The Judge's Box

 

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Welcome to the Judges Box.

This section of the website is designed to provide a perspective from the judge's seat and answer many of the questions about this area of the marching arts that so many people have expressed an interest in.  Any questions you may have about the judging process for a marching band contest are welcome.
Submit your questions here.

Why do judges not have a governing code of ethics or have
regulations to follow when judging competitions? 10-30-09
When bands go to Semi-Finals, how exactly does the scoring work?
Are there 1A,2A,3A,4A,and 5A bands there? Or is it only your class? And is
there only one band from each class that goes to finals, such as the Papa
Johns Stadium? 10-30-09
I was in marching band from 97-01. When I was in band the drum majors were judged as well as the band. My question is when and why did that stop? 10-30-09
Why do some bands choose not to participate in the SMBC? 9-13-2009
I have a child that has autism and wants to be a part of the marching band.  Do the judges take into consideration the disability?  I don’t think it would be fair to either the child or the band if it’s not a consideration for judging.  And if the disability is taken into consideration, do you have specific guidelines that are followed (e.g., what types of disabilities are allowed)? 9-13-2009
Do you judge smaller classes like classes 1 and 2 A easier than 3, 4,and 5 A or are they judged the same as every one else? 10-30-08
When a band that historically has done well is going to perform, how can a judge be objective and not presume a band's performance and score accordingly? This seems to be the case with a couple of bands and I cannot personally see a 8-10 point spread in overall performance scores from 1st to 2nd to 3rd. 10-30-08

When a band is using electronics to augment their show, what are the rules for staff making adjustments to those electronics during the show (i.e., volume, mic falls out, etc.)? 9-22-2008
During an especially windy day, should the color guard judge take into consideration the difficulty of controlling flags/rifles and toss heights for that band? 9-22-2008

Should a guard judge evaluate the guard on the work that they perform or the work that they “think” a group could perform? 9-22-2008
Personally, I don’t think electric guitars, keyboards, etc. should be considered “marching band”.  My biggest concern is the keyboards.  Even many bottom-of-the-line keyboards can be programmed to play entire ensembles.  What steps do judges take to make sure what they are hearing is the marching band and not some pre-recorded “boost” to a band’s true playing capabilities? 9-22-2008
How do you judge a band that has solo performers with an amplified mic?  Are points taken off if the performers leave a form to go play their solo and then return to the drill? 9-22-2008

What are the specifics of using sound amplification during the marching band show?  Are there any time constraints?  I am very “old school” and believe that using amplifiers should be limited to soloists only and then only when they are performing the solo.  I am finding more and more schools using amplifiers for great lengths of time – some for entire songs!  Some have even left the mic on for the whole show, thus hearing the band through the speakers which in turn gives a false sense of “sound” and sometimes will take away from the “marching band experience” if the sound becomes distorted.  Thoughts? 9-22-2008
Why is it that some bands don't march a battery percussion and is it possible that a "front ensemble" percussion section can compete with a more traditional complement of battery and front ensemble? 8-1-2008

I've noticed on several events, that when one band is finished and leaving the field, another band is moving onto the field. Is this when the 14 minute clock starts, or this "extra" time taken away from the alloted 14 minutes? It seem like this is an advantage to bands that have extra props to set up on the field to get out to the field before the band is announced "and now entering the field". 8-1-2008
What do judges do during the off season.  Commentary by marching band adjudicator Mark Culp. 7-30-2008
It seems from looking at many events and contests that bands who have the unfortunate luck of going first seem to be at a distinct disadvantage.  History seems to support this assumption.  How do you evaluate the “first” band to go without holding scores?  10-23-07
I would like to know how you judge music when a band uses an electric keyboard, microphone, and large speakers compared to bands that do not, especially when the keyboard and other mic’d band members play half the show while the rest of the band works on the visual effect of the show?  10-23-07
Why did KMEA change the classification from band size to school size?  It just seems unfair that a band of less than 50 members has to compete against a band with more than 200.  10-23-07
Why do two judges that judge the same thing (such as Music Performance) not have similar scores (10 points or more difference) or not even agree on the best band in that category? 10-3-07
Are the bands restricted to any particular type of music, or can they use whatever they wish as long as it falls within the parameters of time usage?  And how does music selection impact the judges? 10-3-07
What is the difference between the “Visual” and “Visual Effect” captions? 10-3-07
When you have two guards . . one with 3 members and one with 25 . . do you look at numbers?  What do you look for that sets the smaller guard apart from the larger guard? 9-21-07
I know the drum major isn’t scored separately, but do the judges ever evaluate the drum major’s performance and add that in with the overall score of the band? 9-21-07
Do the judges take into account or ignore small mishaps on the field – someone falling down and getting back up, a prop being blown over in the wind, etc.? 9-21-07
What sort of things do you feel are positive in the areas of music and visual effect?
9-14-07
Do judges have an idea about a band before they take the field?  Either by the band’s name or how they did the week before? 9-6-07
How can it be fair for a small band to compete against a large band? 9-6-07
How important is the score, or is it most important to rank the bands correctly? 9-6-07

How will the new KMEA score sheets affect bands this year?  8-29-07
Why isn’t the color guard or percussion included in the overall band score? 8-29-07

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