U.I.L. State Marching Band Contest

Coming from a small town can be challenging. That is before 2015, the 1A and 2A would have to complete against each other to head to state, that all changed in 2015 when the UIL had a contest pilot for the 1A, meaning they would not have to complete at Area against the bigger and better 2A schools. My school's Area was tough, my school (New Deal,) We would have to complete against some stronger sounding schools like Sundown, and Forsan. New Deal has came a long way from competition, getting division 1's, advancing to Area and not advancing to State till for the first time in School history back in 2013. 2013, New Deal advanced to the state level where we finished 6th in the state for 1A. 2015 was a different story, we advanced to state once again and we won fair and square, beating out Sundown for 2nd, Carlisle 3rd. This venue is more then amazing, they have unbelievable views through the stadium, I would never trade my memories for nothing. I fell in love with it when I came here in 2013, and it felt more amazing when we got to come back in 2015. I would never change a thing! Can't wait for this Nov. when New Deal defends the title!!!!!! #LIONPRIDE

The venue was amazing. I was so overwhelmed that all of the high school marching bands got the opportunity to compete in such an awesome place.

Excellent representation of hard work, dedication and passion for what you do. Is unbelievable what these high school students can do. Band directors and an amazing group of parent have to be acknowledged on each one of these presentations.

Incredible bands from all over the state came and played with heart and soul. Parents and friends filled the stands and cheered and cried. It was an unforgettable event and I hope I'm lucky enough to go again. I have to mention the incredible UTEP band that played at finals. They were amazing and extraordinarily entertaining. I'd pay the price of admission just to see them and hear their unbelievable sound.

The Bands were great. They all showed why they are competing at this level. I enjoyed it a great deal. Will definetly go again.

I thought the whole contest was incredible! I was very impressed with the quality of all the bands.

Awesome performances by the top ten bands at the AAA TX State Marching contest. I did not agree with the placements, however.

There were terrific bands at this competition. While I did not agree with all the bands that made it into the finals, the top ten, I enjoyed watching all the bands!

This was my first trip to the U.I.L. State Marching Band Championships and my first event in the Alamodome. The marching bands and their performances were amazing and so inspiring. So much hard work by all of these students. What dedication!! The Alamodome was spectacular except for the stadium seats. Too cramped and thank God I brought my seat cushion.

It takes a lot of talent and hard work from all involved to coordinate performances at this level. Thanks to the UIL Texas officials, educators and band members for working so hard to achieve great things, and kudos to the parents who support their schools. Although the parking was a major issue, I'm so glad we took three days out of our work week to travel to San Antonio.

Leander I.S.D. made a clean sweep on the TEXAS 5-A MARCHING CONTEST. took the top 4 places.

Event was nice and way over priced (food, shirts,and event entry). The event was judged more on the how many props the bands can use and not the mar hing or music. All the bands that were in the finals had the most props and performed a musical rather than any marching.

Instrumental music is alive and well in Texas! This competition was incredible, and truly showcases the talents of Texas band students. It does make for a long day if you attend prelims and finals, but it is worth it!

Awesome acoustics at the Alamodome UIL needs a Division 7A

I loved the event, it was unique and awesome as each and every band that performed. The only down side I saw was the seating. it was cramped and it made me feel claustrophobic. I wouldn't recommend attending a packed event at this location.

What a wonderful show these high school bands put on for us!

My family and I had a great time thank you for all that you offered there for us. Beautiful city and yes we would do it again. The dome was nice and clean and the people who worked there were very nice to us so thank you for that.

Great event overall - great support of the kids. Strange to see the contrast between the featured band's style (University of Texas) and the style the UIL has encouraged from these high school students. I may be "old school" but to me it seems that a strong show like UT is much more appropriate at a competitive football game than the more artsy version seen in the high school competition. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the arts. I just believe they need to be placed appropriately. And at a football game, a strong marching band preformance sets the stage for a strong victory bound football team - but maybe that's just me. The Alamodome, was amazingly clean throughout the event - thank you all!!! Thanks to everyone who made it possible. You guys are truly great!!!!!

All of the marching bands where phenomenal, i just think the judges could have done a better job selecting the bands that moved on to the finals. It seems like they where selecting wich schools had more money not which ones where the most talented. I certainly hope i'm wrong, but speaking with other parents the feeling was mutual. People need to quit letting politics get involved in the way of true talent. The show itself was amazing and very well put together.

Awesome performances. Congratulations to all the bands.

All of the bands I watched were awesome and deserve a lot of praise for their hard work and dedication. I think the title should be UIL State Show Band Championships as only one band really did what I thought a Marching Band should do ( I guess over the years the meaning has changed to more theater and less marching). Would it be better if the Judges just knew the Bands by a number so they would not have any preconceived ideas of who is already the best? (Just saying this from a figure skating aspect where you have to pay your dues before you are any good). I think the venue should be changed because of the very high prices charged for a bottle of water ($4.00) and food (also very high) as well as the parking - $15.00 each and every time you want to come back and park - there should be a $10.00 all day fee for all of the fans attending. I think it is a crime to overcharge the people at these events just because they can!

Over 5500 kids came together to perform in 28 separate bands at this event. Great music, great visuals, and a ton of hard work all demonstrated in this all-day event.

Was here for the 1A/2A state marching contest. The upper levels were not open for the prelims forcing unnecessarily cramped conditions, the inability to move to get away from noisy spectatods and poor viewing angles for those forced to watch and listen from near the endzones. This is a problem that doesn't need to exist and one which should be fixed for future marchjng contests to be held here.

The Alamodome was an excellent location for the state competition. To bring all of the best bands and have them in one location is awesome.

A lot of talent!! Highly recommended even if you don't have anybody in a band.

Best Marching Contest in the country! Well worth the price of admission!

Great show! Awesome seats! Can't wait to go again in two years.

This was a fabulous event to attend! So many great bands! The ten best bands advanced to finals, which was another treat! Very enjoyable.

The Alamodome was the perfect place to have the band contest. Plenty of seating, and accessibility. The only issue we had was with parking. We knew it would be a packed event but I felt with the lots full and closed off...general suggestions should have been made to additional parking sites (privately owned if necessary) would have been helpful. We just got a "the lots full, keep moving" or a chained gate. Once inside though everything was cool. Shows started on time, inside staff was friendly, bathrooms were clean. Even if you don't have a kid in one of the bands...this event is a great one to watch for the entertainment value alone.

it was really good seating was perfect and it was really fun

The venue was great, the staff excellent. The competition was fierce and exciting.

LOVED the line up of bands this year! Amazing kids with dedication and hard work and it truly shows! Shout out to Marcus for winning 1st place, but Loved the Hendrickson Hawk Band with such an amazing show about the atomic bomb... deep and dark and emotional. Sure wish didn't have to pay $7.50 for just a water and pretzel though... those food prices are crazy!

Castelberry ISD, the last band to perform had unusual and really beautiful flags. Their whole performance was perfection!

Amazing music, beautiful performances, everything run perfectly on time.

Absolutely loved it. Everything was very professional. There were plenty of workers there to ensure the event went over without a hitch. The contest was very well organized and was promptly on time.

EXTRAORDINARY Performance by the UTEPMarching Band!!!

I had the privilege to watch the top 24 bands in the state of Texas perform at the UIL Class 4A State Marching Competition in the Alamodome in San Antonio. This event is the culmination of the many, many hours of preparation from bands across the state of Texas and competitions at the district, area and state levels. It is truly an opportunity to see and hear the best of the best. The Alamodome provides the perfect venue for these bands... great sound and no external distractions. The event runs like clockwork with a new band performing every fifteen minutes. I have to do a shoutout to our Lake Travis Cavalier Band who finished fifth in the state and to Cedar Park for winning the state championship. An honorable mention goes to the Baylor University Golden Wave Band (BUGWB) for their featured performance. Overall, this was an amazing event!

This was an amazing event. It was exciting to see all these high school kids perform in such a tough competition. The amount of work, dedication, precision, and excellence displayed by these students was tremendous. They should all be so proud to have reached such a pinacle in their marching season!