Citrus College, where the event is held, is difficult to book because it is in constant use. Most open dates are in late January and early February. Azusa uses Citrus College because it is located in Azusa and the rental fee, about $6000 for one night, is paid by the school and not the group that is hosting the event. In California, hosts for competitions try to grab a date and stick with that date as close as possible to avoid conflicts.
Aztec Sing does not have "weird" rules, other than the "bathroom break" rule, which has never been enforced. The host simply wants kids in the auditorium supporting the groups rather than outside milling around. That's not weird, it's just being courteous. All competitions in California have the same basic rules with slight variations.
The judges, especially John Wilson and Tom Kessler, are the most experienced and knowledgeable judges in the show choir world. They both started directing show choirs in the mid seventies. If you add Roger Duffer, who will be the third judge at Diamond Bar and who also started doinng this in the mid seventies, you have three men with over 100 years combined experience in the show choir genre.
I think, besides the early date, that some groups don't attend both Aztec Sing and Diamond Bar Spectacular is because they are back to back with usually the same judges (in this case, 2/3 are at both events). Some groups don't think that is educational (although I disagree).
Many directors have disagreement with rules at all events; but it is not the deciding factor as to whether we coose to take our groups to that event.
Rollie Maxson
Arcadia
that, and all the judges are your good friends and you're retiring this year. that also explains why you beat hart.
I think what throws off some of the groups is the balance in scoring. With showmanship being only a small part of the score, whereas, most competitions have put a bigger emphasis on showmanship.
Arcadia had (by far) the best sound so definitely deserved their place. The balance and blend was awesome, as was the tuning. Nice job! Rollie, you should come do a clinic my students. I don't know how you are able to get such perfect intonation. I was blown away by your a cappella.
i think in other cases even with the time schedules/conflicts and being competition ready, there's also schools affected by the state...like music programs being cut, not enough money to go and such, new school laws, new directors....things changed. hopefully it will all get better soon.
Citrus College, where the event is held, is difficult to book because it is in constant use. Most open dates are in late January and early February. Azusa uses Citrus College because it is located in Azusa and the rental fee, about $6000 for one night, is paid by the school and not the group that is hosting the event. In California, hosts for competitions try to grab a date and stick with that date as close as possible to avoid conflicts.
Aztec Sing does not have "weird" rules, other than the "bathroom break" rule, which has never been enforced. The host simply wants kids in the auditorium supporting the groups rather than outside milling around. That's not weird, it's just being courteous. All competitions in California have the same basic rules with slight variations.
The judges, especially John Wilson and Tom Kessler, are the most experienced and knowledgeable judges in the show choir world. They both started directing show choirs in the mid seventies. If you add Roger Duffer, who will be the third judge at Diamond Bar and who also started doinng this in the mid seventies, you have three men with over 100 years combined experience in the show choir genre.
I think, besides the early date, that some groups don't attend both Aztec Sing and Diamond Bar Spectacular is because they are back to back with usually the same judges (in this case, 2/3 are at both events). Some groups don't think that is educational (although I disagree).
Many directors have disagreement with rules at all events; but it is not the deciding factor as to whether we coose to take our groups to that event.
I always remembered Aztec being pretty much like a preview because the rules were kinda weird...have they changed them at all in the last 5 years?
well, from what i've heard not much has changed. burroughs and burbank stopped going because of the wierd judging and rules.
So...why wouldn't Aztec Sing think about moving their date to sometime later in the season? It's sad that a competition with such a rich history and heritage is not so well attended as before. And if simply moving its date to one later is the solution, then what's holding them up? Me thinks it's not too tough a dilemna.
I would hardly call Aztec Sing a "preview". It's the oldest continuously run show choir festival in the nation at 35 consecutive years. It's early because it has always been on this date and back in the day when choreography and music was less complex, groups could get ready in the three week period between Christmas and Aztec. Since that is no longer the case, many groups don't have their entire set ready this early; thus fewer groups go with incomplete sets, at times. It used to be the best-attended festival (by top groups) and always sold out. It was the hardest ticket to get for all competitions.
Scoring: (Average score of the three adjudicators, who were Tom Kessler, John Wilson and William Belan).
1. Arcadia Music: 231 (out of a possible 240)
Showmanship: 84.67 (out of a possible 90)
Total: 315.67
sorry i feel really bad your set this year was amazing.
Thank you, but don't feel bad. We all did our best and the judges picked who they thought did the best overall.
Azusa Aztec Sing XXXV 2010
