Superior Ratings!

It was a long day for me yesterday. We left the school at 8 a.m. with 120 students. My first group played great. I have a hard time accepting a overall rating of Excellent for them but as they say "Judging is judges". It was by far the best performance they have had. I was very proud of how well they sightread too. Then it was on to the Symphonic band. Maybe I was bit puzzled about the Excellent for the other band or maybe it was just the way I am but I decided to do it the Brady way. We played very, very well and did not hold back at all. Maybe it was a bit aggressive or even, dare I say,...LOUD. On no, I said it. My concert bands play with air. We usually don't sound like high school bands for a reason. In the end, we did earn a Superior rating though. It is not often when a judge makes a comment about overplaying the hall (this is when you play a bit too loud for the size of where you are playing) and the hall seats over 1000! but we did. I listened to the recording and it may have been, just a bit, too loud. I must say though the people who know me and my bands were pleased. They thought it was great. Even my band director, Mrs. McBride, thought it was great. This was the first time she had ever heard one of my concert bands. Now that is a rating that I will take with no reservations. Yesterday was not about ratings. It was about meeting a standard and that standard was met. The standard that was met was one that was established by myself. My groups performed with emotion and excitement. Remember it is supposed to be performed for an audience after all.