
Comstock 7th & 8th grade band students — from both Comstock Middle School and Comstock STEM Academy — will perform at Festival on March 6 at 6 p.m. This year's event is open to the public, so family and friends can listen and watch in person, and will take place at Mattawan High School.
Middle school bands from area schools perform at Festival. Each band performs three pieces: a march, a piece from the designated list, and a piece of their choice. Three judges evaluate the band's rhythm, tone, technique, intonation, and interpretation as they play each piece. Bands also participate in sight reading, where they play a piece after only five minutes of preparation.
Ratings from I (superior) to V (poor) are assigned by each judge; the band also receives an overall rating that is the average of each judge's rating.
Bands are not competing directly against one another. The ratings are based on how well each band did in its own performance. In a sense, each band is competing against itself. It is possible — and common — for multiple bands to receive a I or a II rating.