Trevor Crawley
Despite getting caught in a downpour, the Cranbrook Bugle Band took the inclement weather in stride and took a second place performance in the junior band category at the Calgary Stampede's opening weekend.
Showing off their new uniforms, the band performed selections of their own choosing for a half hour while braving a sudden hail storm.
In addition to the performance of the Cranbrook Girls Bugle Band, many other groups in a half a dozen other categories competed for six titles and prize money.
Show bands merge musical elements, dance and choreography, and present world-class musical and visual performances.
They are judged, out of a possible score of 100, on a number of elements including: what is heard (music), what is seen (visual), and the overall impact of the program's visual and musical design.
"Bands are evaluated based on a number of different criteria," explains Mayne Root, Chair, Parade Committee. "Judges pay attention to very minute aspects, which the casual listener may not pick-up, such as tone, intonation, rhythm, and tempo," he adds.
Bands that present a compelling performance and visual design, as well as bands that carefully synchronize their movements, achieve top marks.