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UTA Band Alumni Association, Inc.

2007 UTA Marching Festival

Here are the details of the new scoring system adopted in 2006: 

Captions

There are 4 Captions: Music, Visual, Colorguard, Percussion.  General Effect has been absorbed into Music and Visual.

Sub-captions have changed.  Music and Visual each have Individual, Ensemble, and Effect components.  Each sub-caption is evaluated by a single judge.

8 judges evaluate each group: 3 Music (1 per sub-cap), 3 Visual (1 per sub-cap), 1 Colorguard, and 1 Percussion

Scoring

Scoring by each judge is identical – each one evaluates two areas of the caption at 100 points each, for a total possible Raw Score of 200.

Raw scores are then weighted (multiplied by a “factor”) and added to determine the Final Score.  The highest possible Final Score is 100.

Here is how the weighting and scoring are determined:

Click the links in the scoring table to view each judging sheet in PDF format.

Outstanding Music Award is determined by the highest Music total after weighting.

Outstanding Visual Award is determined by the highest Visual total after weighting.

Outstanding General Effect Award is determined by the highest Effects total (from Music and Visual) after weighting.

Click HERE to view a sample score sheet, with annotations/explanation, in PDF format.

Other Notes

During Prelims, 3 judges will be on-field: Music Individual, Visual Individual, and Percussion

During Finals, only Music Individual and Visual Individual will be on-field.  Percussion is judged from the pressbox during Finals.

Each area of judging has specific set of criteria defined in 5 ranges or “boxes.”  These are viewable on the back of each judging sheet.  A “Box 1” ensemble scores in the lowest point range of the criteria – equivalent to a Poor rating in UIL competition.  A Box 5 ensemble scores in the highest point range of the criteria – equivalent to a Superior rating in UIL competition.   Boxes 2 - 4 are in the middle, with scores increasing across 2, 3, and 4.

The intent of this format is to give directors, staff, and students a better understanding of why their scores are what they are.  It also highlights strong and weak areas of performance.

Overall, the new judging sheets are similar in nature to judging systems throughout the U.S. in marching competition, whether BOA or individual regionals.  At the same time, these sheets and this scoring system will still assist bands in their preparation for Texas UIL Competition.

OVERVIEW

The UTA Marching Festival began in October 1986 to serve 2 major purposes:

1) To bring students from area bands to the UTA campus, where they could view the UTA Marching Band - the festival would thus assist in recruitment for the band

2) To provide a performance opportunity for area bands whereby they could prepare for competition at other contests, most notably UIL contest.

Rather than limiting the judging to 3 adjudicators and a UIL-style Division Rating, the UTA Marching Festival employs a caption system, where 8 judges would assess a specific area of a band's performance.  This allows each band to receive feedback on more specific ways through which it may improve its show. 

Over the years, bands have competed at UTA to prepare primarily for 2 further contests: UIL Region/Area/State competition, and BOA Regional/National competition.  Typically, UIL contests place a premium on execution and performance, while BOA contests place more emphasis on show concept & construction and musical & visual effects.  The UTA Marching Festival places strong emphasis on BOTH of these aspects of a marching band's show, so this contest can prepare competing bands for further competition at BOTH UIL and BOA contests.  This sense of balance has been and will continue to be one of the major strengths of the UTA Marching Festival.

FOR DIRECTORS

Thanks to all of you for your continued support of and participation in the UTA Marching Festival.  If you're interested in entering this year's Festival, CLICK HERE.

We'll be continuing the online entry process this year.  There will be some minor tweaks this year, so we'd like to hear about your experience with it.  If you have any feedback to give us regarding last year's entry process, please feel free to e-mail Jermaine Durham.

Each year, the UTA Marching Festival faces strong competition from a variety of other festivals in Birdville, Plano, Carrollton, DeSoto, etc.  And the competition grows each year.  As that competition grows, so must our commitment to make the UTA Marching Festival the best it can be.  We don't merely seek to keep it viable; we want it to be one of the premiere competitions in the area.  Accomplishing this goal means providing quality service to the bands in all aspects of the show.  Quality service begins with manpower.  To put it simply, WE NEED YOU.  If you're available to participate in any aspect of planning or coordinating the Marching Festival, please contact Jermaine Durham via e-mail.

All past winners of the UTA Marching Festival are listed on the Band Alumni's History page.