DuWayne Dale, Director of Bands and Orchestra, Grant County Schools
JoAnn Owens, Director of Bands, Grant County Middle School

Northern Kentucky Solo and Ensembles

 

What is a solo or ensemble?

A solo is when one person plays a song by themselves.  An ensemble is when two or more people play at the same song but have different parts.  When two people play at the same time, it is called a duet.  When three people play at the same time, it is called a trio. 

 

Who can participate?

Any middle school student who is recommended by their director and/or is taking private lessons can participate in solo and ensembles.

 

When and where does the event take place?

The event takes place at Scott High School, in Taylor Mill, Kentukcy, on Saturday, April 18th.  The actual time of the performances will be announced closer to the date of the event.  On the back of this paper, you will find the directions to Scott High School.

 

What is the Solo and Ensemble event?

Your band director of private lesson teacher will choose the music for you.  You will not need to purchase the music.  We will work on the solo or ensemble in class and time after school may be provided in the month of March and April.  On Saturday, April 18th, the students will need to provide their own ride to Scott High School.  They will need to arrive about a hour before the scheduled performance time.  As soon as they arrive, they should find the room in which their instrument will be having the performances.  At this point, the students are to report to the warm-up area to warm-up for their performance.  At about 10 minutes before the performance time, you will report to the room that your performance is held.  Parents may join the students in the performance rooms, if they wish.  When the students enter, they give the original music to the judge.  They will then introduce themselves and the title of the music that they will be playing.  Usually the results are posted within the next hour after the performance.  The goal of the day is achieve a Distinguished Rating (I).  A Proficient Rating is a (II).  In order for the credit to count for their performance opportunities (performance-base project), they must earn a DISTINGUISHED rating. 

 

How would I benefit from participating?

The day is a lot of fun!  You will get to practice with your friends throughout the months of January through April.  After the event, you will receive recognition for participating and will be awarded with a certificate at the Spring Concert in May.  These students will have their picture taken for the newspaper.  Seventh and Eighth grade students will receive a credit for each solo or ensemble they perform on the day of the event, if a Distinguished rating is achieved. 

 

How much does it cost?

Each solo is $5.00.  An ensemble (duet, trio, quartet, etc.) is $8.00.  If you are a member of a duet, you will owe $4.00 for each person.  If you are a member of a trio, you will owe $2.75.  If you are member of a quartet, you will owe $2.00.  If you are a member of a quintet, you will owe $1.75.  If you are participating in more than one event, simply add the fee for each event together to see what you owe.  The fees are due _______________.   

 

Attendance:

If you do not attend the event that day, without an excused reason, you lose all the credits you have earned all year to that day.  If an emergency were to occur and you needed to call to cancel on April 18th, you will need to call the following number: 859.462.0467 to reach Mrs. Owens.  No exceptions will be excused.  By not attending on this event, the students within your ensemble will not be able to perform without you.  This could be very frustrating to those students who have practiced very hard to prepare for the competition.  I strong erg you to plan ahead and make arrangements in advance to get a ride to Scott High School for Saturday, April 18th.

 

 Directions to Scott High School:

Take I75 North
Merge onto I275, heading East
Get off at the Taylor Mill Covington exit
Turn right off the exit
At the first traffic light, take a right onto Old Taylor Mill Road (in front of McDonalds’s)
Scott High School is about a mile on your right