There are only 5 months until the first day of band camp for most schools in Kansas, and Marching Band Season can't come here soon enough. What does the 2019 Marching Season have in store for Bands in Kansas? Let's see...
Blue Valley West: The Quest for a three-peat
Ever since October when BVW won KBA, I was wondering in my mind if the reigning back-to-back champions could accomplish the feat of winning KBA again in 2019. I don't know much about next year's show, but I do know one thing - there will be no returning drum majors, so every DM at BVW is in their first year of experience. Is that going to knock BVW off the podium? Not necessarily. I know Cheryl Lee to be one of the best, if not the best, band directors in Kansas so she can definitely pull off a top-3, if not a state championship. But with the non-experienced drum majors for 2019, it will be hard for BVW to win again. KBA is scheduled for the 19th of October, so BVW will go to BOA Iowa, the Golden Regiment Invitational, KBA, and BOA Grand Nationals. Having their first Grand Nationals year since 2009, we are going to be in for a treat... if Cheryl can pull off a GN-caliber show.
Blue Valley SW: After a banner year... what next?
Last year, I must admit I got too hype about BVSW going to BOA and predicted them to run the table at their three competitions which resulted in cancellation, a grand championship, and 3rd in prelims/2nd in finals. Still, I was a bit excited about BVSW going to BOA and thought they would crack the top 30 there along with BVW - they finished middle-of-the-pack in prelims. This raised the question of whether or not they will go to BOA StL next year. It is scheduled for the same day as the UCM festival of Champions, which I heard Brandon Lesando say "provided a home for [them]". So No to STL. Instead, going to BOA Iowa, Golden Regiment Invitational, SMN Marching Festival, and... KBA? I thought that BVSW would try to avenge for last year and take first at UCM, but instead they return to KBA for the first time since 2016! Things just got a lot more interesting...
Buhler: What's the missing piece in your schedule?
When I was talking with Eric Stambaugh, he said that Buhler would go to "Shawnee Mission, KBA, and a competition yet to be announced." I have a couple of suggestions for Buhler. Go to Owasso. It's competitive, not so far away from Buhler, and first time bands are free. Owasso will be a band competition that Buhler will likely make finals and won't be too upset that they won't get first. If Buhler wants more trophies in their room, they should go to Neewollah. I'm pretty sure that Neewollah has missed Buhler as they have not attended since 2012. Almost every trip to Neewollah has ended up in a grand championship for Buhler, so why not? If they want to keep up with the Joneses from Johnson County, they should go to the Golden Regiment Invitational or the LSN Invitational on October 5th. But the final decision is up to Eric. Just giving my suggestions.
Valley Center and Topeka West: A year for Recovery
After These two bands failed to reach milestones they thought they could reach (Becoming Grand Champions at Neewollah and reaching Finals at KBA, respectively), they need to get back to where they were before to prove that they are elite bands. These bands brought energy to the fields they performed on last year with their high-speed, energetic, musically challenging shows, yet did not reach the places they wanted (and I wanted them) to reach. I'm not sure what plans VC or TW have for 2019 (yet), but I'm predicting that VC will be going to SMN, KBA, and Neewollah, while TW will be going to LSN (if it happens this year), Capital City, and KBA. Valley Center did an MBW show 2 years ago with "The Factory", a JFM show last year with "War Dance" so I think they would either be doing a Gary P. Gilroy show or a Grand Mesa Music show this year. I already mentioned that GMM's "remiX" would be amazing if performed by VCHS next year, although "Storm Chasers" could be a good option as well. But if choosing a GPG music show, I would go with "Tarot" because it's not difficult, yet not too easy, and would be packed with the excitingness of "War Dance". As for TWHS, I'd go for a JFM show that has been performed before, because that's the kind of thing that Topeka West likes to do. I went to LSN 2 years ago and saw Liberty North (MO) do a show called "X Marks the Spot", and I firmly believe, after seeing last year's show, that TW can pull that show off. It's obviously up to the directors for the final decision, but I am just throwing stuff out there.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon.
What a lot of wonderful band news!