Judging Art

[BlooooContra]

So I've been kicking this around since quarterfinals and it's somehow managed to bother the hell out of me while simultaneously giving me a whole new respect for the activity.

Let me explain....

Thursday night was my first viewing of this year's SCV show, "Ballet for Martha." For the past two seasons, I've kind of laid low, both on DCP and in terms of actually going to shows. This year definitely got me back out of the woodwork. As a bit of full disclosure, I've always been a huge Vanguard fan since 98 (with 04-05 being the sole exceptions). Always one of my favorites every year.

What I saw was easily one of the must nuanced, gorgeously put-together packages I've ever seen. Being the god-forsaken cliche that is "Appalachian Spring," I still wanted to rip my ears off, but I respect good arranging and performance when I see it, and I definitely saw it on that field.

What bothered me was the severe lack of difficulty. But, it seemed like the relatively simple, low-fi drill gave the hornline what it needed to keep the sounds more consistent. Afterall, it's a lot easier to play well marching something like that than jazz running a 4-to-5 and doing breakneck direction changes every four counts.

When I saw the spread between Vanguard and Bluecoats, not to mention Vanguard creeping up quasi-near the Cadets, I was a little shocked. Where does visual difficulty play into the judging system? If that's the case, why doesn't BD just sit on the chairs the whole show like a concert hall and score perfect scores in every caption?

I was angry that they could get away with such a high score with such low physical demand. At least until I realized that this show essentially threw a wrench neatly into the cogs of the judging system.

Which brings me to what I suppose is the focus of this little diatribe: How can a show be accurately judged when it feels more like an artistic expression than a formulamatic drum corps product?

I don't claim to have the definitive answer, but I'd like to hear the community's thoughts on the matter. To me, it really makes Star's transition from the field, to brass theater to Blast! make infinitely more sense.