How does solo and ensemble work

If a student ends up with a time that is in conflict with a family schedule, it is the responsibility of the student and family to approach the director immediately to resolve the conflict in order to ensure participation. Division II Rating: Performance of quality, with minor flaws — medal awarded.

Solo and ensemble is an event sponsored by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association that allows students as soloists or as small groups to prepare music to be played before an adjudicator. Students learn musical independence by performing in small-group settings and hear individualized feedback from an expert on the instrument family on which the student performs.

Students in Grades that are regular members of a school band or orchestra can participate in the solo and ensemble festival. Your event must be paid in full by check before the registration deadline.

The band director can assist in the process of selecting music. MSBOA has certain guidelines for music to be played at the festival, including:.

All parts that are written for that piece MUST be played, including piano parts. Piano parts may not be omitted. Music must be written to be played at this type of event. Students may not play a page from their band music.

It must be written expressly as a solo or as an ensemble. Students may play only one person per part. Repeat may not be added to artificially lengthen the piece of music. Repeats may be omitted, however, as long as the resulting performance still exceeds the minimum time limit. Show music, pop, and jazz pieces are not acceptable for this type of festival. Things that will result in an event not getting a rating:.

The competition is hosted at an area school or at ICC every year. The competition will run from the morning to the afternoon and involves thousands of area student musicians. For more information visit the IHSA homepage. The judge will select the scales to be played. The scales listed, including the chromatic scale, will be called for in concert pitch meaning that each player who plays a transposing instrument will have to transpose the given scale. All scales for wind instruments shall be played two octaves where applicable but one octave where range restricts.

Scales and the chromatic will be played from memory. Select your instrument to download the scale sheet:. The IHSA maintains a list of selected pieces from the standard repertoire. Original sheet music can be purchased at Kidder Music. The adjudicator will provide a written and verbal critique of the performance and award a rating based on defined criteria.

New Edition Available Now! Have you checked out the quality videos and standards-based activities made especially for Wisconsin music classrooms? Visit WisconsinPerforms. If you ever have such a judge, report them to your teacher, the Festival director, and your state's music association. Because when judges do that, they destroy a student's interest in a musically creative life. Think I'm being overly dramatic? Think again.

This is what we voice teachers and choir conductors hear years later, all of which I have personally heard:. The judge yelled at me, I did so poorly and I haven't sung since. The judge gave me a bad score last year. There's no point in going again this year. I was told I couldn't sing so I haven't sung for 20 years. But my baby likes it when I sing--should I sing?

Choir directors also talk about students who won't go to Festival again because the judges were overly critical and not supportive. What we should hear about judges, when students have had a good experience or they messed up and were still treated with respect:. I forgot all the words to the second verse, but the judge worked with me to help me remember the words next time.