Grrrrr....let's take a step back just for a sec, especially for Band Addict. Good grief. The ORIGINAL question was in reference to scores and "consistency". The premise is that a band's scores as the season progress (and assuming that the band is getting "better" every show) should "go up", whereas there has been complaints that it's NOT happening that way in southern California with SCSBOA. Taking THAT approach, I submit for CAREFUL consideration the following--
1. EACH competition IS different, with a different panel, and this panel is a group of mostly fellow music educators (what SCSBOA refers to as "peer judging") that are there for the MAIN point of evaluating and "ranking" each group for THAT night. PERIOD. With THIS premise alone, it's a faulty argument to say that somehow it is wrong for scores to go up and down from week to week within SCSBOA.
2. Because each competition is an event in and of itself, and because the SCSBOA is not a marching band "circuit", but an association of music educators, the goal I believe for the competitions that we go to the trouble of going through all the hoops of preparing for is to provide adjudication and RANKING within that particular competition. To me, to "chase a score" or putting weight into how good your show is because of the NUMERICAL VALUE is completely dangerous. My premise is, understanding that each show is a seperate event leading essentially "nowhere" (as opposed to the Drum Corps International model where 90% of the time, there is a summer-long PROGRESSION of scores leading to a World Championships), that it's NOT the final score that matters, it's the ranking you receive in comparison to the bands that you are competing against. In other words, it matters little to me if I get a 90 at the Podunk Festival one week, and a 85 at the Cowtipper Competition the next week. As long as I'm in first place each time against the group of bands I'm going up against is all I care about--that is, if I CARED about the competitive outcome.
3. Here's where Band Addict needs some schooling about what competition is all about (and a few others I'm sure). I've been preaching this for a long time, ever since being a wild "just out of high school" drum corps person trying to assimilate into the "walk on coach" culture here in southern California marching band. I cared TREMENDOUSLY as a person with a vested interest in a band's show either as an instructor and then later as I developed into a designer. And I still do. But I realized this was NOT drum corps, and to "worry" about scores as an entity itself was completely frustrating me, and I ended up realizing to stop worrying about it. I also grew and learned more about the true value of competition lays within each group NOT "chasing a score" or even a placing for that matter, but an honest self-analysis of the program and the teaching the thrill of performing, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, using the resources that SCSBOA provides as a "guide" to what we're working so hard on during the fall. The only TRUE competition where scores REALLY matter and where winning and TALKING ABOUT WINNING is encouraged is within the confines of the drum corps activity--PERIOD. And even then, coming from a group that could give a rat's behind about winning and was all about performing and entertaining, "chasing the score" within the drum corps activity was largely a staff function--and never really brought to our attention (in VK, that is).
4. It is my personal belief that students should NOT be concerned with scores within high school marching bands. It's not your concern. It's also my belief that directors and us staff members should not put so much weight into the NUMERICAL VALUE OF A SCORE, but rather, put it into context with what's going on with THAT particular show that you're "competing" at, and as a GENERAL guide to assist with making the show better. The kids should be taught to be honest, self-motivating, self-disciplined, and realizing the yesterday is over and today is a new day, and tomorrow ain't here yet. CRITICALLY important is NEVER letting the kids think that because they didn't get a certain placing, or WORSE, that their SCORE wasn't high enough. I believe in competition within limits--and this is the same argument I remember reading about in the 80's when I was in studying in music education about how competition was DANGEROUS for high school bands. And it's exactly for this reason...it's a (what I believe) an unhealthy viewing of the importance of the final score and whether it's high enough or going up and down from competition to competition. (IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE--when I say "ranking" I don't refer to the "festival ranking" system. I'm saying ranking meaning what place you come in within your class. Which I guess--thanks Turner for the lightbulb
coming on--would be referred to as--come on everyone, all at once--PLACINGS. Sheeeeeeeeesh....)
5. Last point--and I will make sure I'm clear about this. First, all of us that support the idea of a field show championship with SCSBOA should also realize that there is nothing written anywhere in any by-laws or rules that say SCSBOA is SUPPOSED to have this championship. The process of qualification that was developed by the folks that make up the committee for this championship was the best I'm sure of several ideas. And although I'm not privy to what occurred during these meetings, I can only assume that there was probably discussion along the lines of "we're going to turn into a mini-drum corps type circuit now" because people were going to be looking now at scores. A lot of the people that make up the decision makers of SCSBOA are well aware of DCI and how things are done (and yes, some aren't but that's not important). Good, bad, or indifferent, THAT activity is so completely different than marching band when it comes to an operating philosophy. So I'm confident that there was probably a fair amount of trepidation for SCSBOA to "open the flood gates" with this championship idea and the "qualifying" for it. This championship was a two-year "trial run". I'm sure that if "they" don't feel the angst that some are feeling is worth it, SCSBOA will simply not do it next year or ever again--although of course I don't KNOW this for sure, I'm just conjecturizing. And secondly, I agree
VERY CAUTIOUSLY that yes, the scores matter "more" now--and without providing an answer, I have NO idea of how to make the process to qualify for SCSBOA championships any better.
Going to all of this trouble, to paraphrase Band Addict, IS worth it because there is so much MORE to what we are learning and teaching within marching band that to me, outside of the argument that bands are trying to "qualify" for something, scores and whether they go up and down seems pretty insignificant. If you want to worry about the scores folks, follow drum corps. And I don't mean that as a slight. Heck, I was on the Internet every day this past summer keeping my eye on Impulse and Esperanza, and watching Division 1 scores and seeing how the Top 12 was going to end up. It was fun. And yeah, I DID care about the scores and the consistency and the spreads. There's nothing wrong with it in the right context. I just think from an educational standpoint, you run the risk of having the completely wrong focus for your program.