Talking Shop with WGI Judge Teddy Mascari

The 2023 indoor season has officially begun as groups roll out their shows locally and video clips of lots and shows start to populate across social media. With WGI Percussion Regional season kicking off this weekend, Dan sits down with his friend Teddy Mascari, a Music Effect judge for Winter Guard International and an educational leader in Upstate New York. They discuss approaches to judging and how to give great feedback, a judge’s relationship to the programs they adjudicate, ways of interpreting the sheets, and various trends within indoor percussion and the marching arts. Episode Time Stamps 00:00:00 - 00:05:10 - Intro 00:05:10 - 00:08:15 - Leaked shows online and keeping the judging objectivity 00:08:15 - 00:12:18 - Understanding judging critiques and how to take in that information 00:12:18 - 00:16:45 - Approach to commentary and feedback for ensembles in Independent World vs other classes 00:16:45 - 00:22:16 - "Checking the boxes" on a scoresheet vs giving feedback that's appropriate based on the time of the season 00:22:16 - 00:25:46 - Does a show need to make sense for a judge? 00:25:46 - 00:30:43 - The talent disparity between the top groups and those on the cusp of making Finals 00:30:43 - 00:34:28 - Broken City, George Mason, and how they've developed a "style" that people can identify 00:34:28 - 00:38:42 - The trap of emulating the top groups 00:38:42 - 00:40:30 - Crowd reactions and video leaks immediately following performances 00:40:30 - 00:53:35 - The cost (literal and figurative) of introducing higher production value shows through TVs, lights, etc. 00:53:35 - 01:03:19 - How to make your local judges better judges through education 01:03:19 - end - Outtro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices