Parent's Guide

A Parent's Guide to Band events

Texas is blessed with a tremendously strong curricular music program in the public school systems. Our music programs have survived every curricular innovation, every scheduling impediment, and every budgetary crisis in the last 100 years. A large part of this longevity may be attributed to the well-organized and maintained competition system in Texas that is the model for the rest of the country. Band competitions in Texas are sponsored by two very different organizations: the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA). The UIL is an organization of schools that governs extra-curricular academics, sports and music. TMEA is an organization of music teachers, including band, choir, orchestra, and classroom music teachers at every level through college. Marching and concert competitions are sponsored by the UIL, while TMEA sponsors the Region Band Contest and selects the Honor Bands in each class through recordings.

All-Region Band

Audition in November, Perform in December

An individual contest for 7th and 8th grade students from all around the area. Each student performs the same two etudes and scales that they preformed for the CFB District Band contest for a panel of 5 judges in a blind audition. If a student is ranked high enough, they are placed in one of three performing bands made up of the top students from the competition. This is the highest individual honor a student can achieve in middle school band and the Region 31 bands are considered one of the top region bands in the state of Texas.

UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest

Beginning of April

This is the staple competition for UIL, occurring every year in the spring in all 32 regions of the state. Each band prepares a concert program of two pieces chosen from the Prescribed Music List and a concert march (for example “Stars and Stripes Forever”) and performs them in front of three independent judges. The band is given a rating from each judge: I – Superior, II – Excellent, III – Good, IV – Fair, V – Poor. The judges cannot confer about their rating and the FINAL rating is a consensus of the three, not an average. Theoretically, EVERY band can get a I – Superior or a V – Poor. The competition is not among the bands, but against a standard of excellence that has been established through the many decades of this competition.

Immediately following the concert, the band moves to another room for Sight-Reading. The band director has a set amount of time (usually seven minutes) to teach the band a completely new song that the band has never seen or played before. The students have only one opportunity to perform the song in front of three judges. The judges give ratings on a scale of One to Five like the Concert Contest. Besides taking the bands performance into account, the judges also consider the directions given from the band director during the explanation period and the students’ response to the director’s instructions.

If a band receives a I – Superior Rating in both the Concert and Sight-Reading portions of the contest, they earn a Sweepstakes Award. Since almost all middle schools in the state of Texas participate in the Concert and Sight-Reading Contest, it is considered the equivalent of a statewide achievement test for Band. (think STAAR for Band)

Beginner Band Contest

Late April or Early May

The Non-UIL Contest for our Beginner Band Contest for our Beginner Band are another opportunity to perform in a contest situation in front of a panel of judges to receive a score on a scale of I (being Superior) - V (being poor). This contest is very similar to UIL Contest except there is no Sight-Reading Component to the event. Also like UIL Contest, students must be passing all of their classes (No Pass, No Play) to be able to participate in the ensemble's performance.

Bush Solo & Ensemble Contest

February

A contest for all Bush Band students who chose to participate. They may either play a solo or ensemble (a small groups, made up of 2-8 members). Students select and rehearse music with the help of the band directors and/or their private lesson teacher. On the day of the contest, students perform their piece for a judge who gives them a rating on a scale of One to Five and comments to help them improve. Students do not compete against each other, but rather judged against a set standard. On the following Monday students are given a copy of their judges comment sheet and a medal whose color is based on the rating they received.

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