A band that only plays loudly, no matter how well they do it, will lose points. A loud thrilling show that brings the audience to its feet cheering and clapping may therefore score poorly. Another area that often lowers the scores of bands that look and sound very good is woodwinds. Increasingly, judging guidelines want the woodwinds to get equal time with the brass and the percussion. The days when clarinets could be seen and not heard are past.
Judges pay very little attention to size, uniforms, etc.
Just like an elephant, a 400 piece band is impressive just by being there. However, judges give no points just for being there. At most contests, judges ignore who has the nicest uniforms, the prettiest flags or the best props. Judges can only judge the one performance they see. Judges do not know how hard the kids have worked.