I always like to look at other bands' web sites. As I was browsing through the Pocahontas Band web site, I found this. I have edited it very little. I called Mr. Massey and asked his permission to put it on our web site. So, here it is.
Supporting kids and the pursuit of excellence
by Brady Massey, Director of the Pocahontas High School Band
If you are new to the program (and even if you're not), you probably have some questions about band competitions. Here is some information you might find useful:
* All parents are invited to contests. In fact, the more, the better, because judges notice crowd response. Most contests charge an entry fee, usually between 2 and 5 dollars. This is where the school makes its money. Please don't complain to the gate workers.
* When the band arrives, there will be a flurry of activity as the kids change clothes, unload the equipment, and get organized. Everyone will be on edge to some degree as they focus on the job at hand. Please be understanding of this if you choose to help out. Don't take anything personally! There are a lot of nerves on edge!
* Parents are not welcome to go to warm up with the band. Not even to watch from a distance. This is a very important time for us, and we want no distractions. Just go to the stadium and await the performance. Enjoy the bands that perform before us.
* It is totally appropriate to applaud or cheer during the show, especially at a particularly big moment. However, please don't yell the names of individual kids at any time, including the set up period. This is distracting to someone who is already nervous.
* Truthfully, the competition has already occurred before everyone gets to the stadium. We're really just showing how well we rehearsed and how prepared we are. Professionalism and Dignity carry a lot of weight with judges. For this reason, please understand that no one is playing defense. NEVER be rude regarding another band's performance - you never know who can hear what you say, and we all look bad if we don't realize that every kid at the competition has worked extremely hard to prepare for the event. We need to appreciate every band's performance.
* Judges are looking for several things, and each contest is judged on its own format. At every contest, judges are evaluating the musical performance, the marching performance, and the way the musical and visual elements coordinate, which is called the "Effect" of the program. In Music, the judge will listen critically to the tuning of the band, the balance (whether all the parts are heard), the timing, the contrasts, and will certainly notice wrong notes.
* In terms of marching, the judge will evaluate the fundamentals being displayed, and compare them from one student to another to check uniformity. Also, this judge will be looking around the drill formations checking for equal spacing between individuals, and making sure round forms are round and straight line forms are straight. This judge also checks for posture, instrument carriage, facing, and timing.
* The effect caption is very subjective. This is where the show design and the excellence of the students' performance is analyzed. For example, judges will listen to the music and determine if the drill formations are appropriate to the style of the music. He will also analyze the color scheme chosen to interpret the music, and will critique anything about the show that enhances or detracts from the show.
* There are also judges who focus solely on the color guard, the drum line, and the drum majors. These judges are trained in the specific area, and provide more detailed comments to these sections and discuss issues specific to their performance and technique.
* We try to teach our kids to be the classiest band at the event. We would like that to carry over to our fans, as well. Unless you're not normal, you will feel strong emotions during the day (pride, excitement, etc.). By all means, allow yourself to enjoy the day and be proud to be from North Pulaski. Very likely, folks from other schools will congratulate you and share nice things with you if they realize where you're from. It would be great if you truly enjoyed someone's performance to share that with THEIR parents. After the awards, we will all be emotional again - could be ecstatic, could be disappointed. We will stress to the kids (and our fans) to accept any outcome with grace and class. It's perfectly OK to feel strong emotions, but we don't rub in our success to other bands, and we don't begrudge bands who beat us. NEVER confront a judge, contest host, or other fan, even if you are upset about the results.
* Something else we try to ingrain in the kids is that "With Talent Comes Responsibility." Chances are, we will do well at the competitions. Therefore, we have a responsibility to set a good example for other bands. People always notice (negatively) folks from other bands who don't applaud their competitors. Again, image is everything.
* One of the biggest no-nos at a contest is to enter, exit, or move around the bleachers during a band's performance. Of course, talking out loud is rude, as well.
* Bands compete by class at most events. All the bands from a particular class will perform in the same block of time . Although there are usually some Overall awards, we aren't going head-to-head with bands from other classes unless there is a finals competition. Most awards recognize success in each class as well.
* Each contest is judged differently, and you can't compare a score from one contest to the score at another. Some contests use a judge for each specific category, and some use judges that judge everything at once. There are pros and cons to each system, but we know how they work before we get there. Some judges will be great, others not so much. At a contest, you perform your show and the judge gets one shot to notice everything they can. You don't get credit for how much you've improved, because they've not seen you perform before. Sometimes, they'll get us for problems we know are there, and sometimes they'll miss it. You just can't tell. The general quote among band directors is "You pay your money and take your chances." Sometimes we get more credit than we feel we deserve, other times we feel like we should have gotten more credit.
* Even though I've rambled on about things that bug me about other bands, band contests are a lot of fun, and make us proud of our kids as all the hard work gets noticed by folks who understand how things work! Have a great time!