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Re: Adjudication correct?

D.LANCASTER@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> David Buckley wrote:
> 
> > This is the problem with making contesting the centre of the universe.
> > Obviously adjudicators have to have some idea of how the music should go
> > and something to judge against. Why hold this against them?
> 
> ..snip...
> 
> > But that's contesting. Brass bands need to forget contests and get on
> > with music. A way too much energy goes into writing music never heard
> > again in order to test players. Has resulted in great playing standards
> > for what are still more or less amateurs but its time to move on.
> > Just my opinion.
> > Dave Buckley.
> 
> Good to see you back on the list, Dave.  If we lost all the music
> that has been composed for contests the world would be a much poorer
> place!  As conductor I'm usually happy to include a serious work in a
> concert programme in order to attempt to achieve a balanced
> programme, and I'm usually very disappointed whenever I go to hear a
> band in concert and all we get is arrangements, solos and fillers...
> In my opinion, many bands seem to fall into the trap of underestimating the
> intelligence of their audiences in this respect.

Agree re programming. I always scheduled at least 1 "serious" piece in
my old SA programming days. Theseof course were not quite comparable to
test pieces but challenged my players and my audience. Also of course
scheduled crowd pleasers. But very few test pieces stand up to my test
for great music although I bow to your greater familiarity with the
repertoire. My test is whether or not the music is of interest to anyone
outside the core audience. How do I make this judgement? By whether or
note the music has been re-arranged for other combinations eg wind
bands, orchestras or whatever. By this citeria no test pieces make the
grade to my knowledge.

I stll stand by my comments that they certainly have forced players to
improve technically but that doesn't make them great music.
> 
> On the wider topic of correct adjudication some strong language has
> been used, and I don't intend to add to that by discussing
> performances I haven't heard, but:
> 
> 1) Despite the controversy,  I'd still sooner hear one man's honest opinion
> than that of a committee.
> 
> 2) Bands need to know the basis of that decision.  Adjudicators
> must be very clear in their remarks about why a
> band has finished last - no point in writing nice things to cheer
> them up!   If adjudicators were more constuctive in this respect at
> least bands might at least understand some of the wierd decisions.
> 
> 3) In the British Regional Contests every place matters - not just
> the top two or three since relegation (or promotion) can have
> devestating effects on a band.  Steve Sykes got a big cheer at
> Basildon on Sunday for acknowledging this simple truth.
> 
> 4) Bands shouldn't go to a contest if they don't respect the judgement
> of the adjudicator.  In reality in Britain there are only thirty or
> so blokes who do it all, so it doesn't take a great deal of working
> out which adjudicators know what they are doing and which don't.
> There are three or four that I just won't allow myself to be judged by,
> (I shalln't name them here..) and a letter to the organising committee
> explaing your band's absence from their contest can do wonderful
> things!  This can be a tough decision if it is a Regional Contest for
> reasons in (3) above, but its for bands themselves to decide whether
> or not to apply their principles or bite the bullet.  (I know one
> adjudicator who has sight problems so can't read a score properly,
> and another one who is only really interested in the soprano part!
> There was another - now adjudicating in the sky - who regularly fell
> asleep around four in the afternoon...his remarks always read
> something like "I am enjoying your playing so much that I want to
> listen rather than write").
> 
> 5) The issue of whether a piece is judged as a whole, or if a small
> 'sample' is used by which to compare performances, is a complex one.
> One of the reasons we have set test pieces is so that adjudicators can
> make meaningful comparisons between different performances of the
> tricky bits, but for me that should not exclude giving credit for
> general impressions of a band's tone, intonation, style interpretation
> etc.  Agreed and published criteria would help the bands prepare.
> 
> 6) My copy of The Guardian this morning contained vitriolic comments
> by Aussie cricket fans about the decisions of the (English) umpire.
> If Po(h)ms whinge, what do Aussies do???

Interesting comments on adjudicators. Make me glad we do not have a lot
of contesta on this side. NABBA has generally used quality adjudicators
for their contests - 
Bram Gregson, Ray Premru to name a couple but i or 2 do not IMHO come up
to par paricularly based on how the bands they conduct play. Although
this of course is not necessarily a requirement, it seems to me that a
demonstarted understanding of how  you make bands play well is useful.

Dest regards to all over 'ome.

Dave.


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