Challenged by the recent increases in COVID-19 pandemic cases throughout the region, the 2020 Missouri Days Marching Festival Committee has announced this year’s event will be held virtually, with schools submitting videos of their performances competing to be the big winner at this year’s marching festival.
As a result, there will be no live event taking place as part of the Missouri Day Festival activities planned for Oct. 16-17. Instead, the public will be able to view the videos via the Marching Band Festival’s Facebook page and will also have the chance to help select the “Viewer’s Choice” award winner. Competitions to be included in the virutal judging are indoor auxilary, indoor precussion and parade.
Speaking on behalf of the Marching Festival’s steering committee, Phil Ray said members feel it is important to keep students involved in performing arts through these trying times, which led the committee to make the decision for a virtual event.
It seems that around each corner another setback is in store for students,” Ray said. “We care about all of our competitors and felt that while it is far from a traditional marching competition, it is important to share the dedication of the performers and educators that work so diligently year in and year out because after all, the show must go on.”
Ray said the committee is disappointed that a different direction was determined this past weekend, but after waiting as long as possible, the committee felt this new twist would still allow for a great competition and offer lots of audience participation and enjoyment.
The committee is now working with high school bands to be a part of the 2020 virtual competition.
To participate, bands must be registered for the 2020 Missouri Days Virtual Marching Festival by Sept. 30. The committee said there is no charge to register for the 2020 festival as several generous sponsors have stepped up to make this virtual event possible. Bands will be able to submit performance videos to be judged virtually. Judging scores will then be tabulated to determine first, second and third place in each class of competition based on MSHSAA guidelines.
Contacts to register are to be made with Katie Kinney at 660-654-1443 or at the website, www.missouridaysmarching.com.
Schools will receive written comments by adjudicators and scored by a standardized rubric along with the top three in each MSHSAA class receiving plaques, just as in a traditional marching festival setting. Field show videos will be limited to 15 minutes in length while indoor events will be allotted 10 minutes for each performance. These time constraints are the same as those used in the traditional schedule for the Missouri Days Marching Festival.
Throughout the week of Oct. 12, videos will be released, grouped by MSHSAA class size, at a predetermined time and made public on the Missouri Days Marching Festival Facebook page. The performance schedule will be released following the Sept. 30 registration deadline.
In addition to the judging conducted by special judges, this year’s format will also be giving an award for “Viewer’s Choice.” Committee members said the winner will be determined by the video that receives the most “likes” on the Marching Festival Facebook page. The Viewer’s Choice Award will be an open class division for indoor auxiliary, indoor percussion and field show performances.
The committee asked the public to “stay tuned for festival updates and more school commitments” on the following websites – www.missouridaysmarching.com, www.midwestmarching.com – or by viewing the Missouri Days Band Festival page on Facebook.
Plans are already under way for the 2021 Missouri Days Marching Festival with big plans to make it one of the most memorable competitions in recent years.
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