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Answer: Personally, I NEVER come to a decision based
on the number alone. There are 3 key points to consider when either
designing or evaluating the guard:
#1 – Are they fully integrated into the program?
I’ve seen smaller groups that
have been brilliantly written into an overall program. They are
sometimes utilized as almost an additional wind section and always
kept together. One design error I frequently see is writers who
will split a guard of 4 or 5 into two entities separated by quite a
bit of football field. You simply loose impact if your group is
that small (in additional to causing focus issues). On the other
hand, a guard of 24 doesn’t always have to function as the
‘backdrop’ for the winds and percussion. Move them into and out of
forms throughout the program to get the maximum variety.
#2 – Is the design of the work
providing visual support to the musical program?
Every aspect of the visual
program (including the guard) should act as a vehicle for enhancing
the musical selections being presented. If the music is fast and
aggressive, you would expect to see those same contributions from
the guard. Conversely, if the music is very lyrical and expressive,
you would expect to see that type of work being presented. I’ve
often cautioned designers who subscribe to the fact that “more is
better”. Just because something is harder to perform doesn’t
necessarily mean that it’s more effective from a visual musicality
standpoint. A more simplistic approach sometimes provides a much
better vehicle to get the point across.
#3 – Do the performers have the
necessary training level to support the written book?
I’m sure everyone has heard the
phrase “you need to walk before you can run”. This can also be
applied to the level of training from today’s guards. There may be
some absolutely phenomenal writing in a program. But if your group
has problems doing simple spins together in a block, then it’s
unlikely that the one-handed inverted wrist work while split leaping
through the saxophones is going to achieve much success. And while
I’m sure this is frustrating for the performers, it’s also
frustrating for the adjudicators. We WANT to be able to credit
success . . . at all levels. I’ve many times seen groups early in
the season who are struggling with a program, but you can see that
their training level will eventually lead to success. However,
there are probably an equal number of units who “overwrite” their
books in hopes of simply receiving more credit from a repertoire
standpoint. One of the hardest things I have to do each year is to
sometimes convince some of those staff members that they need to
focus more on training vs. an advanced book. Eventually, those
groups will have the tools need to start advancing to the next level
of both skill and achievement.
If the smaller guard is matching
or exceeding the achievements of the larger guard on these 3 points,
then they MUST be compared and scored accordingly and you’ll find
that they can be VERY competitive with groups twice their size or
even larger. |
