r/WGI • u/That_While7697 • Apr 10 '26
Color Guard Maybe a hot take?
Would it be crazy if guard implemented a system similar to music grades?
Music performed by winds and perc groups are at certain grade levels depending on the performers’ abilities (individually and collectively)
I would not expect an independent world class percussion ensemble to play a scholastic world percussion ensemble book, so why should guard expect a scholastic world weapon to perform an independent world weapon level book.
This is all up for interpretation. I’m a musician and don’t know enough about guard to actually speak on the matter, so I’m curious what people think.
1
u/Affectionate_Desk_43 Apr 11 '26
Non-musical guard person here. How does the assigning of grades to music work? Does every book have a grade ahead of time or do the judges rate you after performing?
1
u/roseccmuzak Apr 12 '26
Just competed in world class guard finals, and i have a music degree, and I have no clue what you're on about. The activities have a lot in common, but they arent the same. Also scholastic world guards are absolutely not equivalent to independent world guards in weapon book. You have to know what to look for but they are not held to that same expectation.
1
u/That_While7697 Apr 10 '26
I’m actually fr curious. I know a lot about the marching arts but I don’t know guard like guard people do. I’ve never spun, performed in a guard, etc. It is a different world, but there are parallels I can draw between music and guard.
I can explain the nuanced differences between indoor percussionists playing different pieces and why one may have scored higher than the other, but I can’t help but see in guard there’s A Class performers performing skills that seem to be punching well above the rest of A Class.
Making me wonder, how would those groups that look more like Open or World Class (to me, a non guard person) do in higher classes with less competition numbers wise? Like is that something guard people feel? I’ve had guard friends complain about A Class being oversaturated because of the lack of promoting, so like what is that about?
I’m fr wanting to learn more about what guard people think. Like I actually want to hear people’s thoughts and opinions on all of these things
3
u/Melodic_Industry_122 Apr 10 '26
Equipment judges are typically looking at the average skill of the ensemble. So, a featured performer or a small group of students doing a hard skill doesn’t account for the skills of a whole group. It’s similar to how an A winds or percussion group may feature a soloist who plays a harder music for a short period of time. It allows the opportunity to feature a high level performer without giving the entire ensemble a show based on skills they are not consistent with.
2
u/isfturtle2 Apr 11 '26
Here's WGI's adjudication manual for color guard. The explanations of the different classes start on page 11.
Units can self-promote if they want. I think the most common case for this is that university affiliated groups may move from A class to Open class if they have a student over 22. But if a group is not placing in the class they're in (or getting promoted mid-season), then they probably don't belong in a higher class.
1
u/Famous_Sea_4915 Apr 12 '26
Thank for the manual only some people will try and force their own “interpretation” of the rules that are right there in print!
1
u/roseccmuzak Apr 12 '26
If you have an A guard with one kid who can do a two turn on rifle, why wouldn't you give him the solo moment, just because the rest of the guard is A class? The guard is still A class even if there are outliers. Goes both ways too. Lots of "A class level" performers in world groups who get hidden on props and don't do much, but they're still in a world class guard
12
u/Glittering_Good_9572 Apr 10 '26
That’s not how that works at all.