When You Find It, Speak It

By Ronnie Rios, Marching Band Vice President | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:57 PM

    Find the great! See the great! Reward the great! Be the great! And, as UIL adjudicators, speak the great!

    As we go through life, it is very important to remember that a bad lunch, a bad moment in time, even a bad rehearsal should be cherished. Why? Consider the alternative.

    What if there was no lunch, no rehearsal or no moment to experience. Regardless of the circumstances we must strive to find the great in everything and acknowledge its value.
Many times we, adjudicators, often speak of one problem after another on our tapes or sheets. Although constructive criticism is imperative, we must also speak to the great that is happening or has potential to happen with the groups we adjudicate.

    Having a group of students represent a school at a contest is an achievement. Having a group of students play music in an outdoor arena is an achievement. Having a group of students march from point A to point B 65 times is an achievement.

     But how many times do we take the little things for granted while expecting the sometimes unachievable? We must find the great in every performance! We must reward the great in every performance! And we must absolutely speak to the great in every performance.

    So many times we find that the comments made to ensembles are simply a ‘laundry list’ of things that didn’t go well. We fail to reward the achievement that is occurring. Yes, it is important to recognize that the diagonal is not straight, but it should also be important to praise the woodwinds for moving at a high rate of speed while playing sixteenth notes to get there. So look for the great and acknowledge it in every level of performance.

    I wish you well as our marching band adjudication season begins. I also encourage you through your verbal and written comments to lend a helping hand, provide guidance and praise students and directors for what they have accomplished even as you offer suggestions for improvement.

    Consider the following list of reminders as you enter the press box to begin a judging assignment. And, be ever mindful of them as the contest day unfolds.
    1. Be very familiar with the latest rules in the UIL C&CR.
    2. Report any discrepancies to the contest chairperson. (It is not your job to run the contest.)   
    3. Refrain from talking to other judges until you have marked your rating for the band leaving the performance area.
    4. Write clearly so that your constructive comments can be easily read and understood.
    5. Base your adjudication of groups solely on their performance rather than the past reputation of the group or director.
    6. Strive to be consistent in assigning ratings. However, if you miss one, accept your error, reestablish your standard and do your best to maintain it.
    7. Justify the score you give by using the Marching Band Rubric, descriptors and your comments.
    8. Reward achievement.
    9. Be reminded that you are the guest of the region directors, and you are a representative of UIL and TMAA.
    10. Be mindful that your comments should help bands improve.      
    11. Remember, you are a teacher first and a judge second. Everything you write and say should positively enrich young people and their teachers.
    12. Keep your cell phone in your pocket and on silence while the contest is under way.