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Host Director [top]
It is highly recommended that the host director should have been involved previously in this festival.
Host directors may conduct the festival or they may hire a guest conductor. It has been past practice in District 7 that the host conducts one of the bands, but we do not need to be limited to that precedence.
Conductors should have prior experience working with students of this age group.
Conductors need to be approved by the District 7 Executive Board at the August meeting.
Music [top]
Music selection for the festival should be done between the host director and the conductor(s). Music of grade levels 1 and 2 work best for this festival.
No photocopied music may be used in the festival unless the host director secures written permission from the publisher.
Concert music may include a guest soloist if the host director and conductor so desire. Soloists may not be students auditioned from the bands, but they may be adults who can inspire the young musicians.
Music for the selected students must be delivered to the participating directors at least six weeks before the festival.
Finances [top]
A festival budget must be submitted by the host director to the District 7 Executive Board meeting in August prior to the event. This budget must cover all expenses for the festival.
Seed money in the amount of $1,000 is available from the District 7 Secretary/Treasurer. This will help to cover start up expenses. The seed money must be returned to the District 7 treasury at the conclusion of the festival.
No admission may be charged for the final concert.
Any music purchased for use in the festival becomes the property of the hosting school district. Music may be borrowed from various school districts.
Registration fees per student should average between $10 to $25 dollars.
Selection of Students [top]
Each participating music teacher must be a current member of PMEA/MENC.
Students must be in good standing with their school music program. Students must be either in 5th or 6th grades.
The host director will accept a minimum of five students from each participating school district. If there is more than one instrumental teacher covering this age group in the same school district, they must collaborate in the nomination process. Schools may nominate more than five students ranking them according to ability. The host director will have the discretion to select the five students per school district depending on the instrumentation of the band(s). Schools may nominate less than five students and should be guaranteed those placements.
The hosting school district may have additional students in the festival band(s). The host school district may have a representation of no more than ten students in the festival. Unique situations will be handled by the host director with the approval of the District 7 President or District 7 CI Chair.
Selection into this festival is totally based upon director recommendation. There will be no auditions to minimize competition.
Directors should contact students' parents before nominating them for this festival. Directors should emphasize that this is purely a nomination to avoid any disappointment if not selected.
The nomination form must include the following:
Students must attend the entire festival, and they must perform all of the selected music.
Participating school directors must be in attendance for the entire festival and the final concert. If there is more than one director in that school district, at least one director, who is a PMEA member, must be in attendance at any given time during the festival.
General Procedures [top]
It has been past practice in District 7 to have 2 bands for this festival. This provides more students with the experience. Each band usually performs five selections at the final concert.
Generally one band practices on stage while the other practices in a band room. Many times the festival is co-hosted between two directors not necessarily from the same school district.
When assigning students to the two bands, it is preferred to have all the students from one school district in the same group. This way directors only have one set of music to rehearse, and they could easily have the students practice together. This also helps the students socially where they feel more comfortable with friends from the same school in the same group.
The dress of the final concert should be communicated early to the students and parents. Past practice has been that the students wear a festival T-shirt with dress pants or skirts with nice shoes. The cost of the T-shirts should be covered by the festival budget.
No other ensembles except the festival band(s) may perform at the final concert. The focus of the concert should be the District 7 students, not a particular school or an adult performing group.
A Fest Guideline Manual is available from the PMEA state office.
An announcement about the festival should be listed in the District 7 Spring Newsletter. This way a host can collect important data on who is interested.
Nomination forms should be mailed to interested directors by September 1. The mailing should also include criteria for expectations for each instrument or part outlining necessary ranges and rhythms.
The printed program for the final concert should include a listing of the District 7 officers.
Once students are selected, directors are responsible for all registration fees. Failure to comply with guidelines may result in the school district not being allowed to participate in future festival or fest events.
If a student is withdrawn from the Fest for any reason, the home director has the option of replacing that spot with another student on the same instrumentation.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS James Kimmel, Chairman Sue Dieffenbach Georgia Hollabaugh Ken Krause Terry Millard Jennifer Schoener Mike Stauffer