Each year music educators spend time reflecting and contemplating what went wrong in previous year’s competitive marching band shows and what can be done to make things better. This can be a very rewarding process but sometimes things get in the way. A professional trombonist friend of mine always used to say to me, “No excuses, just results.” This is so true in the reflection process. It’s not the ideas or reflection process that holds programs back, but rather the constant excuses.

Some of you might be asking, what do you mean?

Here are 5 common excuses that infiltrate the competitive marching season.

1. There is a problem with the judging panel!

Plain and simple, judges want to see programs succeed. While there may be a very small percentage of time where a specific judge may not be what you perceive as “the best”, or “qualified,” it isn’t the majority. A panel of 5-6 judges is put together for a specific reason and that is to give programs the best chance to have a fair and equal evaluation from many different angles. If one judge gives a program an ordinal of 2nd place and another gives the ordinal of 5th, does that mean the judge who gave 2nd is correct? Not necessarily. It means the program is somewhere in between. It could mean the judges were in different parts of the press box, and saw or heard things differently. It does not mean the judge who gave 5th is “out to get” a program. Really, there is no denying a program that is great, so if you do not want an ordinal of 2nd or 5th, just be better. Instead of looking at those placements as mean spirited, try to look at what your program can improve on as to not receive those placements in the future.

2. Our circuit doesn’t reward our type of shows

There are certain type of shows that fit certain circuits better because of the content of the adjudication sheets. Isn’t it the job of the directors and staff to pick a show that has music and effect according to the criteria in which the program is judged? Instead of using this excuse, reflect on why the show might not be doing as well as hoped, and make necessary changes that are guided by that circuits judging criteria. Study the sheets and present a program that guides the adjudicators through those sheets in a very organized manner.

3. We drew a bad spot at contests

This one does matter slightly, but again, being great is hard to deny. Trust that the adjudicator is competent in being able to recognize and reward greatness, and be amazing as the first band. It is when bands are in the “just ok” area that going first has a bigger impact. Make a statement with tone quality, musicianship, performance, confidence and appearance and programs will almost always get the credit they deserve.

4. Other schools’ shows are so much easier than ours

Placing blame on other programs and focusing on what someone else is or isn’t doing is a big mistake. If another program is doing better than yours, it is usually because that program is performing on a higher level. Whether it is perceived as easier or more difficult really doesn’t make that much difference. It is the performance quality of the material that the director has given their program. Sometimes, other programs might appear easier because they are performing it with such ease that it comes across effortlessly.

5. It’s political!

This is a very popular statement, and has some merit. However, being undeniable in what you are doing can trump any political stereotype. It just takes one or two unbelievable performances for any preconceived notions to be broken. It is hard to deny greatness. Is your program great?

Focusing on ourselves, being humble and working hard are the only things we can control. Wasting mental energy on anything else takes our focus off the main thing, which is high level music education. Try a whole season of no excuses and quite possibly you may see what is holding the program back.

Is there another excuse you have heard during the competitive marching season?