Apprentice Judge Shadow Program Protocol

WUSPBA Music Board - 03/16/04

The apprentice program monitors, who are music board members, will communicate with the mentors of each apprentice. The mentor will advise the music board on the quality of the score sheet comments and relative consistency of the rankings in addition to charting the quantitative progress of each towards completion of the apprentice requirements laid out in the adjudicator guidelines. The music board will recommend when the matriculation from apprentice to adjudicator will occur.

Apprentice status:

• Apprentices have submitted a WUSPBA adjudicator application and resume and a self-assessment to the Music Board.
• The Music Board will assign a volunteer mentor judge, preferably from the “A” list, to each apprentice.

Mentor judges will:

• Monitor the 3 contests for band and/or solo work
• Monitor the number of competitors judged at each contest and maintain a running tally.
• Scrutinize the quality of the remarks on the judges’ sheets.
• Advise the apprentice regarding the sheets and give feedback in a constructive way.
• Scrutinize the comparison sheet with a view to compare the apprentice’s results to the judge of the day’s results. Seek for a plausible rationale for differences and similarities.
• Answer questions initiated by the apprentice.
• Advise the apprentice on the voluntary judges’ code of conduct.

Contest sponsors will:

• Voluntarily allocate a minimum of 15 minutes of dedicated time for the judge of the day and the apprentice to debrief the contest, compare sheets and results, and complete the music board comparison sheet. This should occur at the end of the solo contests and again at the end of the band events or as is timely and convenient to all parties.
• Provide an admission ticket to the apprentice on the day of the shadow experience.
• Receive from the registrar additional score sheets for the apprentice to use during the contest. An estimate of the quantity and type of sheets will be determined between the music board, the contest sponsor, and the registrar.

The judge of the day will:

• Complete the music board comparison sheets in consultation with the apprentice during the dedicated debriefing intervals. This is a constructive exercise intended to inform the apprentice about the judge of the day’s interpretation of the contest(s), refine his/her thoughts on the musical judgments, and promote rational conversation and dialog about music. There is one comparison sheet for solo events and one comparison sheet for band events.
• Once completed the judge of the day will take the comparison sheets and the apprentice score sheets to the WUSPBA steward or representative who is at the contest. The three copies of the comparison sheets and the two copies of the apprentice’s individual score sheets will be distributed as follows:
  1. The original comparison sheets and individual score sheets will be bundled and given to the WUSPBA steward or representative of the day at the contest. The steward then mails the sheets to the designated mentor for that particular apprentice.
  2. The second copy of the comparison sheets and individual score sheets remains with the apprentice.
  3. The third copy of the comparison sheet is given to the steward to be sent to the Music Board.