MPA
A large ensemble assessment...
Each year, our older ensembles travel to Lenoir Rhyne for Music Performance Adjudication (MPA).
At MPA, we play three pieces of music which are assessed by qualified judges who give us a rating in categories of tone production, intonation, balance/blend, precision, musicianship, interpretation, and general factors. Click here to view the assessment rubric.
Bands have the potential to earn the following ratings:
- 1 - Superior
- 2 - Excellent
- 3 - Good
- 4 - Below Average
- 5 - Poor
After performing on the stage of P.E. Monroe Auditorium, we go to the "Sight Reading Room." In this room, I am given 5 minutes to teach a completely unfamiliar piece of music to the students. No one is allowed to play during this time. At the conclusion of the time, the students get one try to perform the song. The band is then given a rating for this experience.
Liberty has a tradition of doing well at "Festival," and it is our goal to come home with a superior plaque with which we can commemorate our efforts from January to March.
Liberty Middle School MPA History
2019 8th Grade Symphonic Band
March to Buckingham Palace - Mekel Rogers
Arabian Dances - Roland Barrett
The Cave You Fear - Michael Markowski
Rating: Superior in NC Grade III
Director Alex Powell
2018 8th Grade Symphonic Band
Flying Tigers March - David Shaffer
When Summer Takes Flight - RW Smith
Rampage - Todd Stalter
Rating: Superior in NC Grade III
Director Alex Powell
2017 8th Grade Symphonic Band
Darklands March - Randall Standridge
Sandcastle Sketches - Robert Sheldon
Korean Folk Song Medley - James Ployhar
Rating - Excellent in NC Grade II/III
Director Alex Powell
2016 8th Grade Symphonic Band
Newcastle March - Johnnie Vinson
The Conquering Spirit - Ed Keifer
The Ides of March - Sean O'Loughlin
Rating: Excellent in NC Grade III/IV
Director Dustin Hoke
2015 8th Grade Symphonic Band
Anchors Aweigh - Phillip Gordon
Silverbrook - Michael Sweeney
An Irish Legend - Ed Kiefer
Rating: Superior in NC Grade III/IV
Director Dustin Hoke
From the NC Bandmasters Association Page:
- The North Carolina Bandmasters Association (NCBA) sanctioned concert band festival will:
- Provide a performance opportunity for students and directors that offers a critical assessment of the quality of their performances by highly qualified experts in band performance.
- Encourage participation in the only state-sanctioned event that provides a summative, standards-based assessment, designed to measure student performance as related to the goals, objectives, and grade-level competencies specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
- Provide the opportunity for students and directors to perform for and learn from their peers in a formal concert venue.
- Provide a model that connects quality preparation with quality performance and supports the continued musical growth of students and directors.