PictureSolo and Ensemble Festival
Solo and Ensemble Festivals

     In February, PVHS hosts the Pine View Cone Site Solo and Ensemble Festival.  For high school students, region S&E is held in March and the Utah State S&E Festival is held at the end of April.
     Solo and Ensemble Festival is just what it sounds like...a festival where choral and vocal students and other musicians get together and perform either in ensembles (groups of two or more) or as a soloist with a piano accompanist. This event is, in some ways, similar to an audition, and in some ways is similar to a concert. Participants play in a room in front of a judge, and are given a performance rating and comments - however, they are not compared to others, but are given a rating based on their individual performance.  High school students (9–12) may qualify at the Cone Site Festival to participate in the Region Nine Vocal and Piano Solo and Ensemble.  Entrants in the region festival may qualify to participate in the State Festival.

Choosing a Piece of Music

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You'll want to make sure you choose something that isn't too hard to learn (but one that will challenge you slightly is good), and that you actually like. A good way to pick is to narrow it down by difficulty, for starters. It really is just a matter of flipping through books, sight-reading, and making a choice. If you're doing an ensemble, make sure all the members agree on it, even if you are the appointed "leader".
     A great example of a place to find a solo piece would be, "First Book of Soprano Solos," published by G. Schirmer or "Folk Songs for Solo Singers," published by Alfred Publishing.  You can order these, and many other solo books, through any music store that sells sheet music or online.  See the "Resources" tab for recommended books and music store contact information.
     Ensemble pieces could be anything that you have performed with your choir or other pieces that you might be aware of.  Consider looking at "www.JWPepper.com" for choral sheet music and you can order through them or through a music store.

I have a solo book.  How do I choose a piece?

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Once you have a book, you will wonder, "How do I choose a song?" especially if you don't recognize any of the titles.  This is where the work comes in.  Plunk the melody out on a piano or have someone play it for you.  Use the included CD or look for the song on YouTube (careful that you have the right version of the song and that, if you are going to use the YouTube version for practice, it is in the same key as your music.  Your music teacher or vocal coach can help you with that.  If you are working on your own, tempos that are "Moderato or Andante or Largo" (slower tempos) are easier to work with and tempos marked "Allegro or Vivace" (faster tempos) can work if you have a voice coach or a good recording.  You might choose to include a foreign language (usually more effective with a vocal coach).
     Ultimately you need to choose something that you love and can be passionate about.  You need to like the song and remember that this is a long process and you will get to know this song well, so choose something that you can stay interested in.

Accompaniment

Solo pieces require live piano accompaniment.  Ask around to find you who plays the piano and would be willing to give you some time.  Make sure that you give an accompanist plenty of time to see the music before the festival.  If you hire an accompanist, you can expect to pay between $20 and $50 which would probably include one rehearsal before the festival, a run-through at festival in the warm-up room.  Some books come with a CD backtrack (and sometimes a vocal guide track as well).  Use that CD to practice and practice and practice.  Make sure that you run through the song with your live accompanist a time or two before the festival.

Performance Tips

  • It is almost impossible to practice too much.  You should know the piece very well.  You should have worked out the parts that you struggle with before you get to the festival.
  • You absolutely must have the original copy of your piece to give you the judge, not a photocopy.  Yes, this means give the judge your book (erase personal markings).
  • Have something worked out between either you and the other people in your ensemble or you and your pianist to signal each other when to play, so you start off together. Forgetting this and messing up can cause a seriously awkward moment, and may affect your score.
  • Dress up.  Demonstrate your respect for your craft by dressing up according to the score you would like to receive.
  • Some districts have a list of "approved" solos and ensembles that you have to pick from to play. Don't get too attached to a piece of music that you like until you've checked to make sure it's approved.  Pop, jazz and most musical theater are not appropriate at a Solo and Ensemble Festival (unless the directions state otherwise).
  • Just have fun. This isn't an audition - how you do is just a score, and it's not determining anything important. Don't stress over it.