Judge for a Day

I got an opportunity to visit the Cork City Music College and adjudicate their end of year performance competitions. Though I had adjudicated before this was my first solo venture. In preparation I read Mike Shellan's wonderful article on the 'Art of Adjudication'. It proved an invaluable resource, a must read for first timers. Mike made great points on marking, commenting and dealing with nervous performers. In my preparation I also noted a book sample which listed nice terms to use in adjudication notes and this prompted me to consider a few terms that are good for comments. This proved useful as it is hard to make the comments seem individual to each performer when you hit the 30th comment! Overall the day went well as the children were adorable, and the parents were really enthusiastic. I was particularly taken with the schools new ukulele programme and was delighted to hear that the school is expanding by opening a new centre next year. Best wishes to all!