BOA Grand Nationals: James Bowie, Austin, Texas

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 14, 2009)—James Bowie High School from Austin, Texas, brings a field show to the Bands of America Grand National Championships that earns them a place in the finals round here at the Lucas Oil Stadium. No surprise there: here’s a list of the composers whose music they use to craft their show, entitled “The Mystic”:

• Paul Hindemith
• Paul Dukas
• Gustav Holst
• Gustav Mahler
• Igor Stravinsky

The show’s title is apparently a reference to a ritualistic ceremony, performed by a girl whose scepter has an orange ball at the top. She has mystical powers that allow her to be swallowed by a fire-breathing dragon. That doesn’t happen until almost the end.

Getting to that point is where the real fun comes in. It starts out with an impressive end zone to goal line set, with the girl doing a dance in the middle. She’s represented by the orange ball in the diagram below at the left.

This entire formation changes shape before our eyes, with the girl still doing her ritual dance in the middle. One of the diamonds becomes an ellipse, as shown in the middle field diagram. The line in front with the tubas then becomes bolder, as the formation starts to resemble an actual eye, with the girl as the pupil.

But not only does it change shape; it starts to move to the right. As it’s changing shape, it moves. Incorporating that level of complexity into the marching is one thing that earned this band top five honors at the Texas University Interscholastic League marching band state championships in 2008.

After a dazzling woodwind line, we are treated to a French horn solo that also serves to segue to the most liquid crescendos we hear all day. That kind of balance is another factor that would earn this band top honors in any competition. A few of the groundswells of sound no doubt take the girl’s breath away, rendering her willing to be eaten by the dragon and bring whatever the natives wish for.

Maneuvers don’t let up here, either. Although the use of two groups colliding head-on has become more popular in the last decade or so, there are few bands that could execute a double-head-on collision as well as this band. What I mean by that is, in each group, squads of two lines of marchers move toward each other so fast that they’re practically sprinting on the field. Direction of motion is indicated by the arrows:

There’s some character acting …

… and time for a woodwind trio (shown) of two clarinets and a piccolo, as well as a quartet featuring oboe, bassoon, flute, and clarinet. Of special note is the oboe line that follows the swallowing of the girl to open the final movement of the band’s performance. In a fantasy-based way, it transports the band to where they want to be and the audience to a world we know almost nothing about.

Although the show makes no obvious reference to why the band has brought in a mystic, one can only imagine they’re praying for rain, given the current drought where they live. We join their prayers and wish to point out that a ritual like this could only help whatever modern science has thus far attempted.

The Bowie Outdoor Performing Ensemble is directed by Bruce Dinkins, with assistance from Ryan Thomas, Kim Shuttlesworth, and Stephen Howard, and field leadership by drum majors Lisa Branson, Taylor Chasey, Braden Crone, and Garrison Land. The marching band has been to the Grand Nationals twice since the school was built in 1988, performing in the finals both times.