Description of Festivals and Competition Opportunities for Students
Students of all ages and levels can enjoy our special events -- competitive and non-competitive.
Receive valuable feedback from guest clinicians and peers through the regular musicianship classes, camps, and special masterclasses.
Trophies and other awards are presented at the Studio
Spring Recital Awards Ceremony. Students who have earned 21 consecutive days of practice receive awards.
Inherent motivation. Whether it is a competitive event or simply a fun performance or workshop, we all need opportunities that provide the motivation and inspiration to focus our efforts on specific goals, affording continued development of our skills and talents.
Student participation in all events is always at the teacher's discretion. All students -- all ages and levels -- may participate in the various events sponsored by the studio and the Hymn Festival. Specific age and length of study requirements are involved for events sponsored by other music groups (such as AMTA, Keyboard Artist or the Sonata Competition)
AMTA Pre-College Auditions
(AMTA = Alabama Music Teachers Association)
(MMF = Metro Music Forum; the Birmingham Local Affiliate of the AMTA)
The AMTA sponsors preparatory student auditions at both the district and state levels. These activities are provided to give students a structured performance opportunity with the inherent motivation that such a goal provides, to offer students an evaluation of both their performance and theory/musicianship skills, and to allow teachers to receive feedback into the effectiveness of their curriculum. This program offers a progression of theory/ musicianship skills that will prepare the average student for entry into a college music program should he/she desire, or for use with his/her music throughout life, whether or not music is his/her avocation.
The MTNA/AMTA is a very prestigious and long established organization. Students who are interested in participating in other events such as the NFMC Jr. Festival, are expected to first participate in the AMTA Pre-College auditions. Students are not required to participate in any festivals or competitions but are expected to participate in all non-competitive studio special events scheduled throughout the year. Qualifying students are encouraged but not required to participate in any non-studio event.
A student entering any AMTA audition must be a student of a member in good standing of AMTA. The teacher's dues must be paid according to the deadline set for a student to participate. Student members must pay the same dues as active members in order to enter students in the auditions. It is highly recommended (and required by McLelland Piano) that a student should have completed at least one year (9 months) of study prior to the Sept. 1 deadline, and (with few exceptions) students should have studied with their current teacher for a minimum of 6 months prior to the festival deadline.
Students participate in 2 categories at the "local" or district level -- performance (3 memorized pieces in contrasting styles) and theory (required scales, chords etc.). These district auditions are held in March or April in different locations across Alabama (e.g. B'ham; Hsv; Mobile etc.). Students who receive Outstanding ratings in both Performance and Theory at the District Audition, who are 10 years old or older by September 1 preceding the Auditions or are in the 5th grade, and who have studied piano at least one school year (Sept-May counts as one school year) by Sept 1 preceding the Auditions are eligible to enter the State auditions. State competitions are usually held in May at a "central location" such as U.A. Tuscaloosa or Montevallo or B'ham Southern in B'ham. There may be no changes in repertoire from District to State Auditions. No theory is heard at the state piano auditions.
DISTRICT AUDITION RATINGS:
Two ratings are given at the District level, one in performance and one in theory. An "outstanding" rating is the highest rating.
STATE AUDITION RATINGS: Outstanding; Excellent; Good. Each judge will select a percentage of winners and honorable mention students at the State Auditions based on the number of students heard. The Winners will be invited to perform in recitals at the State Teachers Convention in June.
Students who win at the state level will receive a trophy from McLelland Piano as well as the official AMTA certificates and awards.
DISTRICT AUDITIONS:
AGE CLASSIFICATION:
The student's age should be listed as of Sept 1 preceding the auditions.
DIVISION I Ages 6-11
DIVISION II Ages 12-14
DIVISION III Ages 15-18
Older Beginner Age 10 or older
Transfer Any Age 6-18
Special Any Age 6-18
REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS:
All entrants must list and perform from memory three compositions representing any three of the following five periods of music:
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Impressionistic
Contemporary
Compositions MUST be representative of the styles exemplified by 3 of the 5 periods, and should contrast with one another to afford the student varied ideas of expression. All compositions need not be composed historically in the period they represent. Com- positions written by "bridge" com- posers may be considered in either classification. Memorization required.
Division I students, especially those who are not yet eligible for State, must play 3 contrasting styles. These pieces may be selected from the easier classics or from reputable contemporary teaching literature. Only original piano pieces are appropriate, however. Simplified arrangements of more difficult piano music, orchestral reductions, folk songs, or hymns, may not be played at auditions.
REPRODUCTIONS of published literature (e.g. xerox) are not permitted at any AMTA or MTNA auditions; however, music purchased through online sources will be permitted with proper identification/documentation. Students must provide judges with their music with ALL measures numbered and pages marked. Each student should have a copy of his/her music and not "share" with other siblings or students. (Due to scheduling conflicts.)
Performances will be judged on the following:
ACCURACY: Correct notes, rhythms, rests, tempos, and dynamics
TECHNIC: Clarity, evenness, ease, fingering, speed, and command of touches (e.g. staccato vs. legato)
TONE QUALITY: Vitality, "Singing Tone", and range of shading (crescendo, diminuendo etc.)
PHRASING: Slurs, proper groupings, rise and fall of melodic line, articulation, and finesse in endings.
PEDAL: Legato connections, avoidance of blurs, good use of soft pedal, correct pedaling for the style of composition (eg. Baroque vs. Romantic)
INTERPRETATION: Appropriate style, balance between melody and accompaniment, clarity of climax, and imagination.
Individual movements of suites, sonatas, or other groupings which can be performed as musical units complete in themselves are acceptable. Only one movement of a multi-movement work (including preludes and fugues) may be performed for these auditions. Repeats are left to the discretion of the performer.
Theory Requirements are specific according to the age and division. In general, they include various scales, chords, cadences, arpeggios, intervals, chord inversions and the like. It is a Keyboard Theory test, not a written theory test. For students interested in entering a Written Theory competition, there is one sponsored by the MMF (Metro Music Forum of Birmingham) in the Fall. All ages and levels are allowed to participate in this special event. It is not necessary to compete in the written test category to qualify for the State Auditions. Click here for the keyboard theory requirements and for videos of each age group's kt&t.
These auditions will be closed to the public.
ENTRY FEE (not included in studio music supplies fee/tuition) : $20 per student per event District Solo Auditions: $20
Open audition (meaning the public, parents, friends, and any students above pre-school age are invited to view and hear the auditions.)
Students are required to stay for the entire recital of their classification or be disqualified as a winner.
Printed programs will be used. The judge will not know the names of the performers or the teachers. The judge will know the title, age of performer, and length of study.
Each student can enter in only one category. Compositions must be memorized. Please provide a copy for the judges with numbered measures. PHOTOCOPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Students may play any single movement of a Sonata or Sonatina except "Theme and Variations." Compositions must be chosen from literature beginning with the Haydn era (beginning 1732). Baroque sonatas are not eligible. TAKE NO REPEATS. Repeats taken will result in automatic disqualification.
Entrants must be 11 years old by March of the competition year. Students will be playing against a STANDARD, rather than competing with each other.
Judges will declare the winners at the end of each recital. The judges' decisions are final, and there should be no communication concerning this with the judge after the winners are announced. It is possible that no winners will be chosen, based on judges' decision. A reference point for choosing winners/honorable mention could be viewed as: Winners: A+, Honorable Mention, A.
Winners will be presented with medals; honorable mentions will be presented with ribbons; in the lobby at the end of each recital.
Certificates and judges' sheets will be available for pick-up at the end of the Audition. Otherwise, they will be mailed to the teacher.
ENTRY FEE (2007-2008): $12 (not included in studio music supplies fee/tuition)
The ELBERT LINGO KEYBOARD ARTIST COMPETITION
Sponsored by BMTA and Forbes Piano Co. and held at Brookwood Mall in April or early May (generally a Friday-Sun weekend)
Entry fee is (2008-2009) $15.00 (not included in studio music supplies fee/tuition)
REQUIREMENTS:
Age as of Sept 1, prior to competition year.
DIVISION I - through age 9 (no minimum age) - no less than 5 minutes nor more than 7 minutes.
DIVISION II - Ages 10-11 - no less than 8 minutes nor more than 10 minutes.
DIVISION III - Ages 12-14 - no less than 10 minutes nor less than 12 minutes.
DIVISION IV - Ages 15-through H.S. Senior - no less than 12 minutes, nor more than 14 minutes.
Each DIVISION is divided into groups and presented in recital format. Assigned times indicate the starting time of that recital group. Contestants are requested to remain until the conclusion of their group. Each recital should last approximately one hour. Winners are chosen from the entire division, not from each recital, and are announced at the conclusion of each DIVISION. Judges' decisions are final. Comment sheets for contestants are not part of this competition.
REPERTOIRE REQUIREMENTS: A minimum of 2 compositions representing at least 2 of the following classifications of music: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Contemporary. Only memorized compositions will be acceptable. Concerto performances, arrangements of instrumental works, or simplifications of piano works, popular music, or hymns are undesirable for this competition.
LENGTH OF PERFORMANCE: The required minimum time limit is a deciding factor in selecting winners. Contestants performing over the time limit will not be penalized but may be stopped. The stopwatch will begin with the first note and continue until the final note.
MUSIC: One copy of the music performed must be provided for the judges, unmarked. NO REPRODUCTIONS.
Contestants will be judged on their over-all program, musicianship, understanding of style, and their communication of these through their artistry at the keyboard.
MTNA National Competitions
These competitions begin at the state level in November of each year. They are "open", meaning parents, teachers, and other interested persons may attend, if space permits. The guidelines are found in the American Music Teacher magazine or on the internet at www.mtna.org
No ratings are given, but one winner, one alternate,and one honorable mention may be selected. The winner will choose one piece from the competition repertoire to perform at the next AMTA State teachers' convention. The winner will also represent Alabama at the next Southern Division Competition of MTNA (the 9 South Eastern States)
The State Winner will receive a minimum of $100 to help defray expenses to the Southern Division Competition. The National Winners receive $, performance opportunities, grand pianos, and other awards. The National Winners are among the finest pianists in the U.S. and abroad, as many foreign students who are attending U.S. Colleges and Universities are eligible to compete.
Description: As flashcards are mastered, pre-college students join 3 different levels of the 1-minute club: Level 1: name and play all 21 notes of grand staff in 1-minute or less; Level 2: name and play all 31 notes from low c to high c in 1-minute or less; Level 3: as determined by teacher. Students should continue flashcard drill periodically even after joining the 1-minute club. To remain a member, students must be able to pass subsequent tests given periodically.
Awards: Pin/button and 500 Honor Points for joining any level. Name appear on studio website’s Student Kudos page.
Level 1: Name and play all 21 notes of grand staff in 1-minute or less (from 1st line G of bass staff, to 5th line F of treble staff).
Level 2: Name and play all 33 notes of grand staff in 1-minute or less (from leger line Low C, to leger line High C, including 4 additional inner leger line notes).
Level 3: Specific requirements set for each student.
Studio Teams
Within the studio, there are 5 different student teams. Students work toward achieving 21 consecutive days of practice. With each set, they advanced to a new level. (Level 1 = 1 set of 21-consecutive days; Level 8 - 8 sets of 21-consecutive days etc.). Students win prizes according to their level at the end of the year. Teams with highest averages also win 21 CD's (compact discs) -- divided among the members, with leftovers donated to library with the team members' names on the discs as being the donors. Check out this year's Studio Teams!
Opus One Aberg Piano Festival
The Opus One Åberg Studio Festival at McLelland Piano Studio in Hoover, Alabama is a special, annual event held in January and March. While the format sometimes varies, the activities always provide students a unique opportunity to evaluate performance, keyboard theory and technic, sight reading, and written theory skills. The event also helps prepare students for future participation in other, non-studio festivals such as the AMTA, (Alabama Music Teachers Association, state affiliate of the MTNA, Music Teachers National Association).
The requirements are customized for each student. No matter what age or level of advancement, the individualized goals and deadlines will provide just the right amount of structure for continued motivation.
The principle goal of this event is to supplement the Alabama Music Teachers Association pre-college auditions by affording students opportunities in sight-reading and written theory categories as well as performance and keyboard theory and technic.
There are 5 categories: Technic, Written Theory, Performance, Sight-Reading, Keyboard Theory. The 1st two categories of technic and written theory are held in January; the final 3 events are held in March, approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the AMTA auditions and the Spring Studio Recital thereby affording students an opportunity to assess development at a critical stage in their performance preparation. All students will not necessarily participate in the AMTA however most will participate in the studio recital. Therefore, at this stage, the goal for all students should be: music almost-up-to-tempo, basically memorized, with correct rhythm/notes/ pedaling etc. The remaining 4-6 weeks will be used to polish, secure memory, and strengthen performance skills so that the April performance events are a positive experience.
The 2009 festival utilized a first ever "online format" allowing a guest judge from Arizona to adjudicate the performance category. For 2010, the technic category will be videotaped in January and posted online. A professional, out-of-state guest teacher who is an expert in piano technic and the healthy and world-renowned Taubman Approach will evaluate the videos and provide each student with suggestions for improvement. Additionally, tuition scholarship(s) may be awarded to deserving students who have worked hard to improve upon technic and form (the "C Code Challenge" in regular lessons). In March, 2010, the performance category will also be videotaped and posted online. Again, a different professional, out-of-town judge will evaluate each video and provide ratings and comments.
Trophy Awards
In addition to the possible tuition scholarships for the technic category, students compete against themselves as they work to gain enough points to win a trophy award. Once each student accumulates 10 points a trophy is awarded. (Thus a student would receive a trophy after 2 years of participation if an Outstanding Rating was received both years.)
Ratings/Points:
Outstanding (90-100) (5 points)
Good (85-89) (4 points)
Satisfactory (80-84) (3 points)
Fair (75-79) (2 points)
Needs Improvement (74 or below) (1 point)
Opus One Competition
Beginning 2010, it will be required that a student receive a score of 90 or higher in atleast 3 of the non-performance categories (technic, written theory, sight-reading, keyboard theory) to receive performance points toward trophy award.
All awards are presented at the Awards Ceremony immediately following the April Spring Studio Recital.
Faculty memberships in numerous professional organizations afford students the opportunity to participate in numerous special events, workshops, festivals, and competitions. For a complete listing of this year's special events please visit the studio calendar.
HYMN FESTIVAL
A celebration of hymns and hymn tunes and a special event for students of all ages and levels of advancement.
This festival is generally held on the 3rd Saturday of November and is a fun event which encourages students to use their gifts and talents in ways that can one day make a real contribution. The student-friendly and supportive atmosphere of this special event affords students of all ages and levels of advancement a structured performance opportunity in a private setting. Students complete one or more of the following categories, (as recommended by the teacher), in a private audition for a professional and qualified adjudicator:
Hymn playing - Piano and Pipe Organ
Hymn arrangement
Sight-Reading
Keyboard Theory and Technic
Harmonization
Transposition
Improvisation
Accompanying and Chamber Music
Students receive valuable feedback through written comments and evaluations provided by the adjudicator. Points are earned for each rating and a trophy award is earned once 10 points are accumulated, requiring 2 or more years of participation as determined by ratings received.
Outstanding (5 points)
Excellent (4 points)
Very Good (3 points)
Satisfactory (2 points)
Needs Improvement (1 point)
Memorization is not required for hymns (or carols).
ENTRY COST: ($12) included in studio registration/music supplies fee.
SCHEDULING: Each student is assigned a specific time to perform (usually between 9 a.m.-12 or 1 p.m.) Generally count on needing about 45-minutes -- to arrive 20 minutes early, play a 10-minute time slot for playing for judge and additional approx. 10 minutes to play hymn on organ.
Yes, pipe organ! Beginning 2007, (at the IPC location only), the waiting area for parents, guests, family members will be the sanctuary. This way, you will be provided entertainment while you wait as students get to "try-out" the pipe organ immediately following their audition on the piano (The pipe organ category is simply a fun opportunity for piano students to be exposed to this "King of Instruments" -- this category is NOT adjudicated).
AWARDS: Usually, students receive their comment sheets and evaluations from adjudicator at the lesson following the festival, (or 2nd lesson following the festival, latest).
Certificates and trophy awards are presented later in the Spring.
Pedagogical Rewards of Hymn Playing:
4Improve sight-reading of homophonic textured music [Eye movement in music reading is an extremely complex phenomenon that involves the scanning of a musical score by a musician’s eyes. In 4-part homophonic textured music (like hymn –laying) the composition patterns are strongly vertical, so the pianist is developing both the “bottom-up” and “top-down” and “left-to right” scanning – horizontal and vertical aspects of reading and scanning. When we read music, there is a sequence of alternating “saccades” and “fixations”. Saccades are the rapid ‘flicks’ that move the eyes from location to location over a music score. These are separated from each other with ‘fixations’ where the eyes are relatively stationary on the page. Despite conflicting results from over 30 studies over the past 70 years, it is generally accepted that most of the perception of visual information (about 90%) occurs during ‘fixations’ and little info is absorbed during the ‘saccades’.]
4Develop chord awareness
4Provide opportunities to improve functional skills of harmonization, transposition, and improvisation.
4Maintaining a steady pulse and continuity
4Provide ‘unpianistic’ passages which require creative fingering and execution strategies
4Improve listening skills through performance on different instruments including the pipe organ.
4Enjoy camaraderie with fellow musicians in the accompaniment and chamber music category.
4Have fun learning familiar hymn tunes and carols!
Additionally, hymn festival provides a friendly, supportive festival opportunity which allows students of all levels and ages to experience the world of festivals without the added competitive element of other events. Students are only competing against themselves, not each other.
