PPBSO Judges Share Views at Annual Seminar

Approximately 35 PPBSO piping and drumming judges came together on Saturday, March 29 at the Peel Regional Police Headquarters for the Society’s annual judges’ seminar, a professional development opportunity offered by the Music Committee. Pipers and drummers diverged into two sections for the morning, joining together in the afternoon for the ensemble session.

In the morning, Jim McGillivray opened proceedings with a group piobaireachd judging exercise. Attendees judged videos of three piobaireachd performances, then broke into small groups and discussed their results. These kinds of mock-judging exercises are often pointed to by attendees as the most valuable sessions of the day by allowing judges to openly discuss performances they have all heard.

John Cairns turned the solo piping session into a testing theatre where participants were asked to write the new exam that solo piping judging candidates are asked to write in order to earn a place on the panel. Attendees kept results private but were able to test themselves against the current knowledge standard.

Peter Aumonier completed the morning piping sessions by discussing his path to the RSPBA judging panel, including training and shadow judging.

Brian McCue leads off a drumming session.

On the drumming side, Brian McCue, Harvey Dawson and Kate Dudek provided sessions covering key topics that included strategies for preparing to judge, techniques for assessing performances across different grades, and an in-depth look at the DeMoN method —focusing on Descriptions, Mentions, and Overall Notes to structure fair and constructive critiques. The facilitators also explored the nuances of mid-section scoring and the art of tenor drum tuning to complement the chord progressions in the melody, offering a valuable perspective on musical integration.

The group actively contributed to the workshop, engaging in lively discussions and meaningful debates around judging standards, interpretation, and musicality. These conversations enriched the experience and underscored the community's commitment to continuous improvement.

The afternoon ensemble session was given by Hugh Cameron, one of our most experienced and knowledgeable judges. Hugh encouraged an emotion-based approach to judging ensemble, a plain-speaking writing style and a fearless approach for judges writing comments on instruments they don’t play. “Consider musicality and the expression of emotion as your central focus,” was Hugh’s conclusion to a rich and thought-provoking session.

Thanks go out to Trish Kirkwood and Elizabeth Sheridan for their organizational acumen and to presenters for sharing their judging principles.

In keeping with its recent pattern of alternating in-person seminars with online, next year’s seminar will be held online.