The ANAPBA Summit meeting was held in Salt Lake City the weekend of February 18-20, 2011.
Here is a summary report from Tom Weithers.
The ANAPBA Summit meeting was held in Salt Lake City the weekend of February 18-20, 2011.
Here is a summary report from Tom Weithers.
ANAPBA consists of two active committees. The Executive Committee of ANAPBA is composed of the Presidents of each member Association and makes recommendations regarding education, administration, communication, competition and other related issues. The Musical Initiatives Advisory Committee (MIAC) is composed of the heads of the Music Board for each member Association and makes recommendations concerning music, gradingand adjudication. The MWPBA participated in the Summit as a member Association. The highlights of the recommendations approved at the 2011 Summit are summarized below.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Roster reciprocity and verification: There was a consensus among the Executive Committee that the member Associations need to share rosters or respond to roster inquiries with respect to bands playing outside their home Association. Ideally, rosters would be available on a ¿real time¿ basis over the Internet. The Executive Committee will look into mechanisms which would meet this need. Suggestions included creation of a central repository for rosters on the ANAPBA website or a commitment by each member Association to post all rosters on the Association¿s own website. In either case, each Association would have the responsibility of keeping all rosters up to date. The type of information to be made available would be limited in light of privacy concerns and access would be restricted to a few key officers from each Association.
New member Associations: The Executive Committee received a request from the newly-formed Quebec Pipe Band Association to join ANAPBA. The Executive Committee adopted a process through which an Association would first apply and then be given a period of time in which to demonstrate compliance with the goals of ANAPBA before full membership was approved.
Highland Games Summit: The MWPBA is one of the few associations in which the number of sanctioned games is increasing. The MWPBA made a presentation to the Executive Committee explaining the MWPBA Highland Games Summit at which representative from each sanctioned contest meet in person in January to discuss problems, challenges and possible solution. Although the presentation did not result in any formal recommendation, many of the other association indicated a significant interest in adopting the MWPBA approach.
Minimum numbers for pipe band contests at all levels: The MIAC made two changes to the previous ANAPBA recommendations concerning minimum band numbers. First, the recommended minimum in Grade 2 was increased to 8 pipers, 3 snare, 1 bass, and I tenor to reflect current practice. Second, ANAPBA had previously recommended that 1 tenor be included in the minimum number requirement for Grade 4. However, since this recommendation was made in 2004, only two Associations have adopted this recommendation (BCPA and SUSPBA) and the MIAC withdrew this recommendation.
However, recognizing the increasing importance of tenor drumming in pipe band contests at all levels, ANAPBA encourages all Associations, as a long-term goal, to move towards minimums in Grade 4 of 6 pipers, 2 snares, 1 bass, 1 tenor and a minimum in Grade 5 (where offered) of 5 pipers, 2 snares, 1 bass, 1 tenor. The goal would be for the majority of bands in Grades 4 and 5 across North America to meet these standards within 5 years, at which time a formal recommendation for minimum numbers in Grades 4 and 5 would re-considered.
Musical Requirements: For the most part, all Associations have adopted the existing ANAPBA recommendations. The only significant differences are in lowest grades in which ANAPBA recognizes that member Associations have differing local interests that might require different requirements. Addressing the most significant difference in the higher grades, the MIAC reaffirmed the ANAPBA recommendation that Grade 1 bands submit 2 medleys in the case of games that offer a medley contest. The common requirement in North America to submit only one medley in Grade 1 is seen as an obstacle to recognition by the RSPBA of ANAPBA grade assignments.
The MIAC also recommended that the name ¿Quick March Medley¿ (QMM) be replaced with the name ¿Quick March Set.¿ This would eliminate the confusion that sometimes exists between the Timed Medley event and the Quick March event. This name change emphasizes the march-only nature of this event. It would not alter the musical requirements.
Adjudication: The MIAC generally reaffirmed the pervious recommendations regarding the education, examination, apprenticeship, and continuing education of adjudicators. However, the MIAC recommended that the definition of ¿continuing education¿ be expanded to include a broader range of activities which ¿advance and deepen knowledge skills in the art, in adjudication practices, and in adjudication processes.¿
Adoption of contest rules for ANAPBA Championship Contests: The contest rules for the proposed Las Vegas Invitational were developed by a Music Board comprised of members from a number of ANAPBA member Associations. The contest rules broke new ground on many important aspects of pipe band contests including the presentation of events, a new event for Grade 1 bands, the qualifications of adjudicators, and the make-up of adjudication panels. Based on these proposed rules, the MIAC created a template document that could be used by any ANAPBA member Association.
Solo Grading: The consistency of solo grading from Association to Association has been a long-standing issue. The MIAC recognized that all Associations are making a serious attempt to evaluate whether the grades assigned to soloists are appropriate. As an ongoing project, the MIAC will investigate methods to develop a reference which could be used for a continent-wide standard of performance. One option discussed would involve the development of a video library of competitors from each grade determined by a panel of adjudicators from a across ANAPBA to be at the appropriate level for that grade. This library could be provided to the Music Boards/Grading Committees of each Association to serve as a standard for that Grade to insure consistency across North America.
Band Grading/RSPBA Communication: The MIAC will attempt to develop a world-wide-standard for the grading of North American pipe bands. ANAPBA will approach the RSPBA and acknowledge that the world standard for pipe bands is that set by the RSPBA and request video/audio examples of that standard – especially for Grades 2, 3, and 4. The examples could be used by the Associations as an audio reference when considering grading assignments. In the alternative, if such audio/video examples are not available from the RSPBA, ANAPBA will ask for permission to acquire these examples at ANAPBA¿s expense – either at the World Championship or at 1 or 2 of the other major championships.
ANAPBA will also request that RSPBA change their application process beginning in 2012 so that the RSPBA will request the home Association of each North American band participating in an RSPBA contest to provide a band roster validated by that Association and a grading recommendation from that Association (rather than the current practice of requesting the roster and grade directly from the band itself). These actions should promote communication and cooperation between RSPBA and ANAPBA, its member Associations, and bands across the entire North American continent.
Summary: As a member of ANAPBA, the MWPBA has the opportunity to share the expertise of its officers and participate with other pipe band associations in activities to increase the uniformity of conditions for piping contests across North America and activities which promote and advance the art of the Highland bagpipe.