The U.S. Open is now in its ninth year as the only entertainment-style brass band contest in North America, and although some of the details of the adjudication process have been refined and revised over the years, the basic concepts and goals remain the same. The contest committee often receives questions about the judging system, and in an effort to clarify the method, philosophy, and judging technique, we offer following information.

Achievement and Innovation
The basis for evaluation by the adjudicators is the achievement of the performers as displayed that day. It is the sum of the two elements of what they present and how well they perform it. All judges evaluate both of these elements. Each band’s presentation is numerically rewarded to the degree that it is successfully performed.

The contest encourages and rewards innovations and artistry for skillful presentations of new compositions and arrangements for brass band, as well as for unique and successful entertainment devices used during the performance.

Criteria-based assessment focuses on the positive
The foundational method of the scoring system focuses primarily on the positive qualities of the performance, rather than a listing of technical errors. Using a criteria-based reference system, it is meant to guide all bands—regardless of their stylistic choices or contest experience—to the qualities they must achieve and display to receive a range of numerical scores.

For example, in the 100-point Music Category, scores in the range of 90-100 are considered Superior and must satisfy the highest standards in musical qualities such as expression, dynamics, pitch, rhythmic accuracy, tempo control, and many others. The category of Excellent has a numerical range of 70-89 points and recognizes a high level of musical qualities but with some inconsistencies and failings in one or more of these areas. Bands receiving scores in the Music Category of 69 and below are categorized as Good and display failings and shortcomings in many areas, perhaps being classed as average or below.

The 25-point Entertainment caption has similar groupings of quality assessments, and evaluates criteria such as creativity, imagination, variety, audience appeal, emotional range, and effective communication with the audience: the brass band equivalent of “The X Factor.”

Thus, each adjudicator could award a maximum of 125 points for an absolutely perfect performance. Judges’ scores are added together to arrive at the ranking and rating for each band. Since bands are ranked in the order of their achievement, judges avoid creating ties in either category.

Technology adds more clarification
While each band is performing, the judges record their comments into digital recorders, making both positive and negative observations, allowing themselves to react to both the musical and entertainment qualities presented.

Each band receives its recordings at the end of the contest, so that they can understand how the judges may have arrived at their decision, as well as to learn what things the critical ears of the judges found to be notable. This information can help bands with future preparations.

Judge for yourself
This year the U.S. Open committee will publish on its Web site some highlights and snippets of the judges’ recorded comments, thus allowing the entire brass band community to get a better idea of the sorts of things that judges are listening for, and to help follow their thought processes as they evaluate the bands’ performances. We believe this to be a first for the brass band community, and we hope that it will help further the development of brass band adjudication throughout the world. These recordings will be available at www.usopenbrass.org

Submitted by Dallas Niermeyer, Vice-President and Adjudication Coordinator, Brass Bands International