2010 District Festival Results

Hey out there in Band land!

First, let me say that I think you guys did a good job at the festival today, considering all the school we missed and the fact that we only got a couple chances to all play together. We have to remember that anything like snow or rehearsal challenges are just excuses, and that when you perform, the audience doesn't know or care what your limitations are. They want to be entertained and hear good sounds.

My only admonishment is that I am disappointed that there were any wrong notes or rhythms at all... that should never happen in a performance. I hope you all realize that I cannot do all the preparation... it is up to you guys to do that. In rehearsals we work on music, not notes. Take care of yourself and the group will improve.

That being said, because we did not have a lot of time to prepare, and because you guys were enthusiastic enough to go and perform without taking any of the "Snow Options", I firmly believe in a different situation we would have gotten a "II" in the full performance. You all should be proud of the accomplishments you've achieved, but we can't stop here!

Below you will find a condensed version of all the judges comments and ratings. We had very nice moments throughout the performance, and when we work to fix the things that are holding us back, we'll improve everything!!!

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2010 VBODA District XIV Concert Band Festival
March 6, 2010

Recap

**Full Performance** – Rating of III

Tone – B, C, C
Good developing sounds. MORE AIR!!!

Intonation – B, C, C
Support with lots of air. Listen and adjust. Match within section.

Technique – C, C, C-
More dynamics! Can’t have missed notes.

Balance – C, B, C
Melody becomes covered a LOT. Percussion very loud.

Interpretation – C, B, C-
Phrasing, and go to the end of the phrase with long notes. Softer on the softs… louds are okay.

Musical Effect – C, C, C-
Clarinets can be more prominent in general. Consider harder reeds for clarinets because overall everything sounds too flat and thin. All the intonation and balance issues take away from the good things we’re doing!

Other Factors – B, B, B
Apparently we’re good looking! We need to continue to work on developing our sound as a band. MORE AIR!


**Sight Reading** – Rating of II (!!!)

Technical Accuracy – B
Missed key signature; cut off phrases early

Flexibility - B
Balance good for small group (percussion too soft?!?!? ); lacking precision.

Interpretation – C+
More dynamics, almost no phrasing; slow section not sustained enough.

Musical Effect – B
Tone quality okay. Use good air!

General Comments – B+
Group shows lots of potential! Work on phrasing, fundamentals, tone quality. Increase understanding of stylistic elements.

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Big improvement goals for the rest of this year:
1. Intonation
2. Phrasing
3. MORE AIR!

Be ready to work next week! :)
Mr. Szuba