Solo & Ensemble

Solo/Ensemble Festival

Solo/Ensemble Festival is an event through WSMA (Wisconsin School Music Association) where students can perform a solo or ensemble piece (e.g. duet, woodwind trio, barbershop quartet, percussion ensemble, etc.) for a judge. Each student will receive the judge’s evaluation sheet (listing what the judge heard and what he/she thought) and a medal if the student(s) play(s) very well. Music is divided up by class, which indicates the level of difficulty. If a student performs a Class A (the hardest difficulty) extremely well he/she can receive a *1 rating, which means that they can perform the piece again at State Competition. All students are encouraged to participate in this event. Playing in front of a judge is an excellent opportunity to develop musicianship, playing ability, and even preparing for a job interview. It also is beneficial to participate for students who plan on applying for honors groups or attending college. Applications for those groups often ask for honors received and earning these medals is one of the things they look for. In addition, all students will be working on solo pieces in their lessons, so it is not much extra work to perform those pieces for this festival. Students are responsible for paying the fee to participate (each event has its own fee) as well as for an accompanist if they would like one (recommended for everyone, but required for Class A). Students may also use a CD recording or SmartMusic as accompaniment, but having a real person makes all the difference!

The district festival for our school is held on a Saturday in March. The state festival for SFHS students is held at UW-Milwaukee on the last Saturday of April. More information about the festival (including current fee rates) can be found through WSMA's website. (www.wsmamusic.org)