Judging Q&A

By Joni Bescos, Rich-Tone Chorus, Region 25

Q: How can the Showmanship judge comment on our visual performance when she's looking down so much of the time?

A: Showmanship judges have a real challenge—they need to watch enough of the performance to evaluate its level, particularly those areas listed on the scoresheet, but they also need to be able to write enough comments to the contestant to support the score they award. (Remember, the category is Showmanship, not choreography). If the faces and emotions are inconsistent while they are watching, it’s a pretty safe assumption they’ll still be inconsistent when they are writing. At least 95% of chorus members place much more emphasis on choreography than they place on performance. Look at the category weights. The emphasis is on performance and physical expression. A Showmanship judge can accurately evaluate those facets without keeping her eyes fixed on the entire performance. Often the first impression formed by the quartet walk-on or the initial chorus acknowledgement accurately predicts performance level.
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Q: Why didn't [xyz] make it into the program? She would be a great judge!

A: Knowledge of the art form does not necessarily make someone a great judge. The Judge Specialists and Education Direction Committee carefully screen each applicant based on confidential appraisals from references given by the applicant and from regional and international leaders. These groups realize that successful applicants will have to commit 3-6 years of their lives to study, training, and trial-scoring in a variety of regions at their own expense. Those accepted as applicants then must pass both general knowledge and category tests. The category tests are evaluated separately by the specialists and several other judges in the applicant’s category. Some individuals have a great deal of knowledge, but have not mastered the ability to succinctly communicate that knowledge in writing. Effective written communication is an essential skill for a judge. Judges must also be comfortable using numbers. Teachers are accustomed to grading, and those who work in accounting use numbers every day. Some people can’t adapt to that mindset – I once had a roommate who would argue vehemently that 2 x 0 = 2 because, after all, you have two zeros. In short, judging isn’t for everyone, even those who appear to have the knowledge.

Q: How do judges, once a quartet/chorus has finished a performance, wipe the slate clean and focus on the next competitor without comparison to the previous quartet/chorus?

A: That’s easy, and the older we get the easier it is! One of the questions I frequently have to ask of whoever’s next to me is “what was the first song??” Seriously, a judge focuses so intently on the performance on stage, arriving at an accurate level, and writing comments that support that level that she doesn’t have time to think about how it compares to the last performance or an earlier performance.

Q: The men always have 15 judges at their international contests--five in each category? Why don't we?

A: Have you heard those jokes about “how many _____ does it take to change a light bulb? Can you hear the next line? Right. It only takes eight women. Or here’s another—have you heard “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Once upon a time (before 1962), there were five categories and we used three judges in each category. At that time we were using some member judges and some judges from the men’s organization. And we weren’t paying any of their expenses, so the judges were chosen from those who were coming to the competition. Then we grew up, got our own judging system, and have kept it pretty much consistent for almost 45 years. In order to ensure that our contestants have the best judges available, we pay their expenses. Because we expect them to write comments to the contestant, not just scores, we use different judging panels for the chorus and quartet competitions to give their hands a day of rest. Think about this for a minute. Five judges per category = 20 judges for each contest = 40 judges! Many of our judges are also competitors, and would rather be on stage singing with their quartet or chorus than sitting in the judging pit.

Q: Which gets the higher score—a good arrangement sung poorly or a bad arrangement sung well?

A: It could go either way, depending on degrees. Like how poorly is the good arrangement sung, or just how “bad” is the arrangement that is sung well? It’s impossible to answer this question without specific performances of specific arrangements to compare.

Q: Do judges care how many breaths we take in a song?

A: Within reason, judges do not care how many breaths you take. In fact, if you’re singing with good vocal technique and good breath management, the judges will not notice when you take breaths. This answer assumes that you are not interrupting the musical flow by breathing every three or four words, and that your breathing does not result in a lack of forward motion. Bear in mind that the breath is the beginning of a musical line, not a reward at the end of a line. Once upon a time a chorus planned an entire song using staggered breaths so that it appeared to the listener that the entire song was sung on one breath. This wasn’t a good idea—the listener needs the “release” experienced when the singer breathes.

Q: Do I get in trouble with the judges if I take a song that is well known one way and change it? For example, taking an uptune and making it into a ballad or taking a backbeat song and singing it faster and with emphasis on the downbeat (or the opposite of that)?

A: Generally the answer would be “no.” However, you need to take a close look at the arrangement to determine whether the arranger planned for it to be sung a certain way. For example, the embellishments used for a ballad arrangement will generally be in a different style that the rhythmic embellishments used for an uptune. An arrangement designed to be sung with backbeat emphasis will generally incorporate syncopation and push beats in both the song itself and the embellishments, while an arrangement designed to be delivered with downbeat emphasis will emphasize the first and third beats.

Q: Am I allowed to take Leads and put them on another part for a short time if I need to improve the balance in a contest song?

A: How would anyone know unless you told them? Obviously a quartet cannot take advantage of this, other than trading parts (I sang lead for a few notes on the contest stage and the lead sang tenor). As a chorus director, I would be thinking not just about the contest performance, but about performance of that song in other circumstances. It would be startling to end up with no leads in a given situation because they were all singing some other part. I recall singing “blead” in a chorus contest—the lowest notes of lead or baritone. Sometimes when the melody transfers from one part to another it helps the transition to “mix” voices. As a coach, I sometimes suggest taking voices from the lead section and putting them into baritone or bass for a short time, not so much to help the baritones or basses as to keep the leads in balance!

Q: Is it true that it’s a disadvantage for a contestant to sing early in the lineup because judges save the higher scores for those who sing later in the contest?

A: The short answer is “no.” There may be other reasons it’s a disadvantage to sing early—not many singers like to start warning up before sunrise, not to mention makeup and hair checks, and rehearsal. And in a regional chorus contest, the audience may be small at the beginning, so it may not seem like you get much applause. Judges know all these things. As recently as the Detroit convention, the panel chair emphasized to the judging panels that “we don’t ‘save’ scores. If the first contestant sings an “A” performance, you should give an “A” score!”

Q: How are judges capable of fairly judging contestants that they coach?

A: I was one of the judges for the chorus competition in Detroit. Eight of the choruses I coach were contestants. Four of them placed in the top ten, the other four did not. I don’t believe I was unfair to any of them. My most recent visits to these choruses ranged from 11 months before contest to 3 weeks before, so they were each at a different stage of preparation when I last saw them. I purposely did not visit any chorus rehearsals in Detroit. I think the biggest fear chorus members have about being judged by their coach is that the coach/judge will “penalize” them for not doing what they are supposed to. Remember that judges judge performances—they do not judge contestants. We cannot judge what the performer could or should have done, and we cannot base our evaluation against any other past performance given by that performer. Our job is to evaluate the performance at hand.

Q: Can you tell us more about what judges mean when they talk about the “wall of sound?” Standing in the group, I’m not sure what to listen for.

A: I think the best comparison I can give you is to ask that you picture a chain link fence, then picture a concrete block wall. It’s the same with sound. A “wall of sound” doesn’t have discernible holes. What causes “holes” in the sound? Many things, and the more serious the problem the bigger the hole it creates. Let’s say the chorus is singing a song with the word “tonight.” Perhaps most of the members sing to the target vowel (“ah”), and sustain it until it’s almost time to release, then they turn to the diphthong (“ee”) and the final consonant. However, others haven’t quite mastered breath management, and are running out of breath before it’s time to release. These singers start squeezing the sound, trying valiantly to hold on, and finally turn the diphthong early. Right away we have not only a tuning problem but an internal synchronization error. The rest of the members have varying degrees of proficiency in vocal skills, and the individual idiosyncrasies create small holes in the sound. I’m not surprised you can’t hear the “wall of sound” when you’re standing in the chorus. Many years ago the chorus I directed, Verdugo Hills, was performing at a regional meeting as current champions. I always tried to share directing with the rest of my staff, so I was standing on the end of the top row. What I heard sounded dreadful, and my thoughts centered on how embarrassing it was to perform at such a low level. Then it was my turn to direct. The difference in what I heard from out front compared to what I heard from on the risers was like night and day. From out front, I hoped I had written down this particular riser placement because it was one of the best sounds we ever produced! If you’re a single block in the wall you can’t see the rest of the wall, but you are an integral part of the structure.

Q: What causes a judge to give a chorus a 79 instead of an 81? What are the nuances that determine the difference between a B+ and an A-, and how can a chorus cross this small, yet seemingly gigantic chasm?

A: Early in my recent illness I was not able to attend many of the San Diego chorus rehearsals. Though I belong to the Rich-Tone Chorus, I live in the San Diego area, have long-time friendships with many of the members, and have acted as an “in-house” coach. In my absence, their byword became “what would Joni say?” The first time back with them I answered that question. Joni would say “put your face on and sing from the heart.” So often we obsess over how far apart our fingers are supposed to be on a move, or over a problem note, or even over what we perceive to be our neighbors’ shortcomings that we do not allow ourselves the true joy of emotional involvement in the performance. Very often that lack of consistent emotional involvement creates a glass ceiling between B+ and A-, or even higher. Yes, do your best to learn the words, notes, and planned moves. Then let them go and practice performing until it becomes second nature to you. The nearly-perfect performance that demonstrates genuine emotional involvement will almost always outscore the technically perfect, but mechanical performance.

Q: How great an impact does the selection of song make on the scores of the judges? Even though this is found in only one judging area, doesn’t it spill over at times into the feelings that judges have about things in the other categories?

A: This question is too general for me to give a specific answer. Maybe you mean arrangement rather than song, because a given song could be arranged in many different styles and, depending on the skills of the performer, the scores could range from D to A. I don’t believe “feelings,” and my guess is that you mean “preconceived ideas,” have anything to do with judging. Many performance flaws do spill over into all categories. Tuning problems in the Sound category create chord clarity problems in the Music category. Synchronization problems in the Expression category create tuning problems in the sound category and chord alignment problems in the Music category. Reading the Judging Category Description Booklet – every chorus should own one – will give you a better understanding of how the pieces fit together.

Q: If a person is interested in the judging program, but is not a trained musician, what could she do to prepare herself?

A: I believe the only category with a prerequisite of musical training is the Music category. A Music judges does need to understand chord structure and to be able to identify chords. The first step in preparation, though, would be to obtain a copy of the Judging Category Description Booklet and read it. Then listen to any contest recordings you can get your hands on, listening for one category at a time and attempting to identify any problem areas in that category. You might also make copies of the scoresheet in a particular category and try your hand at writing comments during some contest performances. Many Regions have novice or double quartet contests that give aspiring judges the opportunity to try it out. IES often has an “aspiring judges” track that allows members to get basic training and attempt trial-scoring before they formally apply to the program. Almost every Region has one or more judges – talk to them about your interest. Many of us have been unofficial mentors to those who are now certified judges!

Q: We all know that sound directly affects all of the categories. What are the best things that choruses or quartets can do to create a dynamic and powerful sound that will score high?

A: Mastery of vocal skills by each singer in the group. I have coached the Harborlites chorus for over 20 years. I watched them rise to the regional medalist level, and finally to the “always a bridesmaid” second-place position. About six years ago their music staff asked me to meet with them, and their burning question was “what can we do to get past second place?” My answer to them was the same. They had a high percentage of fine singers, but they also had other singers with varying levels of vocal skills. They needed to raise the individual member’s vocal skills to a higher level. That required time. So they developed a mandatory “Vocal Gold” program. Every member was required to participate. The results speak for themselves. They won a wild card spot for the 2002 international, where they placed 4th; they won the 2003 regional, qualifying for the 2004 international, which they won. The music education class they presented at the 2005 international shared these “secrets” with Sweet Adelines (contact headquarters for a video or DVD of this class). This year they won their regional competition with the highest score given under the current system—729. It took time and the individual commitment of each member, but they more than achieved their goal. There are no shortcuts and no quick fixes, but mastery of vocal skills is the answer.

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