The Canadian Drumline Association has three adjudicators, and one officer at each competition. The CDA will be hosting drumline competitions this
year in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. This article will discuss the Music Effect Judge.

The Music Effect (ME) Judge focuses on the music the ensemble produces as a whole. This is broken down into two sub-captions. The Composition sub-caption rewards the written music content of the drumline. The performance sub-caption rewards the drumline for how well they execute and perform the music. This is often referred to as the “How and What”. How well are the playing, and what are they playing.

The CDA has defined skills for each caption, and competing drumlines are required to demonstrate a skill set appropriate to the classification they are competing in. Concert ensembles demonstrate basic skills such as “clarity of voicing”, intermediate ensembles demonstrate intermediate skills such as “tempo changes”, and premier ensembles demonstrate advanced skills such as “melodic play/compliment “.

The EA Judge adjudicates all performers in the ensemble, and gives a score of up to 20 each for composition and performance. The Judge may not give the same score in the same sub-caption to multiple ensembles, and is positioned high and centred in the audience stands.

Our next article will discuss the Visual Performance Judge