What is the goal of the show?

[dks]

Please take this seriously as I am new to this activity and really don't know the answer. I have been to several shows and followed these forums.

There are shows that are executed skillfully and played eloquently, but do not entertain the crowd except for people with a lot of music knowledge.

There are shows that are entertaining, but not as technically difficult or as well-performed.

There are the rare shows that are both. I thought the Caveliers at San Antonio accomplished both.

Which are the judges scoring? How are these aspects figured into the scoring?

Thanks for any advice you can give without making fun of me!!

dks

[dciguy01]

Depends on the corps you ask. A vast majority of the corps are out only to please the judges while some go out only to entertain.

[raphael18]

The best corps entertain while exhibiting their technical abilities - but that is a razor thin line to walk.

[Lance]

The answer is yes.

[wesleyrp]

Depends on the corps you ask. A vast majority of the corps are out only to please the judges while some go out only to entertain.

I think you have a point but I wouldn't necessarily say that corps A is going out just to please the judges. If we are all honest every corps has to please the judges. What I think is that as time has gone by so many themes that used to be done like a jazz show or spanish or any other theme you'd see in the late 70's- 80's has gone by the way side. In it's place you have a lot more theatrically (may not be a word, my mom the retired enlish teacher would kill me) designed shows. This does give the appearance of more high brow and may be more difficult to get into. But on the other end, not to bring up the big B word, but bands now a days do much the simliar stuff. Look at BOA to be exact and you'll see this. They likely got a lot of this from corps, but the point is that that is where the marching identity is now. While not always exciting and making you jump out of your seat these corps and their shows are entertaining in the sense that you take into account what they are being asked to do. So yes, as a newbie it is a little bit hard to get into all of the corps, but I think you'll find year in and out that you'll continue to be entertained and will latch on to a corps or a few that will be your favorites.

Wes Perkins

BK '97 '98

[xmenjeffb]

Depends on the corps you ask. A vast majority of the corps are out only to please the judges while some go out only to entertain.

Who in the last 4 years has gone out " just to entertain " ??

They are trying to compete and makes finals or in some cases semi-finals. Most are entertaining in some form, it just depends on what you deem entertaining .

The example I use is TV.

You make like comedy central, some else the History channel.Both are considered entertainment.

Really comes down to what floats your boat or stimulates your mind .

[MikeBob]

Which are the judges scoring? How are these aspects figured into the scoring?

They're scoring both aspects. The General Effect captions are supposed to reflect the "effectiveness" of a show, which more or less means how entertaining it is. Other captions deal with individual performance (those judges on the field) or the cleanliness of the ensemble. Of course, even within each of these captions consideration is given to both design and execution. The top half of the judge's sheet, regardless of the specific caption (visual performance, music GE, whatever), deals with design considerations, or what the performers actually have to work with. The bottom half of the sheet covers how well they do what they're supposed to be doing. If the judge appreciates the difficulty or demand of the repetoire (musically or visually, as appropriate), he'll tend to give the corps a higher number on the top half of the sheet; if he also thinks they're performing it skillfully, he'll give a higher number on the bottom half too. Conversely, if the demand on the performers is low, or the design doesn't work well, the top half will be commensurately lower. The performers can still execute a badly designed show well, of course, so the bottom half of the sheet is still about the skill of the performer.

Exactly what sort of number corresponds to what the corps is doing is found on the back of the sheet (and elsewhere, but if you're looking at a judge's sheet, it's on the back), where phrases like "sometimes," "generally," "consistently," and so on are used to assist the judge in determining what range of numbers applies to the performance. Box 5 is the highest box, covering the 91-100 range (at least, it does on II/III sheets), and Box 1 is so low (0-10) it's actually difficult to score there (not that it hasn't been done). Each caption and subcaption is divided into these number ranges. Theoretically, two judges could look at the same show and say "Intonation inconsistencies occur rarely, and when they do occur they are fixed quickly," find the box on the back of the sheet corresponding to this assessment, pick a number in the given range to fine-tune where each thinks the corps should be (i.e., how rarely and how quickly?), and come up with a total score.

This may not have been the answer you were looking for, now that I think about it. Also, I may be wrong.

[12L]

The answer is yes.

Exactly...why choose? The ideal is to do both.

From a performance standpoint, I would ask myself, "do I want to be loved or admired?" My answer would be "yes" to both!

[ShortAndFast]

Which are the judges scoring? How are these aspects figured into the scoring?

All corps are aiming at both - they want both an audience response and they want to demonstrate their mastery of the material they are performing. The judges are also evaluating both. If the corps does something that draws a huge audience response, that's certainly going to help them in the General Effect captions. The performance captions are mostly making judgements about the skill of the performers - what they are asked to play/perform and how well are they doing it? The scores are also about how consistently the corps maintains their level of effect/performance throughout the show. So ending a show with a bang doesn't ncessarily make up for 7 lackluster minutes before that.

Whether or not you'll see GE as synonymous with "entertainment" mostly has to do with how you define entertainment. I have absolutely loved any number of shows that didn't necessarily make me want to scream my head off, but kept me enthralled and mesmerized from beginning to end by the music and drill being presented - SCV 03 is a good example. A very effective show, certainly. But you might not think it entertaining if you personally enjoy showmanship more.

Edited July 30, 2006 by ShortAndFast

[zarblap]

Please take this seriously as I am new to this activity and really don't know the answer. I have been to several shows and followed these forums.

There are shows that are executed skillfully and played eloquently, but do not entertain the crowd except for people with a lot of music knowledge.

There are shows that are entertaining, but not as technically difficult or as well-performed.

There are the rare shows that are both. I thought the Caveliers at San Antonio accomplished both.

Which are the judges scoring? How are these aspects figured into the scoring?

Thanks for any advice you can give without making fun of me!!

dks

NO!!!!!!