Written by: Sydney Seebecker
On Saturday, the 23rd of March, a bus of 60 band and choir students from AHS left for Clear Lake. There, they participated in the class 3A Solo and Ensemble Festival. Combined, there were over seventy events for the music students of AHS. The choir ended their day with nine Division I ratings, fifteen Division II ratings, and two Division III ratings. The band earned themselves twenty Division I ratings, eighteen Division II ratings, and one Division III rating.
At the festival, there are five centers for choir and five centers for band. Each center contains one judge, one piano, and seats for the audience. The centers are just ordinary classrooms with the furniture pushed back, so there can be a performance area.
Students may perform a solo or with an ensemble. An ensemble can be anything from a duet, trio, quartet, double quarter, or chamber ensemble. Additionally, the music must be traditional literature, nothing like pop or jazz.
The performer may perform for a rating or comments only. The divisions for ratings include I, II, III, IV, and V. Division I is the best rating one can receive and Division V is the worst.
To prepare for the event, students had been working for many months. Most started in January, but some started in November or before. Most students were handed a piece selected by the director, but some helped pick out their own piece. Students worked hard learning, perfecting, and practicing with their accompanists.
All in all, Solo and Ensemble Festival is another way to advance one’s singing and instrumentals. It pushes one’s musical abilities further. Everyone who participated is better because of their work towards solo and ensemble. Two year vocal participant, Evan Posey, says, “It’s an experience everyone should go through to become a better singer and become more confident in their voice.”