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The Judge's Box

Welcome to the Judges Box.

Each week our expert marching band adjudicator will answer a few questions that has been submitted by our visitors. We hope 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. New questions will be selected each Tuesday and the answers posted later that week. Submit your questions here.

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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