Solo & Ensemble

 

State Solo & Ensemble information!

If you registered your event for STATE Solo and Ensemble please remember that this year's state S&E will be held at Ann Arbor Huron High School (a NEW site). Applications for STATE were DUE: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 by 3:59 pm. 

  • The Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association STATE Solo & will also be a LIVE/in-person event; HURON High School is the location, and will occur on Saturday, March 16, 2024 (same day as Bands In Review). For those of you who received a divisional I (Superior) rating at DISTRICT, we encourage you to continue on to STATES! 

  • For those in grades 10-12, you will be performing a Proficiency examination along with your Solo. To view the Proficiency Requirements and performance rules for participation, CLICK HERE. 

  • Note: Proficiency 1 can be for 10th, 11th, or 12th graders.       

  • Proficiency 2 can be for 11th or 12th graders.

  • Proficiency 3 can be for 12th graders only. 

  • In other words, you may NOT skip a Proficiency, but you may play a Proficiency DOWN  A LEVEL from your grade in school

  • MSBOA wants to remind everyone of the opportunity to recognize outstanding high school band and orchestra students through the activities of the (potential) Spring Honors Festival.  These students will be chosen by their participation in STATE Solo and Ensemble Festival.

MSBOA wants to remind everyone of the opportunity to recognize outstanding high school band and orchestra students through the activities of the (potential) Spring Honors Festival.  These students will be chosen by their participation in STATE Solo and Ensemble Festival.

 

 

MSBOA District XII Solo & Ensemble Festival at Livonia Franklin High School. 

  • Only immediate family will be allowed in the building and performance rooms to help limit the number of people in the building at any given time.
  • Spectators should not be in the warm-up room. Please stress this with your parents. We need to ensure the Franklin students who run the warm-up rooms are able to focus their efforts on the student performers.
  • Performers should plan to arrive, perform, and depart. 
  • Individuals who have time between multiple performances may wait in the cafeteria, their warm-up room hallway, in their car, or leave and return before their next performance. 

 

Students choose either a Solo (with accompaniment) or be a member of an Ensemble. 

Fees for 2023-24:

  • $10 - Per SOLO

  • $8 - Per person in an ENSEMBLE

  • $20 - Per PIANO solo

  • $60 - Total for CHAMBER ensemble (9-20 musicians)

 Here are the MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble Festival Information and Rules and below are important details. Please read all of it!!!

 

More Information:

Solo & Ensemble Festival is a very important part of the bands curriculum at Pioneer. The Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District XII event allows participants to perform before an adjudicator either as part of an ensemble or as a soloist. Events receive ratings from I - V, with I being the best. Each event receives written comments from the adjudicator, and often receives a mini-clinic. Medals are awarded to events which receive I or II ratings.

Students receiving a I Rating at the District XII Solo & Ensemble Festival may register for State Solo & Ensemble Festival, held each March at seven different sites across the state of Michigan. Each year’s State Festival date is in March(Please note that State Festival usually takes place the same Saturday as our Bands in Review Concert.) At State Festival, 10th through 12th grade soloists are required to take a Proficiency Examination, with scales and sight reading, State Festival Registration materials are available to those who qualify after District S&E Festival from Mr. Leach.

Soloists and members of Traditional Ensembles (e.g., woodwind and brass quintet) who excel at the State Festival level are often invited to perform at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival (MYAF) held each May at Western Michigan University. Only 250 out of the more than 80,000 instrumental music students who participate at the district level across the state will be part of the MYAF Honors Band or Orchestra, and Pioneer High School sends a large percentage of MYAF members each year. The very highest level soloists are recommended by their State Festival adjudicators to audition to be one of five soloists to play with orchestral accompaniment at the MYAF. These soloists are required to play a concerto at State Festival, as orchestral accompaniment is required.

 

Band Directors will notify students when and where their event(s) are scheduled about 10 days before the District and/or State Festival. It is the student's responsibility to get to the site for District or State well in advance of their earliest performance time. Arrival at least one hour before the earliest scheduled warm-up time is encouraged. 

Each soloist or ensemble must provide the judge with an ORIGINAL score (NOT A PHOTOCOPY) with each measure numbered, or no rating will be given. See MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble Festival Information and Rules for details about the original score requirements.

Students needing accompanists should contact an accompanist NOW. Anyone may act as an accompanist. Fees for accompanists vary widely — make sure you know how much your accompanist charges. Some have one fee for rehearsals and performances, others are paid each time you meet. See MSBOA State Solo & Ensemble Festival Information and Rules for specifics about accompanists.

Each student is limited to three events. Make sure you know your performance and warm-up room numbers. All events will be called from the warm-up room approximately 30 minutes before their scheduled playing time. Read more about Solo & Ensemble Expectations.

While you can contact the Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association online at www.msboa.org or by telephone at 800-967-2629, all registrations are done through Mr. Leach and the Pioneer Band Association.

 

Dates for MSBOA District XII & State Solo & Ensemble due dates and festivals will be announced in class and on the Pioneer Bands Calendar.