There have been a lot of changes and added responsibilities for Region Secretaries since I first became one in 1970 for Region 11. That year we had one Marching Contest, one Band C & SR Contest, one Band SE Contest and a one Choral Contest that included both SE and C & SR Contest. There were no Orchestras in the Region. These were all one-day contests. This was a total of four days of contests for the entire school year.

This is a far cry from what happens today in Region 12: We have two Band Marching Contests plus Area and State; three Band SE Contests, Vocal SE Contest, Orchestra SE Contest, two Orchestra C & SR Contests of two days each, a three-day HS Choral C & SR Contest, a two-day MS Choral C & SR Contest, two MS Band C & SR Contests of two days each, two HS Band C & SR Contests of two days each and the 5A HS Band C & SR Contest of three days. This is a total of thirty days of contests for the entire school year. There are other regions that have more days of contests than Region 12.

With this in mind, there are many ways that you as a director or judge can help the Region Secretary be more efficient in doing his/her job as well as make your contest go smoother and stay on time.

Director's Responsibility

1. Please check your Region's web site from time to time. In most cases, you can find all of the information or the links you need to enter any of your Region contests.
2. Please know what the time frame is for getting a check from your school business office for your contest entry. Many directors wait until too late to make a check request and are unable to get their check in on time and thus have a late entry. This could subject you to a reprimand and/or a late entry fee and a possible refusal to take your entry.
3. Since most Region entries are now done online at www.uilforms.com, it is imperative that your register on that site at the beginning of the year and enter all of the pertinent information. The information that you enter will also help your Executive Secretary contact you. Each director that is taking a group to contest should register. Middle School directors are usually negligent in taking care of this until they get ready to enter contest and then all of the questions arise on how to do their entry.
4. If you have special scheduling requests, please make these when you register and not after the schedule is made. Once the schedule is set, changes to it often create more problems than they solve. The C & CR states that organizations shall be scheduled by conference. Each Region will probably have their own procedure for requesting a schedule change.
5. Be familiar with the rules of the contest as stated in C & CR. Even Region Secretaries who have done the job for years have to refresh themselves from time to time on the rules and procedures.
6. If you must make a change on your program prior to seven days before contest, be aware of the procedure to follow in your Region. In any case, it is always good to inform your Executive Secretary of the change and include all the pertinent information.
7. Since your entries will be done online, most Region Secretaries will print out the adjudication sheets and bring them to the contest. It is your responsibility as a director to make sure that you have entered the correct information. You can always go to the www.uilforms.com web site and check your information to be sure that it is correct.
8. Be aware of any ground rules that your Region Executive Committee has approved. As long as they are in place up to 14 days before the contest date, and all participants were notified, it is your responsibility to comply with them.

Judge's Responsibility

The following suggestions are offered to judges to help Executive Secretaries in their contest organization.

If you agree to judge a contest, do the following:

1. Make sure that the date is open on your calendar.
2. Make sure that you clear the date with your principal.
3. Make sure you return the contract promptly.
4. If you must cancel your judging assignment, contact the Executive Secretary at your first indication, so that he/she can find a suitable replacement. If you know of a suitable replacement, make that suggestion to the Executive Secretary. Most of time, the Secretary will contact the next person on their list. There will be times when this list will already be exhausted so suggestions are appreciated.

As the contest time approaches, please do the following:

1. When you receive a housing request, please answer it in a timely manner so that room reservations can be made. When there are several contests going on at the same time, it can be quite frustrating if requests are late.
2. If you have not received any information regarding the contest within 14 days of the contest, do not hesitate to contact the Executive Secretary. In most cases, contest information should be available 21 days before the contest.
3. It is always good to check the web site of the Region that you are judging for the contest schedule so that you can you can make travel arrangements.
4. Know your round trip mileage; although many Regions now use the state mileage guide or MapQuest so they can more efficiently have your check ready in a timely manner.
5. If you are flying, please make your own arrangements. Try to book your flight at least 14 days in advance so that the contest expenses can be held down. There is a lot of difference in the cost of a flight booked 14 and two days in advance.
6. Please only use your cell phone at designated breaks and not between groups that you are adjudicating. It is not very professional to be the first one to finish writing your critique sheet and be in the hall using your cell phone. This creates a very poor impression to parents and directors.

In closing, I believe that all twenty-eight Region Secretaries would welcome and appreciate directors and judges doing their best to help them be more efficient in their job. Do not hesitate to call on them for their help. Most of them were successful directors for thirty years or more and can be an excellent sources of information, especially for the young director. The rules that we ask directors and students to abide by have been made to give every student and director the opportunity to be successful.

CODA - Ways in Which Your Band Could be Penalized.

There are many ways in which your group could be penalized for failure to follow the contest rules.

Marching Contest

1. The use of an ineligible student. This seems to be the number one violation. In most cases the director did not do a thorough grade check or a teacher was negligent in turning in the grade. This has happened several times at the state and area levels. It is usually a disqualification.
2. Leaving the field in less than five minutes or failure to compete the performance in eight minutes. This usually results in the lowering of the rating by one division.
3. Continued use of the instrumental or verbal cadence at the end of two minutes. The penalty is a disqualification.
4. Leaving equipment or instruments on the sideline in such a manner that would impede the movement of the next band into its starting position. This could result in a reprimand by the Region Executive Committee or other penalties as listed in Subchapter E in the C & CR.
5. Violations of the Electronic Equipment Rule: penalties range from a reprimand to a more serious penalty under Subchapter E, Sections 27 and 29. It should be noted that once a performance begins, all electronic equipment must be operated by students.
6. Local Ground Rules: If there are local rules that have been violated and notification was made at least 14 days prior to the contest date, the Region Executive Committee could disqualify or impose other penalties that are listed in Subchapter E in the C & CR.
7. Failure to turn in a Form #1 before a performance can result in holding the rating until the form is turned in, as well as a possible reprimand.

Solo Ensemble Contest

1. The use of an ineligible student. The penalty is disqualification.
2. Soloists or ensembles who do not perform music from the prescribed lists will be disqualified.
3. Failure to perform the music listed on the program. This is usually a disqualification.
4. Failure to have a printed score for the judge usually will result in a "Non-performance" unless there is a statement from a music retailer or publisher stating that no published score exists. You can provide a set of original parts in lieu of the score.
5. Failure to turn in a Form #1.

Concert and Sight Reading Contest

1. The use of an ineligible student. The penalty is disqualification.
2. Failure to comply with the program listed on the entry blank can result in a penalty ranging from a reprimand to possible disqualification by the Region Executive Committee.
3. Failure to conform to the music requirements in the PML can result in a penalty ranging from a reprimand to possible disqualification by the Region Executive Committee.
4. Giving a false response to the question concerning knowledge of the sight reading music will result in a disqualification.
5. Making an obvious contribution to the sight reading performance by either singing or speaking to the students while they are performing will be disqualified.
6. Failure to turn in a Form #1.