Search
Close this search box.

Views from the Press Box, Lessons and Advice from Marching Adjudicators

Anthony Pursell | May 2013


    As the spring semester comes to an end, many high school band directors are already preparing for the coming marching season. A marching show has many hours of preparation and planning invested before the first student walks onto the football field ready to learn drill and music. For some programs, additional performances besides playing for football games take place at festivals, competitions, and trips. In many of these experiences, a panel of adjudicators will assess the marching band’s performance. Recently, I interviewed several marching band directors from around the country with extensive experience in adjudicating marching bands. Their insights and experiences shed light on how to produce the best possible marching experience for your program and students.

What are the benefits of competitive marching band competitions vs. a festival where only comments are given?
Heidi Sarver, University of Delaware: Benefits exist in both settings. In the purest sense both experiences provide band directors and students with necessary feedback on how to improve their programs. Com-petitive events take it a few steps further by analyzing each band’s achievements against a scale provided by the competition circuit to place each band in order of success. A festival is strictly feedback to the bands regarding how well they did and suggestions for improvement.
    Many believe that competition provides more motivation for improvement. Other people feel that competitions place too much pressure upon students and too much emphasis on coming in first. If handled properly both settings provide the necessary motivation for students to pursue improvement.
    I prefer festivals where only comments are given simply because I enjoy providing the performers with as much information as possible that will be of benefit to them in the future. I do the same in the competitive setting, but I must then also make comparisons to other groups, taking my focus off of each band’s endeavors.

Gary Westbrook, Tarleton State University: The major benefit of either is the same: a performance for students. Any time you can provide good constructive advice to students on their performance is a good thing. Competitions allow students to compare themselves to themselves and others, while festivals let students compare themselves against a standard. The key to making either a good experience is having the director prepare the students appropriately.

Debra Traficante, University of Oklahoma: The benefits of competitive events are plentiful, with the administrative and community support, financial resources, and staff to back this activity. The benefits (developing teamwork, overcoming challenges, learning leadership skills, and focusing for extended periods of time) largely fall before the event occurs. One the largest benefits of a competitive event is that it motivates students while learning music and marching in great detail. However, if a band is in an area with limited support and resources, a festival of comments only might be exactly what students need to be motivated. The same benefits may be earned from comments-only festivals if the director leads the students to that end. The benefit for students should be the primary consideration for marching. All things considered, both activities should be monitored for the best outcome for the students in the marching band.

Donald Linn, Kansas State University: A festival where only comments are given has advantages over a competitive format, but ultimately the differences aren’t that significant for me as an adjudicator. In both scenarios I use a rubric to keep me honest in my evaluation and to make sure I am looking at all the areas in which the band would need praise, help, and improvement. I feel more freedom in the festival format where I can focus primarily on helping the band in front of me instead of worrying about accurate numbers or comparisons to other bands. Judges should always evaluate honestly the performance in front of them and do whatever possible to aid the band director and staff in the evaluation, development, and education of their ensemble.

As an adjudicator, what are the most common comments you make on marching technique?
Gavin Smith, Vanderbilt University: Concerning marching technique, I stress the importance of uniformity and consistency. I do not have a preference for what type of technique is on the field, I only want to observe uniformity in all sections and consistency in all stages of the show. There are techniques in marching band movements that lend ease in cleaning and uniformity. As for consistency, many ensembles rush to put the finishing pages on the field, and technique suffers. I also comment on the consistent use of intervals. Intervals can be used in many design effects, but ensembles need to maintain interval consistency throughout.
    There have been so many influences in the world of marching band from groups adding visuals to the design. I often see ensembles work so hard to execute these visuals that they hinder the music performance and are rarely executed uniformly. These visuals create a high level of excitement but rarely make a better production. I support visuals, but want to see uniform execution that does not hinder the performance.

Debra Traficante: The most common comments address uniformity across the ensemble and clarity of transitions. For uniformity, sometimes there are differences of posture, horn carriage, and mark time styles across the band and even within same sections. Occasionally, I see drum lines using a different mark time than the rest of the band – that does not bother me so much, because I understand why they might do this. However, when a color guard does not march at all or lacks a uniform style within their section or in relation to the band, that creates a lack of cohesiveness across the ensemble that does not make musical or visual sense. On transitions, the errors I see are usually related to technique for making a transition happen. As an example, some students place their toe while some roll through with their heel first to move from forward motion to a slide. This clarity concern creates a difference in height level and the straightness of the leg, as well as the hip position (and therefore core) of members standing next to each other. This tiny detail affects the whole look of a set and the look of the next set.

Jonathan Alvis, University of South Dakota: I comment most often about consistency of style and the presence, or lack thereof, within the ensemble. Per-formers must have space that belongs to them. This requires that every player stays aware and tries to look great all the time while doing everything possible to help the others around them look great, too.

Heidi Sarver: Most often I comment on starts and stops as well as direction changes. When I look closely I see many programs take shortcuts on marching basics. Directors and staff are not taking enough time to teach fundamental marching techniques and how to apply these in performance. Basic body carriage and posture suffer,s and this is apparent when the band performs. In recent years the emphasis on body moves (dance and visuals) has taken precedence over developing strong marching basics. Spending more time on fundamentals will lead to a band with stronger performance capabilities and a solid foundation upon which to build a strong body visual program.

Donald Linn: I make many comments on pulse and quality of the step for transitions in the drill and step-offs. I focus on the size of the step as the band makes the transition out of one set and into another. This shows how well the band understands using all the counts evenly to get from one set to the next and if students understand the initiation of tempo and space for the next move. Just like in the music, marching tends to suffer at the end of a phrase. Lately, I have been making a lot of comments about instrument facing and hip shifts and slides. Great bands will have consistent presentation.

As an adjudicator, what are some of the most common comments you make regarding music performance?
Jonathan Alvis: Every note must have energy and direction. When students only think about one note at a time rather than in phrases, there is no direction, especially on the long notes. It does not matter what part a student plays; everything must have life, energy, and direction.

Gary Westbrook: I make more comments about balance than anything else. The comments discuss balancing the percussion section to everyone else or balancing and blending the lead players with the rest of the section. I find that directors often forget what they would do with a concert ensemble when movement is involved. Phrasing is a common musical element that disappears.

Heidi Sarver: Directors and students who listen to my commentaries hear one word: air. Once again I return to shortcuts taken, in this case with musical warmups and technique. Band members frequently do not understand how to use their air and therefore the sound is thin. This affects the overall balance and blend of an ensemble and limits musical ability. It also explains why so many bands run out of gas in the middle of their performances. The musicians lack endurance because they are not spending an appropriate amount of time learning how to use their air.
    Basic musical and visual fundamentals are critical for a marching band program. Students need to be taught certain skills and know how to apply them in performance. Directors cannot assume students will make the connections. Additionally most programs have limited rehearsal time. Directors need to encourage their students to practice all the techniques they learn in rehearsal when they are at home. This, of course, is neither new nor revolutionary. Successful programs usually have students with strong practice habits.

Gavin Smith: Too often, I have observed that the visuals prevented a successful music performance. Make the execution of music a priority when designing a show. When we perform music off the field, in arcs or in the bandroom, staging is not a concern, but on the field, there are major difficulties created by drill design. Adjudicators are normally in the press box, far from the performers. The drill should accommodate this log-istical problem by stag-ing performers properly. This begins in the planning stages. Ensure the drill writer has scores and uses the score as a design tool to stage the instrumentalists.

Debra Traficante: Typically, smaller bands have a unique mix of instrumentation; I know I did when I had a small band. This creates melody and accompaniment problems that can be helped by strategic staging. As much as possible, listening to the band from where the judges will sit will assist with cleaning this aspect. For the larger bands, a common problem is dynamic range. When the groups have the horses to play with a big, full sound, it is important to remember that this is most effective when there is contrast to that sound. Use of the woodwind color at the forefront, when possible, makes for a great change in timbre, color, and dynamic. It is a welcome change to the marching show and allows for the bigger hits to have immense effect.

Donald Linn: Everything in marching band must serve the music, and the band itself should be treated as a high-quality musical ensemble. I focus on are tone quality and intonation. These must be mature before you start making music. Without a strong musical foundation, the show will not be effective no matter how great the marching and drill may be. I also find myself making many comments about bands that do not complete phrases or play notes with full value and specific articulations. Pay attention to how you finish with the same focus you place on the beginnings.

What are some of the pitfalls you have noticed in regards to the use of color guard and flags?
Heidi Sarver: Far too often I see color guard members trying to do too much. In my second year of teaching high school I received a tape from George Zingali. Although I had heard what his comments in many settings, it finally made a lasting impression when I heard it about my program: “Sometimes less is better.” The guard was trying to perform far too much body motion and dance underneath their flag work and could not spin together. Removing much of the extra bells and whistles allowed the guard to perform with more confidence.
    Another common situation is that a show designer does not know how to write for the color guard. Putting the guard in an arc behind the band is a young designer’s mistake; the guard is not a backdrop. Color guards provide the visual representation of the music and need to be coordinated with the music and integrated with the musicians to assist in presenting the mood, character, and theme of the show.

Gavin Smith: Guard is a large portion of the visual package in a design. On the drill side, guards are too often not incorporated in the drill design. This statement frequently means the guard is completely separate from the winds and percussion, an arc in the back or block on opposite side. The best way to avoid this is to open your drill design and move the guard in the space you created. When incorporating the guard, the next level of success is designing for equipment changes. I see too many guards run on and off the field to get new equipment. Prevent this by designing the drill to take the guard to the new equipment. This ease will allow for a flowing design.

Debra Traficante: Some pitfalls that I have seen with the auxiliary groups include inappropriate staging, inappropriate use of weapons, choreography that does not match the music, and poor technique. The auxiliary groups are a tremendous benefit to the overall visual aspect of the marching band. However, if you do not have a staff member who can spend some time on the creative side of this group, it will fall to you or a talented volunteer. When I was teaching high school, I could not afford an instructor for the season but did hire someone to create a routine. I hired a color guard instructor and judge from Florida to write all my choreography, videotaped her performing it and breaking it down, and then had it for the guard to learn and clean from during the season. I could clean the group and figure out what was not together or was too hard for them, but I was not able to create the routine. Do as much as you can, but know your weaknesses. This group is a great source of visual excitement, group morale, and overall energy for the band. Please do not leave them as an afterthought – it will come through in a performance.

Donald Linn: Guard is an important part of the presentation of the music and show. Guard should focus on big moves that compliment the music and that are appropriate to the visual interpretation. Great choreography should highlight the peaks of the music and emotion of the show. I would be more impressed with clean, simple work that is a great interpretation of the music than difficult work that is frantic and sloppy. Directors should also select drill writers who know how to integrate the guard into forms, know when to frame, know when to highlight, and know how to stage to change equipment. When cleaning the guard work, pay attention to lower body movement, angles on catches, planes, and hand position during tosses.

Jonathan Alvis: I view the color guard as the storytellers of the music. They communicate through motion what cannot be communicated by the winds and percussion. An effective color guard makes the band sparkle. Likewise, an ineffective color guard that is not together or does not buy into the story can ruin a show.

What are your opinions on using alternates versus using everyone in the show?
Heidi Sarver: Band is a place for everyone. This has always been my approach with all of my programs. This means that my bands will have holes from time to time. I chose this a long time ago because I personally do not wish to see members of my program stand on the sideline or sit in the stands while their peers perform. I realize this opinion will not fit every program’s philosophy. I struggle with band members who do not get to perform because their skills are not as strong. They are expected to be at every rehearsal and give as much effort as their peers, but they do not get the reward.
    Some students would never get through school if it had not been for band. Band was their safe place. Band was their home. Band made everything else tolerable. I look at my current band, and I know there are members in it who succeeded in academics because band got them through the tough times. I look at my alumni and know they are successful in careers and families because of the life lessons learned in band. This is more important to me than having a show without holes.

Gavin Smith: This is a philosophical decision for the director. My adjudicating is not affected by either approach. If alternates are used, ensure like instruments fill holes to assist in the music side of the performance. For example, if a trumpet is used to fill an alto saxophone position, their parts are usually going to be different, causing staging concerns. If the entire band is used for a performance, there is a chance a member will be unable to perform a show. When this occurs, and a hole exists in the show, I need to be able to see the hole and marchers need to be consistent and maintain this hole throughout the entire show. When the size left for the hole fluctuates, I begin to question if there is a hole or merely inconsistent marching intervals.

Jonathan Alvis: I think alternates should only be used in special circumstances. I think every child who wishes to perform in band should have that opportunity. You never know when a potential alternate will end the season being your best asset.

Gary Westbrook: I would not like being an alternate. The use of alternates is mostly used to eliminate holes in the show, and I can understand that. Nothing is more frustrating than a hole in the show. I have taught in a system that used alternates. Conversely, there is a bit of frustration amongst students who are classified as alternates. I try hard not to have alternates, but I cannot think of one performance I have had on the college level that has not had at least one hole in the show.

Debra Traficante: If you use an alternate system, you are probably participating in a competitive event at some point. This system helps students who are struggling to march an entire competitive-style show have some success and contribute to the best of their abilities. It also allows students to contribute to big flags that provide impact at the end of shows, where they might otherwise be standing at attention on the sideline. Alternates are also helpful is when you have ineligible students. Where you might have holes on the field without alternates, given enough time and student ability, you might be able to have a hole filled by an alternate. The pros of having everyone on the field are evident – everyone is contributing and participating all the time.
    For a community that has never had alternates, changing to a system where not everyone marches will lead to a question: “Why is my student standing on the sideline? We paid our fees, we attend class and rehearsal every day, I attend every band parent meeting, I work in the concessions stand every Friday night. I don’t understand.” Band in many communities is not seen in the same light as sports are – not every student on the football team plays football every Friday night, and parents understand that. Whatever you choose to do, it will need to fit the community and the school.

Donald Linn: As an adjudicator, I would prefer not to see holes on the field but understand if there are one or two. I also do not like to see a significant group of students standing on the sidelines. As an educator I advocate using as many people as you can for the show. If you use an alternate system just because you have terrible marchers, reevaluate your system. If some of your students aren’t the best marchers or players, roll up your sleeves and teach. Student leaders can give weaker marchers extra help. As a director you may even need to go back and examine your system for teaching basics, make sure basic marching fundamentals are covered at every rehearsal, and even examine your rehearsal pacing and discipline. If discipline, expectations, and communication are of high quality you probably will not have to use as many alternates or fill as many holes. If you do have alternates, make sure they stay involved in your rehearsal and even create drill for them to march during rehearsals and football games if they are not filling in spots or shadowing.

In drill design and execution, how much is too much?
Heidi Sarver: A band that cannot play well is most likely doing too much. For me it all comes down to whether I like what I hear. If I do I will watch. If I don’t like the way a band sounds I cannot watch their show. It tells me that far too many short cuts are being taken in an effort to be as cutting edge as possible. As a spectator I can easily sit and think, “Wow, you did really impressive body visuals. Too bad you couldn’t make a clean attack or play in tune.” As an adjudicator I cannot be as blunt. As an adjudicator I must watch and listen. I analyze what it is a group is doing and offer suggestions on how to improve their performance. From time to time I will suggest that programs scale back on certain aspects of their shows. The music might be too difficult for the musicians. Perhaps the drill has the band members literally running. If so, they cannot be expected to play well. Write some drill changes and sacrifice the really cool move so that the musicians can play the music. Again, sometimes less is better.

Gavin Smith: Drill design is a difficult task. I base my judgments on the execution of music. If the drill expectations or the amount of drill exhaust a performer and prevent the proper performance of music, then there is too much drill on the field. I will make comments and usually let the scoring sheets take care of the results. Most sheets have a weighted scoring for each category. Because music is affected, this score will be significantly lower.

Gary Westbrook: For me it depends on how much time is available for drill instruction and cleaning. Write appropriate to the time you have. I wrote significantly more drill for my high school bands than I do for my college bands. This is simply because the college band performs more shows with less rehearsal time per show. I would suggest that directors design what is challenging and can be achieved within the time frame given for both rehearsals and performances.

Donald Linn: The primary function of drill design is to serve the music. Great drill is a cohesive visual interpretation of the music that makes sense in the show from beginning to end. Great drill should also serve the music in a way that supports great instrumentation, proper technique, balance, and staging. Many directors out there who feel they have to cram in as many sets as possible into a show and that somehow this equates to excellence. I have never gone to a competition and seen a judge tally up how many sets of drill they thought a band used. March the drill that serves the music and the educational development of the band. Adjudicators are only impressed with difficult drill when it is marched cleanly. I am more impressed with a band that had great execution of drill that served the music than a band that marched twenty more sets in their show poorly. Music and drill should fit together seamlessly.

Jonathan Alvis: The drill should highlight the music, and vice versa. Don’t move just to move. Just as in music, we need moments of visual silence so the music can be heard. Draw the attention away from the band standing still with dance in the guard. Points are not awarded for most movement but for the most effective execution. Too often, I feel shows focus too much on the total number of sets. As an adjudicator, I want to know if you can keep my attention without motion or through subtle motion to match the music. The drill and music should be used to tell the story and highlight certain aspects of the show.

Final Thoughts
Heidi Sarver:
Consider the talent and commitment of your band members. Choose music and write a show that challenges the students but does not go beyond their ability to achieve it. Make the time for musical warmups that develop the individual musician. Make the time for marching fundamentals to help develop the performers muscle memory. Think carefully about the amount of time you have to teach everything. Your program does not rehearse as much as a DCI Drum and Bugle Corps, so conceive a show that allows students to succeed.

Gavin Smith: Adjudicators have mental struggles about whether they are judging students or the design. Some score sheets do a good job in resolving this struggle. Many contests separate adjudicators into different captions, but there are still obstacles.
    We are evaluating the execution and presentation from the performers on the field. Students are more successful when their expectations are realistic. With this stated, it is difficult to perform poorly written drill and music. It is very essential to select marching music the same way you select great music for a concert ensemble. When writing or hiring a drill writer, begin with the basics and ensure the success of the ensemble. Consider tempos, staging, and step sizes, just to name a few considerations. The success on the field begins with the selection and design of the show.

Jonathan Alvis: Be original. Take risks but also listen to your students and audience. A good show is a good show. A poorly designed show, no matter how well executed, is still a poor show. But I think the most important aspect of all is to have fun. Have elements of the show that allow you to teach concepts. Remember, we are there to teach.

Gary Westbrook: The key word in marching band is the word band. Remember the group should play well and play musically. Rehearse as you would a concert group, just remember the transitions are musical and visual.

Debra Traficante: It is easy to get caught up in ratings and scores in marching band. I hope educators everywhere remember who the activity impacts. Adjudicators see only see a small snapshot of your band. If sports teams had only one performance to be rated on for the entire year, coaches would be in an uproar. Keep everything in perspective. If after a competition or comments only event, your band performed the best they ever have and still did not get the highest rating possible at the event, remind them that musical and personal growth is the most important reward. Are they better people now than they were in August? Are they better musicians than they were in August? Do they have a better understanding of how they impact others – in every facet of the word? If they can answer yes to the hard questions, then they have already earned the highest score possible.

Donald Linn: You have no control over the adjudicators but do have control your band. Take care of students and the goals of the band first. Put on a polished, entertaining, and musical show that both the audience and the adjudicators can appreciate. Review your system of teaching and discipline to get the best possible performance. Make sure you have a solid show from beginning based on a foundation of strong fundamentals. I cannot stress enough the importance of fundamentals and basics. Don’t live and die by scores and placements – judges are human. Instead, use comments as another tool to aid in your band’s development.