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Saline Bands
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Solo and Ensemble
The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association sponsors
a solo and ensemble festival each year. This is an activity that students
prepare for and are coached for outside of their music class time. Students
who choose to participate prepare a solo, duet, trio, etc. in advance, and
then perform it for an adjudicator who is a professional musician, a university
professor, or a school music teacher. The adjudicator gives the young performers
suggestions for improvement, tells them what they are doing well, and gives
them a rating of one to five (one being the high score). Most students perform
in a typical classroom with two to ten people listening. This event is usually
held at a school within an hour of Saline.
Students may perform a solo and/or an ensemble. We discourage them from doing
more than two events. If they choose two events, one must be a solo, and they
may not do two solos on the same instrument. The music must be classically
oriented, not pop or show tunes. The students will receive help selecting
an appropriate piece from their music teacher or private lesson teacher. It
is highly recommended that a student playing a solo be taking private lessons.
Any instrument in a concert band or orchestra, as well as piano, may be used.
Most solos have required piano accompaniment, and most accompanists charge
a fee. There is also a non-refundable registration fee involved that is the
responsibility of the student.
We find that many students enjoy this opportunity to perform and we encourage
any and all to participate. If you have questions about the solo and ensemble
festival, please contact your child's band or orchestra teacher.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Solo and Ensemble, but were afraid to ask
Solo and Ensemble Registration Form