In an ongoing effort to improve marching bands everywhere, I propose that halftime shows and marching contests follow the lead of sports by implementing what would be the quickest feedback ever used: refereeing crews. As of now, directors are relegated to listening to recordings and watching videos after marching events. Why not speed up the process? These proposed musical referees could make the calls without even stopping the band mid-performance. However, it might be a good idea to allow the director one challenge that he indicates by throwing his baton onto the field of play. A decision based on video replay could be made between selections.
Referees would have to undergo proper musical training, of course. They would also have to learn the necessary hand signals as shown in the chart.
Using musical referees would be more educational for everyone involved. It would provide the average audience member and even school administrators with a way to understand what is really happening on the field. Well, on second thought, I think I’ll ditch the whole idea.
