Fall 2023

Fall Report 2023

Festival Deadlines:

• October 16 B&O registration will open

• December 8 Deadline for 2024 festival registration

• December 15 Late deadline with $50 fee is one week after regular deadline. 

  • Registrations sent after the late deadline will not be accepted. 

    • See Page 57 of the Yearbook for District X's late policy, which mirrors the state policy.

• January 24 Deadline for having information in for program

Policies:

• • New state and DX late policy: Completed registrations must be postmarked with the check and invoice in the envelope / emailed and credit card payment submitted by the late deadline. 

    • Groups failing to meet the late deadline will not be scheduled, and will not participate.

    • If you send the payment after the due date, you still have to pay the late fee even if your form was received on time. 

  • All COVID related accommodations are no longer in effect . In other words, we have returned to the regular structure for B&O Festival. 

    • Groups can still go at a lower classification, but will be ineligible for State B&O Festival if performing at a lower class. 

    • HS groups must play from the HS list and MS groups must play from the MS list, unless going for comments only.

    • All ensembles sightreading for a rating must sightread at their registered level.

  • Flex music can be performed only as the march, string selection, or selected piece unless the flex version specifically is on the Basic Music List. 

  • DX policy for rescheduling canceled festivals is at the bottom of this page.

  • Check or credit card are both options for payment. See Treasurer's Report.

  • You must fill out the google form or you will receive a full day work assignment.

Pilot Project:

• DX will be running a pilot project with an adjudicator clinic in place of Sight Reading.

• Participating sites will have four judges instead of 3. Judges will rotate from the clinic to the stage.

• Participants in pilot project sites must have 4 judges' scores meeting the requirements in the yearbook.

• Please fill out this survey before September 15, especially if you would like to participate in the Pilot Project.

Registration:

• Please register early so that you don't run into deadlines & issues with getting checks cut.

  • Communicate clearly and frequently with everyone in your payment approval and check cutting process about the deadline. If you don't tell them, they don't know.

  • Write relevant instructions for your business office directly on the invoice - anticipate mistakes.

• Schools will be placed on the schedule according to the order that completed materials are received.

• Click here for DX president's guide to registering for B&O Festival, and other events.

• Program info: You can go back to MSBOA.org after you have completed your registration to update music selections, ensemble numbers, etc up until the programs and judges' forms are printed. 

  • There is no requirement that the information on your program be complete, but it is nice when possible.

  • Matt will ask the state office to print programs and rubric packets on Wednesday January 24. Your program will be printed based on what you have in MSBOA.org at that time.

• Pilot project participants and groups registering for a lower classification or playing for comments only are not eligible for State B&O Festival.

New Orchestra Site

• Thank you to Calvin University & Dr. Engle for hosting our much needed 5th orchestra site!

• This site will be only for String Orchestras. Groups less than 60 members or less will be ideal for this site. 70 max.

• If string orchestras wanting this site will have percussion needs please indicate this on your Google Form when registering. For example, if a string orchestra playing Mozart needs timpani.

• Directors registering for this site should please understand that they may need to manage their time more independently than if they were at another site because we likely will not have a pool of student workers to help run Orchestra Festival at Calvin.

• Please be aware that some flexibility may be required in terms of coat rooms. Warm-up, performance, and sightreading will be ideal. Coat room facilities are limited, but will be functional with your flexibility.

• Plan on entering at a marked side entrance to avoid the front steps.

All of the following are required to register for B&O Festival:

1. Fill out this required google form. You will receive a confirmation email when you submit the google form.

2. Complete the invoice generation process at MSBOA.org.  If you go to "My Invoices" and it does not say "Invoice generated on...", then you still have to click through the steps Heidi emailed on 10/27.

3. Pay by check or credit card.

4. Mail your invoice and check (if not paying by credit card) to me at the address on your invoice. Credit card payees still need to send the signed invoice. If you sent your invoice to your business office to include with your check but the google form shows that I don't have it, please send a second copy directly to me at the address on the invoice. These often don't get forwarded from business offices.

Please let me know if you have any questions or I have missed anything. I am here to help.

8/30 email from State Office with reminders for this year's B&O Festival

REGISTRATION

• For the DISTRICT Festival, ensembles that enter a lower classification than their enrollment indicates will NOT be eligible for State Festival.

• For the STATE Festival, ensembles that choose to enter a higher classification at the District Festival must also choose that classification at the STATE Festival. (Yearbook pg 59, B, 2)

• A band or orchestra may enter for comments only, thereby having free choice of music to be played. Comments only ensembles will be scheduled to perform in the playing section and classification which their enrollments dictate and will receive comments from the judges. No rating will be given. Such an organization is not required to enter sight-reading, but may do so if desired. NEW 2023 (Yearbook pg. 61)

MUSIC (Yearbook pg. 59)

DISTRICT B&O FESTIVAL

• School groups must choose from the High School Basic Music List and Middle School/Junior groups must choose from the Middle School Basic Music List, except as listed in the Yearbook on page 59 (Section C4) and page 99.

 To receive a rating at DISTRICT B&O Festival:

• BANDS must play a march, a “required” number selected from the Basic Music list according to the size of school (or classification entered for District), and a selected number of free choice.

• FULL ORCHESTRAS must play a “required” number selected from the Basic Music list according to the size of school (or classification entered for District), a full orchestra number of free choice, and a string number of free choice.

• STRING ORCHESTRAS must play a “required” number selected from the Basic Music list according to the size of school (or classification entered for District) and two selected numbers of free choice.

 STATE B&O FESTIVAL will be comprised of the concert performance and a clinic

• Ensembles will play 2 pieces - A "required" number selected according to the school classification and a selection according to the director’s choosing. (Yearbook pg. 60)

SIGHT READING District Festival

• Ensembles will sight-read at the classification level they registered for the Festival. (Yearbook pg. 6, 9b)