Preparing for District and State Music Festivals
Educational Programs Publications
As band directors, we often feel success comes through participation and evaluation at music festivals. When kept in perspective, the critique and overall comments are important tools in building and maintaining a band program. However, we often use final outcomes (ratings) as the absolute source when measuring the success of our programs.
If administration, parents and you the director feel this is the only reason for going to a festival or contest, then it may be time to re-evaluate your program and make necessary changes for improvement.
Preparation is the key element to success no matter if it is for the comments or the rating.
Preparing the Students
To be successful, we must prepare students whether it is in the way of solos or ensembles. Students not prepared will no doubt face failure. As a director, it is your responsibility to inform a soloist or ensemble if they are prepared or not and whether they should participate in the festival. Don’t send participants that are unprepared. Below are some helpful suggestions in preparing the student for success.
1) Selecting Music: Select music that is playable and enjoyable. Select music that is in the grasp of a solid performance. Select music that shows the strengths of the individual or group. Avoid selecting music that is too easy and does not warrant much practice. Check to see if music that is selected is on the state required list.
2) When to Start: Many times, soloists or ensembles peak too soon due to starting the solo or ensemble too early in the year. This is especially true for the large ensemble. Early fall is not the time to begin rehearsing for contest. Usually, late November or early December is a good time to begin reading contest pieces for spring, making final decisions by mid-January.
3) The Practice: It is advisable to find students who work well together. Establish a time when you and the participants can read and review music selections. Once music has been chosen, the participants should establish a regular rehearsal time. They should also prepare their music prior to the rehearsal. Rehearsals are not the time to “learn” the music. As a director you should set a time to work with the participants, especially three weeks prior to the festival.
4) Tuning: It is strongly suggested to take time and discuss with your participants the proper way to tune. As a director, your schedule may or may not allow you to be with the participants during the performance. Small, inexpensive electronic tuners are appropriate for such events. If you prefer to tune by using an instrument for tuning, participants need to know the proper technique for tuning by such method as well.
5) Stage Presence/Appearance: With acceptance in “formal” attire differing all the time, it is important that you as a director explain to students what is acceptable attire for the festival. There is an old saying, “you’ll play the way you look!” Sometimes very true!
Advise students about entering the performance room, seating, and general conduct in performing at the contest or festival. Adjudicators often get a first impression from the appearance and general conduct.
6) Pre-Festival Concert: A successful tool for festival preparation is a pre-festival concert for parents and peers. Establish an informal program in your band room or theater/auditorium for all participants to perform their selections. You may or may not ask a music colleague to evaluate your participants. It would be beneficial to have the concert two weeks prior to the actual festival. Use the concert as a device in making decisions of who is prepared and should participate in the actual festival.
7) Sight-Reading: If sight-reading is part of the festival evaluation…practice! The best way to prepare students is to actually read music that is already in your library. When sight-reading, use the same format used in the actual festival.
Contest/Festival Day
Once the actual festival day arrives, it’s too late to “coach” or prepare the participants. The best thing for the director and participants is to be calm, relaxed and focused on the event. Be supportive, especially with less experienced students.
1) Your Attendance: If possible, be in attendance during the performance. However, it is a good idea to check with the participants to see if they want you in the room. Sometimes this adds pressure. Stand outside the door and listen if they feel you would add to the pressure.
2) The Ratings: Once ratings are received, it is best not to discuss your disapproval or disappointment; save this for the follow-up. Be sure to review all the evaluation sheets prior to discussing them with the students. Don’t approach an adjudicator about the performance or comments until after the festival or contest.
The Contest/Festival Follow Up
After the event, it is strongly suggested to follow up by reviewing the adjudicators comments, both written and verbal (if on tape) with the participants and with the music that was performed.
1) Adjudicator Comments: Use the comments for improvement or strengthening future performances or evaluations. These are valuable tools for the band program, especially if they are repeated on each ballot. If, for example, the adjudicators repeatedly state intonation is a problem on most performances, assume there is a problem and you as the director must approach and correct it.
As a side note: In my early years at contest, adjudicators were always suggesting that I use Bach chorales as part of my warm up and as a teaching tool for intonation, balance and blend. However, they didn’t say what effect the chorales would have. After four years, I found that most of my groups were playing music, but not making music….what an improvement and immediate success as a result of the chorales.
2) The Rating: As stated earlier, the final rating should not be a measuring device, it is only a number that represent the performance the day of the festival. As a result, many students end up with a negative approach to the contest or festival. Assure them the critiques are the most important part of the festival.
3) State Contest/Festival: If the participants advance to the state festival, they should be more prepared than for the district or local event. Often we see students lack focus and continued effort for the state event and as a result the final rating is much lower than expected. Encourage participants at the state level to continue with the practice routine they established prior to the district or local event.
4) Publicize: After the festivals, make sure you give participants recognition. Recognition can be through the school’s daily announcements, listing the ratings in a special location in the band room or hallways, school and local newspapers, and sending a note home to the parents. Be sure to list all participants in ensemble listings.
It is strongly suggested you discuss the district/state music festival with your administration. Find out their feelings about participating in the festival and if there will be consequences if your group does not achieve superior ratings.
If you have less than adequate instrumentation, suggest taking solos and small ensembles until your program has good instrumentation and skill levels.
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