The Yellow Board

The Yellow Board
[ The Yellow Board ]

UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Tired on 3/5/2025, 4:44 pm

I've got a decent to good group. I like my kids and my band. I just have had a ton of reining in lately and it's getting sloppy. The kids are getting overconfident and "don't even sound that bad", so we're not progressing.

I want to scale my numbers back for those who go, but I don't know how to go about it. How do I not come across any more mean/tired/whatever than I already am at this point in the year? I've got just over two weeks until contest and I really need things to clean up or we're not gonna show our best product.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Cut to clean on 3/19/2025, 11:10 am, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

I agree with Snerk. You can take all your kids to contests but they don't all need to play every note. Some careful cutting can improve any band.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by older than dirt on 3/11/2025, 10:56 am, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

"national leave it out day". Take a moment during random rehearsals to go down the line in challenging passages. Students not successful, get to "leave that part out". This allows them to remain on stage and feel a part, but not "interfere" with the over all product.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Tired on 3/12/2025, 2:55 pm, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

I like this idea.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Not sure you have time for it on 3/6/2025, 1:50 pm, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

Make students play off their music with you with a tuner handy. Listen, approve it, make cuts, clean. If you have a band of 50 and clean 3 things in each performance. That is 150 individual better performance moments.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Worked for me on 3/6/2025, 10:52 am, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

I had mine play their music for another director as a playing test. Passing meant they got to go to contest. The director can write cuts in the music, but if they simply can't play the vast majority of notes and rhythms then I did not take them. Not going to contest was their only consequence for not learning the music. I did not give them a bad grade for band. Only a very small number of students did not go.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Maybe on 3/6/2025, 9:45 am, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

I agree with playing the recordings back.

Maybe you can do an audition of sorts for who's going? You can even make it a grade. If a kid doesn't make it and thinks they should go, they can always play for you again outside of class to try and earn a spot back in.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by MS on 3/6/2025, 8:02 am, in reply to "UIL Scaling Back"

Have you tried playing a recording of another group and then them? Maybe if they hear the difference from a "real" group some might start to understand they have a ways to go.

This is the goal...this is where we are...

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Another idea on 3/6/2025, 10:26 am, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

Play a little of a fifth division band (without identifying who it is), then play a little of a first division band (maybe even honor band level).

Explain that both groups on the stage at that exact time and place are giving 100%.

Ask what made the difference in the two groups.

Someone is going to come up with "It's how they practiced/rehearsed/prepared".

Ask what category they want to fit into.

Again, just an idea/suggestion.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Snerk on 3/6/2025, 5:10 pm, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

How many of us have random recordings of fifth division bands sitting around?

Just asking.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by I do on 3/9/2025, 9:10 am, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

...and you simply cannot listen through the whole "performance".

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by ForeverN00B on 3/7/2025, 7:39 am, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

There are TONS on YouTube...

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Snerk on 3/7/2025, 1:35 pm, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

There are tons of BAD bands and BAD recordings out there, true.

But if I'm playing a "fifth division band" I want proof that they earned a 5 at UIL. I want to point to places on the rubric where they definitely earned that rating.

And in this state, bands likely to earn a 5 usually don't go to UIL.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Gee... on 3/10/2025, 2:45 pm, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

...you mean you can't determine that a performance is 5th division unless you see the rating on Texasmusicforms?

Couldn't you just take the rubric and run your own sheet on the recording? You don't have to do the whole performance, one piece will suffice. If the band is trully 5th division, they'll obliterate what is on the rubric...regardless where they're from or where the recording is made.

Re: UIL Scaling Back

Posted by Snerk on 3/11/2025, 8:38 am, in reply to "Re: UIL Scaling Back"

Not what I said at all.

I've heard plenty of "bad" performances out there.

If I'm claiming something is "fifth division" then I want proof that that's what it earned.

Otherwise, I'd just say "This is a recording of X song, performed poorly - what rating would you give it?" and not start by calling it 5th division.

Plenty of performances sound like hot garbage when they're recorded with a single mic. When you're in a hall they may sound better than that. That's part of why judges give different ratings sometimes for the same ensemble.

It's pedantic, but I believe in absolute honesty with my kids. If I say something is fifth division, I want evidence to back my claim. If I say it's (for lack of a better word) "bad" then there doesn't need to be rubric-based evidence.

See the difference?

« Back to index

[ The Yellow Board ]