Behind The Curtain: The Art of Adjudication
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”
So goes the famous line from the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz. It comes towards the end of the film when (plot spoilers) the quintet of unlikely heroes - Dorothy, her dog Toto, the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion - have undertaken all that is asked of them and are allowed an audience with the eponymous Wizard. After refusing to grant Dorothy her request to go back to Kansas, the ‘Great and Powerful Oz’ is ultimately revealed to be not all that he appears; not the spectral, floating head, but a regular man, hiding in a nondescript, fabric covered booth and using machinery to create his imposing façade.
Whilst sitting at the Regional contests recently, I found myself looking at the adjudicators ‘box’ - a nondescript, fabric covered booth - and wondering what, exactly, was taking place inside and whether, if I were to be allowed a look within, it would meet my expectations. I often think about what it would be like to be the one inside the box and that it would be quite fun to be an adjudicator; the opportunity to sit all day and do nothing but listen to brass bands is extremely appealing. Of course though, there is a little more to it than that, and when I consider that I would need to concentrate on, and mark, each performance before justifying it in both the remarks and in front of an audience I immediately remember why I never seriously pursued being an adjudicator. It's just not for me.
Fortunately though, there are skilled and dedicated members of the brass band community who have undertaken the necessary training and give up their time to ensure our contests can take place. People who spend their weekends attending contests, analysing what they hear and providing feedback with the ultimate aim of helping bands to improve. Here in the UK, The Association of Brass Band Adjudicators (AoBBA) is the body with oversight of qualified adjudicators and most, if not all, are signed up to the organisation as members. Formed in January 1999 with an initial 22 members, including Roy Newsome and Major Peter Parkes, the AOBBA has grown in strength to over 80 members who oversee contests at all levels across the UK as well as in Europe and Scandinavia. With some of the UK's finest brass musicians among its ranks, the AoBBA's primary aim is "to develop professional standards and further the status of the art of brass band adjudication".
In this article I catch up with some of some the AoBBA's members to better understand what goes into developing adjudicators, the AoBBA's training programme, and what it is like to be an adjudicator before, during and after contest day.
Join me then, as I take a look behind the curtain.
The First Step on the Road
The journey for an aspiring adjudicator begins at least two years before they formally step into the box with the completion of the AoBBA’s training programme. Introduced in 2014 and endorsed by the London College of Music, the process requires applicants to undertake six separate assignments and follows content developed by the Executive Group and experienced members of the association.
Now under the oversight of Martin Heartfield, the programme continues to evolve and develop, with content being reviewed annually, to ensure it produces the best adjudicators for the banding movement. “The programme has enjoyed very positive feedback from trainees and contest organisers across the country have been very supportive” Martin explains, adding that “the association is extremely grateful for the support of, and buy-in from organisers”. Martin, a trombone player who studied under the guidance of Peter Gane at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has had a long career in the brass band movement stretching over thirty years, conducting and adjudicating brass bands at all levels and has been the AoBBA training programme lead since 2018. Combining his banding experiences with his experiences being a Deputy Head Teacher, Martin has enjoyed being able to take a hands-on approach teaching the next generation of adjudicators. “I enjoy having a ‘hands on’ approach to ensure all the trainees feel supported throughout the process” he says. “I refer assignment opportunities to them and provide full feedback on each of their assignments identifying any areas for development and I ensure that I always mentor them on at least one assignment. At the start of the process, I lead a full induction session for new trainees”.
The assignments a trainee undertakes are varied and thorough, in order to give each individual the best education for their future roles. “Trainees are expected to complete six assignments over a two-year period” explains Martin. “They produce a folio of evidence with a balanced range of assignments, such as Own Choice, Set Piece, Entertainment, Hymn Tune and March Contests across a range of sections. At each assignment the trainee is mentored by a full AoBBA member. At the end of the assignment the trainee must send their remarks, results sheet and a report from the mentor to the Head of the Programme”. Colum is effusive in his description of the training programme as “excellent”. “The placements have allowed me to experience adjudicating all types of contest, and all abilities of bands” he continues. “I am tremendously grateful to AoBBA for providing this pathway, the adjudicators I have been fortunate to shadow on the day, and the contest organisers who support trainee adjudicators in this way”.
At the other end of the experience scale, Nicholas Garman has been a qualified adjudicator, and AoBBA member for 11 years, having qualified in 2013 and currently sits on the Executive Committee as the Association’s Secretary. Growing up in the Bristol Easton Corps of The Salvation Army, and in a musical family, banding was a key part of his early life and whilst a scholar at Bristol Cathedral School, he played with the Sun Life Band under Dr Roy Newsome. After moving to London for university he subsequently played with the Enfield Citadel Band, under their legendary Bandmaster James Williams, First City Band and then Redbridge, under Jeremy Wise, before joining GUS. It was during his time at Redbridge that the idea of becoming an adjudicator began to take hold. “I don’t know whether it was because I was too opinionated in rehearsal or because he thought I might actually know what I was talking about but when playing at Butlins for Redbridge one year, the then principal cornet, Matt Baker (formerly principal cornet of Black Dyke) said he thought I’d make a good adjudicator” he explains. “I’d seen the adverts for trainees and knew it was something I wanted to do. As a teacher, I was already making evaluations of solo performances and could transfer that skill to ensembles. Like a lot of people, I had attended many contests and had made my own mini results sheet. I was often in the same ballpark as the official results so thought I would give it a go”.
The training programme provided Nicholas with the support he needed from an experienced adjudicator. “John Roberts was my mentor, and he was extremely supportive,” he explains. “I also had support from contests I contacted to ask if I could ‘sit in’. The processes and speed of writing were a challenge, and the longer contest days were tiring, but I quickly adapted and found that I enjoyed the work”.
A Day in the Life
A lot of hard work and dedication is required to complete the AoBBA training programme and, once qualified, adjudicators are required to give more of the same. After qualifying Nicholas’ first contest was the 4th Section at the LBBA Contest in 2013 and, having adjudicated his first Regional Contest in 2015 (at Stevenage, his ‘home’ contest) he has built up over a decade of adjudication experience. From marking over 50 bands at Whit Friday, to adjudicating in a scarf and coat at a snow-bound Butlins contest, complete with a failed heating system, each experience has been different. So, what does an ‘average’ day look like for a Brass Band Adjudicator?
Before
Preparation for contest day starts months in advance of the day itself, and begins with contact from the contest organisers. “Contest organisers are always at liberty to ask whomever they desire to adjudicate” explains Nicholas. “Most contests will begin planning for their next event either straight after the last, or certainly within four months of the previous contest taking place”. This is not always possible though, and organisers for contests such as the National Finals will have to first wait for the result of Areas, in case an adjudicator will be conducting. Once selected “an adjudicator will receive a score and spend dozens of hours on it to ensure they know it as well as any performer on stage on the day. I recently ran CPD at our AGM on exactly this topic. For own-choice contests, this process is repeated for every piece. The same preparation is put into every contest, at every level”. In a world of YouTube and music streaming platforms, there is now easy access to recordings of almost every piece of music in the library if you search hard enough, so would an adjudicator utilise these as part of the preparation? “Yes” answers Nicholas, “though only to help familiarise myself with a previously unknown piece. Any recording listened to will not be the basis for an adjudication; this comes from the score itself”. Each performance is marked against the Performance Assessment Criteria (PAC), available on the AoBBA’s website. “This tells every stakeholder exactly what an adjudicator will be listening for and how we balance factual playing (rhythm, intonation, etc) with interpretation and expression”.
During
The day itself is tightly controlled by contest organisers and the adjudicators are escorted at all times. “Adjudicators are told by the contest secretary what time and where to arrive at a contest” says Nicholas. “It is always at least an hour before the draw (if there is one). Some contests like adjudicators to speak to band representatives before the draw, others don’t, but in the case of a draw, AoBBA adjudicators will be present, to hand in phones and smart watches in front of representatives (as per our statement in January). We are then kept separate from anyone else until being told to go into the ‘box’. This time is spent preparing ourselves for the contest. If I am working with other adjudicators, on the whole we will have talked to each other before the contest to discuss the score. If on my own, I will again read through the score(s). Just before going into the ‘box’ we are given the paperwork for the day”.
Once in place then, what will an adjudicator be doing? “Listening!” Nicholas states. “Adjudicator remarks are completed whilst the performance takes place. In the case of multiple adjudicators, discussion is limited during a performance but between performances always takes place. An order of merit becomes apparent as performances progress and anything that is thought to be of relevance to comments from the stage is noted. This process will only vary if different adjudicators are judging different things, such as in the case of an entertainment contest, or if working by oneself”. In this instance, “The discussions that would have taken place between adjudicators are had inside the head. I am always making sure that what I’ve written and where I’ve placed a band is absolutely right and that my remarks make reasons for this clear.” What is it like to be inside a ‘box’ then, either on your own or with others? “Most contests are appreciative of the space required, especially in the case of multiple adjudicators” Nicholas explains, “however, both in terms of a confined space, and concentration, the trainee adjudicator programme ensures experience is gained in this regard. Personally, as an examiner for the London College of Music, where I often will see 40 candidates a day, the length of concentration is not an issue”.
After
As we all know, once the performances are over, the adjudicators are escorted out of the box and to a separate room ahead of the announcement of results. In the case of my regional contest this is a room upstairs above the stage, and I’ve always been intrigued thinking about the discussions which are held inside those four walls. As Nicholas explains however, the collation process begins before this point as “all paperwork, from an adjudicator’s point of view, is complete before we leave the ‘box’”. This is the reason there is often a delay between the last band playing and the adjudicators heading upstairs. “The paperwork is then handed to contest controllers who will double-check remark sheets match (placings, points etc), complete any paperwork they need (reading of results, adding names to soloist prizes and band names to placings) and other tasks such as writing certificates. Deciding of placings happens organically as the contest progresses and with referral to all our notes as we go along. This explains the occasional pause after an announcement a band is ready ‘on your signal’, if we are not quite sure. Of course, at the end of a contest, we will go through each again to make sure we are happy with the order created during performances”.
It is then time to head out onto the stage for the announcement of results, the presentation of prizes and, before all that, giving an overview of the day and some general feedback to the gathered bands. I think it’s fair to say that some adjudicators find this easier than others. I know how I would feel trying to give feedback of any kind to a large crowd of people, some of whom have been in the bar since their number one draw, and many of whom want you to stop talking so the results can be announced. How adjudicators handle this then is important and was “another area of CPD we recently received at the AGM” says Nicholas. Explaining that “Alan Morrison spoke on exactly this point in January. We try to give both positive and constructive criticism of anything that has been apparent in a majority of performances”.
And with that the results are announced, and trophies handed over. Players will head home, to the trade stands, the bar or perhaps to listen to another section. The social aspect is, as I’ve discussed before, my favourite part of contest day. So, does Nicholas ever stay at the venue following the conclusion of his work as an adjudicator? His answer is brief but clear: “Rarely”.
I think it is fair to say then that, without the presence of a trained adjudicator, a brass contest simply cannot happen. Or at least, not in the same way. Ultimately bands competing to be the best in their region/nation or even the world need an arbiter. What would a contest be like if there were no results? At best, a concert featuring a lot of participants.
Enthusiasm and Exuberance
The work of the AoBBA then is priceless, from the presence and judgment of their existing adjudicators to those currently on the training programme and those that one day will decide the programme is for them. This production line “is vital to encourage and develop the next generation of adjudicators” believes Martin, “by allowing them to develop the skills, gaining experience to support the association’s aim to provide our wonderful brass band community with “professional and experienced adjudication for the modern brass band contest”. And as part of the latest batch off of the production line, Colum is champing at the bit to put his training into practice. “I am really looking forward to getting out there and experiencing as many types of contests as I can” he explains. “I am looking forward to my first few engagements already and cannot wait to get started”. Ultimately adjudicators from across the experience spectrum will continue to play their part in contesting, and this has never changed. “I’m not really sure what expectations I had other than being able to give opinion if I was asked for it – and being able to qualify it” remembers Nicholas. “I really enjoy the job and am hugely grateful for the invitations to adjudicate but also to all bands and conductors who take part. I do find being the Secretary rewarding, and occasionally challenging, but it’s a role in which I think I can offer in a positive way to AoBBA and to banding in general”.
The Curtain Raised
And there we have it. At the beginning of this article, I set out to see if I could have a metaphorical peek behind the curtain and, with the fascinating insight and input from three members of the AoBBA, I’ve done just that. It’s fair to say, the view didn’t disappoint. I’ve been involved in banding for over half my years on this planet and taken part in my fair share of contests but never fully appreciated the unseen hard work undertaken by those in the box. It is clear that, in some respects, the work never stops for an adjudicator as they are preparing for upcoming contests to ensure that they can give as good a performance in the box as they are able to, much like we are doing outside of the box. The hard work and dedication are a vital part of ensuring our contests run as smoothly as they can and that we, as players and supporters, can enjoy our day. But what about the adjudicators? Well, as Nicholas succinctly says “I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every single contest I’ve adjudicated”. And that, ultimately, is what contesting is all about.
Comments
Post a Comment