Judging

Awards & Criteria

Sunset Festival of Bands provides not just a judging result, but a critique and feedback opportunity for each participating band prior to the competition phase of the event.

Awards to be presented in both Division I and Division II:

• 1st Place Award
• 2nd Place Award
• 3rd Place Award
• Best Music Award
• Best Drum Major(s) Award
• Best Percussion Award
• Best Color Guard Award

Awards to be presented overall divisions:

• Most Improved Performance Award

Color Guard Scoring:

PROGRAM CONTENT: OVERALL VOCABULARY

• Use of Form, Body & Equipment
• Use of Expressive Components of Space, Time, Weight & Flow
• Variety
• Visual Musicality
• Interpretation of Music
• Staging
• Integration
• Totality & Unity
• Use within the Overall Design Process
• Clarity & Emphasis
• Musical Structure, Phrasing & Nuances

ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH FORM, BODY & EQUIPMENT

• Demonstration of Training
• Compatibility
• Clarity of Form, Body & Equipment
• Precision
• Variety of Responsibilities
• Clarity of Style & Technique
• Consideration of the Overall Environment
• General Expressive & Technical Skills

Drum Major Scoring:

LEADERSHIP

• Contribution through time
• Variety
• Depth of Musical Demand
• Professionalism
• Communication
• Intensity
• Showmanship

PERFORMANCE

• Timing/Accuracy
• Precision
• Salute
• Control
• Style
• Demand
• Clarity

Music Individual

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICIANSHIP

• Shaping
• Inflection
• Phrasing
• Expression
• Idiomatic Interpretation
• Depth of the Musical Challenge
• Consideration of Total Environment

METHOD AND TIMING

• Note Accuracy and Tuning
• Attacks and Releases
• Uniformity of Articulation
• Enunciation
• Tongue Control and Stick Control
• Arm and Wrist Technique for Percussionists
• Control of Tempo and Pulse
• Depth of the Physical Challenge
• Depth of the Environmental Challenge

Music Effect

EFFECTIVENESS OF REPERTOIRE

• Coordination
• Pacing
• Concept
• Interpretation of the Music
• Tension/Release
• Impact and Climaxes
• Aesthetic/Intellectual/Emotional Qualities
• Creativity and Originality

EFFECTIVENESS OF PERFORMERS

• Communication
• Emotional Intensity
• Nuances and Artistry
• Expressive Effect
• Achievement of Technical Excellence as Effect

Percussion Scoring

ACHIEVEMENT OF MUSICIANSHIP

• Shaping
• Phrasing
• Expression
• Style and Idiomatic Interpretation
• Communication
• Quality of Sonority
• Balance and Blend of All Elements
• Tempo Control
• Tuning

QUALITY OF TECHNIQUE

• Timing/Accuracy
• Clarity of Articulation
• Ensemble Cohesiveness
• Pitch Accuracy
• Appropriateness of Timbre
• Quality of Sound/Consistency of Timbre
• Uniformity of Technique
• Technical Proficiency

Visual Individual

TECHNIQUE AND TRAINING

• Demonstration of the Fundamentals of Chosen Technique
• Individual Alignment and Intended Variations
• Effort Qualities and their Variety
• Demonstration of Principles: Balance, Posture, Weight Shifts
• Understanding Overall Environment of Performance Recovery
• Variations through Equipment
• Demonstration of Control of Challenges in Meter and Velocity

ACHIEVEMENT

• Variety of Responsibilities
• Challenge of the Visual Responsibilities
• Timing
• Overall Control of Form and Music
• Spacing and Alignment of Form in Small Segments
• Precision with Respect to the Challenge

Visual Effect

EFFECTIVENESS OF REPERTOIRE

• Coordination
• Pacing
• Concept
• Interpretation of the Music
• Tension/Release
• Impact and Climaxes
• Aesthetic/Intellectual/Emotional Qualities
• Creativity and Originality

EFFECTIVENESS OF PERFORMERS

• Communication
• Emotional Intensity
• Nuances and Artistry
• Expressive Effect
• Achievement of Technical Excellence as Effect