Solo & Ensemble
SOLO AND ENSEMBLE SCHEDULE -
Results HERE - Posted during the day / after their performances
Creekview Solo and Ensemble Festival
Feb 20th (Saturday) 2021
Creekview HS
We will be hosting a Solo and ensemble festival for our CHSBAND students at Creekview on February 27. We will be hosting our Solo and Ensemble festival in order to create a solo experience with flexibility to our Creekview students. ALL CHSBAND students will be required to participate and learn a solo as part of our curriculum and will earn a summative grade for their performance/preparation.
We HIGHLY encourage for your children to be enrolled in Private Lessons in order to better create a plan for growth in musical skill and ability. Having a lesson teacher will help our students have a 1-1 learning coach to refine and build proficiency in their solos!
Virtual students – will be able to prepare & submit a solo (class 1,2,3) without piano accompanist!
On-Campus / Remote students – will be able to work with a live accompanist if available and permission is granted by the administration in February.
*Students that select a Class 1 Solo with intentions to memorize or select an ensemble to qualify for UIL State will be able to sign up for UIL Texas Solo and Ensemble Festival (Virtual Contest)
PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT: we are seeking to secure 3 piano accompanists for those students that are on-campus/remote and playing an accompanied solo. We would be having 2 practice dates and then 1 performance date. Pianist/ students would be socially distanced during rehearsal and performance.
JUDGES: we will be hiring judges to evaluate our students both live and virtual so they can provide feedback and written comments for our students. We would have 3 separate rooms for our CHSBAND members that have accompaniment. Should we have the need – all our students could submit a virtual performance of their solos for adjudication with or without piano.
GRADE/ WRITTEN COMMENTS: this is a required event and graded component of our music curriculum. Each student will be given a summative grade for their solo performance / preparation including also getting a comments sheet from a judge.
ATTIRE: students that are virtual will need to submit a recording of their solos and will need to be dressed in Sundays best and have read a script to introduce themselves and prepared solo. Students that will be on-campus and playing with an accompanist will need to dress Sundays best and introduce themselves, their music and accompanist.
UIL Texas Solo and Ensemble – students may only be entered into the UIL solo and ensemble festival if they’re memorizing a Class 1 solo or playing in an ensemble seeking to advance to TSSEC.
Entry Fees: we will cover the entry fees and piano accompanist fees for our Creekview Solo and Ensemble Festival and also for UIL S&E. STUDENTS MUST PURCHASE THEIR OWN ORIGINAL COPY OF THEIR SOLO AND PIANO MUSIC. (Range in cost is $5 - $30)
AWARDS: Judges will evaluate our students and award a rating of 1,2,3,4,5 just like the UIL model. Each judge will be able to nominate Outstanding soloists. Students will receive a medal for ratings of 1,2,3. All students will receive a written comments sheet and will be given a summative grade for their performance/preparation.
ABOUT: all students in our band will be participating in our Creekview Solo and Ensemble Festival. We will only be sending memorized class 1 solos and ensembles to the UIL Solo and Ensemble contest. This will give us flexibility to host a socially distanced in person live festival and have flexibility in choice of music in addition to having the option to use accompaniment as needed.
TIMELINE: Select a solo before the Christmas Break. ORDER your original solo from Penders/JWPepper In January work with your lesson teacher or on your own to prepare and learn your solo. February – students will have 2 piano rehearsals and then the contest will be on February 27th (Saturday) in person if we are able or FULL virtual if needed. Students participating in the UIL S&E will submit their music, .pdf all through a google folder as a video file.
Before the Holiday Break: Select a solo: Order/Purchase your ORIGINAL solo/ensemble piece
We are covering the entry fee, judges and piano accompanists – YOU must purchase your Original Solo from any of the sheet music retail companies such as Penders or JWPepper
Over the Break: Practice your solo / listen to reference recordings
Listening to the solo from youtube will help with style and interpretation – this is the best time to learn notes/rhythms and get comfortable with tempo. All students should practice over the break.
January: Practice and work with lesson teachers/ show proof of Original music.
We will be using some class time to listen and help students as we can, however, working with their lesson teachers will ensure that they get specific feedback/content related to their growth and progress.
We should be getting close to tempo and able to play through the entire solo.
February: Rehearsals with piano accompanists/ contest date / recording submission deadline
We will be having all virtual students submit a recording of their solos for judges, a grade and written comments – there will be a deadline for uploading their recording. Students on campus will be able to have a couple of piano rehearsals with the accompanists. We will be holding the contest at Creekview on Saturday Feb 27th if we have no complications. Students are asked to dress in Sundays best for their recordings and for the live contest.
ORDER & PURCHASE YOUR MUSIC ASAP!
Saturday, February 22, 2020 – UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest (Ranchview HS)
8401 Valley Ranch Pkwy E, Irving, TX 75063
*Student entrance is at the FRONT of the school
1. Students go to the gym – drop off instruments
a. Parents – park and walk in to see this experience
2. Students go to their assigned room (check-in/give monitor music originals)
3. Students go warm up in the gym (don’t over do it)
4. Return to the assigned room 10 minutes before your time
5. Performance TIME
a. Enter room, stand with confidence
b. Introduce yourself, the solo, the accompanist
c. Empty water, check tuning
d. Let them know if you’re playing a class 1 solo by memory
i. Required to be played by memory if you want to qualify for STATE
e. Play your beautiful SOLO or Ensemble
f. Thank the Judge for listening and you may exit and depart with parents.
6. WE WILL COLLECT YOUR MUSIC ORIGINALS, COMMENT SHEET AND MEDALS.
*STUDENT DRESS – SUNDAYS BEST – dress to impress
*PARENTS – please feel free to go in and listen.
· Benefits include:
o Seeing your child play a beautiful piece
o Record a portion of it for memories
o Help them get set up with lesson teachers for more improvement
o Support them in making music!
Room 1 is in Classroom E1516 / Rallyroom
Room 2 is in classroom E1508
Room 3 is in classroom E1507
Room 4 is in classroom D1431
Room 5 is in classroom D1447
Room 6 is in classroom D 1421
Room 7 is in classroom D1423
Room 8 is in the Blackbox Theatre
Room 9 is in the Art Studio Classroom
Room 10 is in the MAIN Choir Hall
Room 11 is in the MAIN Orchestra Hall (Percussion)
Concessions:
We will have a concession stand set up throughout the day!
Contest Office:
Will be in the Library / Library Annex.
Warmup:
Warm up will be in the Small Gym.
SOLO AND ENSEMBLE 2020
Here is a resource document, please review it and let us know if you have any questions!
February 22, 2020 @ RANCHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Transportation NOT provided, parents will take their students.
What it is: This is one of the coolest events we participate in as individual musicians. Students select solos that are appropriate to their playing ability (class 1,class 2) and learn it over the month of December, January and most of February. Mr. Denis will pay for their entry fee of $12 and also for them to have a piano accompanist $40 for a total of $52 per student. It is really important that our parents and students honor this investment by learning their solo, taking lessons and participate in the UIL solo and ensemble contest with goals of receiving a Division 1 rating!
Students will need to PURCHASE their own copy of their SOLOS. Because of Copyright Law, it is required that each student purchase and own their own copy of the music they work on. They can purchase online at sheet music stores or at the Denton Penders Music store.
The day of the event: There will be HUNDREDS of events (student performers) scheduled for the day. Kids will need to dress to impress! SUNDAYS BEST! You’ll drop off your kids and they’ll go warm up in the Gym. They will go find their audition room and find their room monitor. The monitor will collect their ORIGINAL copy and piano music at that time and assign them a performance time. Students then can go back to the general warm up area and practice until their assigned time. When its their turn, they will meet their piano accompanist at the assigned room and walk in together, introduce themselves and the accompanist and their performance selection, tune with the piano and then perform for the judge. Students can have guests come in to observe and show support (friends and family) When the student finishes their solo, guests can exit the room and the judge will give them a little feedback and thank them for playing. Students will then go pack up and wait for results to be posted. Band directors will collect their comment sheets and medals + original solos from the contest office at the end of the day and distribute to the kids in classes. Students will be dismissed to go home after they finish performing for their judge.
STEP 1: go to the link below and find the pml # and correct code and class – also confirm how many movements and who the composer publisher are – you will need to provide this information when ordering your solos online or via phone.
STEP 2: go to the Penders music store, CALL them or simply ORDER ONLINE. You will need to know the publisher, composer and arranger, instrument and also the pml code # (this information will help the workers find your solo faster and select the right version)
Penders Music Store (Denton)
314 S Elm St, Denton, TX 76201
(940) 382-7124
Order ONLINE: JWPEPPER Music Store
STEP 3: go to the google link below (STUDENTS) and enter in your information. You can enter on there if it’s a solo, what class, instrument code, pml number, composer, movements.. everything.
UIL SOLO AND ENSEMBLE ENTRY FORM
STEP 4: go to our website and sign up for lesson and begin practicing your solos or ensembles. In February we will have a couple of piano rehearsals during school or scheduled afterschool. These are mini dress rehearsals to help you prepare for the solo contest on February 22nd at Coppell High School.
https://sites.google.com/cfbisd.edu/creekviewband/lesson-staff
NOW: Relax and work on your SOLOS! This is the fun stuff – what we love about music! Practice your music. Listen to it online on youtube and see how good you can get on it – we want to impress your judges on the contest day! Don’t put it off – its an investment from the directors and also for the piano accompanists to learn music to make you sound great! YOU must do your part as well!