Solo & Ensemble Festival

Happy Veteran's Day to all of our retired and active duty servicemen & servicewomen. Thank you!

This week's lesson schedule has been posted.

About solo & ensemble festival... The complete document is here. The Monroe County School Music Association has scheduled the Instrumental Music Solo & Small Ensemble Festivals for January. All of our high school and junior high students are currently preparing solos or are beginning work on them soon. I encourage your child to attend
this event.

Dates are: 
High School Solo & Ensemble January 10-11 @ Rush Henrietta HS
Junior High Solo & Ensemble January 17-18 @ 12 Corners MS, Brighton
JH/HS Jazz Solo Festival January 24-25 @ Pittsford Barker Road MS
The registration deadline for all events is Wednesday, November 20.

There is a registration fee to cover the costs of having judge-clinicians, renting and moving
equipment, and other administrative costs. This fee varies based on what level of solo the
student is playing. Level 1-4 solos and ensembles are $12, and Level 5 and 6 are $18. Students
performing level 5 and 6 will have fifteen minutes with the judge instead of ten. Solos are often
performed at these events without accompaniment, but many of our solos have a CD or
SmartMusic accompaniment available. Students are also welcome to perform with a pianist, but
hiring the pianist is the responsibility of the student’s family.

This performance also serves as the audition for the All-County Band & Jazz Band: 

All-County JH Band March 7-8 @ TBA
All-County HS Band March 21-22 @ Gates Chili/Eastman Theatre
All-County Jazz Bands March 28-29 @ Spencerport HS

Please let me know if your child will participate in solo festival, but is not interested or available
for All-County ensembles.

Note: There are two solo festivals each year: The county event in January and the NYSSMA
events in the spring. January is my primary focus. The spring NYSSMA solo festivals will be March
28-29 for jazz (Canandaigua… the same weekend as MCSMA Jazz All-County!) and May 16-17
(Greece Odyssey) for instrumental solo & ensemble. The registration deadlines are typically six
weeks before each festival.

Any questions? Email me at mark_gowman@er.monroe.edu or call me at 248-6344.