The Executive Committee of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators has revealed plans to help promote new opportunities for would be adjudicators.

Void

Chairman Stan Lippeatt told 4BR: "At the last Executive meeting of ABBA, after considering applications and invitations for membership, we identified a void in the system at the Associate Membership Designate level. There are simply not enough opportunities for trainee adjudicators to gain the experience required to move up the tiered system."

He added: "A lengthy discussion followed on how to promote the Associate Member Designate category (the person wishing to find a route into adjudication)."

Criteria

Stan revealed that various criteria, experience and the variety of fields that a candidate may have worked in or be working in and at what standard were discussed, with a number of examples listed.

These included:

A player, and at what level
A conductor, and at what level
Any type of adjudicating or examining experience
Any academic music qualifications
Experience of producing or recording music, and at what level
Worked in the music publishing business
Worked as a music teacher doing continual assessment

this system can only operate on the good will and engagement of the trainee, adjudicator and contest organiser and everyone being flexible in this arrangementABBA

Possible backgrounds

Stan added: "These are all possible backgrounds that potential adjudicators may come from. Some of the candidates may well be very adept in more than one of the above, but remember it does not follow that a good player or good conductor would automatically become a good adjudicator."

Opportunity explored

He went on to explain: "There used to be more solo, quartet and local association contests around the country which offered more adjudication opportunities, and this is where many an adjudicators homed in on their skills. Not many contests have trainee adjudicators working alongside the main adjudicator, or is it a case of the opportunity has not been explored sufficiently?"

Mentor

Stan revealed that Alan Morrison put to the Executive an idea based on a mentoring system for trainee adjudicators, which after fruitful discussion ABBA decided the following idea be put to the movement.

ABBA idea

"Most ‘would be’ adjudicators know a fellow adjudicator or two, but if not they are recommended to contact ABBA for possible contacts. The candidate would then communicate with their contact and explore the possibility of them accompanying the adjudicator at their next contest.

The adjudicator would explain the proposition to the contest organiser to get their approval for this to happen. However, this system can only operate on the good will and engagement of the trainee, adjudicator and contest organiser and everyone being flexible in this arrangement."

Responsibility

It was stated that Executive member John Roberts will be responsible for receiving reports from the candidates and contest organisers in relation to mentoring assignments.

Stan concluded: "The Executive are hoping this could assist the process of becoming an adjudicator and help fill a perceived void of places/ opportunities to gain the necessary adjudicating knowledge to assist a candidate’s route into adjudication."