Marching on
Bands to converge on Dodger Stadium for state contestBy ANGELA BURCH, Messenger staff writer
Article Photos
Fact Box
A glance at what the judges consider
Marching and Maneuvering - General Effect
Performance Effectiveness: Accuracy and definition of patterns, spirit, professionalism, emotion and overall training.
Repertoire Effectiveness: Drill design and coordination, interpretation, variety, creativity, difficulty and staging.
Auxiliary: Artistry, musical interpretation, consistency, body involvement, equipment and form.
Marching and Maneuvering - Execution
Accuracy and Definition: Alignment and body and equipment.
Technique: Control, recovery, confidence, discipline, poise and consistency.
Visual Content: Demand and exposure, construction, variety and creativity.
Auxiliary: Complexity, technique, tempo, discipline and projection.
Music Execution
Brass, Woodwind: Attacks, releases, articulation, note accuracy, tone quality and intonation, rhythmic accuracy and phrasing.
Percussion: Uniformity, precision, musicality, difficulty, tuning and tone, note accuracy and rhythmic accuracy.
Overall Musicianship: Ranges of instruments, changes of meter and tempo, phrasing, demands of field placement.
Music General Effect
Musical Content: Repertoire, rhythmic contribution, full range of volume levels and expressions, balance and blend.
Performance Effectiveness: Command of audience, emotional appeal, creativity, showmanship, spirit.
Coordination: Drill to music, styles, movements, flow; use of flags, rifles, auxiliary; musical sequence and continuity, spectacular effects.
Marching bands will put their music in motion one last time this season when the state contest comes to Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
During the festival, sponsored by the Iowa High School Music Association, bands perform for divisional ratings, said John Aboud, band director at Algona High School.
Fifteen bands from north central Iowa will take the field to show the judges what they can do. Some bands may go to local events in the next two weeks, but for the most part, marching contest season will come to an end Saturday.
"You can't really compare it to other shows. At state, you want to get your best score. It's not as much of a competition with other schools as it is with yourself," said Jamie Baumer, senior flautist at Fort Dodge Senior High.
For the Fort Dodge school, Saturday will mark the third week in a row it has participated in marching band competitions. Through each competition, they have taken the judges' remarks and worked to perfect their show, said Curtiss Klein, director of bands.
"We go into cleanup mode so we can get exactly what we want on the field for state,'' he said. ''For the most part, we need a high degree of consistency to keep things nice and even."
Preparations for state have led to changes in band practice.
"We are practicing more details - especially when it comes to marching and how to present yourself on the field," said Laura Klein, a senior color guard member. "We try to perfect the pictures and make sure all of the choreography is done the same and well."
Curtiss Klein said the state contest isn't necessarily about the trophies and medals.
"The kids have to learn to work as a team and have a goal. These are some life skills that performing arts classes help develop," he said. "It's not about the Division I ratings. It's about having the kids perform at their highest level."
Maria Fink said that being one of two drum majors this year has given her a valuable leadership experience.
"I don't feel that state is incredibly different, but I've never been a drum major before,'' she said. ''The pressure is probably going to be there."
Fink said she and junior Matt Carlson, the other drum major, have been working on their conducting skills.
"We have been trying to get our motions stronger so we don't give false beats and keep a steady tempo,'' she said. ''We have to take charge of the band and keep everything in order."
While other marching band competitions focus more on trophies and learning, the state contest gives bands a chance to see how they have grown throughout the season, Curtiss Klein said.
He has been an adjudicator for marching band competitions in other areas and helped develop some of the rubrics and guidelines used by the judges.
Each of four adjudicators will focus on a different aspect of the bands' performances.
Tom Haugen, a retired band director from Decorah, has been an adjudicator for 45 years. He said each judge is equally important in marching band competitions.
The music general effect and the marching and maneuvering general effect judges will focus on the big picture as seen and heard from the press box. They look for different aspects and award the bands points according to how they fit the criteria.
Haugen said the judges focus on questions like "Is the drill effective with the music? Did it make artistic sense? Does the color guard interpret the music correctly?"
Adjudicators for music execution and marching and maneuvering execution walk around the field throughout the performances but are not allowed to impede the flow of the bands. They do, however, have to get inside the form to watch individual steps and hear specific notes.
"If the judges never get inside the form to listen and watch how the individuals perform, they can't get an accurate reading on the band," he said.
Haugen taught for 20 years in Minnesota and 20 years in Iowa. Now he runs Tristate Judging Association, a consulting firm of people who judge marching band contests. He also conducts clinics and mentors band directors throughout the Midwest.
"By state, you can usually tell the bands that worked really hard and have bought into the music and the drill," Haugen said. "You'll see some good music and bad music, but a good director can convince the kids to play even the bad music and play it well."
Contact Angela Burch at (515) 573-2141 or aburch@messengernews.net
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10-08-08 9:20 PM
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Marching bands perform from 9am - 2pm. FDSH is scheduled around 1:45pm at Dodger Stadium. Five dollars for adults, one dollar for students. Support the kids and enjoy the music and marching.
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