2008 State Band Festival
Judges' Comments:
“Many excellent [tones] throughout the ensemble. Characteristic of instruments.”
”Excellent preparation for this music.”
“Kudos. Melodies are always there. Wonderful attention” (re balance)
“ A pleasure to listen to. Style true to each piece”
“A very exciting and energetic performance”
“Very professional appearance and stage presence.”
“I like the way group stood until set”
“Both pieces were tastefully done”
“Students [are] well-prepared and listening to each other”
“In general, good, especially the solo parts. Nice articulations.”
“In my view, your overall interpretation was very good”
Sight reading:
“Good intonation; fluency”
“Thanks for defining the “Title”. Great response from the ensemble”
“Great response to the director”
“Throughout both pieces tone quality was well controlled and balanced. Solid basses!”
“Well prepared group!! The passing back and forth of phrases was done well”
(under ‘Balance’) “Here again, well thought out and executed. Excellent percussion section, never overbearing.”
“Outstanding control! Good strong, focused tone in every section throughout the ensemble.”
(under ‘Technique’) “Outstanding! This band certainly did its homework prior to coming to Festival.”
“Outstanding! A very high level of communication”
“Much evidence of fine teaching and dedicated study. I was very impressed. Your performance tonight lived up to the fine tradition of excellence in your band program. Congratulations!”
“Beautiful [tone] throughout group. Mature, rich, full, warm sound. Tone was consistent through extreme ranges and various dynamics and tempos.”
“Excellent preparation. Superior facility through challenging literature. Musicians have clear understanding of melodies and harmonic functions.”
“It is so nice to hear phrases shaped.”
“Exciting, energetic, full of life. You make it sound so fluent and musical/”
“It was a pleasure to hear your band. Great behavior and true ensemble working together. Congratulations!”
Tone: Usually very good in all sections. Maintain support at ends of phrases. Full, well-controlled sound. Nice solo players. The tonal center of the band is beautiful. The percussion has a unique sound that blends with the band
Intonation: You have a good concept of the pitch center. There were a few places that more support in upper range notes was necessary but you always got back on track. Solo parts were great! Brass, as you get tired, use more air support.
Technique:Technical facility excellent. Great attacks and releases. Rhythms strong. Nice precision throughout the ensemble. Good solid rhythmic concept. Great job! Rhythmic patterns and entrances were nicely done
Balance: Excellent balance! Some exceptions as noted on recording. The melodic line and solos could always be heard. Good listening throughout the ensemble. The balance between brass, percussion and ww sections was great. The ensemble was always in control. Interpretation: All tempi fine. At times, dynamics could have been more contrasting (on tape).Support air beyond the ends of phrases for control of endings. Very stylistic playing. Nice transitions. Very expressive group. Tempos were set and maintained. Phrasings were beautiful.
Musical Effect: Flow and musicality good throughout
Very musical performance. Musically, it was a pleasure to hear! Great use of dynamics.
Other factors:Great choice of music. Congratulations to an outstanding band on a fine performance!
Tone: As always, your control of the different wind instruments is superb and whatever the need-a warm sound or a hard sound-you manage wonderfully. Very rich well-controlled sound. Such maturity. Soloists have lovely tone qualities. The overall sound of the band was great.
Intonation: Good throughout. There was a little problem in the horns on Variations but that can easily be fixed.
If there were any problems I didn’t detect them. Tpt had a bit of a problem in Tempered steel, getting ready for their licks but that was minor. Good listening. Great sense of pitch and chordal sound.
Technique: Technically and rhythmically very sound. Clear execution. You performed rhythms w/impeccable precision and have impeccable technical facility throughout your ensemble. I think that if the tempos of the fast sections were a little slower the precision would be greater.
Balance: Good! Some minor moments (recorded comments) Well balanced chord structures and sensitive playing with soloists.
Interpretation: Very expressive stylistic playing. 
A slightly (ever so!) tempo in Tempered Steel may have allowed some entrances to be cleaner but…. In scoring for a smaller group within a larger one, assure the balance of all voices, i.e. Fr.Hn (per my recorded comments) Again, I would have taken Tempered Steel a bit slower and some parts of the Variations could have been a tad slower, for the sake of precision.
Musical Effect: Really good and enjoyable. Flow and musicality were wonderful! Very musical performance. What a pleasure to hear a group that understands that there is more to the music than just notes!
Other factors: Congratulations to an outstanding group on a fine performance! BRAVO! All Wonderful! Excellent on all counts. Keep up the good work!
