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musically, technically…” says Music Performance judge Dallas Niermeyer, as he watches Class AAAA Oak Creek. “You’re really displaying good maturity, folks.”
Niermeyer, who retired as band director at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, starts his commentary by explain- ing what he seeks out in the students’ performance. But he also comments, for the directors’ benefit, on the way each show is constructed.
“We take a look at how well the brass sec- tion’s performing, the woodwind section, the technical skills, intonation and tone quality, all those basic kind of things,” says Niermeyer, in his introductory com- ments. “We try to give some input on the musicianship displayed by everybody that we can hear, the total musical product, and the composition, the structure: what it is
you’re playing, what kind of challenges it offers to the performers and exposures.”
As Oak Creek’s program develops on the field, Niermeyer mixes notes on specific actions with more detailed explanations of why the performers succeeded.
“Good full brass,” he says, hearing the di- rectional shift of sound as the band makes a dramatic turn towards the crowd. “You didn’t overdo it. Good for you.”
The drama and complexity of marching depends on the ways in which physical shifts affect sound production: solos, fatigue, the direction of the horns’ bells. Without the integration of audio and video, Niermeyer’s specifics would be lost.
Joe Tornello, director of athletic bands and assistant professor of music at Boise State University, takes a similarly complex ap- proach to judging visual performance. As he watches Class AAA Cedarburg move
Beat the Last-Minute Rush Order
WSMA Awards Now!
With the end of the school year quickly approaching, recognizing dedication and achievement through awards is one of the most meaningful ways to honor and thank students. As with music, the special feelings that accompany awards can last a lifetime.
through their routine, he notes everything from the curvilinear shapes on the field to the way the performers try to lean and correct their alignment if they notice a misstep as they play.
“One thing I like to do with my ensembles: we talk about focalizing an arc and finding the center, and then set it and then turn to the front and look at your relationship and realize how you fit to the people around you,” he says, in his commentary. “Even if you can’t see behind you, you know how you fit to the person in front of you to make it work and set correctly on a consistent basis.”
Because Cedarburg can see what prompt- ed Tornello’s comments, they can pinpoint the actual motions that need work.
At a time when both students and staff are asked to do more with less, WPT’s interactive resource provides the kind of instant verbal and visual feedback that can make a real difference – particularly when presented in sync.
In previous years, Hopkins has uploaded the judges’ audio comments to a class webpage, then done the same for the video – separately. More often than not, his students simply watched the video on its own.
“By discounting the judge’s audio com- ments, they would simply make their own assumptions about the quality of the performance,” he says.
Now he and his students can examine their own work – and the example of others – as they continue to hone their performance for next year.
“WPT’s interactive format makes this pos- sible without requiring a huge time com- mitment from the viewer,” says Hopkins. “I certainly hope it becomes a trend.”
Order your official WSMA awards now and beat the last-minute rush!
Go to
store.wsmamusic.org 54
ESCO, Inc. is an official supplier of the WSMA Award Store.
Susannah Brooks is a WPT publicist and edi- tor of the monthly Airwaves program guide. A singer and former cellist, she is a proud product of Wisconsin public schools.
April 2018
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