FESTIVAL RATINGS

Festival Objectives

Band festivals provide the incentive for the development of musical understanding, skills, and taste through performances that are aimed at exhibiting each group at its most mature level of performance. The festivals afford students and directors an opportunity to hear performances by groups of their peers. They stimulate growth and provide constructive criticism from objective adjudicators. The adjudicators rate each band’s individual performance according to a scale. The scale ranges from:

I – Superior II – Excellent III – Good IV – Fair V - Poor

Interpretation of Ratings

SUPERIOR ( “I” Rating )

A superior interpretation and performance - both technically and musically. The performance demonstrated that the group is able to meet all of the technical demands of the music with precision and no aural evidence of strain; the musicality of the performance demonstrates an acute awareness of the composer’s intent and desire. It is, to all appearance, free of technical errors and shows much attention to the music’s expressive feature. The comments and grades on the adjudication sheets correspond to, and justify, the final rating.

EXCELLENT ( “II” Rating )

An excellent interpretation and performance - both technically and musically. Technical demands are met with precision and the musical requirements are met with integrity displaying the composer’s intent, desires, and instructions. It is an authentic reading, marred by noticeable technical errors and intonation defects. The ensemble shows the result of sound fundamental training but the performance lacked the polish and finesse necessary to qualify for a rating of superior. The comments and grades on the adjudication sheets correspond to, and justify, the final rating.

GOOD ( “III” Rating )

A good interpretation and performance - both technically and musically. The group is unable to execute all of the technical demands of the music with precision and accuracy, and does not demonstrate an awareness of the musical demands required for an outstanding performance. The general quality of the performance represents good preparation, attention to detail, and good musicianship but the performance is marred by a large number of technical errors, obvious problem with intonation, rhythmic inaccuracies and lack of dynamic contrast. The comments and grades on the adjudication sheets correspond to, and justify, the final rating.

FAIR ( “IV” Rating )

A performance that approximates the technical and musical requirements of the music but is seriously lacking in the rendition. The performance is consistently weak, filled with technical errors and intonation problems. The ensemble has an obvious weakness in the basic fundamentals of tone production, intonation, fingerings, and rhythms and is therefore not prepared to meet the technical or musical demands of music. The ensemble has overextended itself and should select music that is more commensurate with its level of proficiency. The comments and grades on the adjudication sheets correspond to, and justify, the final rating.

POOR ( “V” Rating )

A performance that is unacceptable technically or musically. It demonstrated a lack of technical proficiency and understanding of the music. The quality of the performance is such that the adjudicator finds few, if any, commendable qualities. Careless and bad playing habits are prevalent, evidencing poor preparation and training. The individual or group should be encouraged to concentrate on the fundamentals and perform less difficult music.

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Revised 26 May 2007

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