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The Judge's Box |
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Question: Why isn’t the color guard or
percussion included in the overall band score? |
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Answer:
These were
actually two separate questions that I’ve chosen to answer at once
since they are so closely related. This is a question that has been
asked for many years. First of all, the guard and percussion
sections ARE considered by the other judges, not just the folks
adjudicating those separate captions. The visual performance judges
will sample both the guard and percussion evaluating everything from
uniformity of technique, spacing and alignment within the forms,
timing of equipment work, and recovery from error. The music
performance judges will evaluate the percussion section with regards
to technique, blend and balance within the ensemble (pit to battery
as well as overall percussion to winds), and expressive qualities
(i.e., dynamics). Both the visual and music effect judges consider
integration within the overall program, staging, contribution to
musical/visual impacts, and effective performer communication. Each
state or circuit “owns” their own parameters as far as their
respective scoring methods. KMEA (as well as Mid-States, ISSMA, and
BOA) believes that those groups should be evaluated as part of the
“whole”, rather than separately. In all of the markets where I have
judged, I’ve only encountered a single instance (Missouri) where
individual guard and percussion captions contribute directly to the
overall score. Missouri, however, doesn’t have any type of
state-sanctioned governing body that regulates their sheets. Each
independent contest can do whatever they want as far as the formula
to determine the overall score. |
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Kentucky School Bands. |
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