Calgary Procedures

Concert Band

Arrival and Unloading:

Before you leave your school, please review the Equipment List to ensure your percussionists and bass players know what is being provided and what isn't. All items you bring to festival should be labelled clearly with your school's name.

PLEASE NOTE THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE BUSSING DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP LOCATIONS. You will no longer be able to access the loop in front of the Rozsa Centre. These changes have been mandated by the U of C Parking and Transportation. If you have concerns with the changes, please refer contact them HERE.

Refer to the Bussing Information under "Festival Info" for exact details.

The Band Director needs to check-in at the Registration Desk (located inside the Main Doors of the Rozsa Centre). At the Registration Desk, band directors will need to provide:

Once the director has registered, a guide will take the ensemble to a storage area. Early arrival is encouraged in order to ensure that you and your group are not rushed for time.

For groups that are first thing in the morning, please note that we do not have access to the Rozsa Centre before 7:30 AM.

Storage Room:

A volunteer guide will assist the band director and students in finding an assigned storage room. This room is for students to store instrument cases and coats/jackets. It is possible that you may have to share the space with another group so PLEASE USE AS LITTLE SPACE AS POSSIBLE. This is not a warm-up room - ABSOLUTELY NO PLAYING.

Storage rooms will not be locked, so students are encouraged to leave valuables back at their school. Neither the Festival nor the University of Calgary will be responsible for lost, stolen or damaged articles. As their is a limited amount of storage space available, groups will not be able to access their storage room until 15 - 30 minutes before their warm-up time. Items must be removed within 15 - 30 minutes of the end of their clinic.

Warm-Up Room:

A volunteer guide will meet your group in your storage area approximately five minutes before your warm-up time and lead you to the warm-up room. This room will be equipped with chairs and stands only. Directors are responsible for bringing their own tuners. The volunteer will give you a five minute warning before you have to move your group to the performance stage.

Performance:

The guides will lead bands to the performance area at the appropriate time. The Emcee will introduce each group before its performance. Please wait for a signal from the adjudicators between each piece indicating that they are ready for you to continue.

Total stage time for Grade 1 to 6 Concert Bands is limited to a maximum of 30 minutes including set-up, introductions, performance and departure. Please remember that adjudicators will also require a few minutes to complete their thoughts and comments before you proceed to the next piece so plan accordingly.

TIME LIMITS WILL BE ENFORCED.

Band directors are reminded to submit an MC Form at check-in. Please do not change the stage setup unless this is critical to your success. If you do change it, it is your responsibility to return the stage to its original setup. This MUST occur within your time allotment.

Clinic:

Following your performance, a volunteer guide will lead each band to the clinic room for a 25 minute clinic session with an adjudicator. Scores will be retrieved by the volunteer guides during this session and returned to the director at the end. All written adjudication forms and recordings will be accessible online this year. A note indicating how to access your information will be included when your scores are returned to you.

Please note that if your ensemble did not use all of their performance time on stage, they may be asked to remain on stage or in the hallway until the clinic room is available.

Storage Room:

Following your clinic, a volunteer guide will lead your ensemble back to their storage room. At this point, students will be asked to put away their instruments and collect their belongings.

NEW CHANGE: Performers will exit out the of the Rozsa Centre through the breezeway by the Reeve Theatre to meet their buses along the north side of University Way NW. (Just past the +15 to the Art Parkade.)

Groups who are staying to listen to other ensembles perform will need to make alternate arrangements for storing equipment, as our space is extremely limited.

Jazz Ensembles

The Jazz Bands portion of the Alberta International Band Festival will be taking place at the University Theatre at the University of Calgary. The address is 230 University Court NW

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Audience attendees are encouraged to park in the Art Parkade.

 

Bussing drop-off and pick-up information will be finalized later.

We encourage bands to eat either before they arrive at the festival or afterwards.

To double-check what equipment is provided in the Warm-Up space, the Performance Area, and the Clinic Room, please refer to our Equipment List.

 

Registration:

While students unload, band directors can enter the building and register their ensemble at the Registration Desk.

Band Directors at the University Theatre will need to provide:

  • 3 scores for each piece you plan to perform (no photocopies please; eprint is okay)
  • 3 Background Information Forms (1 for each adjudicator)
  • (MC forms are not required anymore)

A volunteer will then take you and your ensemble to a storage area where you may leave your coats, belongings, and instruments cases. These areas will not be locked, so please encourage band members to leave valuables at home.

Warm-Up:

Each group will be assigned a specific space for warm-up. You will 25 minutes in your warm-up space.

Performance Area:

All the groups in your pod will come together in the performance space. Each group will have up to 30 minutes on stage to perform.

Once you take the stage and get settled, an Emcee will introduce your group. Afterwards you can begin your performance. Please note that you should pause briefly between pieces to allow adjudicators to finish with their comments. They will acknowledge when you may begin the next piece. Your entire performance, including getting on and off the stage should fit within the 30 minute timeslot.

Each group in the pod will have the opportunity to perform for the other groups within the pod. If your group is not on stage performing, they are part of the audience and supporting the ensemble on stage.

Clinic:

After your performance, each group will move back to your warm-up space for your clinic. This is where one of the adjudicators will come and work with your group. If your group finishes performing early, this means you will have more opportunity to work with your adjudicator in clinic. Your scores will be returned to you at the end of this session.

All audio recordings and scores will be available through Competition Suite. Be sure that you've signed up for your account. (Please refer to our section on Scoring & Evaluation if you need additional information on this.)

Evaluations & Scoring:

All evaluations including scoring and recordings have been moved online this year using Competition Suite. While audio recordings were available right away, marks were verified and usually within 60 minutes of the last band of the day completing their clinic.

Please refer to the section in our website for details (Festival Menu tab --> Scoring & Evaluation), including the rubric that will help make it all make sense. (Numbers ranges are provided to see whether your fit in the Superior, Excellent, Good or Fair categories that many of you are familiar with in years past.)

*** IMPORTANT NOTE *** - If you are using a smartphone, you will only have access to the audio recordings. To actually see your scores and marks, you must be on a laptop or tower computer. (Limitation of the app that we have no control over.)

A reminder to everyone that if you have concerns, the best way to move forward and improve the situation is to talk to the people that have the ability to implement change.

Gold Awards:
For groups that earn a Gold Award, you can pick them up the following day while the Jazz Festival is operating at the University of Calgary Theatre (address above). Thursday winners will be emailed after the festival with information on how they can pick up their Gold Award.