Concert Band

Concert Band

Concert Band Festival

The Maine Band Directors’ Association sponsors a Concert Band Festival. The purpose of this festival is to stimulate and foster greater interest in concert band music and to provide an exchange of instrumental concepts that will be of benefit to students and directors. See the Schedule of Fees for Entrance and Admission fees.

The 2023 MBDA Concert Band Festival will be held at South Portland High School on Wednesday, March 29th and Thursday, March 30th

This year’s judges will be: Terry White, Phil Edelman, Will Kinne, and Jeff Priest

Performance Options
This is a non-competitive event in which directors may opt for a rating (I-V) or for comments only. No results or ratings will be posted. Judges’ comments will be both taped and written (host school provides the tapes and tape recorders). Four judges will be hired so that three judges will hear one band while the fourth is giving a clinic in another room.

Procedures
All students and chaperones arriving on the bus will be stamped by the host’s guides. One guide will be assigned to each band and will escort them to their homeroom, warm-up area, performance, and clinic.

There will be a set-up crew available to assist each band.

Sight-reading

The Concert Band Festival now includes sight-reading – it is a 5 point caption. (out of 100).  Following your performance, you will be led to the clinic and sight-reading room.  The adjudicator who is going to give a clinic for your band will choose a sight-reading piece 2 grade levels lower than the music you perform.

The students will get 2 minutes to look at their parts – the director cannot be involved.   Directors will then get 2 minutes to talk through the excerpt.  Directors cannot sing rhythms, but rather “watch the rhythm in measure 29” etc.

We are planning to have the same percussion set up in the sight reading room that we have on stage.  Please remember to check the list for what percussion you must bring with you and what will be provided.

Rules

The following rules apply to the festival

1. Each band will be allowed 20-25 minutes in the warm-up room.

2. Middle School bands will have 20 minutes performance time and 20 minutes clinic time.
    High School bands will have 25 minutes performance time and 25 minutes clinic time.

3. Bands will be allowed to perform any selections of their choice (usually three) within the
    time limits. Each school must provide three sets of music scores for the judges (original, if
    at all possible), and they must be numbered.

4. There will be sight-reading.

5. After each band performs, one of the judges will give them a clinic.

6. Certificates will be given to all participating bands.