Solo and Ensemble
This is an activity, which is not required, but strongly recommended. This year's Solo and Ensemble Festival will be on April 16, 2020 - Mendon HS. Students interested will prepare and perform an accompanied solo or ensemble for an adjudicator at the festival site. Each event the student wants to do has to have approval from their director, and they must have access to the original score, which must be presented to the adjudicator at the time of the event with all measures of the piece numbered. Each student can do up to three events (one solo + two different ensembles). Private lessons are highly recommended for students wanting to perform a solo, or those who wish to do multiple events.
Students doing a solo will be responsible for contacting a piano accompanist (their director has a list of people or they can use someone they know that is reliable) and arranging rehearsal times with them a couple of weeks before the event. Ensembles (duets, trios, and quartets) should be formed within the same instrument family (ex. All flutes, All trumpets, mixed woodwind, mixed brass, percussion... no clarinet/tuba duets). Their director or private lessons teacher will help the student choose music that is appropriate to their grade level. Note: The minimum length of the performance is a STRICT 1 minute 30 seconds.
There are participation fees associated with Solo and Ensemble. The cost of each solo is $10, and the cost of each participating member in an ensemble is $6. Cash or checks made out to 'Three Rivers Bands' will be accepted and the money is non-refundable even if the student ends up dropping their event(s).
Students doing solos will also have to pay for their piano accompanist when it gets closer to the date of the festival (and a thank you card is a nice gesture as well!).
At festival, they will perform their song(s) for their adjudicator and receive verbal and written comments on their performance and how they can continue developing as a musician. Family and friends are welcome to listen to their performance. They will also be awarded a rating based on the predominance of letter grades in different musical categories. A 'Division I' rating means the student will earn a blue medal (mostly "A"s) and a 'Division II' rating means the student will earn a red medal (mostly "B"s). No medal will be awarded for a 'Division III' rating or lower.
Students doing a solo will be responsible for contacting a piano accompanist (their director has a list of people or they can use someone they know that is reliable) and arranging rehearsal times with them a couple of weeks before the event. Ensembles (duets, trios, and quartets) should be formed within the same instrument family (ex. All flutes, All trumpets, mixed woodwind, mixed brass, percussion... no clarinet/tuba duets). Their director or private lessons teacher will help the student choose music that is appropriate to their grade level. Note: The minimum length of the performance is a STRICT 1 minute 30 seconds.
There are participation fees associated with Solo and Ensemble. The cost of each solo is $10, and the cost of each participating member in an ensemble is $6. Cash or checks made out to 'Three Rivers Bands' will be accepted and the money is non-refundable even if the student ends up dropping their event(s).
Students doing solos will also have to pay for their piano accompanist when it gets closer to the date of the festival (and a thank you card is a nice gesture as well!).
At festival, they will perform their song(s) for their adjudicator and receive verbal and written comments on their performance and how they can continue developing as a musician. Family and friends are welcome to listen to their performance. They will also be awarded a rating based on the predominance of letter grades in different musical categories. A 'Division I' rating means the student will earn a blue medal (mostly "A"s) and a 'Division II' rating means the student will earn a red medal (mostly "B"s). No medal will be awarded for a 'Division III' rating or lower.