Contest Rules and Regulations

 

I. Eligibility

A. The Championships will be open to all permanently organized brass bands who are Member Bands of NABBA. The NABBA standard instrumentation is to be: Eb soprano and Bb cornets, Bb flugelhorns, Eb tenor horns, Bb baritones and euphoniums, tenor and bass slide trombones, tubas, and percussion as called for in the scores. Total membership of each band shall be unlimited, but only 30 players shall be permitted on stage at any one time. Bands in the YOUTH Section are not limited to 30 members or stage. All North American participants shall be individual members in good standing on the day of the annual contest. All non-NABBA participants must be paid up members of their own national association.

B. Any brass band which participates in the North American Brass Band Championships using other than NABBA standard brass instrumentation, as listed in paragraph A. above, shall be allowed to compete in the Open Section only, and shall play the test piece with brass and percussion instruments only. All other rules as published will apply.

C. No band member shall be allowed to play more than one brass instrument. It shall be permissible for a brass player to play a brass instrument and also percussion instruments.

D. No rearrangement of parts will be permitted. The part written for any particular instrument will be played on that instrument only.

E. A band member is permitted to play with only one band.

F. A band member who derives seventy-five percent or more of his/her income from the performance of a brass or percussion instrument shall be regarded as a professional and shall not be eligible to participate. A band member engaged in teaching the performance of music shall NOT be regarded as a professional. Military musicians are eligible to perform with the following exceptions:

No band is allowed to pay any player. All performers at contest must be bona fide members of the band in which they perform. Petitions or exceptions to the above must be referred to the Contest Controller.

G. Any band in the Championship Section winning three consecutive years shall be ineligible in any section in the fourth year. Such band shall be eligible to compete in the Championship section after one year's absence. These bands may be invited to participate in the Gala Concert. A band in any lower section winning first place in its respective section three years in a row shall be promoted to the next highest section automatically for the next year the band participates in the competition. The year after this promotion the band may elect to stay in the upper division. If the band wishes to return to the lower division, it may do so only if the band or its conductor submit a written petition to the NABBA president by August 1st of the current Championship year stating their reason for the request for a return to the lower section. The NABBA Board will consider the petition and inform the band of its entry status after the Board's September meeting.

H. Bands formed for the express purpose of participating at the Championships may perform in an Exhibition Section, provided the band and all participants comply with membership rules. Exhibition bands may or may not play a test piece from the section of their choosing. There will be no awards given, nor scores posted for this section. Exhibition bands must conform with all entry deadlines and stage performance deadlines. Qualified bands not choosing to compete, or bands that are ineligible to compete, may perform in the Exhibition Section.

II. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

A. A band shall enter only one category of its choice.

B. A band must properly complete and return to the organizer an official Entry Form together with appropriate Entry Fee before the closing date for entries. Failure to meet the deadlines will negate the entry.

C. Each band must submit three copies of the conductor's scores for each item in the band's program, excluding the test pieces. NABBA will provide scores for all test pieces. Scores sent by each band shall not bear any identification of the band. Scores of unpublished music shall not name the composer/arranger. The selections to be played need to be listed in the order of performance and include: title, composer and or arranger, and publisher.

PHOTOCOPIES ALLOWED ONLY WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE CONTEST CONTROLLER.

D. When returning the Entry Form, each entry must include a black and white glossy photo of the band, a separate black and white glossy photo of the conductor, and a brief biographical note on each. Please properly identify all black and white glossy photos.

E. Entry Forms and materials must be received no later than midnight of entry deadline.

III. CONTEST PROCEDURES

A. The Contest Controller will organize and administer the draw for contest order of performance. This will be accomplished in advance of the competition. Each band will be notified by mail of its respective order of performance and when it must be prepared to enter the warm-up room and be prepared to enter the contest stage.

B. If a band member is unable to compete owing to death in the immediate family, personal illness, accident or other circumstances beyond his/her control, the band representative, by 8:00 a.m. of the day of the contest, may apply to the Contest Controller for a deputy from a band in the same section of the contest. If the Contest Controller is satisfied with the bona fides of the application, he/she shall arrange to provide a substitute in unusual circumstances.

C. Before a band will be permitted to enter the contest stage, the NABBA membership of the band will be verified by the Contest Controller or his representative.

D. A band drawn No. 1 of each section will assemble at a specified location 10 minutes before the time announced for its playing to commence. Each band in turn shall assemble at the same specified location 10 minutes prior to their time to perform. A page shall assist each band.

E. Each band will provide a small team to arrange stage seating to suit the band and to ensure that percussion instruments are in position prior to the band taking the stage. The host of the Championships shall notify all entering bands of the percussion equipment which shall be available for their use.

F. Judges will determine each band placement based on the following: 50 points for the test piece and 50 points for the remaining music. Adjudicators are guided as follows:

A score of 45-50 indicates EXCELLENCE, with only the smallest problems in technique, intonation, musicality, blend. A score of 39-44 indicates a GOOD performance, but marred by a number of error and problems as DETAILED by the adjudicators. A score of 33-38 indicates a FAIR/AVERAGE performance, but seriously marred by multiple musical problems, as DETAILED by the adjudicators. A lower than 33 indicates a POOR performance; major problems within the ensemble, as indicated by the adjudicators.

Therefore, an EXCELLENT over all score range: 90-100 / judge, 270-300 total.

G. An interval of five minutes from the time keeper's signal will be allowed for setting and seating; the next two minutes are optionally allowed for warm-up and tune-up; the 30-minute time allotment (21-minutes for YOUTH) will begin following the introductory announcement, upon the first downbeat. The music will begin with a few appropriate seconds, or the clock will be started, commencing the performance time block.

H. A mentioned in paragraph G, a maximum of two minutes will be permitted for tuning on the contest stage.

I. If a band's program over-runs the allotted 30 minutes, or runs less than 23 minutes, penalty points will be deducted from the adjudicators total at the rate of one point from each judge's score for every minute or fraction thereof by which the time limit is exceeded or lacking. The Youth Band category will be 17 to 21 minutes in length.

J. Any band which participates in the North American Brass Band Championships and plays a program other than that submitted on its entry form shall be allowed to perform its program and receive an adjudication, but shall not be eligible for any prize, unless the change is authorized by the Contest Controller prior to the contest.

K. The results of all sections will be announced at the Gala Concert. Adjudicator's tapes and written comments will be presented to each band, or a band representative, at the Gala Concert. The adjudicator's decisions shall be final on all matters relative to the adjudication. If for any reason a band representative is not present at the Gala Concert, the tapes and written comments will be mailed the next business day.

L. Those bands entering the competition in the Youth Section shall include playing members age 18 and younger, OR those currently enrolled in a secondary school program.

M. The Contest controller shall have the final authority regarding penalties for infractions and appeals to contest rules. This person shall be assisted by a steward staff.