Jr. High School Solo & Ensemble Festival Rules - 2015

Background and Objectives: Since 1968, our district has held a Solo & Ensemble Festival for all Junior High music students. We feel that this is possibly the most important musical event of the year, especially for the gifted students. Students today have few opportunities to display their musical skills, and far too few incentives to develop them. The skill gained by participating students also adds immeasurably to the quality of the large ensembles at the schools.

Plans: Starting this year the Solo and Ensemble event will be held in three sections. The time will be 5:30 – 8:30 in all cases:

 North (LG, ND, SN, SY, WP) will have their festival on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015, at Syracuse Jr. High.

 Central (CT, FF, KV, CD, NL) will have their festival on Wednesday, March 4th, 2015, at Fairfield Jr. High.

 South (BJ, CV, FT, MC, MP, SD) will have their festival on Thursday, March 6th, 2015, at Farmington Jr. High.

School Festivals: We highly encourage each school to hold its own Solo & Ensemble before the district festival. This gives all students the opportunity to participate in this valuable experience. The school festival may also be used as the basis for selecting the students who will represent your school at the district festival. It is advisable to engage guest adjudicators for the students' preliminary ratings. School Solo & Ensemble Festivals are also a great public relations program for the schools who have used it.

Format: Each school is allocated a set number of entries. For directors who encourage students in this important aspect of music education, this number may be restrictive. The restrictions are designed to provide quality students for the festival and to ease the strain upon the conscientious director's limited time.

Diversification: The entries are planned to assure a well-diversified music program at each school. The reason that the first entry must be an ensemble is to encourage each director to work with several ensembles so that many students can participate and represent their schools. We feel that this is minimal. The last entry is designed to promote areas which are usually neglected. If an applicant cannot be present, only entrants in the same category can be substituted.

Instrumental Department: A maximum of 18 entries--consisting of 5 strings, 5 woodwind, 5 brass, and 3 percussion may be entered. (There can be fewer entries than allowed.) In each division, the first entry must be an ensemble, the second a solo, the third and fourth at the discretion of the director, and the fifth as designated. The two piano entries will be listed on the choral entry sheet, but may come from either department. Choral Department: The Choral Department may submit eight entries, the first two of which may be ensembles, and at least one of the two must contain male singers. The next two entries must be soloists, and the remainder may be at the discretion of the director, with the exception of #8, male ensemble only.

Restrictions: A school may enter no more than two soloists on any one instrument or voice part, e.g. no more than two GH Vocal, two trumpets, etc. A student is not permitted to enter more than two instrumental and/or two choral categories. Piano accompaniments, piano solos, and/or sight reading are excepted from this rule. To be entered in the festival, each performer must be a member of their specific large performing group at the school, e.g. a flute soloist must be a member of the band, or a participant in a vocal ensemble must be a member of the choir. This policy is only fair to all members of a particular performance group. Since entries to the festival are limited, those participating in a particular ensemble should have total consideration for the performance slots of that ensemble.

Scoring: Adjudicators will award each entrant a score form I to V. Accumulation of points for each school is based on the following scale:

I = 9 or 10

I- = 8

II+ = 7

II = 6

II- = 5

III+ = 4

III = 3

III- = 2

IV = 1

Adjudicators are instructed to subtract 10 points from any vocal soloist or from vocal ensembles who do not have their music memorized. Instrumental soloists and ensembles are not required to have their music memorized.

All participants must provide the adjudicator with a score of the music they will perform. Measures must be numbered for the judge’s use. Please remind students of the United States Copyright law for use of copied material at the festival:

Section 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106 and 106(A), the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or recordings or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

2. the nature of the copyrighted work;

3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Time Limit: As in previous years, we will have two adjudicators in each room, judging on an alternating basis. This allows students and directors the opportunity of listening to a wider variety of music. It also permits the judges sufficient time to better evaluate and to write more comments. Performance time is limited to five minutes total, on and off. Rather than assess a penalty, the room monitor is instructed to stop the performance at the end of the allotted time.

Accompanists and Punctuality: Attempts to coordinate time schedules of the accompanists are unworkable. Pianists who accompany more than one performer should make themselves a schedule so that they can do as much as possible to facilitate the program order. We are asking the judges to designate outstanding student accompanists for special awards. Each soloist and ensemble should announce their school, their name, their selection and composer, and should be ready to perform at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time so that there will be no delay if the scheduled contestant is not ready. Teachers, please help your students prepare to introduce their performance. Help them with pronunciation, diction, and projection.

DECORUM FOR DIRECTORS:

Invitations: Please invite your administration and the parents of your participants to attend the Solo & Ensemble Festival.

Directors may not direct nor assist the ensembles at the festival. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS RULE! We should be teaching our students to be self-reliant for tuning and for all other arrangements. Violation of this rule may cost the participants 10 points A. Realize that all participants are winners at a festival which promotes musicianship, discipline, control, development of stage presence, and requires very much in the way of courage.

B. Realize that the criticism offered is intended to encourage their future development of skill and musicianship.

C. Realize that while some individual or group may be better than others, the challenge is not to beat someone else, but to improve oneself or one's group. There is nothing noble to being superior to some other man; nobility comes from being superior to one's former self.

D. Try to listen intelligently to other individuals and groups and attempt to determine what is good in the performance, rather than being derogatory or making cutting remarks about the abilities of the other performers. Remember that no one can know all of the extenuating circumstances.

E. Be able to pronounce titles and composers, and speak slowly and loudly enough to be understood.

F. Be receptive to audience applause and super courteous to their accompanists rather than trying to set a speed record back to their seats or out of the room.

G. DIRECTORS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND AND HELP WITH ASSIGNED DUTIES AT THEIR SOLO AND ENSEMBLE NIGHT, AND TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS. This is not optional. We need everyone to help. Arrange for someone other than yourself to accompany your students.

STUDENT PERFORMERS SHOULD:

A. Make it a point to be punctual and try to maintain the schedule.

B. Avoid loitering in the hallways.

C. Remember to bring an original copy of their music with the measures numbered for the judges.

D. Arrange for accompanist needs AHEAD OF TIME, and make sure your accompanist can come at the assigned times.

E. Reflect credit on themselves and their school.

F. Listen to as many other performers as possible.

G. Avoid any conversation with the judge unless invited by the judge for conference.

H. Conduct themselves so that music activities will be welcomed by the host school. I. Avoid eating or drinking in any of the performance areas.

J. Remember that they are guests of the host school.

L. Try to make the festival both educational and enjoyable.

L. Resolve to improve their musicianship and citizenship.

Awards: Every entrant should receive the satisfaction which progress and accomplishment brings. In addition, each student who receives a rating of I+, I, or I-, either as a soloist or as a member of an ensemble of six or less performers, shall receive a certificate of merit. Larger ensembles will receive only one certificate for the group. Adjudication sheets, school accumulated points, and certificates for superior ratings will be presented to the directors as soon as possible.

Small Ensembles: Ensembles will be limited to a maximum of 16 performers. Instrumental ensembles may have only one student per part, e.g., only one second violin or one second trumpet. Choral ensembles should be balanced with a maximum of four voices on each part.

“There is no substitute for work. What seems ease of performance comes from the greatest labor. Facility results only from maximum effort. Art is a product of labor." Casals