Bands: Fall Season Review 2007.

The Suburban bands are on top right now. That is all!!!

The Fall 2007 season was just OK. Many bands are under new direction and now have to get in tune with their new Director. We have Mr. Cooper at Julian, Ms. Nash at Morgan Park, and Mr. Frazier at CVCA(CVS).

I'm going to break down each band that I saw during the FALL season starting with the Classic up to RC BOTB. But before I do that I want to say this..KEEP THE ALUMNI/ADULTS/NON GRADUATES OF THE SCHOOL OUT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL BANDS! PERIOD!
The Chicago bands are not what they were during the late 90s so get over it. They got better again this last 3 years now they in the dirt again. Let these band directors and current band students build their own bands back up on their own. using alumni to go against another H.S band proves nothing. That's why I thought the Windy City All Star band was nothing more than a distraction. Their alumni members jumping in the ranks with these H.S bands and some of them didn't even attend the school. I'll be damned these band directors are letting outsiders who never marched and sweat or even taught any of them to march in their bands. Shame on you! The only band I know of who didn't marching alumni during the regular school year so far was Julian, maybe King. I'm not sure about the burbs but most folk told me they were alumni free. They don't play that mess. Stop trying to relive you glory years now go to school or get a job. Why are 20 year old's marching with high school kids?

Now on to the heart of this blog!

King High School:

First, congratulations on the donation you received toward band uniforms!
This band was the most consistent band this whole season! Their sound was good and either stayed the same and in some cases improved over time. King compensated for the lack of trumpets but the band stayed within their range which is the best thing to do. They weren't that great at Bud Billiken but improved from then until the start of Football season.

Their dancers and twirlers for some odd reason do not march on the same foot as the band. I'm not sure why. It makes the whole band look off. Who's bright idea was it for the dancers to wear gym shoes??? hahahahahaha. the flag girls were nothing special.
In my opinion the best Chicago band overall this season was King! This is not the King band from 2005 but in some ways they are better than that 05 band and other things they can improve on. Such as marching as a unit and holding up their horns at shoulder length. Stop being lazy!

Corliss H.S Trojans:

It's the same thing with them every year. Their numbers keep going down, they march alumni and grown folk. The only attraction to this band is the Trojettes, I will get to them later.
Corliss sounded good one day then at events like the Chicago Classic and Homecoming they sounded terrible. It's a shame half the footage I have of them sounds band, but some folks say that's my fault. I make them look and sound band....to those people I saw "beseme culo"
This band marches people who graduated in 2003-2006. Why? CTB has been known to march their alumni since forever, fine! But to march folks who didn't even attend the school? I hope Mr. Burton paid them. Basically this band is nothing great. They can't drill to save their lives. Now they are doing that circle drill non stop. Their book never changes unless they get a hold of something from JSU. I hope a certain person gets to take over as band director. CTB how many times can you all play cold hearted, party don't stop, let's go, and espn in just about all the field shows y'all do or in the stands?? I heard something new like Lost Without You but that's it. CTB as a whole can do way better then the crap they have been putting out since 2004.
The Trojettes are still a good dance line but others are starting to catchup. First they have no identity no more. The majority of the counts they are doing come from JSU Jsettes and have been doing them since what?? 2003? They almost look, march, and dance like the Jsettes. But who are the Trojettes? Just Jsette wannabes? More originality can come from them since they have a choreographer, but he seems to only of use when it comes to field shows. I think they brought out their crabs way to late in the season but that's their tradition to bring them out mostly at Homecoming and the new girls were not hot at all. But we'll see won't we?

The worst band this season in my opinion was Corliss, as far as the regular Chicago bands go.

Morgan Park H.S:

They are under new direction with Ms. Nash. They sounded OK and played within their range since they are a small band. They didn't worry about who was bigger and whatnot, they just played their music to suit their band and I thought they was a good thing. I hope their sound improves during the winter season up until the spring. Their only issues is drilling. As seen at Rich Central they didn't place because basically they had no 8to5 drill or corps drill. But that's with the band director.
MP is notoriously known for having way too many Auxiliaries! For such a small band they will show up with dancers, flags, twirlers, and pom poms and they would out number the band. I feel all of that is not needed! Dancers, maybe 1-4 twirlers, and 10-12 flags. They take up so much room at Gately its crazy.

They were not the worst band in my opinion but I do see potential in them to get way than they are in the coming years.

Dunbar H.S

I'm not sure what to say about them. I didn't know half of that great fall 06 band graduated in 07 and left them with almost nothing lol. They only had a dline at BUD. Now they had alumni on tuba but they only have crab tubas who didn't know music or how to play for that matter. Mr. Mitchell has to start all over almost. But at the CVCA game they sounded decent. But they have a btone player who was trying to show off and just put out terrible notes and was trying to play over the band. That didn't work. It sounded terrible. The fhorns/mellos were not great either like in 2006. But I understand their circumstances once it was explained to me. DVCA recovered a LOT under Mitchell during the 04-06 seasons. So I have a feeling come this Spring DVCA will be back with a vengeance.
Their dancers are still OK. They haven't done anything to put them over the top just yet. But they smile a lot lol. The Dancette's Captain was bringing a little heat though!!

Chicago Vocational Career High School:

Another band under new director with Mr. Frazier, who really didn't do anything with Morgan park after Mr Daugherty left. With CVCA's bands they debuted new uniforms but I see a brand new CVCA band coming together. Seeing him at the MP game and DVCA game was a breathe of fresh air. He was very organized, he had the band sounding off as a unit, and he seemed to be about business! CVCA sounds better than they did in 2006 so I seem them getting better over the years. The old CVS band rule this city for a long time. People are ready to see that great band come back again. Now at the DVCA game I found out they marched alumni, OK fine. If he must but I don't agree with it. But they sounded good and the best I have heard them since 2000! Seven years people it's been. The students seemed to having so much fun and enjoying being in the band.
Their dancers needs lots of work! That's all I have to say about that lol.

Julian H.S!

My H.S I came out of in 2001. Mr. Key has moved on to Central State University and Mr. Lawrence Cooper took over as band director, I think I had a hand in that....YES I DID! So I was watching PLJ band a little harder then others.
Julian's new band director went to Southern University and was apart of the best drilling band in the USA. PLJ still remains the best drilling band as far as the show style bands in Chicago go, with king being a distant second. But starting off the year was bad. Their sound went down the tube. That CTB vs PLJ game was a disappointment. But oddly their sound kept getting better as the season went on even though their numbers dropped. This is the first year since 2003 I saw PLJ mess up a drill at Homecoming but if you didn't know what 8to5 was you probably didn't catch it. They sound was getting better but their main issues in my opinion were the Fhorns, tubas, and trumpets. The trumps kept trying to be heard like they had something to prove and wrong notes started flying everywhere. Same with the fhorns, just over blowing and wrong notes coming out. Some songs were better than others with this band. Their best performances this season were at the Classic, Homecoming, and Rich Central BOTB. PLJ now has the best band staff you can get. Their drills will get way better but their sound as a whole must improve to what it was pre 2007. Julian had one of the most progressive books of ANY band. Their band director and arrange, something new for a change around Chicago. Beautiful Girls, 9MM, Grateful, You Make Me Better, that Pussy Cat Girls tune from the classic, JUST TO NAME A FEW! I am getting sick of hearing ESPN and Lets go from all the bands but PLJ would have kept any battle interesting just by running of that book and I honestly believe they would have played any band out of Gately with their songs, cause the other band would run out first!

The Julian Dancing Dolls keep getting better and better! IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME LOOK AT THE DAMN VIDEOS! They do things that set them apart from everyone else. Granted all the squads here copy/remix counts from other squads but their Choreographer made up a lot of new dances for them. The dancers even made up their own for Ice Cream Man. They are using stunts in their shows now and they are crowd pleasers...listen to the wows and claps they got from the Rich Central crowd this year and last year. They need to step into some new uniforms, but that cost money so those girls being getting down with what they have. I can't wait to see them in the spring, from what some folks told me lol. Also, they got their crabs in line real quick! They have their tryouts in the summer after freshman orientation which helps because the girls can get ready during band camp and be ready or close to it by the start of the school year. Long story short the PLJ Dolls have been the most progressive squad and I believe the BEST out of any of the schools mentioned on here.
Their twirlers....no comment! But I do like the flag girl routine from Rich Central.

Proviso East H.S from Maywood!

They shocked me this fall. They by far would run over every Chicago Show band right now! They best sound as a whole band. East band started to slide over the last 2 years but came back on top. They are also the best sounding band on the field, meaning they maintain their full sound while marching, something other bands have a problem with. Their sound is full and no one "seems" to be trying to out play each other.

Proviso West H.S from Hillside.

Screw them lol. I couldn't see them at all. They kept marching with East as PT and they didn't go to the East game. O well. But they were the best band at PE BOTB, I ain't never heard a band that good in a long time so I was looking forward to seeing them this fall...but I guess I will have to wait until the spring!

Well...The south burbs..another section of bands who are just in a class by themselves!

Thornridge is the best band in the Chicago land area! Precision, something they do very well.

Rich Central puts on great shows ALL the time. Everyone in their band puts out energy and the crowd feeds off of it.

Rich South is another band I saw for the first time this season. Great marching, great sound, great drills. Basically the south and west burbs have the best marching bands while Chicago is trying to catch back up! But the season is over....what will happen in the Spring?

In closing: The band is a reflection of the band director. I'm sick of hearing its the students! Yea Chicago band students are not like down south band students but we shouldn't compare the two. If a band director has great knowledge of music and can create a system of teaching the basic marching fundamentals, 8to5 fundamentals, horn holding, and make it fun at the same time while weeding out problem students, Chicago bands would be a lot BETTER!

My own personal rankings:

Top 5 Bands overall all with the Burbs included

1. Thornridge
2. Proviso East
3. Rich Central/Rich South
4. King/Julian
5. Hillcrest

These are just my opinion from MY POINT OF VIEW! If you get offended by this or just say "he don't know shit" that's fine...this blog ain't going no where.

P.S. People also needs to stop with the "since my class came out the band sucks" bull crap. Unless you giving back in some way it doesn't mean anything. EVERYONE thinks their class was the shit, get your head out your butt~

Terrell E. Williams
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