The 2023 indoor season has officially begun as groups roll out their shows locally and video clips of lots and shows start to populate across social media. With WGI Percussion Regional season kicking off this weekend, Dan sits down with his friend Teddy Mascari, a Music Effect judge for Winter Guard International and an educational leader in Upstate New York. They discuss approaches to judging and how to give great feedback, a judge’s relationship to the programs they adjudicate, ways of interpreting the sheets, and various trends within indoor percussion and the marching arts.

That Dan Band Show, Ep. 33: Talking Shop with WGI Judge Teddy Mascari

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Episode Time Stamps

00:00:00 - 00:05:10 - Intro

00:05:10 - 00:08:15 - Leaked shows online and keeping the judging objectivity

00:08:15 - 00:12:18 - Understanding judging critiques and how to take in that information

00:12:18 - 00:16:45 - Approach to commentary and feedback for ensembles in Independent World vs other classes

00:16:45 - 00:22:16 - "Checking the boxes" on a scoresheet vs giving feedback that's appropriate based on the time of the season

00:22:16 - 00:25:46 - Does a show need to make sense for a judge?

00:25:46 - 00:30:43 - The talent disparity between the top groups and those on the cusp of making Finals

00:30:43 - 00:34:28 - Broken City, George Mason, and how they've developed a "style" that people can identify

00:34:28 - 00:38:42 - The trap of emulating the top groups

00:38:42 - 00:40:30 - Crowd reactions and video leaks immediately following performances

00:40:30 - 00:53:35 - The cost (literal and figurative) of introducing higher production value shows through TVs, lights, etc.

00:53:35 - 01:03:19 - How to make your local judges better judges through education

01:03:19 - end - Outtro