Frequently Asked Questions – Solo & Ensemble Festivals

There are two types of festivals sponsored by WSMA: Solo & Ensemble Festivals and Concert Group Festivals/Experiences. This information sheet will focus primarily on Solo & Ensemble Festivals.

Solo & Ensemble Festivals
Students choose a selection from the WSMA Festival Music List to study and perform before an adjudicator. The adjudicator provides a written and verbal critique of the performance and awards a rating based on defined criteria.

• District Solo & Ensemble Festival – For students in grades 6-12. District festivals are held at local schools and scheduled by the district festival manager.
• State Solo & Ensemble Festival – For students that receive a “starred first” rating (1*) at the Class A level at a district festival. State festivals are held the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May at a total of 10 University/College campuses.

WSMA sponsors approximately 240 solo & ensemble and concert festivals in Wisconsin each year.

The purpose of all WSMA Festivals is to:
A. Improve students’ music performance through assessment.
B. Increase students’ understanding of music literature and music concepts.
C. Motivate students to continue their study of music.
D. Establish standards of excellence in music performance.
E. Provide opportunities for students to understand the relationship of music experiences to other life experiences.

Students in grades 6-12 who attend a WSMA Member School and are enrolled in a concert group (Band, Choir, Orchestra.) At the discretion of the member school, piano students who are not members of a regularly scheduled school music performing ensemble may participate in a WSMA District Solo & Ensemble Festival. It is recommended that the student be asked to accompany at least one solo or ensemble event.

Students who are home-schooled or attend a non-WSMA member school may participate as outlined here.

All registrations are done through the student’s school music program. Information regarding scheduling times and appropriate materials should be received from the school music teacher or the head of the school’s music department. The school must be a member of WSMA.

Students who are home-schooled or attend a non-WSMA member school may participate as outlined here.

No. Registration is done only through the member-school music program.

WSMA festivals are evaluations, not competitions. The focus is intended to be on the educational process and development of skills. Performances will be evaluated against a standard, not against other performances.

Music must be selected from the current WSMA Festival Music List. The list is updated on a four-year rotation and published in early September each year. Clarifications and corrections are posted on the WSMA website throughout the year.

The WSMA Festival Music List is available to teachers at WSMA member schools as a member benefit. Students and parents should work with their music teacher to view and select appropriate music from the festival music list.

The adjudicator must be provided with a legal copy of the music to be performed. Label all scores with school name, class entered, and the soloist’s name. Number all measures to facilitate judging procedures. Clearly mark all cuts in the original music presented to the adjudicator.

For a photocopy to be considered legal you must have permission from the owner/publisher of the music to make the copy. The letter granting permission to copy must be attached to the photocopy if being used by the adjudicator. Teachers and students should follow federal copyright laws in providing music for all performers.

It is possible to play an original student composition in any event at Solo & Ensemble Festival (even events that are “closed” to permissions). Your school music teacher must submit a permission form along with a copy of the music to the WSMA office. If the music is found to be appropriate for the class and event, permission will be granted.

Accompaniment is strongly encouraged but not required except in Music Theater Solos (events 1311 and 1321.) Taped, pre-recorded, or sequenced accompaniments are permitted for solos and regular ensembles, but are not permitted for special ensembles unless indicated in the event header. Alternative accompaniment instruments (i.e. guitar, harp, SmartMusic, etc.) may be substituted for piano in solos and regular ensembles.

Some festival locations will provide percussion equipment, while others do not. Your school music teacher can check with the festival manager to find out if any percussion equipment will be available for your use. It is our recommendation, however, that you bring your own instrument to perform on. Most students perform better on a familiar instrument. Percussionists are expected to bring their own sticks/mallets.

The soloist or a member of the ensemble is expected to introduce their performance to the adjudicator and audience at both District and State Festivals. Students should include the performer and accompanist names, name of school, title and composer of ensemble (and, if appropriate, the movements being performed), and briefly describe a significant aspect of style, form, technique, harmony, rhythm or melody in the piece.

WSMA adjudicators are professional teachers/musicians who have received training on the WSMA adjudication process.

Barbershop Quartet (Events 1414 or 1424 depending on voicing) – In class C only, a double quartet may be used (2 voices per part, totaling 8 singers.)
Vocal Duets – Duet events 1182, 1282, 1882 allow for only two singers in all classes, however event 1912 (a class C only event) allows for 3-6 singers in any combination, performing two part music. The music may be transferred from any of the vocal duet lists.

A triple trio is registered as event number 1918. Under the rules of 1918, you can perform a trio with 5-15 singers in any combination.

The complete WSMA Festival Music List is found exclusively in MyCenter for WSMA member schools. A user name and password are required for access to this resource. Please contact WSMA if you require assistance.

Non-members, including Private Music Studios, Non-Member Schools, Music Stores, and Music Education Associations, may now purchase all or part of the music list. Visit the Non-Member Subscription Services page for more details. 

Use of music not on the approved or pre-approved permission WSMA Music List must have a Permission Form attached.

In order to submit a permission request for an event, the event must have permission allowed. (This is indicated in the event header in the Festival Music List.)

That depends. If the event number indicates “No Permission, No Transfer”, then yes. If permission is allowed, you may request permission to perform something that is not on the list. If a transfer is allowed, you may transfer a piece of music that is somewhere else on the WSMA music list.

No. As long as the event number you are transferring to indicates that a transfer is allowed, you can just register the piece as a transfer through the online registration program. No special permission is required.

In the online festival registration program, enter the event number, followed by the class, followed by P for permission or T for transfer. If a P is entered, another box will appear to enter the title of the Permission piece. If a T is entered, another box will appear to enter the Event/Class/Number of the piece being transferred.

For example: A Bb Clarinet and a Trumpet would like to perform a duet. They have decided to play Spanish Dancers (#7 from the class C Bb Clarinet Duet list). When registering the piece, it should be entered as 9118CT (9118 is a misc. ensemble for any combination of unlike families). In the transfer box that appears, enter 3322C7 (the event/class/number from the Bb clarinet duet list).

Unless otherwise specified in the music list, the performer must select two contrasting movements to perform.

• If the length of a selection exceeds the allotted time, it is permissible to cut part of the selection to stay within time limits. As a guideline, the performance should not exceed 75% of the allotted time.
• In Folk, Heritiage, Ethnic Ensemble Events, the music performed must be 5 minutes in length or an additional selection must be added.
• If two contrasting movements do not use at least half the minimum allotted time, another movement must be added.
• All cuts should be indicated in the judges copy of the music.

• Omit all repeats and take 2nd endings.
• Omit all piano introductions and interludes longer than 8 measures.
• If possible, omit D.C. al Fine or D.S. al Fine sections.
• Omit sections of repeated themes, if possible.

Yes. Here is the process:

1. Get permission from the Festival Manager at the festival you are trying to transfer to.
2. Go to MyCenter>District Festival and fill out the “Student Transfer Request” form.
3. You will receive an email from WSMA indicating that you can use the online registration program to register those students.

1. Get permission from the Festival Manager.
2. Go to MyCenter>District Festival and fill out the “Late Entry” form.
3. You will receive an email from WSMA indicating that you can use the online registration program to register the late event(s).

• It is recommended that music be labeled with the School Name, Class entered and each measure consecutively numbered to facilitate judging procedures.
• The adjudicator must be provided with a publisher printed original of the matching, correct edition of the music to be performed or the performance will be done for “critique only.”  It is not the adjudicators’ responsibility to verify the authenticity of the performers music.
• The use of legal electronically printed music is permissible in all WSMA Festivals.
• In addition, teachers and students should follow all applicable copyright laws and rules in providing appropriate music for the performers.

Teachers from member schools may request to use an alternate edition of a selection on the current WSMA Festival Music List. This option applies to all events including non-permission events. If the submitted version is comparable, you will receive approval via e-mail to use the alternate edition. Print the “Festival Music Permission Approval” form and attach it to the judge’s copy of the music for each and every Festival. If the submitted version is denied use as an alternate edition, WSMA will contact the director.

You are allowed to use e-Print music for the adjudicators if the e-Print edition is the same edition as is on the list. If it is not the same edition, you would need to fill out an Alternate Edition Request form.

A print-out of Public Domain music is ONLY acceptable if it is the same edition as is on the WSMA Festival Music List. If it is not the same edition (but the music is the same), you would need to fill out an Alternate Edition Request form for it to be an accepted adjudicator copy. Please note that very few selections on the Festival Music List are in public domain under the same edition.