BRASSO Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 (edited) It seems every year there are less and less judges. There are various reasons for this, but they aren't really important. This leads to two things: An aging judging community, and less qualified candidates being accepted. By my unofficial count we lost 3 of the better judges this year because they are teaching corps now. I think there are a ton of younger amazing band directors who marched that would be great judges, and there should be an effort to recruit and train them. DCI had judges judging Finals Night in their early years that had not yet completed their 20's. I don't believe that DCI has any judges under the age of 40 judging on Finals Night. Plus, quite of a few of the current DCI judges are judging the show designs, music, etc of fellow colleagues that they've known in some cases for around 40 years or so now. Edited October 25, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I'll give my 2 cents on this topic. Yes we cared about scores along the way, we just wanted to see how we were improving. It wasn't anything super serious, it was just that we had something that could help motivate us along the way, it was very positive stimulation being able to see how we were doing. Though we put all our trust into the staff to lead us into the right direction, we knew that there was only so much they could do, and the biggest thing that we could do to bump our scores was to just perform what we practiced. The staff does their part every day, and we have to do ours. If we just did that, our scores would bump. If not, we would instantly see and we could be thinking about how to become better performers in the next rehearsal blocks that we could use to translate over to a better performance at the next show. The scores didn't necessarily change how we acted, but gave us a little push. Some people cared, some didn't. Either way, we all worked towards the same goal, being the absolute best we could be; that never changed. And for the record, I don't remember our finals scores, all I remember is the amazing summer I had flashing before my eyes as I walked out of the exit tunnel after the last performance of the season. THAT is why kids march drum corps. No, that is not why ‘all’ kids march drum corps. This is going to sound crass and I mean no disrespect, but…. how many rings have you earned and how close have you or your corps been to obtaining a ring? The reason I ask is that there are many who have won the title, or had the title within reach, who would disagree with you on how little you think that achievement was/is in motivating a performer to become ‘the best’ if for only a brief moment. Winning is a great motivator to win again, and win again, and win again, and that is a wonderful great thing to do as well as having the amazing summer flashing before their eyes as they walk out of the exit tunnel after the last performance of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGCpimpOtimp Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Want to be clear, most of the DCI judges are great, but are also human. And our judging system, made up by humans. Of course there are going to be errors, and mistakes and all that. This is why I don't really care about scores. Do Crown kids feel better because they won Gold? Absolutely! Would they still feel like they were part of something amazing that moved tens of thousands of people if they got second? Absolutely! A wise instructor once told me "Take care of all your job fully, and you will always be happy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 . Do Crown kids feel better because they won Gold? Absolutely! Would they still feel like they were part of something amazing that moved tens of thousands of people if they got second? Absolutely! And for perspective, do most marchers and staff feel better coming in first and winning a Title, than finisihing as an " also ran " ? Absolutely !. Its all about the proper perspective. Of course " scores matter "... otherwise, few would want to ride busses for 7-9 weeks of the summer, practice from sun up to sundown, etc to do 30-35 exhibitions each summer. And also, those who make scores the end all and be all of the Drum Corps experience are missing the big picture of what Drum Corps participation's true long term benefits are designed to provide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Was just corrected by the _kid. At state finals they announce the overall winner as "Grand Champion", and the second place band is awarded the "Reserve Grand Champion". You know, it's like the way they grade cows at the county fair. And, during the season, the caption scores are announced at each "Adjudicated Event", but not the overall scores. hey there are places where every week you get told where the scores should fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Is Jeff Prosperie 'under qualified'? I think not! Is Albert Lo 'under qualified'? I think not! Is Lee Carlson 'under qualified'? I think not! Hmmm... I wonder then who, in your opinion, is 'under qualified'? oh there's some that suck. had one at WGI that made me want to pull my hair out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Do Crown kids feel better because they won Gold? Absolutely! Would they still feel like they were part of something amazing that moved tens of thousands of people if they got second? Absolutely! But.... I guarantee you that an overwhelming majority of those who have marched Crown, from those who placed 33rd in 1990 to those who placed 2nd in 2009 and 2012 , are now completely overjoyed that their efforts helped bring the 2013 Crown to the point of finally collecting that elusive victory. Winning at the best in any activity is a feat only a few ever accomplish, and that is why winning is so very, very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 oh there's some that suck. had one at WGI that made me want to pull my hair out Let's stick with DCI; what exactly constitutes a DCI judge as being 'under qualified'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 And also, those who make scores the end all and be all of the Drum Corps experience are missing the big picture of what Drum Corps participation's true long term benefits are designed to provide. Says who exactly? I mean a person who learns to 'win' multiple titles via being a member of the Blue Devils can take that 'winning' philosophy into the world of a business career; example: there are 100 applicants for a single job with only one winner for that job, and a BD alum has already been taught the philosophy on how to 'win', and that is a rather big advantageto have over others during the interview process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan9 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 at a band show I judged this past weekend,a lower placing band was thrilled to see where their number got to...because of the chaos that was the beginning of their season. so yes, scores matter. This. Additionally, there are levels and rivalries throughout the band and corps competitions that have nearly as much weight as winning it all does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.