[Bards] Question on performance judging forms

[Kathy Elliott]

As a judge, I'm not always looking for the most moving performance.  What if
the performance that makes me cry is a bad rendition of "The Baron,"
haltingly read from Voices of the Star?  Even a bad performance of that poem
will bring an audience to tears.
 
I see the forms as being the most useful when comparing apples to oranges -
for example, an Elizabethan love sonnet to a "Born on the Listfield."  I
also see them as a useful tool to help cram us all in the same "box" for
judging purposes - which we do need to do sometimes.  How else can you
compare a carved oaken chair to an original composition performed in a
period style?  As performers, forms can also help us prepare for a
competition.  If I know what my score will be based on, I can choose pieces
and tailor my performance to the judging criteria.  Isn't that the same as
playing to your audience?
 
That being said, I don't think we should marry ourselves to the forms, or
even use them in every competition.  They can be a good tool, and a starting
point for judges' commentary.  They can especially be a useful tool for new
judges learning how to give feedback.  They can be nice in very large
competitions to help you remember details about a performance you heard over
an hour ago.  A local competition with 5 entries?  I probably wouldn't use
them.
 
And, I don't use them in the final round of a bardic competition.  By the
time someone's gotten to the finals, we should already know that they have
good diction, tone, movement and flourishes, etc.
 
(okay, I'll stand back & duck now!)
 
Kat
 
 
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
From: bards-bounces+bardkat=verizon.net at ansteorra.org
[mailto:bards-bounces+bardkat=verizon.net at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Jay
Rudin
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:01 PM
To: Ansteorran Bardic list
Subject: Re: [Bards] Question on performance judging forms


Gwyneth asked:
 
> That's great if all the judges are "moved" by the same piece.
> Also, how do you give feedback to the others?  You need to
> do more "moving" pieces?
 
Why would having a form or not affect what feedback I give?  "You need to
work on your diction" or "Your poem doesn't scan" work exactly the same
whether there's a form or not.  Feedback does not require assigning numbers
in categories.  
 
Most helpful feedback I've gotten as an Ansteorran bard for more than 1/5 of
a century has been from one-on-one discussions. 
 
The kingdom Eisteddfod was judged without forms for years.  The judges got
together and talked about what they heard, exchanged ideas, and came up with
a winner.  Feedback was offered to anyone, and could be quite useful and
pertinent.
 
Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin

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