Overview

This festival opportunity seeks to welcome all Maryland instrumental and vocal students in grades 6-12 who have earned a Superior (I) rating at a Maryland District Solo and Ensemble Festival.  Students must perform music from the MMEA approved lists.

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​Music may be performed by an individual or small ensemble (up to 16 students and without a conductor).  The same music educator should teach all students in each ensemble.

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The Goals of the Festival are to:

• Provide an opportunity for string, vocal, percussion, and wind students to perform musical literature for evaluation alone and in groups.

• Encourage and provide an opportunity for students to select and prepare solo and ensemble literature for performance.

• Provide a formative tool so that students can self-evaluate and receive quality feedback about their technique and performance.

• Provide the opportunity for a student and/or small ensemble to receive state recognition.

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Festival Format

The 2023 State Solo & Ensemble Festival will be held as an asynchronous recorded submission festival. There will not be an in-person event for any grade levels. Please see Eligibility and Recording Requirements for full festival submission details. 

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​​Festival Application Timeline

Submission Window
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 to Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 12:00pm (noon)

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Results Released To School Music Educators
May 25-26, 2023

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Eligibility

The eligibility rules for this festival are as follows:

 

• Student musician(s) must must be in grades 6-12 and attend an independent (private), parochial, or public school in Maryland. 

• Students must be enrolled in a band, orchestra (or guitar class), choral class or ensemble in the appropriate grade in order to participate in statewide activities.

• Soloists or Ensembles must have participated in their county/district festival and earned a Superior (I) rating on music with a music difficulty level of grade 2 and above. 

• All submissions will require a copy of the county/district festival certificate or comment sheet uploaded as proof of eligibility.

• The performer(s) who qualify at the district level must be the same persons who perform for this state level recording submission.

• One student cannot perform in more than two (2) recorded submissions.

• Only the student’s public or private school music educator may be listed as the educator of record. Music educator membership in MMEA/NAfME is not required but encouraged.

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Repertoire

All music performed must be listed in the MMEA approved lists for instrumental or vocal solo or small ensemble ensembles. On the submission form, list the ID number and title of the piece exactly as it appears on the MMEA Repertoire Lists. 

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The solo or small ensemble should perform the same repertoire or same grade of repertoire that was performed at their county/district festival.

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Compositions may not be more than 10 minutes in length. If a composition is over 10 minutes or is multi-movement, the student/ensemble should perform an excerpt that is approx 10 minutes (no longer).

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MMEA does not keep a piano repertoire list and pianists are encouraged to submit to the Fall All-Access Virtual Solo & Ensemble Festival. The fall festival does not have prerequisites of requirements on instrumentation or repertoire lists.

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Music Copyright Rules

MMEA operates in compliance with the US Copyright Act. Anyone using a photocopy of the music that is not in Public Domain must be accompanied by written verification of permission from the publisher. Music purchased online as digital copies should have clear indication of ownership/performance permission.

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All submissions will require an uploaded copy/scan of the score or solo part via a secure portion of the submission form. See Festival Requirements for more information.

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At the beginning of each recording, students must briefly hold up an original copy of the music, visible to the camera.

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Accompaniment

Music with written/published accompaniments must include the accompaniment in the performance.

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Live accompaniment is encouraged, however pre-recorded accompaniment tracks are permitted. The recording track can only have the accompaniment part. 

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If an in-person accompanist is on the recording, the student must list the person’s name on the submission form.

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Scales, Rudiments, and Sightreading

Scales, rudiments, and sightreading will not be required at the State Solo and Ensemble Festival.

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Festival Requirements

All students must abide by the following submission requirements:

• Each school music educator is responsible for assuring each student or ensemble has prepared their music. 

• One student cannot perform in more than two (2) recorded submissions.

• Festival submissions MUST be recorded on or after this year’s county/district festival. Recordings can come from a designated recording session or a recording from the county/district.

• Caregivers of students submitting multiple recordings must fill out a submission form and pay the submission fee for each recording. Each recording may only contain one piece of music.

• All festival submissions must be on the Approved Repertoire List.

• All submissions must be in video format. An original copy of the score must be held up to the camera at the beginning of the recording and a scan/copy must be uploaded with the submission.

• Scanned score/solo part submission

  • For ensembles and solos with accompaniment, the score reflecting all parts must be uploaded

  • For unaccompanied solos, the solo part may be uploaded. 

  • Score or solo part may be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpg, or .png format.

• MMEA will only accept materials via the online submission form. Submissions will not be accepted in any other form (ex: telephone, mail, fax, or email.)

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Special requests for alternative submission formats for accessibility reasons are addressed on a case-by-case basis, and documentation of disability must be provided. Please complete the MMEA Accessibility Request Form to request accommodations.

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Accessibility Requests must be received and approved by Wednesday, April 12, at 12:00pm (noon).

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Recording Requirements

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!  Failure to follow these requirements will result in the submission being disqualified.

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• Music educators are to review the recording before submission.

• Festival submissions MUST be recorded on or after this year’s county/district festival. Recordings can come from a designated recording session or a recording from the county/district.

• All Submissions: At the beginning of the recording, all submissions must show an original copy of the score to the camera.

• Vocal submissions: The student's face must be visible at all times.

• Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, String Submissions: The entire instrument and student's hands must be visible at all times.

• All submissions should be recorded as presented on the repertoire lists.

• A date and time stamp must be visible at all times on the recording.  If no stamp is available, a smartphone, tablet, or other electronic devices with the seconds ticking off (e.g., stopwatch feature) or an analog clock displaying the time with a sweeping second hand must be visible in the recording at all times.  Please note that electronic timepieces or timestamps may not include an address or location.

• NO audio or video editing OF ANY KIND is allowed.  Submissions should be recorded in one take, without stopping.

• Live accompaniment is encouraged, however pre-recorded accompaniment tracks are permitted. The recording track can only have the accompaniment part. 

• Students MAY NOT wear headphones during the recording.

• Only internal camera microphones may be used and may be stereo or mono audio.

• Students may not use metronomes or supplemental/additional microphones to perform the required selections.

• Only one student video file per application will be accepted online in the following formats: .avi, .wmv, .mov, .mp4.

• The maximum file size allowed is 2Gb.  Please be aware that the larger the file, the longer it will take to load.​

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Adjudication and Rating

Performances will be judged by MMEA educators/adjudicators. For solo submissions, adjudicators will only see the student’s first name, instrument/vocal part, and composition title/ID/grade/scan/recording. For ensemble recordings, adjudicators will see the student’s grade level, instrument/vocal parts, and composition title/ID/grade/scan/recording.

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If an adjudicator recognizes a student, the submission will be reassigned, to avoid a conflict of interest.  

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Click here for the festival rubric.

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Certificates

Certificates will be provided to the performers. Note for 2023 - Neither pins, nor medals will be provided or available for purchase.

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Submission Fee

A recommended fee* of $15 for each audition is required when the commitment form is completed. 

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​All transactions are final and non-refundable. Maryland MEA supports access to student events. Those seeking a reduced fee may choose that on the commitment form.

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*When possible, MMEA’s student centered events are operated with a pay-what-you-can-option.

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​Invoicing Requests  - Educators Only
If the student’s school, school booster, or district is interested in invoicing for State Solo & Ensemble Festival, the invoice request form must be completed. The pay-what-you-can option is not available to educator invoicing and all festival submissions will be assessed at the recommended fee of $15.

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Please email mmeamarylandinfo@gmail.com to request a link to the form. All invoicing requests must be made by Monday, April 17, 2023 at 3pm.

 

Submission Form

 

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​​Questions and Communication

​To help facilitate this process, caregivers or students may need to communicate with MMEA staff for questions and support. We ask that the student’s music educator be copied on all messages to MMEA to assure transparency and accurate communication. MMEA staff will extend the same courtesy if staff needs to communicate with caregivers.

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Please contact MMEA Staff at mmeamarylandinfo@gmail.com with questions.

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Solo & Ensemble Festival Committee

Jeffrey Baer; Chair; Supervisor of Fine Arts, Wicomico County Public Schools
Jennier Kauffman; MMEA President-Elect, Baltimore County Public Schools
Dr. Christopher Cicconi; MBDA President, Towson University
Scott Engel; MBDA President-Elect, Washington County Public Schools
Toni Daniel; MCEA President-Elect, Wicomico County Public Schools
AnneMarie Karnbach; MODA President-Elect , St. Mary’s County Public Schools
Andrew Blumhardt; Instructional Specialist for Fine and Performing Arts, Charles County Public Schools
Paul Hatton; Instrumental Music Instructional Specialist, Prince George’s County Public Schools
Jana Hobbs; Music Educator, Wicomico High School, Wicomico County Public Schools
Shane Jensen; Music Specialist, Baltimore County Public Schools
John Wojciechowski; Director of Instrumental Music, North Harford High School, Harford County Public Schools
Anthony Conto; MMEA Executive Director