Febuary 3, 2026
Practice with piano accompanist -
It's time to practice with your real piano accompanist. You will have only one opportunity to practice with them. Times are tight - only 10 minutes each. You should arrive 5 minutes early so you can be tuned and ready to go before your time starts. As you can see, there are zero openings. The days are packed. Most students will have a practice on a non-normal day and definitely a non-normal time. Carefully check the schedule.
Accompaniment practice Jan 26, 27, 30
Performance time -
PERFORMANCE TIMES - February 3, 2026
Things to know before you arrive to perform:
Plan to make a good impression and dress up for your performance; nice church clothes will work fine. No jeans or yoga/workout pants. Remember to follow school dress policy. Concert uniform is okay too.
All students must be escorted by an adult in order to help with personal needs.
Students, with their adult, should arrive 20 minutes early in order to warm-up.
All warm-ups will be done in the band room. Warming up includes tuning and running through your solo once so you feel really ready.
Students were assigned performance times, and we will be making every effort to stay on schedule. Sometimes we do run fast and sometimes a bit behind. Be patient.
Plan to be waiting at the classroom door 5 minutes ahead of your scheduled time to perform. This will help keep the performances on schedule. All guests should be waiting with their performer. You must be quiet in the hallway.
The judge is listening to your performance as well as double checking your posture, etc. Short nails on your left hand will be essential for intonation, playing in tune.
Remember: PRACTICE is the key to success. The recordings of all solos on the MS Orchestra website are definitely helpful and highly recommended. You should have found this recording and put a link in your Google Classroom.
Additional practice hints and information were handed out in class and can be found by clicking here.
Every performance is celebrated! The goal is to be a confident performer. Students have made amazing progress this year, and we want to celebrate their skills. The judge will write about the great parts of the solo and give a few pointers for improvement.
You may pick up your solo results and ribbon in Mrs. O'Neill's office after 8:00 AM the next school day.
Individual performance times are assigned to students based on their completing the Google form in December. Times have been posted since Dec. 17.
If a performance time swap needs to occur, the student needs to arrange the swap with another student in the same center and let Mrs. O'Neill know before Jan 30.
During your lesson, choose a solo with Mrs. O’Neill. – Cycle starting Dec 3
You will choose between two pieces of music during your lesson with Mrs. O’Neill.
Practice your solo.
The goal is for you to be a confident performer and to understand the difference between lesson ready music and performance ready music.
Find a recording of your solo. – In class week of Dec 10-11.
You will find a quality example of your solo online. This recording will serve as an example of how your piece should sound. Submit the recording URL to Google Classroom.
Sign up for a performance time. – No later than Dec. 15 at 3:30 PM.
Fill out the Google form that is emailed to you. If you do not fill out the form before the deadline, it is your responsibility to arrange a performance time trade with another student. Times will be assigned by Mrs. O’Neill and emailed out on Dec. 19. Form was emailed to students and parents on Dec 4.
Practice your solo with accompaniment.
To gauge your level of expertise in your solo and to enhance its musicality, you will be playing with accompaniment. You may find accompaniment recordings on the orchestra website. You will also practice with accompaniment during lessons.
Solo Festival – February 3, 2026
This is a traditional style solo festival. The judge will write about the great parts of the solo and give a few pointers for improvement. Parents, grandparents, etc are encouraged to watch your performance.
Self evaluate your solo. – In class Feb 5-7.
You will fill out a self reflection. Complete on Google Classroom.
Solo Festival Preparation
It’s time to practice and prepare for solo festival.
These are things every student should do to be fully prepared.
Things to identify:
Make sure you know the key signature.
Double check all the notes. Are you playing the correct notes?
Double check the rhythm. Clap the rhythm then play it.
Bowing check. Make sure the downs are down and the ups are up.
Form. Does the music follow a pattern? (ie. ABA, ABACA, etc)
Musicality. Check for dynamics, styles, etc.
Strategies for challenging sections:
Using your resources. Play along with the recording you found online.
Woodchucking. Play the last measure, then play the last two measures, then the last three measures, etc.
Isolate. Find the challenging section(s) and play it repeatedly until correct.
Put it in context. After isolating the challenging section, put it into context by starting before the challenge and finishing after the challenge.
Clap, sing, play. Clap the rhythm, sing the music, then play it.
Slow then go. Practice the section slowly. Speed up the tempo as you experience success.
Goal setting. Set a goal for practice. (ie. I will get this spot correct 3 times in a row before I move on.)
Partner. Practice the section with a partner.
Reality checks – Checking in to make sure you are most successful:
Practice every week – often.
Attend your lesson every cycle.
7th and 8th graders may practice during their study hall.
Double check the grading timeline to make sure you have everything done.
Record yourself. Listen to the recording. Find 2 positive things and one thing to work on.
Play for a small audience like your parent or friend.
Practicing with accompaniment:
Attend your lesson and practice with Mrs. O’Neill.
Use the online accompaniment found on the MS Orchestra website.
If you have a family member or friend who can play the piano, you may ask Mrs. O’Neill for a copy of the piano accompaniment so you may practice at home.