The Dublin High School Sound of Dublin Band is heading to Area competition in Denton at 4:30 p.m. Saturday after earning Division 1 ratings (the highest ratings possible) in Regional competition in Mineral Wells Saturday.
“The kids did a great job for sure,” said DISD Band Director Ronny Luedke.
This performance capped off more than two months of the band finessing the ‘Alien Invasion’ routine, which was expanded since the beginning of football season with props and flourishes.
Luedke was very positive about all of his performers although he said a clinician is coming to practice this week to help point out any aspects of the routine that might need work. He added that the few minor notes from the judges will be easy to fix.
Luedke said one of the few missing components at the regional competition was an alien-masked runner carrying a banner and weaving through the routine to ‘claim’ band members who run behind the UFO props and put on an alien mask themselves.
They are hoping to get this part of the routine back in for the area competition. The band was also missing backdrops due to unexpected winds on the Mineral Wells field.
“One of the organizers came up to me and said sorry about the wind and then, ‘Whoops, there go your props,’” said Luedke.
The vertical cloth banners of space were mounted on wheeled brackets and as soon as they were placed, the wind caught them and they rolled across the field.
They immediately decided that they needed to be moved off the field while several volunteers helped hold the UFOs constructed of tarps on a frame.
Luedke said winds in Denton are supposed to be 15-20 MPH on Saturday, so they are looking at ways to keep the props secure.
This is not actually a competition year for Dublin (Only 2A,4A and 6A are eligible for state this season), but UIL decided to have all schools eligible to qualify for Area competition. Luedke said UIL is polling schools about band competitions, and it is expected that soon bands will be eligible to advance to state competition every year.
Luedke thanked Kent Crouch and DBW for the use of a trailer in carrying props as well as Paul Bradberry, Stephanie Sojourner and the Dublin Athletic Booster Club for all their help and support this year.
Dublin will perform Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in DentonforAreacompetition. A send-off was being planned but unavailable at press time. Information will be provided at dublincitizen.com and on the Facebook page when ready.