2011 Middle School District Festivals
Saturday May 7 - Southwest, Southeast, South Central Festivals
Saturday May 14 - North Festival with Strings
Contact Info:
Edward Doyle - 603-289-2820
edward.doyle@comcast.net
In completing Middle School Festival nomination forms, please observe the following:
- ***NEW THIS YEAR!*** All nominations will be completed online using Google Forms. No more running to the post office before it closes on a Friday! No more scouring the house for a stamp! Now you can complete the nominations in your bathrobe, and you will not even need a Google account to do so!!!
- These nomination forms will be embedded on the NHMEA website by November 1. Each teacher will have to submit a separate Director Information Form along with nomination forms for band, chorus, and orchestra.
- All nominations must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, January 8, 2011. Submissions received after then will not be accepted. Early submissions are welcome.
- Please make use of the space included to assist the coordinators with selection. Please indicate specific strengths and weaknesses of the nominees, specifically when nominating percussionists (mallets, snare, etc.).
ONLINE NOMINATION FORMS AVAILABLE HERE BY NOVEMBER 1 - CHECK BACK SOON!
General Information & Nomination Guidelines (click here for printable pdf)
- Participating schools must have paid the NHMEA School District Participation Fee.
- Any 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student presently participating in the local middle school music program, if one exists, may be recommended by his or her director. 6th graders may only participate if they are part of a school containing Grades 7 and 8, and are performing at the level of the 7th and 8th graders. 6th graders attending an elementary school only going up to Grade 6 are not eligible for this festival.
- Each eligible school sending applications by the January 8 deadline will receive representation of at least two students in each performing group, unless only two are nominated and they play the same instrument. In this case, schools are not guaranteed to have both students selected.
- Instrumental students should not be moved to a secondary instrument (bass clarinet, horn, viola, etc.) on which they are inexperienced, with the thought that they will have a better chance of “making it.”
- Students will be chosen for the festival on the basis of directors’ recommendations. Please make sure that the students recommended meet the guidelines. Since acceptance and seating will be determined by the nominations, please be as specific as possible when completing them, especially with regards to rank. The success of the festival and your students’ experience will depend to a great extent on the care taken in considering students.
- Notification of students selected will be e-mailed to directors by February 1, and music will be sent upon receipt of registration forms, medical forms and registration fees. If selected, students should commit to practice music and attend rehearsals conducted by the school director. It is the director’s responsibility to make sure that students are adequately prepared.
- School directors have the authority to refuse to send any of their selected students who they feel are not prepared or for disciplinary reasons. The District Coordinator of the school’s district should be notified immediately when this occurs. A reasonable effort will be made to replace that student if time permits.
- The student registration fee for the festival is $20.00 per student. This will cover conductors’ fees, a registered nurse, and other expenses of the festival, as well as a meal for students. Fees will be due in February when directors receive notification of students selected. Note: if the school pays for your students, you may wish to estimate the total and encumber that money now so that receipt of your music will not be held up in March. A purchase order cannot be accepted at that time in lieu of payment.
- Nominated students should plan on having the whole festival day open. Specific schedules will be sent with their music. Students will not be able to be released for part of the day for sports or other obligations.
- Please be sure that your students and parents understand your transportation arrangements, the obligation to learn music, and festival attendance requirements before you complete application forms. It is strongly suggested that directors secure written permission from a parent or guardian before nominating students. Please also note that NHMEA policy requires that at least one director from your school be in attendance throughout the whole festival day.
Students nominated by directors should be able to:
- play major scales from C to 3 flats and 2 sharps, 1 octave or more within the reasonable range of their instrument
- independently read and count in simple and compound meters
- Nominated percussionists should also be competent on auxiliary percussion (cymbals, tambourine, etc.)
Students nominated by directors should be able to:
- sing within the range of their listed voice
- Soprano = c’ – f”
- Alto = a – b’
- Baritone = d – f’ (lower range okay)
- Note: males who cannot sing in the Baritone range should be nominated as Alto or Soprano, as appropriate.
- identify and sing the pitches on the staff notated for their voice part
- have a basic grasp of rhythmic notation for Level 2-3 music
- be capable of memorizing music
Students nominated by directors should be able to:
- play major scales up to 3 sharps and 2 flats, one octave or more
- play whole, half, dotted half, quarter, dotted quarter, eighth, dotted eighth, and sixteenth notes and rests
- 1st violins must be able to play up to 3rd position
- 2nd violins must be able to play 1st position
- Violas must be able to play 1st position
- Cellos must be able to play up to 4th position
- Basses must be able to play up to 4th position
