Solo/Ensemble Contests are performance opportunity for students to perform in front of an adjudicator and
receive constructive critiques and are open to students who participate in their school's orchestra/band
programs.
- Purpose
- The solo/ensemble contests are intended to provide student musicians an opportunity to perform
a solo or an ensemble in front of an adjudicator and a limited audience, and to receive constructive
comments, both spoken and written, from the adjudicator. The primary benefits to the students are the
experience of performing alone or in a small group, and a critique from someone other than their regular
music teacher(s). These contests also serve as regional qualifying events for the State Solo/Ensemble
Contest every spring.
- Clarifications
- A solo is considered to be a piece performed either entirely alone or with a piano accompaniment.
An ensemble is a group of from 2 to 16 musicians performing together, with or without a piano
accompaniment. The adjudicator (often called a judge) is a professional musician not teaching school
in the students' district. The solo/ensemble contests should not be confused with the orchestra, band,
or choir festivals, in which the entire large group performs for a panel of adjudicators.
- Entries
- Participation in these contests is encouraged but not required. A student's decision to enter or
not enter will have no effect on that student's grade in class. Participation at the high-school level,
however, can earn points towards the music activity letter. Multiple entries are permitted: a student
may enter, for example, a solo and a duet, two or more solos on different instruments, and/or two or
more ensembles.
- Fees
- The entry fees for the contests are subject to change, but have recently been around $15 for a
solo. The ensemble fee (based on the group's size) is slightly higher, but can be split among the
members of the ensemble. Besides one or more entry fees, a student's other potential expenses are
accompanist's fees (see below) and purchase of personal copies of music.
- Ratings
- Each adjudicator judges a series of entries, all on the same instrument or class of ensemble, and
gives each performance a rating in the form of a Roman numeral with a possible modifier (such as II,
I-, or III+). Many performances will receive the same rating during a contest. This rating reflects
various technical and artistic aspects of the performance. A rating sheet showing these components and
the adjudicator's comments is given to the music teacher at the end of the contest; the teacher
normally gives this sheet to the performer(s) on a school day following the contest.
- Locations
- The state of Washington is organized into 22 music regions. The Issaquah Bellevue, Mercer Island,
Riverview, and Snoqualmie School Districts belong to the Eastshore region. The schools in every music
region take turns hosting that region's annual contests.
- Dates
- Each contest takes place on a Saturday, lasting the entire day. The Eastshore high-school contests
are usually held in late January for vocalists and early February for instrumentalists. The Eastshore
music region also organizes an annual middle-school festival, for both vocalists and instrumentalists,
which is usually in late March.
- Music
- The selection of music to be performed is left to the performers and their teachers. The only
stipulation is that it be "serious" (classical or genuine folk) music, rather than pop, rock, or show
themes. The music teacher can suggest one or more selections appropriate for the student's ability;
performers may propose their own choices to their teacher. The solo part, or the score of an ensemble,
must be supplied to the adjudicator and picked up after the performance. Students not performing by
memory will need additional copies of their parts for themselves.
- Accompanists
- Most solos and some ensembles call for a piano accompaniment. If the student does not have a
friend or family member that can play this accompaniment, several pianists in the Issaquah School
District's area are available. The music teacher can supply their names and telephone numbers.
Rehearsals and contests take up an accompanist's time and gasoline, and there is a fee for their
services. This fee is not set by the district or the music region and must be negotiated between the
student and the accompanist. A fee for one or two rehearsals and the performance typically ranges
between $30 and $60.
- Preparation
- Students should make arrangements for an accompanist several weeks in advance of the contest, in
order to schedule rehearsals and performance time. This is particularly important because a contest
often limits how many entries each accompanist can accept, so the accompanist must take them on a
first-come-first-served basis. The accompanist's name must also be included on the registration form.
Before the first rehearsal, the student should have his or her part practiced and learned; the
accompanist's services do not include teaching it. To get used to the feeling of performing in front
of other people, students may have an opportunity to perform their pieces in class a day or so before
the contest.
- Schedule
- There are several adjudicators at each contest, each using a different room in the host school.
Each entry is allocated a ten-minute time slot in one of these rooms. The schedule of times and rooms
is made available to all teachers a few days before the contest. However, it is extremely difficult to
maintain this schedule with precision. Unforeseen delays can cause a particular room to run behind,
while "no-shows" can put another room ahead of schedule. Because of this uncertainty, and to allow
time to warm up, students and accompanists are advised to appear at the contest at least an hour
before their first scheduled performance. Travel planning should allow time for traffic and weather
conditions, as well as for finding unfamiliar locations.
- Conduct
- Although the atmosphere at the contests is informal, certain standards of conduct need to be
upheld. Formal dress (such as ties or heels) is not required, but it is desirable to dress "nicely",
as one might for church. Students and accompanists should not play or sing except in the warm-up room.
Conversation should be kept to an absolute minimum in the halls, especially near the adjudication
rooms. Food and drink should be consumed only in the area where they are served.
- Procedure
- Performers are expected to appear with their music and accompanist at the proper place and time.
The contest office (usually near the entrance and well marked) can help musicians locate the warm-up
and adjudication rooms. The office can also help deal with logistic problems such as conflicting
performance times or not being able to find an accompanist.
- Performance
- Seats are provided in the adjudication room for a small audience. Teachers, family, and friends
are welcome to attend. The audience is not allowed to enter or leave the room during a performance,
or to engage in any distracting activity (moving or talking) while in the room. The adjudicator
normally talks with the performer(s) before and after the performance but does not reveal the rating
to them directly.
- Results
- The rating sheets are collected periodically from each adjudication room and taken to the contest
office for verification. They are retained and given to the appropriate music teacher at the end of
the contest. In high-school contests, the ratings are also posted in a central area as soon as they
are verified. Ratings are not posted in middle-school festivals, but the sheets are still given to
the teachers. Each adjudicator at a high-school contest is asked to choose one solo or ensemble entry
(together with first and second alternates) to perform at the State Solo/Ensemble Contest in
Ellensburg, usually held in late April.
- Categories
-
- Woodwind Solo
- Piccolo/Flute/Alto Flute
- Oboe/English Horn
- Clarinet
- Alto/Bass Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Soprano/Alto Saxophone
- Tenor/Baritone Saxophone
- Brass Solo
- Trumpet/Cornet
- Horn
- Trombone
- Euphonium/Baritone Horn
- Tuba
- Percussion Solo
- Timpani
- Mallets
- Snare Drum
- Multiple Percussion
- Auxiliary/Keyboard Solo
- Piano
- Classical Guitar
- Harp
- String Solo
- Violin
- Viola
- Violoncello
- Contrabass
- Vocal Solo
- Soprano
- Mezzo Soprano
- Alto
- Tenor
- Baritone
- Bass
- Small Ensemble
- 2-4 performers not counting accompanist (piano, harp, or guitar)
- Large Ensemble
- 5-16 performers not counting accompanist (piano, harp, or guitar)
- Dates
- The following are the dates and venues for the contests and festivals that might be of interest for
this school year. Each contest and festival typically starts at 8:00 AM and runs at least into late
afternoon.
- Saturday 29 January 2011, Liberty HS
- Eastshore High-School Vocal and Instrumental Solo/Ensemble Contest
- Saturday 5 March 2011, TBD
- Eastshore Middle-School Vocal and Instrumental Solo/Ensemble Festival
- Friday 29 April 2011, CWU, Ellensburg
- Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) State Ensemble Contest
- Saturday 30 April 2011, CWU, Ellensburg
- Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) State Solo Contest