Judging Q&A

By Joni Bescos, Rich-Tone Chorus, Region 25

Our contestants –you– are getting smarter! In the last issue we asked that you send any questions to jbescos@flash.net. Only two of you out there had questions!

Here’s a suggestion from Velvet Hills Chorus, Region 8, for getting better acquainted with the judging process. Last year they made the decision to step off the competition merry-go-round for a year and use that time to focus on other aspects of chorus life. But what would they do during the regional competition weekend?

One answer was to encourage quartet participation, knowing that quartet singers generally turn into stronger chorus singers. But the best answer was to study the judging categories, pick a category, and trial-score the chorus competition. They concentrated on the judging categories at several educational sessions, and devoted some time at a coaching session with Joni Bescos to listening to contest recordings and discussing the performance levels.

Arrangements were made for special seating behind the official trial scorers. Scoresheets were duplicated and each participating member was given her packet of scoresheets and a copy of the category descriptors used by the official judges. Before the contest they met and watched the same level tape the judges use prior to a contest.

Then it was time to actually put pencil to scoresheet. The following morning they met with Joni (expression judge on the panel) to review scores and discuss placements. Overall, their scores came very close to those awarded by the official judges, and all who participated agreed that it was an invaluable learning experience.

Q: The top choruses and quartets get very high scores in their competition, but the scores are not perfect, so ... what kind of comments might judges make to them or what might the judges expect from them in addition to what they have already done in their presentation?

A: We haven’t yet seen or heard the perfect performance, but some of our groups are coming within shooting distance! What might the judges want? We’d have to look at a specific performance to answer that question. However, total accuracy — all the right notes sung at the same instant by all singers in a given voice section should still be a goal of all competitors. The odds of achieving total accuracy decrease as the number of singers increases. Then there’s total involvement, continuously, by all singers. It’s not difficult to look at even the best chorus and find a singer or two that isn’t involved or whose involvement comes and goes. Most chorus singers forget to rehearse performing. They attempt to move into a performance mode when they get onto the competition stage, but if performing has not been rehearsed to the point that it’s second nature, they are unable to capture that magic aura.

Q: Our scores this year were lower than last year, in fact very few choruses in our competition showed improvement in score over last year. We heard that judges were told that scores were getting too high and that they should reduce their scores by about 40 points (10 points per judge). If this is true it certainly sends the wrong message to those who study their scoresheets and attempt to use the comments as a blueprint for future musical improvement.

A: Wow! I guess I missed that memo! In fact I’ve asked a few other judge-friends and they missed the memo, too. Imagine, if the Region 3 panel’s scores are 40 points lower than they actually felt was deserved, the Melodeers Chorus score would be 781 — only 19 points short of perfection! As we have discussed in previous articles, the performance of each judge at each competition is reviewed by the Judge Specialists. It’s possible that an individual judge was told her scores were a level too high, or even a level too low, but no general edict has ever been issued telling judges to lower (or raise) their scores by a level or a specific number of points. And I believe I can safely say that’s only half the story — it will never happen.

Q: The music judge said on her scoresheet that the arrangement we sang was probably too difficult for our quartet. We don’t understand why she would say that. The range of each voice part is well within our capabilities, and the arrangement was one that Spotlight used in competition when they won.

A: Voice range is only one of the attributes that might make a particular arrangement too difficult for one quartet but perfect for another. Does the arrangement have a great many accidentals? This could signal chromatic part lines that can present tuning challenges. Do the lead and bass lines frequently move from one end of the range to the other? This can result in balance problems if the appropriate vocal adjustments aren’t made. Is the quartet capable of a wide range of dynamics, and can they utilize the appropriate dynamic level no matter what the range? Many arrangements require exceptional achievement in vocal skills in order to support the best interpretive plan. In choosing music for competition the primary goal should be to select music that presents the group at the highest level possible. Jumpy part lines and too many words can interfere with the group’s ability to produce its best unit sound, resulting in a lower score in all categories. Remember that judges do not score the notes on paper — they score the notes the group sings. That’s why the very same arrangement can receive a C- score when performed by one group and an A- score when performed by another.

Q: Is a judge like a Supreme Court Justice — in a position for life?

A: Maybe yes, maybe no. The work of judges is reviewed each year and each judge receives a Judging Progress Report. On this report the judge is given constructive criticism if warranted, along with positive comments regarding her participation in the program. I served on my first official panel in the spring of 1963, so it does seem like I’ve been judging my whole life. On rare occasions a judge is removed from the program because her work no longer demonstrates that she has kept pace with the organization. In other cases life interferes, and a judge may have to give up participation in the program. The judge specialists’ goal is to make sure that each judging panel is composed of the most qualified judges available at that time.

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