Vandegrift High School Marching Band - 2023 - Spotlight

[@zilo841]

I had the honor of being a part of Vandy's first championship as a junior in 2013 with Midnight's Beauty. Crazy to see my alma mater continuing to be second to none. Congrats Vandy, very well deserved!

[@jacquexiquin]

Man oh man...That flute solo blew me away. The technicality, tone, and control was remarkable..not many young musicians like him. Vandegrift HS is lucky to have him.

[@ethansarwar6281]

thank you so much! that means SO much to me.

[@rstrunks]

Great show and NO Invasive field props! Thank you! And yes they do use a small circular STAGE effectively.

[@a.h.i267]

Theyre definitely the clear winners of this years SMBC!

[@StillBanginScrew]

When i saw this school perform i told my wife its over they won lol there is no way our daughters school can beat them lol

[@dougiejones5719]

Title of the ballad?

[@burp4462]

715 creeks

[@void8422]

Lmfao joe is so ready to attack anyone in the comments 💀

[@joesekel7908]

lol. So sorry I hurt your feelings. At least I don’t troll (other) HS band postings and try to diminish or deny their accomplishments. That's sick. Those band members read these posts. Other band's fans, sense of entitlement or not, should know better. Appreciate, celebrate and congratulate these kids. Otherwise, keep it to yourself. There, now I've responded to…er “attacked” your comment😁

[@void8422]

@@joesekel7908 lmfao sorry everyone In The comment section hurt ur feelings 😞 or were u just hired as security for this video. Besides that every band is gonna have haters. You get to say ur opinion so why shouldn’t the rest of us? Obviously the students have talent in music and marching but it’s the design we don’t like and that’s on the staff not the students but I’m not ganna sit here and be quiet if I don’t like a show.

[@joesekel7908]

@@void8422 OK, snowflake. No need to whine cause no one is taking your keyboard away. Just don't be so dense as to confuse defending the hard-working kids as attacks on comments without expecting pushback. Whether you think that is video security or not, I couldn't care less. If you think it is normal to "hate" on a band where the kids work as hard as they do, then you are the one with a problem. For the record, I was impressed with every band show I saw at this past State UIL. I think we in TX are extremely blessed to have this crazy good talent, educational staffs and programs in general. This exchange is clearly now a waste of my time. But good luck to you. Hope you find joy with ALL of these bands. (Oh, and I can't remember the last time my feelings were hurt...maybe never.)

[@Orca-Ky]

@@joesekel7908wild a lot of people are out here dissing vand’s show. You doing a good work pretty much quelling those haters lol.

[@joesekel7908]

@@Orca-Ky Thank you. Not a position I want to be in. It's certainly not about me, although I think I have a fairly good understanding of the work and sacrifice these young adults make. I very much suspect that it's fans of other HS Band programs, perhaps believing they are entitled or just being sore losers, that come onto other HS band postings and try to diminish the accomplishments of that band. And shame on them. These kids come to KZbin to view their show in a way they can't from the field. And, with the notable exception of few comments that actually congratulate and celebrate the performance, those kids have to put up with negativity from people that should know better. To me, this is a form of online or social media bullying. And I won't stand by without challenging it and maybe educating those folks...even if I get accused of "attacking" their comments, being "video security" or some other silly thing. I would do the same if I were on another band's posting and saw that crap. Here's what doesn't change: Vandy is back-to-back 6A champs!

[@markwilson5608]

No props, real uniforms and shakos...love it. Now if only they'd play something the average band parent or general fan could recognize, we'd be set.

[@joesekel7908]

Unfortunately the average band parent or general fan doesn't judge at UIL or BOA. So recognizable songs don't factor into their scores. The goal is to take on challenging scores and movement...and execute them to a high level. To me, hearing and seeing these kiddos perform challenging pieces is the entertainment...even if I can't place the tune.

[@markwilson5608]

@@joesekel7908 But the average band parent or general fan does support these bands by showing up and hoping to be entertained. That should account for something. I'm aware of the goals, the constant running of woodwinds or high brass gets real old real quick, as does the obligatory flugelhorn solo or bassoon trio. It's just unfortunate that the judges and directors could care less what the spectator thinks.

[@joesekel7908]

@@markwilson5608 You're assuming that all spectators view it the way you do. I happen to know many spectators, parents or otherwise, that appreciate the art on the field even if they don't recognize the song. Like it or not, this is not really about you being entertained. It's about the growth and reward of the young musicians. They grow by being challenged and overcoming the challenge (which is confimed primarily through professional adjudicator comments and scores). This is what the directors and judges should most care about. Most parents I know support their kiddos regardless. I certainly did. I'm a professional musician with a pretty wide repertoire of songs across many genres. But, I didn't always recognize the songs...and it didn't matter. I still immensely enjoyed the art and appreciated the effort on the field.

[@innolosalattachebrio]

nah, the more abstract the better

[@chernotouray2509]

Why would they do that…that’s lame and marching band shouldn’t cater to people who don’t play music

[@poowoop7600]

First

[@dscholz7954]

Second

[@Eggs732]

The music was kinda generic in my opinion, hebrons was better

[@joesekel7908]

You’re entitled to your opinion for sure. In this case “generic” took gold and your “better” took bronze;-). Sorry to put it that way. But it seems like there is always a Hebron fan that refuses to give props to any other HS band that might have been better at a particular contest. Hebron has a very good band. Who knows? Maybe they’ll score higher at BOA-San Antonio or win Grand Nats. I’ll appreciate that and congratulate them if they do. Just sad that some HS band fans can’t find a way to appreciate and congratulate another HS band…especially one that happened to beat their favorite. Sad. You’re just not true fans of the art on the field.

[@a.h.i267]

I think this year was just more of a relaxed year for everyone

[@joesekel7908]

@@a.h.i267 huh? Is that supposed to mean that Hebron didnt try as hard? lol. I guarantee you, after Vandy won the gold last year, that Hebron, Reagan and every other band was motivated and put in 200%. Kind of a questionable comment. Never known ANY of these high school programs to let up. Pride won’t let them.

[@joesekel7908]

@@a.h.i267 Not to mention, Hebron is going to Grand Nats this year. You’re kidding yourself if you think this is a relaxed year for them, especially considering how much that trip costs them. But nice try with the rationalization. I do wish them best of luck and hope they (or some other TX band) bring the eagle back to TX.

[@void8422]

@@a.h.i267 honestly yeah feels like an off year design wise for every band

[@D2theFG]

Disappointing to see such a good band wasted with no real colorguard

[@jwilk1281]

Where's the guard...? Not first...

[@joesekel7908]

lol, the Vision dance team is multi-faceted as they also use flags. You don't need to have a traditional one-dimensional guard to come in first. Vandy just won back to back state championships and won Grand Nats in 2019 with Vision dance (without a traditional guard). In fact, the Vision instructor/choreographer also worked Santa Clara Vanguard auxiliary. So there are a number of similarities. And no one can doubt Santa Clara Vanguard's bona fides as a top corp.

[@D2theFG]

@@joesekel7908swing flags are easy lame and boring af….