USSBA Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find the rule books?
Can I see the adjudicator's sheets?
What are the post-show critique procedures?
What is Lehigh Valley Band Day all about?
State Championship Information
Northern States Championship Information
National Championship Information
Where do I find the rule books?
There are currently two versions of the rule book. We have a general rule book, and one specifically for Texas shows.
Can I see the adjudicator's sheets?
Click on the below links for a PDF document of the front & back sides of the Adjudicator Sheets.
Judges Sheets
Percussion.pdfOverallEffect.pdf
MusicIndividual.pdf
Colorguard.pdf
2008MastersMusic.pdf
VisualPerformance.pdf
The US Scholastic Band association is committed to the growth of all bands, not just from year to year, but throughout the season as well. We know that lots of bands like to "come out early" to gain feedback and perspective before they complete and/or refine their program. We offer a clinic/show during the infant weeks of the marching band season to further aid these bands in their development.
At a clinic/show, the traditional competition format is changed slightly. Each band performs, and the performance is followed immediately by a clinic with one of the judges. Three of the judges' scores are used to determine placement, and the additional two judges alternate viewing the band from an all caption perspective. Upon completion of their performance, the all-caption clinician meets with the band and talks with the students, director, and staff in a clinic format. The clinician shares comments with the group from the judges perspective to reinforce the positive attributes of their show, and to key them into areas for growth. By the end of the evening, each band will have had the benefit of four adjudicators taped commentaries, a clinic from the all-caption adjudicator, a traditional awards ceremony, and the usual post-show critique. This has, in the past, proven to give a strong "jump-start" to the season.
The USSBA is proud to offer SUPER SATURDAY events to its member bands for its second season. These "super" Saturday events are intended to provide additional schools the opportunity to host a show as a fundraiser, and to provide bands a chance to get even more performance feedback and experience. Here's how it works:
Super Saturdays feature an afternoon and an evening show. Each show is an independent event with its own awards ceremony. In addition to the added feedback of doing two shows in one day, participating bands also receive an extra "seeding point" to apply towards their Northern or Southern States Championships seeding. This means that you get points for the two shows as usual, plus one (1) bonus point for doing two in one day
What is Lehigh Valley Band Day all about?
A showcase for local bands, the 5th Annual Lehigh Valley Band Day is scheduled for Sunday, October 10, 2010, at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pa. The community performance serves as a fundraiser for bands from the Lehigh Valley area. The exhibition event is not a competition and all ticket proceeds are divided among the participating groups. There is no entry fee to participate.
Each band performs their program for a community audience, receives feedback from three clinicians, and participates in a full retreat with awards and gifts for each school. The USSBA allows each school to set up a souvenir table to generate even more funds for your program.
The event is intended to generate money and support for your band program. Local newspaper, radio, and television media will be in attendance and each band will be given an opportunity to speak about their program. To inquire about signing up, e-mail Courtney Beard at courtney@yea.org
USSBA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The USSBA State Championship series of events was established in 2002 after the horrific events of September, 2001 when many schools seriously reconsidered their extracurricular activities and associated travel. The USSBA determined with input from many band directors and administrators that a series of USSBA state championships would allow for bands to complete their season against top competition, in excellent venues before a high quality panel of adjudicators. And thus, the state championships were born.
PARTICIPATION
All bands, whether members or non-members of the USSBA are eligible to participate in the US Scholastic Band Association State Championships. Each state championship show has a fee requirement associated with the event. For 2009, the USSBA has adopted a hybrid registration protocol, mixing an affordable registration fee with a required ticket allotment. If the band sells their required amount of tickets, the entire cost of their registration fee will be covered by the amount earned on the difference between the face value and discounted band cost.
If a band is only participating in state championships and not Northern or Southern states championships, the ticket requirement is per table 1. If a band is also participating in either Northern or Southern states championships, the ticket requirement is per table 2.
MULTIPLE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
In some cases, bands from different states will compete at the same event for multiple state championships. Competition will be held for each state independently and there will not be overall rankings announced for group or class.
OUT OF STATE COMPETITORS
If space allows and for special circumstances, bands from other states will be allowed to compete in a USSBA State Championship different from the state of their origin. These bands will receive a score and the score will be announced prior to the state championship results, with the Out-of-state competitors not having the opportunity to place in the State event, but receive achievement acknowledgment based on their participation in the event.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFORMATION
Required tickets are shipped to each school at least four weeks prior to the event, along with additional optional tickets. Any unsold tickets, along with all required monies are due at registration for the State Championships. Tickets will be sent to the attention of the band director at the school address. In addition, an e-mail, fax, or standard mail will announce their mailing. It is the responsibility of the band director to claim these tickets. A signature, acknowledging the receipt of tickets, will for the purpose of the USSBA, act as confirmation of delivery.
TICKET REQUIREMENTS
The Texas State Championships have a single registration fee of $550 for bands of all group sizes.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE ORDER
A blind draw will be conducted three weeks prior to the state championship competition to determine the performance order.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE ORDER
A blind draw will be conducted three weeks prior to the state championship competition to determine the performance order.
USSBA NORTHERN STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS
PARTICIPATION
To qualify for the USSBA Northern States Championships, a band must:- Be an active member of the US Scholastic Band Association.
- Participate in at least one (1) USSBA-sanctioned contest, excluding championships. Participation in host shows will count towards this requirement. If a championship is the only USSBA show attended by the unit, they may perform in exhibition but will not be considered in the ranking and rating, provided all other requirements are met.
- Pay the annual membership fee and pay all outstanding debts prior to championships.
- Fulfill a ticket sales requirement and pay the applicable registration fee for their corresponding band size.
- Register for Northern States Championships by the third Monday of October.
NORTHERN STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Northern States Championships have a fee requirement associated with the event. There are two options available for bands to participate in the Northern States Championships:
- Fulfill a ticket requirement and pay the applicable registration fee for the corresponding group size. Each band will receive an allotted number of tickets for the event based on the group size. The band’s cost will be discounted from the face value of the ticket. Bands can sell the tickets at face value (keeping the difference) or sell them at a discounted price.
- Pay an entry fee equivalent to the ticket requirement and registration fee.
- The ticket requirement and registration fee will both be based on the group size of the participating band. Refer to the ticket and registration chart below.
- Tickets are shipped to each school at least four weeks prior to the event, along with additional optional tickets. Any unsold tickets, along with all required monies are due at registration.
- Tickets will be sent to the attention of the band director at the school address. In addition, an e-mail, fax will announce their mailing. It is the responsibility of the band director to claim these tickets. A signature, acknowledging the receipt of tickets, will for the purpose of the USSBA, act as confirmation of delivery.
NORTHERN STATES CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE ORDER
Seedings for the Northern States Championship will be based on the scores as of the weekend of October 24–25 to determine the performance order. Should a band not perform on the weekend of October 24–25, the highest band’s highest score before October 24 will be used to determine seeding.
USSBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The USSBA National Championship was established in 2006 in order to provide a season-ending showcase for the more advanced competitive units, bringing together top bands from across the United States that normally end their season in their regional circuit or state competitions. The USSBA National Championships have grown to a full three days of competition and feature the best of the best in Group I–VI. The National Championships do not have an Open Class or A Class designation.
The 2009 USSBA National Championships will be held November 6–8 at the Navy & Marine Corps Stadium on the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Do note, the City of Annapolis has strict noise ordinances in place barring excessive sound creation from 9 p.m. until 8 a.m.
These rules are factored into the schedule each year and limits the number of participating bands, as well as rules preventing bands from warming-up too early in the morning and performances in the parking lot and stadium after the event.
PARTICIPATION
All bands, whether members or non-members of the USSBA are eligible to participate in the USSBA National Championships.
The USSBA National Championship has a $775 registration fee associated with the event. Payment of this fee by the mid-October deadline is required. The USSBA National Championships do not have a ticket requirement.
Registered bands can withdraw from the event with no penalty before the deadline. Bands withdrawing from the event after the deadline will forfeit their registration fee in full.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFORMATION
Optional tickets will be shipped to each school at least six weeks prior to the event. Each participating band will receive optional tickets to the event which can be sold for the face value of $20, or for the discounted band price of $17. The band may keep the $3 commission as a fundraiser. Any unsold tickets, along with all required monies are due at registration for the national championships.
Tickets will be sent to the attention of the band director at the school address. In addition, an e-mail, fax, or postal mail will announce their mailing. It is the responsibility of the band director to claim these tickets. A signature, acknowledging the receipt of tickets, will for the purpose of the USSBA, act as confirmation of delivery.
USSBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE ORDER
A blind drawing will be conducted on or about September 15 to determine the performance order of the participating bands. Bands who register for the event after September 15 will have their performance time selected by a random drawing from the number of bands in their corresponding group. The number drawn will determine their performance time.
WITHDRAWAL FROM USSBA SHOWS
The USSBA has been founded on the principles of fairness, inclusion and flexibility when serving the music education activity. Penalties very rarely have any place in our organization.
However, there are some times as a sanctioning body where we need to protect and defend the local event hosts and our own interests against decisions guest bands make that have a negative impact on the hosting group. One such situation is regarding the withdrawal of bands from events without advance notice.
For those bands that do not run a marching band competition, there is a tremendous amount of detail work and investment of time and resources in pulling off even the smallest of events. Also, in some cases where there are a strictly limited number of performance times, bands who register and then cancel at the last minute prevent other bands from participating in a given event.
Therefore, in an effort to compensate the host bands or the USSBA for their investment or lost income, we have a policy which allows for bands to withdraw in advance of event with enough notice or receive a withdrawal penalty fee if the withdrawal is not completed with enough advance warning. The USSBA and the host bands appreciate your understanding.
The USSBA understands there are emergencies which cannot be overlooked, and in those cases we will review the details surrounding the situation.
Any band may withdraw from a USSBA-sanctioned show up to three (3) weeks prior to the event without penalty. After that point, a withdrawal will result in a monetary fine and a possible suspension from further USSBA events for bands that habitually abuse the system.
To withdraw from any USSBA event please contact the USSBA office and the local event host as necessary in writing by the above deadlines.
For local events, the fine is forwarded directly to the local event host to be applied toward expenses and lost income resulting from the withdrawal.
For USSBA events, the penalty for a band withdrawing from an event that does not have a registration fee will be the same as the local event schedule listed below. If the USSBA event does have a registration fee, the entire amount of the fee will be forfeited, or in the case the band has not yet submitted payment, they will be invoiced for the full amount of the registration fee.
THE WITHDRAWAL PENALTY SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:
Group I: $250 Group II: $300 Group III: $350 Group IV: $400 Group V: $450 Group VI: $500
For more information on the USSBA, or to register for events or to volunteer, e-mail Courtney@yea.org or tim@yea.org or visit usbands.org
