Solo/Ensemble letter

Dear Parents of Solo and Ensemble Students,

Solo and Ensemble will occur Saturday, April 16^th at South Effingham Middle School.

Students will need to arrive at the Richmond Hill Middle School band room by 9:30 AM.  We will need to arrive at South Effingham Middle School 30 minutes early. We begin at 11:00, so we will need to leave the RHMS band room around 10:00 AM. We will all ride the school bus together. Students may leave with parents after they perform, provided I receive a note indicating students are leaving with parents.

We will stop for lunch after we perform. We will leave South Effingham Middle School sometime around 12:30 PM. We will eat between12:30 and 1:30 PM. Students will need $5 to $10 for lunch, or they may bring a sack lunch.

We should arrive back to the Richmond Hill Middle School band room around or before 2:00 PM.

Students should wear nice casual clothes. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR JEANS OR SHORTS. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR TENNIS OR RUNNING SHOES. Wear nice casual clothes with dress shoes.

Students need to make sure they have an original score of music that has measures numbered for the judges. Students may not give a copy of the music to the judges – only originals with numbered measures.  Students performing a solo need an accompanist; this may either be a recording or someone playing piano.

GMEA Rules for Solo and Ensemble Festival

Please familiarize yourself with the rules and procedures for Solo and Ensemble Festival that are in the GMEA Handbook.  

• Any entry may decide at any time prior to performance to perform for comments only, for which no rating will be given.
• Adjudication sheets are available to the teacher after the list of ratings has been compiled by the festival chair.
• All individual entrants must be bona fide students of the school or schools represented if registered by a school music teacher.
• There are no refunds for cancellation or failure to appear.
• All solos and ensembles in all classifications perform only one selection.
• All solos for which accompaniments are published, must be performed with the accompaniment.  Reminder:   A performance of a solo without an accompaniment when the accompaniment part is published will result in the lowering of the performer’s rating by one division.  Recordings and tapes of the accompaniment may be used, but MUST NOT have solo part added (no play-along-with-the-melody type tapes are allowed).  The student must furnish the play-back equipment.
• All ensemble parts must be performed by students, bona fide accompaniments excepted.  Reminder:  If all ensemble parts are not performed, the rating of the performance will be lowered by one division.
• No “popular” music may be used.
• The scores for judges should have the measures numbered.  Photocopies are permitted ONLY if a letter from a vendor is attached stating that the scores are on order or are presently out of print.
• No instrumental ensemble part may be played by more than two persons unless scored for more.
• Musical value and suitability are considered in adjudication, and music is chosen at the discretion of the director.  Wind and percussion comment sheets include the category “Suitability of Music” and require student’s grade level in school and number of years of study.
• Memorization is not required.

Best of luck!

See you Saturday morning,

Dr. Warnock