There is no degree (that I know of) in marching. Nor is one available for visual performance, visual ensemble, general effect visual, or any other myriad of visual captions. Now, try to create a judging system based on vocabulary that doesn't exist. Any problems? I pose this question because it's one of the reasons the marching arts is such a great activity, yet, incredibly frustrating at the same time. I am now in my tenth year teaching marching band and drum corps and I wonder if DCI, WGI, or BOA should start offering formal, perhaps even mandatory, training to educators and instructors in the activity. I believe that good judges and judging systems arise from quality and consistant training. Why not offer that same training to the ones responsible for trying to accomplish quality visual performances?
Winter Guard International is the trend setter for visual adjudication. A look at the sheets they use to judge an ensemble reveals that they do, in fact, establish a vocabulary for judges to use when evaluating a groups performance. This is awesome! But what does this vocabulary actually look like? Here in lies the problem with judging what we do. To say "marching together" is a characteristic of a quality performance is limiting, basic, and not necessarily correct. "Visual musicality" is a term used on most modern visual adjudication sheets. Performers marching out of time, without the same style, and looking different from one another may be the best design choice in regards to the music. Should that ensemble not receive as much credit as the group that chose perfectly metered music that requires the performer to march every step exactly the same as the other? Again, another complexity to judging what we do.
Karl Lowe is the Color Guard Education Coordinator for WGI. He's produced many videos and articles that attempt to educate on design, judging, and performance quality. The media is excellent and I highly recommend anyone seeking to be an instructor in our activity watch and learn from them. As you watch and read the material ask yourself, "What makes a good show? What makes a good performance? What's the difference between a good show and a good performance?" Finally, create a set of norms that can be used to evaluate the performance. Are you able to use those definitions in evaluating a different show?
You can easily see how these questions become maddening. I hope that the discussion of evaluation happens more often and involves more people. Each year new talents enter our activity and it's important varied opinions and voices are heard and assimilated. There will never be a perfect system, however, if we keep striving for consistent norms, trained judges, educated designers and instructors the activity will keep growing and evolving. What's next is truly exciting.