The Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (more commonly known as VBODA) is an organization of high school, middle school, and elementary school band and orchestra directors within the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose mission is to help promote opportunities of music education to K-12 students. Many of the events that the VBODA organizes schools from around Virginia to compete with each other, and to give outstanding individual student musicians a chance to work with renowned conductors around the United States. The VBODA is the primary arbiter for various band and orchestra events throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organization The VBODA is a subsidiary of the Virginia Music Educators Association and MENC: The National Association for Music Education. The VBODA itself has an executive board, which consists of a President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Middle School Representative, String Representative, Manual Editor, Manual Distribution Manager, and Marching Festival Chairman. The VBODA has 16 districts which are run by the executive board, and are under the supervision of a district representative. All executive board members and district representatives are band or orchestra directors of schools throughout Virginia. VBODA Sponsored Events and Awards for School Ensembles State Marching Band Festival The State Marching Band Festival is held in five different school sites throughout the Commonwealth, which are the West, Central, East, Northeast, and Southeast. Most schools in each of the competition sites are roughly located in their respective region within Virginia. Groups are then classified by the marching band's number of playing members (winds + percussion), from 1A (smallest, 50 or fewer members) to 5A (largest). Unlike many other band competitions, there are no awards for 1st place, etc., but every band receives a rating of I (Superior); II (Excellent); III (Good); IV (Fair); or V (Poor). In "Olympic Festival" format, a panel of five judges rates each band. The highest and the lowest ratings from individual judges are removed before determining the band's final rating. An example would be if a band receives one I rating, three II ratings, and one III rating; the I and III would be removed, giving the band a final rating of II, which is the average of the other three judges who all gave the band a II. District Concert Band Festival This event is held typically in the first couple of weekends in March. Unlike the State Marching Band Festival where there are five sites spread out