Atlantic Indoor Association

February 2012

So how do you know you’re cashing in on the overall “production value” of your competitive program? The students are beginning to grasp the show and with a few public reps, enjoy performing it. During performances, audiences may be reacting to some moments as you’d intended, others not so much. The same is true of judges’ live remarks. You arrive at critique confused and disappointed. It doesn’t need to be this way.

Jeff Bolduc has taught and arranged for some of the many successful drum corps, including the 2005 DCI Div. II World Champion East Coast Jazz. As an educator with a Masters Degree in Music Education from Boston University, Jeff has presented clinics at several state and regional teacher conferences, and is presently the Music Caption Head for the Massachusetts Judges Association. He has served as a music judge throughout the northeast, DCI, and for many district and all-state auditions around New England.

(Doing Your Homework) The other half of critique preparation happens when you start receiving adjudicators’ tapes. These should not only be listened to, but notes should be taken.  There are 4 main points you should be considering, with accompanying lists.

List 1. What portions of your show received ‘positive credit’? Are these areas also on your design list?

List 2. List the parts of your show where performance problems were a cause of concern to adjudicators. This list should be used as a rehearsal checklist and assist you in designing specific lesson plans from week to week, and for each rehearsal. If show elements appear on this list that you designed as ‘credit builders’, you’ve got some work to do. If these sections aren’t clean, you won’t get the credit you desire.

List 3. Are there elements of your show warranting positive feedback, which the judge didn’t even mention, good or bad? This is the most important list in critique. You must sell these spots to people evaluating your group. Make them aware that these show areas were designed to get their attention, and as the season progresses, you must get credit for these areas to achieve success. Sometimes, a difficult element of your show can be performed so well that it appears easy, and the judge doesn’t realize just how demanding it is. Perhaps they were finishing a comment about the previous phrase and missed it. You need to ask them to look for these spots. This is where the list you made as you designed your program is most helpful. You might have spent 3 months designing this very effective moment, and the judge is talking about a minor performance flaw. Steer them towards your positives – don’t assume they notice what may seem obvious to you or a previous judge.

List 4. List your progress from week to week. Which things do you feel you’ve improved on since this judge saw you last? Which of the things from list 2 have you checked off – did they agree? More importantly, which of those things have you spent considerable time on that are still not clean? This list is more for you than the critique, but judges can be valuable assessors of a group’s potential. At a certain point, you need to realistically ask yourself: Can our students achieve success with this program by the end of the season? If you’re not sure, perhaps your design took too many risks. You will only get full credit if and when these portions are performed accurately and artistically. Good shows always take risks, but the staff and performers are able to achieve the desired results by finals, can you?

If you have designed a particularly difficult passage that you hoped would achieved credit, and the only comments it receives are about performance problems, you may need to discuss it. Maybe you aren’t sure whether your students can handle this element. Should you ‘water’ the part, or keep rehearsing the original, more difficult material. There have been times when a judge has steered me towards keeping something difficult in, because they knew my group needed these creditbuilding elements to achieve success. Too much watering can mess with the ‘demand is inherent’ balance. Other times, they have not only agreed that a little watering is necessary, but have given me suggestions on how and where to do it. Sometimes when a part is made more achievable for the performers, the overall effect doesn’t change, but the performance is significantly better. Having someone else verify or disagree with possible adjustments to your show can allow you to move confidently forward with changes.

IV. Other Critique Points To Consider

1. There are certainly other issues that come into play when considering the dynamics of a constructive critique session. Often times, the critique takes place after a long and grueling day for both staffs and adjudicators. It is important that all parties involved put themselves in the other person’s shoes. If a director started rehearsal at 9 that morning, and has been out straight since, emotions may get the better of them. Adjudicators need to understand that and try not to take it personally – this is this person’s job. If adjudicators don’t recall every small detail of a program they saw for the first time 3 hours ago, instructors shouldn’t make them feel like they aren’t focused on their groups needs. In fact, introducing yourself by stating your name, the name of your group, the music you played, and even what the group was wearing will save time and allow everyone to immediately get down to business.

2. Be honest and realistic with yourself about your product. Don’t try to be something you’re not. If you lost the show by 6 points, admit that there is probably some work to be done. Most importantly, don’t make promises to your students that you can’t deliver. There have been times when instructors have told students that if they do this and fix that, then they will beat so and so. If the students live up to their end of the bargain but the result doesn’t come out as expected, the teachers often blame it on the adjudicators and create a very tense critique environment. You can’t control what judges do, and different judges implement the criteria in different ways – it is a subjective process. Don’t motivate your students by ‘predicting’ that something will happen in any given situation. You can’t guarantee that, and are setting yourself up to lose some credibility with your students. I’ve had teachers ask me “What am I going to tell my kids?” in a critique. Well, did you promise them results? A lot of variables go into ‘winning.’ Be as good as you can, maximize your potential, give the students a product that they can perform and be proud of, and see what happens. That’s what competitive artistic performance has to offer – embracing the challenge of ‘maxing out’ your achievement level. If you do, you’ve offered the greatest educational experience possible to your students, staff, parents, and communities.

3. Find the time to watch other groups in your classification. It is very tempting to ask the judge about another groups performance or score. Adjudicators should never be cornered into addressing this. It’s none of your business what was said to another group. The best way to get a read on this is to watch the other groups with an open mind. Maybe you don’t like their style or approach, but in the big picture - how are they? What would their ‘credit list’ look like? Is it more ambitious than yours? Why? If you answer these impartially, you will probably understand the results more clearly. You may not ask the judge to compare groups in a critique, their job is to rank and rate according to the criteria that the directors have agreed upon.

4. Understand that you will not get full credit unless something is performed well. Don’t plead your case unless you feel it’s being done cleanly. It is okay to point out some of the things that you are striving for. “Once this is clean, I hope you recognize it and give us the credit we need.” Your informing the judge of the direction you would like their evaluations to head towards in the future, but are acknowledging that at the moment you understand that something still needs work to come across properly. Keep in mind - this approach is useful early in the season, but becomes less relevant as Finals approaches.

V. Putting It Together

If you have spent time considering all of the areas above, you will be more likely have successful and informative critiques, and a more rewarding season. You will represent yourself and your students professionally, and show judges that you and your staff are prepared and willing to sell your program in a realistic, prepared, and thoughtful manner. Judges are very willing to work together with instructors to help the students achieve success. That should be the underlying reason for everything we do - period. This doesn’t always mean winning, but helping students to realize their potential as performers, and having the designed program give them a rewarding educational experience in the performing arts.

In Summary

• As you design your show, make a list of those elements that you feel will stand out as ‘positive credit’ builders.
• Know your strengths and weaknesses. Incorporate your assets into show design.
• Keep track of designed credit builders. Are you getting credit for them? Why or why not? It is your job to steer the judges towards your positives in a critique.
• Taking accurate notes while listening to tapes will not only help you to evaluate the perception the judges have of your show, it should also steer your week to week and daily lesson plans. How can you achieve maximum credit for the areas of your show that were designed to be highlights?
• In a “one shot - 5 minute critique”, your main goal should be to sell the strengths of your program. If you are not getting credit for areas that were designed to be key moments, ask the judge to purposely look for them the next time they see your group. Only after that should you move on to more detailed, and specific concerns.
• Don’t let the dynamics of a critique get the better of you. Relax and be professional. If you are organized, 5 minutes can be very productive.
• You may not discuss commentary given to other groups, watch them yourself with an open mind.

Do you have suggestions or submissions? War stories from the floor, questions or other interests? Email Michael Kirby at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .