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Re: Cambridge Masters - my thoughts/opinions (and pro players!)

Hi Sam,

I actually think the judging system used at Cambridge makes a refreshing 
change from blaming one person sitting in a box. Sure, no method of 
adjudication is ever going to be "full proof" and meet with the approval of 
everyone (unless you won of course!) but it is interesting to find out who 
finished where and then to see how each judge rated them. I had friends 
asking me to find out what the 3 judges thought of all the bands after the 
Masters and whose vote they used as a tie-breaker. Everyone is so used to 
being placed by one opinion that I can imagine it's quite different to go 
through 3 different sets of results/comments which might love/hate the 
performance of the band. Unlike last year there weren't really that many 
controversial results (i.e. a band getting a high score, a low score and a 
mediocre score) and the bands that finished at the top of the order all had 
fairly consistent scores.

The subject of professional players being payed to come in and play for a 
band for a contest is an interesting one. Even at the level I play at 
(London & Southern Counties Third Section) I have experienced having 
professional players brought in to 'bolster' a contest performance. I'm sure 
that there are other bands who bring players in to get a good result for a 
contest to ensure that they either gain promotion or try to avoid 
relegation. In the last area contest my band had 3 professional players 
although 2 of them were long serving friends of the band and all 3 of them 
sat down from me on the front row so I guess I couldn't have asked for 
anything more in my "bumper-uppers"! We only bought the players in as we 
were short of cornets for the contest and even though we played quite well 
we only came 10th out of 17. You're quite right Sam - one person does not 
win a contest - and in this case, nor does three!

I personally have no problem with professional players being brought in if 
they are helping out or filling in for players who cannot play in 
contests/concerts, but what I do object to is seeing hard working players 
who regularly turn up to rehearsals being told not to play as eventually a 
pro who is being brought in to play in the contest is going to play most of 
their part for them. I have experienced this in a band I played with (not my 
current one) and it has been quite upsetting for those players concerned. It 
hardly does anything for their confidence and can only go to create bad 
feeling. With a lack of confidence like that in the rehearsal hall they are 
hardly going to go on a contest platform with the greatest of confidence!

I know that this is not quite in the same league as battling it out for the 
Masters or the Championships but I think it casts a different light on the 
effects of bringing in pro players to bands of a lower section. Surely a 
band who works together as a unit rehearsal after rehearsal is going to 
progress rather than break up that unit for the sake of a couple of 
rehearsals for new players to come in and create 'ill feeling' amongst those 
who have had to move or drop out.

Sorry to rant - this has happened to friends of mine in other bands and at 
times it has been quite distressing to watch!

Anyway - congrats again for The Masters - it sounds like you had a really 
good day!

>Thank you Alistair for your posting concerning the masters and for passing
>on the compliment. It was appreciated.

You're welcome!

Alistair


Alistair Richards
Principal Cornet
ESB





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