It’s contest and festival season! Whether you’re taking your ensemble to an adjudicated festival for the first time or have done so for years, our insider advice is sure to set you up for success. We asked seasoned adjudicators Dr. Melissa Arasi, Artistic Director of the Atlanta Women’s Chorus, and Professor Randall Coleman, Director of Bands at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, for their insights. Read on for their expert guidance and tips for teachers preparing their students for festival performances.
In your experience, how do students grow musically through participation in adjudicated contests and festivals? In what ways do these experiences enhance students’ overall musical education?
Dr. Arasi:
Everyone grows and learns from setting goals and purpose and then working toward those goals. The process of preparing for an adjudicated event gives a clear focus on goals and process with an end date. This prepares students, and adults, for learning how to manage time, set realistic expectations, develop a plan, and accept and receive criticism. Obviously, this applies to music learning but also to life skills in general.
Professor Coleman:
If adjudicated contests and festivals are kept in their proper perspective, there are many positive outcomes for both the student and teacher. Having someone provide quality constructive feedback is essential for growth as a student musician and as a teacher. Armed with the feedback you receive, you should be able to address deficiencies and bolster the strengths of both the ensemble and the individual student musicians.
What key factors should directors consider when choosing repertoire for an adjudicated contest? How do you balance musical difficulty with the ability of your ensemble?
Dr. Arasi:
The most important thing to begin with in music selection is the understanding of where your ensemble is musically and intellectually. Decide the voicing desired, then look at the challenges in each piece being considered, whether that is harmonically, intervallically, or regarding the difficulty of individual parts. The music you select should be at a level that the musicians will be engaged and successful but not well beyond their current reach. The time to challenge beyond their current abilities is in concerts at home.
Professor Coleman:
Selecting repertoire is one of the most important, if not the most important part of a successful concert or performance. Knowledge of the repertoire by the conductor is a critical part of our job as a teacher and conductor. You have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your ensemble so that your selections provide educational opportunities for growth, enjoyable musical outlets for your students, and opportunities for the weaknesses to improve.
Can you explain the benefits and challenges of ranked versus unranked adjudication systems? How does each impact a director’s approach to festival preparation?
Dr. Arasi:
This is truly a philosophical question. If your philosophy is that students need to experience the lessons of winning and losing, then ranking and placements are very important. It might be that those lessons are important at certain stages of your program. If the program is young and growing, the process of learning and growth should probably be the focus. While everyone wants their ensemble to do their best and succeed, the concept of “winning” can often breed a less-than-supportive community of students. The approach of striving for one’s best and reaching goals can often outweigh the value of winning. Regardless of being a ranked or unranked event, the director should prepare the ensemble based on the value of the process, not just the desired outcomes.
Professor Coleman:
There are many challenges to ranked adjudication. While there can be advantages to having groups win a contest or festival, there are many pitfalls if the teacher hasn’t developed a healthy culture within their ensemble, parent group, and community. The ultimate outcomes from participating in any adjudicated event should be that the students have an opportunity for growth and improvement. If winning becomes the ultimate outcome, the focus shifts to something that, many times, is detrimental to the program rather than beneficial. I don’t think directors should approach ranked versus unranked adjudication any differently. Either way, you can provide your students a chance to be successful. If that success leads to a first-place ranking, it should be the icing on the cake – but not the whole meal.
What specific musical qualities do you prioritize when adjudicating a performance (e.g., intonation, rhythm, balance, articulation)?
Dr. Arasi:
For me, I always begin with tone production and foundational skills – how sound is produced. Upon first hearing the choir, my ears are listening for proper tone for the specific piece while also just good production; well-supported, with an open throat, and even breath energy being expended. The adjudicators’ comments around foundational skills are typically broader with examples, and other aspects of the performance, such as stylistic interpretation, should have more specific examples for reference. The formation of vowels and that connection to tone production is second for me. Then, intonation is typically impacted by the level of foundational skills as well as the presence of rhythmic energy. I think as young conductors begin, they often think of these skills in isolation; however, they are all so intertwined that one key issue can affect many other aspects of the performance.
Professor Coleman:
For me, it is all about the ensemble sonority and sound, which begins with tone – individual tone and then ensemble tone. It is impossible to tune a weak or bad tone quality, so it has to begin there. After a characteristic and warm tone is evident, then you can work to play those tones “in tune.” I have found over the years that many issues are solved with attention to balance – making sure the audience can hear the important lines first. This then leads to working for a clarity of articulation and vertical alignment.
What does success look like in a competition setting, and how can directors best prepare their students to perform at their highest level in this environment?
Dr. Arasi:
For me, success is accomplishing the goals that are set at the beginning of rehearsals. That goal may be to improve all foundational skills to an Excellent rating level. Most ensembles cannot go from 0 to 100, and the goal should be realistic for the ensemble.
When the students know they are not the “best,” and even if they think they are, it is great to discuss what made the winning group win. What would we need to do to get to that point? This might also be a question the director asks other directors. Determine what aspects of the winning performance your ensemble could emulate now. Consider what you would still do differently. These thoughtful musical discussions are not meant to be judgmental, but effective ways to increase student knowledge of the musical process and product. There aren’t absolute correct answers. This can be a nebulous and subjective art, but there are many musical constants that give distinction to a fine ensemble.
Increasing individual musicianship should be a goal of your program. You want your students to actually know a lot about how to make music without you. You will never teach yourself out of a job because there are always new students; but those you are releasing into the world need to be able to make critical musical decisions on their own.
Professor Coleman:
I think normalizing competition makes for stronger performances. By this I mean that we should strive for our daily rehearsals to provide high-level experiences for our students. For me, I worked to make sure our students understood that any “competition” was totally within our own ensemble. Did we perform the music the absolute best that we could on that day? If so, our concert/competition/festival was a success. Normalizing these performances tends to provide opportunities for the students to enjoy their performance rather than worry about playing in a competition setting.
What is your advice for directors the day before and the day of a festival, especially when managing the physical and emotional well-being of the students?
Dr. Arasi:
Take care of yourself! If you are stressed and feeling great pressure to perform, your ensemble will too! Let them know that you are proud of them and what they accomplish, before and after. Stay positive and encourage them to stay positive as well, especially when listening to other ensembles. After the event, be sure to decompress and talk about what was good and what continues to need improvement. This can be musical as well as any other aspect of the field trip.
Professor Coleman:
I think my best advice is for directors to be as calm and prepared as possible as the preparation for a performance draws to a close. If students feel that the director is calm and prepared, that typically will allow them to feel comfortable and positive about their performance. Students should not feel pressure to win – they should feel an urgency to perform at their highest level.
What essential backup plans should directors have in place if something goes wrong, such as an accompanist getting sick or a technical issue mid-performance?
Dr. Arasi:
Well, you can plan, but inevitably things happen that you haven’t planned for. The best thing you can do is not panic. Remember that life will still go on and this will pass. Be sure to have all the information (contact numbers, seating charts, email communication, medical forms) at hand for a show of any type. You don’t want to be digging to find something when a problem pops up. When musical things happen in the middle of a song, sometimes you just have to stop and begin again. Not ideal, but again it isn’t the end of the world and the way in which you are able to continue on can be a real credit to you and your ensemble.
Professor Coleman:
Probably the best advice is to repeat my earlier advice to be as calm and prepared as possible. We can never anticipate every small thing that can go wrong. Always keep the best interest of your students at heart – not winning. If you believe the best option for a technical issue is to stop and start again, that’s what you should do. Always provide every opportunity for your students to succeed.
What are some ways directors can model professionalism for their students during the festival to ensure the group leaves a positive impression?
Dr. Arasi:
Be sure that you do not criticize other ensembles. You can describe positive and negative aspects without making judgmental statements. Prepare your ensemble to know the expectations of behavior during the event prior to arrival. Give them things to listen for in other groups, and express what the experience means to you – growth and learning – prior to arrival.
Professor Coleman:
If a healthy culture is in place, this takes care of itself. Directors should always be the model of professionalism, especially at festivals and contests. Never criticize the opinion of one of the adjudicators in front of students or parents. If students or parents hear the director making negative comments, they will assume it is acceptable to do the same thing themselves. The director should exude professionalism at every turn.
What do you believe are the benefits of watching other ensembles perform during a festival, both for the students and for the director?
Dr. Arasi:
There are so many benefits from watching other ensembles. As a director, you are constantly fine-tuning your ears. Listening can allow you to think about what you hear, how you might address any issues, and observe the conducting and how that may be impacting the singing of the choir. For the students, they are also training their ears while listening to other groups. This will encourage them to use the information as they sing in their own groups. They can also see appropriate and inappropriate stage etiquette as well as be exposed to different repertoire and genres.
Professor Coleman:
I strongly believe in the positive benefits of watching and listening to other ensembles if the opportunity is available. Being an active participant in a concert setting while your peers are performing can be a tremendous growth opportunity for students and teachers alike. I also encourage teachers to make sure students understand proper concert etiquette and to provide some type of activity for the students to share their thoughts on performances they observed.
After receiving feedback from an adjudicator, how should directors digest the information and use it constructively to improve their ensemble?
Dr. Arasi:
Read score sheets or listen to comments alone. Once you have fully comprehended them, then make your plan to share with the group. Decide what you will share with students. Not all comments should be shared, but most should be. Question the students regarding what they believe about the comments. Let them have a part of the plan for improvement.
Professor Coleman:
If the feedback is presented in the correct fashion by the adjudicator, presenting the suggestions to the students should be easy. Many times, the feedback isn’t new to the students – they have heard much of the feedback before; but hearing it from another voice sometimes makes it real.
What general advice do you have for teachers/directors about managing the stresses and expectations of festival participation while also making it an enjoyable learning experience for the students?
Dr. Arasi:
If you prepare yourself for the process and set your choirs up for success, you will be less stressed about the experience. Anytime you put yourself out there for constructive criticism it is stressful. Everyone wants to do their best, and if you are a good teacher, you know that the scores the students receive are really your score for your teaching. Once you take responsibility for their learning and make the journey something you do together, it’s a process that you do together, and all results are part of growth and learning.
Professor Coleman:
After 25 years of preparing groups for festival participation, I can honestly say my approach to those concerts was no different than any other public performance that we might have. I want every performance to demonstrate a high level of learning from my students. Performances in festivals were no different than a PTSA performance for me. If directors are organized and manage their rehearsal time effectively, the actual concerts for a festival or PTSA audience become fun and enjoyable experiences for the director and student alike.
How should a teacher get started if they want their students to participate in a contest or festival?
Dr. Arasi:
I think the first thing I would do is read the rules. You definitely want to set yourself up for the best possible situation, and knowing and understanding the expectations of the contest or festival will begin that process. The next thing is to really know your choirs and their capabilities. Then, I believe one should ask questions of those they know and trust about the process. Don’t program songs because you love them; they are often what you have performed, and your ensemble is not ready for that yet. You should program what your students will have the most success with for the festival or contest. The time to challenge your choirs is when the stakes are low (a regular concert), and people are not commenting on every little detail. Lastly, begin sight-reading with your choirs the first week of school. Don’t wait to teach them how to read music. The time is always now.
Professor Coleman:
It is always good to have outside feedback for our art form. We want to be sure that what we are asking our students to do is educationally sound and challenging. We also want to provide every opportunity for our students to be successful. Having the feedback from outside experts can provide affirmation to the director that they are doing the right things in rehearsal every day. I would suggest inviting several area directors in to hear the ensemble before taking them to a festival or contest, and schedule this far enough in advance so that you can incorporate any suggestions you feel are needed in plenty of time before the next performance. Make sure the culture of the program is solid so that participation in any adjudicated event can be a positive growth experience for both the students and directors.
Melissa T. Arasi, Ph.D. is the founding Artistic Director of the Atlanta Women’s Chorus, which was founded in 2013 as a sibling chorus of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus. Prior to this position, Dr. Arasi served as the Supervisor of Performing Arts: General/Choral Music, Theatre, and Dance for the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia for sixteen years and the Choral Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at Walton High School in Cobb County for fourteen years. She has also served as an assistant professor/lecturer of music at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Reinhardt University, Kennesaw State University, and Georgia State University. Choirs under her direction have performed at Carnegie Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and in Montreal, Quebec City, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. Dr. Arasi frequently conducts honor choirs and serves as a clinician and adjudicator in Georgia and in the Southeast. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Shorter College in Rome, Georgia; a Master’s Degree in Music Education; and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning in Music Education with a concentration in choral music and a cognate in leadership from Georgia State University. She received her Educational Leadership Certification from the University of West Georgia. Dr. Arasi previously taught private voice lessons and conducted several church children’s choirs, was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and is a member of NAfME, GMEA, and ACDA.
Randall Coleman is the Director of Bands and the Frances Hall Hill Professor of Music at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he conducts the UTC Wind Ensemble, oversees the Marching Mocs and Pep Band, teaches courses in conducting and music education, and oversees all aspects of the band program. Prior to his tenure at UTC, Professor Coleman was the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Alabama where he was the conductor of the Alabama Symphonic Band and was one of the directors of the Million Dollar Band. He also taught graduate and undergraduate conducting and wind band literature classes. Additionally, Professor Coleman serves as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Alabama Winds, an all-adult community wind band based in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to that, Mr. Coleman enjoyed a successful 25-year career as a high school band director and supervisor in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, retiring as the Director of Bands at Milton High School in 2007. Professor Coleman serves as Immediate Past President of the National Band Association, and he was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2016. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education at Jacksonville State University and his Master of Music Education degree from Georgia State University.
