with bands from further south, like Louis D. Brandeis (TX), Del Rio (TX), and New Braunfels (TX).
Central Texas Top 12:
1. Vandegrift (6A)
2. Vista Ridge (6A)
3. Round Rock (6A)
4. Cedar Ridge (6A)
5. Cedar Park (5A)
6. Westwood (6A)
7. Leander (5A)
8. Rouse (5A)
9. Westlake (6A)
10. James Bowie (6A)
11. Dripping Springs (6A)
12. Hendrickson (5)
Next 3: Lake Travis (6A), McNeil (6A), Moe and Gene Johnson (6A)Top 3 6A: Round Rock, Vandegrift, Vista Ridge
Top 3 5A: Cedar Park, Leander, Rouse
Top 3 4A: Burnet, China Spring, Gatesville
Top 3 1A-3A: C.H. Yoe (3A), Clifton (3A), Harper (2A)
Notable Contests:
September 23rd:
BOA Austin Regional - Austin, TX
USBands Madisonville Showcase & Clinic - Madisonville, TXSeptember 30th:
Capital City Marching Festival - Austin, TX
Hill Country Marching Festival - Fredericksburg, TX
Midway Marching Preview - Waco, TXOctober 7th:
USBands Austin Regional - Buda, TX
Vista Ridge Marching Festival - Cedar Park, TX
North Texas
Compared to Central Texas, staff has remained reasonably consistent across programs in North Texas. That said, a significant portion of Wakeland’s (TX) staff departed, notably their head director, Tanner Smith, who moved on to lead the brand new Prosper ISD school, Walnut Grove (TX). Coming in as Smith’s replacement is Rylon Guidry, previously at Timber Creek (TX), and also worth mentioning is Kyle Ayoub, who had been at Flower Mound (TX) since 2017, joining the Wakeland staff. Filling in the head director position at Timber Creek is Brad McCann, who has been working with James Martin (TX) in various capacities since 2011.
National Spotlight
Three high-profile bands out of North Texas are competing in BOA outside of Texas: Southlake Carroll, Keller (TX), and Hebron (TX). As mentioned above, Carroll will attend the BOA St. Louis Super Regional alongside Westwood. Keller is making their much-anticipated return to Indianapolis for the first time since 2015, hoping to maintain their Finalist status. Hebron is returning to Grand Nationals on their four-year rotation, and many say that they’re the favorite for taking the Eagle following their past two seasons of near-perfect dominance in Texas. We also will see Richland (TX) make the early season trip to New Mexico for the BOA Las Cruces Regional on September 23rd. They’ll be in the running for the title against Clovis (NM), especially considering how close Grapevine (TX) came to winning the same regional last season.
Keeping It Local
Fans of the small band scene in Texas will be excited to see a brand new contest, the Melissa Marching Showcase, taking place the same weekend Richland makes its trip out west. The clear favorites to win it all is Lone Star (TX), but an exciting early season preview of Anna (TX), Celina (TX), Sulphur Springs (TX), and Canton (TX) could help us get a better read on 4A in the early season.
The annual HEB Marching Contest, co-hosted by Trinity (TX) and L.D. Bell (TX) is a staple in North Texas and, on September 30th, will return with just as strong of a lineup as we’ve come to expect. The most exciting storyline will be the fight for first between Marcus (TX), Keller, and Wakeland. Marcus hopes to redeem last season’s disappointing finish, Keller will aim to start their Grand Nationals season with a win, and Wakeland will want to cement themselves as a top band in the DFW area despite the staff turnover.
Rounding out the early season in North Texas is the BOA Bedford Regional on October 7th, which features almost all of the top programs in the area. The Lewisville Three (Hebron, Flower Mound, and Marcus) have their first head-to-head there, but there will also be a “rematch” of the expected top three from the HEB Marching Contest. Also joining the mix are Coppell (TX), Waxahachie (TX), and our northern neighbors, Jenks (OK).
North Texas Top 12:
1. Hebron (6A)
2. Flower Mound (6A)
3. Coppell (6A)
4. Marcus (6A)
5. Keller (6A)
6. Wakeland (5A)
7. Prosper (6A)
8. Waxahachie (6A)
9. L.D. Bell (6A)
10. Keller Central (6A)
11. Timber Creek (6A)
12. Duncanville (6A)Next 3: Rock Hill (6A), Southlake Carroll (6A), Wylie East (6A)
Top 3 6A: Coppell, Flower Mound, Hebron
Top 3 5A: Forney, Lone Star, Wakeland
Top 3 4A: Anna, Celina, Sulphur Springs
Top 3 1A-3A: Mineola (3A), Redwater (3A), Atlanta (3A)
Notable Contests:
September 23rd:
USBands Saginaw Regional - Saginaw, TX
Golden Triangle Classic - Denton, TX
Mansfield Preview of Champions - Mansfield, TX
Melissa Marching Showcase - Melissa, TXSeptember 30th:
USBands Dallas Regional - Fort Worth, TX
HEB Marching Contest - Bedford, TX
Plano East Marching Invitational - Murphy, TX
Sounds of Fall Marching Classic - Princeton, TX
Wylie Marching Invitational - Wylie, TXOctober 7th:
BOA Dallas Regional - Bedford, TX
USBands Burleson Regional - Burleson, TX
Don Hanna Memorial Marching Contest - Denton, TX
McKinney Marching Invitational - McKinney, TX
Sounds of Springtown Marching Contest - Springtown, TX
South Texas
Shock swept the marching band community last year when longtime Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX) head band director Jarrett Lipman announced that he would be stepping away to pursue a political career running for San Antonio City Council. Taking his position was Robert Lozano, the percussion director at the time. Kris Hartman has filled in the vacancy, notable for his work with CTJ, as well as Cedar Park and Leander.
National Spotlight
Staying on the topic of CTJ, they are the sole program from the South Texas region traveling out of the state for BOA with their trip to BOA Grand Nationals. Despite the staff shake-ups, we expect CTJ to be a finalist lock for BOA Grand Nationals.
Keeping It Local
For our opening weekend of competition here, we’ll keep an eye on the Seguin Marching Festival. New Braunfels (TX), a program that has steadily risen over the past decade, will be the favorite to win this contest. Still, John Paul Stevens (TX) and San Antonio MacArthur (TX) will also be repping the San Antonio area at this contest. The other band of interest at this contest is San Marcos (TX), who had a breakout season last year and will be looking to push up the rankings even more this year.
On September 30th, we have the annual BOA McAllen Regional, occurring two weeks later than what has been typical since the regional’s inception in 2015. This regional will be exciting this year because usually there are multiple programs from well north of the border that make the trek down, but this year there is only one: Pieper (TX), making their way down from just north of San Antonio. With a majority of the competition being local, John B. Alexander (TX) is the frontrunner to win this regional once again, but programs such as Del Rio (TX), Roma (TX), and Pieper will make sure this Regional remains competitive. While they are not necessarily a contender, Weslaco (TX) has been a valley band steadily on the rise, and this will be their first time at this regional.
Our final contest to watch for this region is the Comal Classic Marching Contest on October 7th, hosted by Comal Canyon (TX). Our knowledge of who will be attending this contest is limited. Still, fellow Comal ISD schools Davenport (TX) and Smithson Valley (TX) will be the leading bands to watch, both programs being ones with aspirations to make state in 4A and 5A, respectively, later in the season. Davenport is coming off a very successful 2022 season, making State Finals after only three years as a program.
South Texas Top 12:
1. Ronald Reagan (6A)
2. Claudia Taylor Johnson (6A)
3. New Braunfels (6A)
4. Sandra Day O’Connor (6A)
5. Louis D. Brandeis (6A)
6. John B. Alexander (6A)
7. Roma (5A)
8. Del Rio (6A)
9. Winston Churchill (6A)
10. Sharyland (5A)
11. William J. Brennan (6A)
12. John Paul Stevens (6A)Next 3: Harlingen (6A), Homer Hanna (6A), Pioneer (5A)
Top 3 6A: Claudia Taylor Johnson, New Braunfels, Ronald Reagan
Top 3 5A: Pioneer, Roma, Sharyland
Top 3 4A: Calallen, Davenport, Floresville
Top 3 1A-3A: Hondo (3A), Natalia (3A), Shiner (2A)
Notable Contests:
September 23rd:
USBands San Antonio Regional - San Antonio, TX
Champion Charger Marching Classic - Boerne, TX
Seguin Marching Festival - Seguin, TXSeptember 30th:
BOA McAllen Regional - McAllen, TX
USBands Crossroads Showcase & Clinic - Victoria, TX
USBands Ludwig-Musser Classic: Texas - Converse, TX
Rough Rider Marching Contest - San Antonio, TXOctober 7th:
USBands Hill Country Regional - San Antonio, TX
Comal Classic Marching Contest - New Braunfels, TX
Rocket Review Marching Contest - Converse, TX
Southeast Texas
Making our way up the Gulf Coast, there have been a few notable director shifts in Southeast Texas. Most notably, legendary band director David McGrath moved across the district from Klein Cain (TX) to Klein Oak (TX), already one of the most exciting programs on the rise in the Houston area. Another move of note is Kyle Witty leaving an assistant director spot at The Woodlands (TX) to take the job as an assistant at Seven Lakes (TX), which has firmly established itself as a top-five Houston area band over the past five years. Finally, Martin Montoya has stepped away as head band director for Brazoswood (TX), with D.J. Eisenhart stepping in, moving up from an assistant position he has held for the past seven years.
National Spotlight
For bands going national, we have a couple from Southeast Texas: The Woodlands and Pearland (TX). The Woodlands is still on their cycle of attending BOA Grand Nationals every other year and is highly expected to be a contender, especially after their very close finish behind Hebron at BOA San Antonio last year. On the other hand, Pearland is taking its first trip to Indianapolis this fall, and many expect them to be a lock for finals.
Keeping It Local
Opening weekend for Southeast Texas is relatively slow, with the USBands Baytown Showcase being the only contest we know of. Still, there are some interesting storylines to follow. Last year, Chris Brannan, previously of Mineola (TX) and Queen City (TX), took the head director position at Barbers Hill (TX), and they will have the opportunity to compare themselves to some other notable Houston 5As, such as Porter (TX) and Magnolia West (TX). This will also be our first look at Brazoswood without Montoya at the helm; they are still the favorites, but how they compare to bands such as Klein Collins (TX) and Clements (TX) could give us an idea of how they will do under new leadership.
On September 30th, the Conroe Regional, the first of two BOA Regionals in the Houston area, is taking place. This region is notable because of the absence of both The Woodlands and Pearland from the lineup, leaving the race for the title a very likely close between Cypress Woods (TX), Seven Lakes, Cy-Fair (TX), and Klein Oak. Finals will likely be rounded out by bands such as Clear Brook (TX), Stephen F. Austin (TX), and Friendswood (TX). Still, Churchill Fulshear (TX) and College Station (TX) could also find themselves in the finals conversation with many of the powerhouses absent from this contest. This will also be Iowa Colony’s (TX) first BOA show, and a solid performance could bode well for their chances at qualifying for the UIL 4A State Marching Contest later in the season.
The early season rounds out for the Houston area with the BOA Katy Regional, which is bound to be one of the most exciting of the season. The race for first will be just as exciting as BOA Conroe, but between some of the top bands in the country, with The Woodlands, CT Johnson, and Ronald Reagan (TX) going head-to-head. Pearland also joins in the mix, accompanied by three of the four Conroe contenders I mentioned above, with Klein Oak being the odd one out; however, there is the addition of Bridgeland (TX), who will likely be just as competitive. James Bowie (TX), making the trek from Austin, is another solid contender for finals, leaving just three spots up for grabs between programs such as Friendswood (TX), Dawson (TX), Oak Ridge (TX), Tomball Memorial (TX), Brazoswood, and many more.
Southeast Texas Top 12:
1. The Woodlands (6A)
2. Pearland (6A)
3. Cypress Woods (6A)
4. Seven Lakes (6A)
5. Cy-Fair (6A)
6. Klein Oak (6A)
7. Bridgeland (6A)
8. Stephen F. Austin (6A)
9. North Shore (6A)
10. Friendswood (5A)
11. Clear Brook (6A)
12. Dickinson (6A)Next 3: College Park (6A), Foster (5A), Jordan (6A)
Top 3 6A: Cypress Woods, Pearland, The Woodlands
Top 3 5A: Churchill Fulshear, Foster, Friendswood
Top 3 4A: Bridge City, Lumberton, Splendora
Top 3 1A-3A: Ganado (2A), Palestine Westwood (3A), Tarkington (3A)
Notable Contests:
September 23rd:
USBands Baytown Showcase - Baytown, TX
September 30th:
BOA Conroe Regional - Shenandoah, TX
USBands Houston Regional - Webster, TX
Cypress Showcase Marching Contest - Cypress, TX
Galena Park ISD Marching Festival - Houston, TXOctober 7th:
BOA Katy Regional - Katy, TX
Alvin ISD Marching Contest - Rosharon, TX
Battle at the Berry Marching Festival - Cypress, TX
Gulf Coast Classic Marching Festival - League City, TX
West Texas
Lastly, we head out to West Texas, where information about staff changes can be hard to track down. The most notable change within the past year that I am aware of is the addition of Kyle McDonald to Abilene Wylie (TX). Every program that Kyle has led has seen a significant quality improvement, with the most notable example being Panhandle (TX), a 2A State Marching Championship contender for the stretch he was there. Moving on to out-of-state competitions, no West Texas programs will travel north this season. However, many are heading out West to the BOA Las Cruces regional this weekend. Bel Air (TX), Del Valle (TX), and Eastlake (TX) all were finalists at last year’s New Mexico regional, and Riverside (TX) missed finals but did not do poorly at all. Adding to this list of returning competitors is Midland Legacy (TX), who last made BOA Midland finals in 2018, and Pecos (TX), one of the strongest 4A programs West Texas has to offer and a fan favorite almost every year.
Keeping It Local
In state, week one brings us the T-Bird Marching Invitational, hosted by El Paso Coronado (TX), where most of the remaining strong El Paso-area bands will be competing while the group above will be in Las Cruces. The favorite for this competition is J.M. Hanks (TX), arguably the strongest El Paso band since the late 2010s, but groups like Pebble Hills (TX), Horizon (TX), and Parkland (TX) could punch up to make it a close battle for first.
The following weekend brings us the BOA Midland Regional, which looks like a fascinating lineup. Joining us in West Texas this year, we have Clovis (NM), Loveland (CO), and Mustang (OK) making the trip across borders, all three of which are expected to make finals and potentially contend for the Regional Title. As always, strong programs from different parts of the state will be traveling out west in Hendrickson (TX), Colleyville Heritage (TX), Braswell (TX), and Sachse (TX). With the seven bands already mentioned more than likely all making finals, that leaves five spots open for West Texas representatives to fight their way into finals. Permian (TX) has consistently been a finalist here and is the only West Texas band (other than Midland Legacy in 2018) to claim a spot in the top half of finals. The remaining four spots will likely be contended by Midland (TX), Frenship (TX), Pecos, Lubbock-Cooper (TX), Abilene Wylie, and others.
On October 7th, we’ll keep our eyes on the Westerner Marching Festival, as, even with our limited knowledge, it looks to be one of the strongest shows in the area that weekend. The only bands we can confirm attending are Frenship, Lubbock-Cooper, and Monterey (TX). Still, every year, there is turnout from other West Texas bands from as far north as Amarillo to as far south as Odessa, with diverse representation from all of UIL’s classes, 1A-6A.
West Texas Top 12:
1. Permian (6A)
2. J.M. Hanks (5A)
3. Midland (6A)
4. El Paso Coronado (6A)
5. Pebble Hills (6A)
6. Frenship (6A)
7. Eastlake (6A)
8. Bel Air (5A)
9. Lubbock-Cooper (5A)
10. Parkland (5A)
11. Canyon (4A)
12. Abilene Wylie (5A)Next 3: Eastwood (6A), Horizon (5A), West Plains (4A)
Top 3 6A: Coronado, Midland, Permian
Top 3 5A: Bel Air, J.M. Hanks, Lubbock-Cooper
Top 3 4A: Canyon, Randall, West Plains
Top 3 1A-3A: Clyde (3A), Crane (3A), Panhandle (2A)
Notable Contests:
September 23rd:
T-Bird Marching Invitational - El Paso, TX
September 30th:
BOA Midland Regional - Midland, TX
El Paso ISD Marching Contest - El Paso, TX
High Plains Marching Festival - Amarillo, TXOctober 7th:
Big Country Marching Festival - Abilene, TX
Westerner Marching Festival - Lubbock, TX
That closes out the first installment of Deep in the Heart, covering competitions from all across the state leading up to the UIL portion of the season. You can expect the next installment on October 10th, the same day as the first UIL Region Marching Contest, then again on October 29th, the night before the first week of the UIL State Marching Contest. Thank you for reading, and I am once again asking that if you have any information on contest schedules, attendees, and results missing from our source page, please email us at info@generaleffect.media!
Aaron Blackley is one of the original contributors for General Effect Media. He has a vast knowledge and passion for the marching arts and has worked alongside the likes of HornRank as a ranker and moderator as well as the TxBands.com liveblog team since summer 2021. Aaron currently works front of house at Interstellar BBQ in North Austin. He can be found on Twitter as @GEMAaronB.