Written by: Sarah

Edited by: Noah

The year’s highly anticipated event, Battle of the Bands (BOB), has finally arrived. 

As the ISM community eagerly awaited this animated outdoor event, the performers worked tirelessly in preparation. In addition to fitting rehearsals into their busy schedules, they continuously refined and perfected songs to create a mellifluous showstopper. However, these performers also had to brace themselves for a hefty load of criticism. Often overlooked, performers routinely faced repetitive judgment from friends, family, teachers, and peers. Whether it was making the cut for prelims or finals, performers navigated unique judging criteria throughout the process. 

This year’s BOB faculty advisor, Mr. Spradling, emphasized that the best acts at BOB are those showcasing showmanship. In other words, judges were not necessarily looking for musical technicality but rather the ability to put on a good show. “The thing we are really looking for is a combination of good music skills[,] good stage presence, and showman skill,” he said. In addition, he explained that “the best acts [were able] to combine them both and be a lot of fun.” However, to ensure consistent grading criteria, a structured rubric—made by Mr. Spradling and the BOB committee—was developed for judges to use whilst grading.

Performances are assessed on a variety of skill sets, ranging from tone, pitch, musicality, skill, lyrics, structure, and stage performance. For vocalists, their stage performance accounted for 30% of the 50 total possible points they could earn. Allegedly, the majority of what musicians were assessed on came from their tone, musicality/skill, and lyric memorization. Surprisingly, vocalists could also earn up to an additional three points if they performed an original song. For bands, the performance made up only a fifth of available points, while pitch, musicality, vocal/instrumental skill, and structured transitions comprised the vast majority of their scores. So, although overall stage performance and audience interaction were significant factors for grading criteria, performers could not neglect the significance of their musical technicality and skill. 

Judging this year’s BOB, there was an amalgam of teachers on the judging panel, representing four different countries and possessing backgrounds ranging from theater to literature and social studies. The reasoning behind this, according to Mr. Spradling, was that “We really like to have judges that have a kind of mixture of abilities and are going to bring a mixture of ideas to the table,” as well as choosing judges who had “different exposure to and taste [in] music.” This evident exchange of diversity also helped prevent bias by ensuring different viewpoints.

Despite the range of the judges’ backgrounds, ensuring fairness remained a consistent priority for the BOB organizers. One of this year’s judges, Mr. Winters, stressed that when judging something like BOB, it was important to refrain from subjectivity by keeping an open mind, even if a particular style of music was not to their personal taste. To maintain objectivity, he compared judging to the task of grading student papers. “As a human being, you often have bias,” he admitted. “And I know I’ve done it in the past, but I don’t want to [be] bias[ed] to students that I know. Although oftentimes, I don’t know the talents of my students outside of the classroom, and I’m just so impressed by even the quiet kids that sit in the back of the class who perform and do excellent at BOB because that’s not the way that I see them,” he added. The BOB judges remained confident of their ability to avoid grading too generously or harshly at either end of the spectrum. As Mr. Winters noted, “You need to find that equilibrium.”

Aside from perfecting musical technicality, putting on a good show, and building friendly relations with judges, bands needed a cohesive and potent bond that could take them from great to extraordinary. As Dhruv, one of our experienced artists from Dhruv’s Happy Band of Friends, remarked, “To win BOB, it doesn’t just take a team of good musicians, but it also takes a lot of good chemistry […] to make the music more personal rather than just a cover.” Ultimately, the combination of musical skill and band chemistry separated the great from the extraordinary at BOB.

Building on this, Althea, lead singer for this year’s winning band, Tropical Apes, added a special note on having a passion for music. “You should be passionate about what you’re doing,” she emphasized. “I really love performing and when I perform, I want to give the best that I can,” she commented. She believes that this year, Tropical Apes had what it took to win again. “Over the past years, my band has created a special bond, and I think we’ve learned a lot from ourselves. It’s hard to find musically talented people, but I believe Apes has band chemistry,” she exclaimed. With their musical passion and talent, Tropical Apes took on the challenge of winning BOB again.

While putting on a good show is often deemed as the most crucial factor, many other elements went into becoming BOB champions. Music technicality remained equally important, and even then, factors such as judging bias and band companionship came into play. In that case, musicians should aim not just for musical talent but for fostering communal bonds, having fun at BOB, and making their performances truly unforgettable.