0:00 – Dehumanizing judging
4:00 – Facing staffs as a judge. Critique
9:15 – The content sub caption
15:40 – Being surprised as a judge
18:50 – Judging 30+ groups in one day
21:51 – Leaving judging
25:45 – The next chapter
31:00 – Jeff the entrepreneur and author
36:08 – Wrapping up
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Great guy! Marched with him in 1989.
Loved this conversation with Jeff! Always enjoyed his commentary as a member. Thanks for providing an insiders aspect to the judging world! The part about the content sub caption was great to hear explained
You guys, Rob and George are the best of all the people doing these kinds of 'behind the story' interviews. I find your questions come for a place of genuine interest and wanting to know, rather trying to show you're hip or as knowledgeable as your guests. That beats being slick any day. That gives your guest the opportunity to open up more than otherwise might have happened. And, Jeff, If I was in a position to hire or recommend someone for a gig, after listening to you speak and your track record you'd be on my A list because it's clear you want the people around you to want to be the best. In a different way and with different methods that's what Tom Float wanted. I imagine your lines would march through a brick wall playing inverted cheese rats clean simply because they wouldn't' want to disappoint someone who has so much faith in the membership to do it and it sounds like you believe the people around you are capable or they wouldn't be there. Rob and George I have enjoyed all the interview series you guys put together, but I think this one is the best.
THANK YOU for this GREAT episode!!!! PLEASE get philosophical. Ask your wildest questions. Get into the deep weeds on all of these topics. I don't mind if each episode is six hours long- I kinda crave it, really. Hearing these great brains like Jeff and Mark Thurston and Scott Johnson, all contributing their unique and valuable perspectives on judging and performance and competition, is so exciting and eye-opening.
I'd love to hear more from arrangers about their musical influences from OUTSIDE of drum corps- hearing Jeff talk about his experiences as a percussionist outside of marching was awesome! Would be very cool to have some of these great guests back for "subject-specific" episodes, too- I feel like a lot of these guests could do four hours on arranging, four hours on judging, four hours of tour war stories, etc etc etc, and I'd listen to all of it!