What an Audition, Jury or a Music Judge Will Look At During your Performance

Nov 2

3 min read

Two smiling women sit at a judges table in an auditorium, with Poetry Out Loud name cards and clipboards in front of them.

Hi there, this week we are doing something different. We reached out to one of out teachers who happens to be a music and percussion judge for the state of California.

Hello, I am Daniel, one of Tamraloo's percussion and piano teachers. I am currently in the middle of my adjudication season with the Northern California Band Association, but also work with Winter Guard International and on the jury selection with the Auburn Symphony.

Growing up, I was lucky to partake in many auditions, competitions and jury recitals. But one thing always was on my mind; How can such a subjective aspect be quantified to a score? Well once becoming a judge, to be honest, you are not going to like the answer. We as judges cant accurately put a score to some that is subjectively beautiful. But we can answer a different question that does help understand how a judge might give a score. A music judge is answering one question: how well does this person or group understand and deliver the music, and how clearly does it connect with the audience?

What music judges listen for?

Music Judges with headsets and glasses sits in blue stadium seats, watching a music performance.

Judges sort what they hear into four areas; Sound, Precision and technique, Musicianship, and lastly Design and programming.

So lets start with Sound: we look for the quality of sound (tone quality/intonation, blend/balance); sound production; and ensemble cohesiveness.

Precision and technique: How is your approach to technique (rhythm/precision/facility, articulation/bowing); and rhythmic clarity.

Musicianship: This is reading between the lines of music. This one every judge with have a different interpretation but musicality we refer to interpretation, style/phrasing, expression, sensitivity/dynamics and artistry.

Design and programming: What was written or chosen: orchestration, variety, continuity, clarity of intent, repertoire that fits the the playing level of the person or group.

Effect: does it connect?

Beyond the notes, judges credit how well the whole presentation communicates. A marching effect sheet frames this in two parts: overall effect (program, creativity, communication, engagement, coordination, and range of effects) and music effect (the musical journey, creativity, musicianship, artistry, and excellence as effect). Both ask who showed the greater understanding and achievement as it relates to those elements.

A concert sheet captures the same instinct in smaller pieces: the overall programming effect inside choice of music, stage presence (professionalism, deportment, uniformity, and posture), and an effect-of-presentation line for anything that noticeably helps or hurts the performance.

In both cases, effect is not decoration. It is the judge asking whether the choices add up to something the audience can follow and connect with over time.

The score and the spread

Most competitions will have a publish rubric on how the judges with score a performance. But most rubrics follow a similar rubric wording, words like developing and inconsistent for lower scoring. Middle bands say sometimes, usually, or most of the time. The top performances says consistently, with terms like superlative and outstanding.

Numbers communicate too. Each box or number a judge chooses sends a message, and so does the spread between sub-captions in the same area.

1 to 2 points: very comparable
3 to 4 points: minor differences
5 to 7 points: definitive differences
8 or more points: significant differences

You cannot control what another group or person will program, achieve, or scores. But you can gain perspective from how a judge applies the spread.

Smiling young man in a plaid shirt seated at a black piano on a stage with a plain backdrop.

The takeaway

Judges are not speaking a mysterious dialect. The sheets, the commentary, the scores, and the critique are four ways of saying one thing: here is where your program is, and here is what it could be. Learn all four languages, and every contest or festival becomes a chance to get better.

If you are preparing for a concert audition, a competition or a jury recital, contact Tamraloo for us to connect you with a teacher that can get you prepped for your audition, competition or a jury recital.