Benefits

Background

Practicing and preparing for a judged contest requires dedication and focus. The contest environment can be intimidating for first-time students. Parents will expect that each contest is being run in a professional and efficient manner. Using Solo-Ensemble.com for local Solo and Ensemble contest management allows the contest director to make better use of their volunteer labor force and greatly simplify the work of the contest staff, allowing everyone to focus on making the student and parent experience more enjoyable.

Paper-based Method

Students verbally provide their contest information to each judge, who writes down the student name and school, the name of the performance, and the difficulty level at which the student or ensemble is performing. There is no straightforward way to communicate any additional information to the judge regarding a particular student or ensemble. Following the performance, the judge writes down their score and a written critique of the work, normally as helpful observations and encouragement. The score sheets are kept by the judge until they are picked up by volunteers (sometimes called “runners”) who collect the sheets from the judges and bring them back to the contest office for “data processing” (typing the information into a spreadsheet or database). At regular intervals, the results from the most recent performances are printed, walked to a common area (for example a cafeteria or gymnasium) and posted on the wall for students and parents to see. This process can take over an hour between the performance time and the time the score is posted.

With Solo-Ensemble.com

School Staff members decide which music performances will be assigned to each student, entering the basic student information (name, grade) and the performance information (name of piece, composer, difficulty level) online at the contest website (into a secure database). This information can be updated by the School Staff or the Contest Staff, even on the day of the contest, including adding or removing students from the list.

Each solo student or ensemble leader is provided a unique Performance ID number by their school, which they show the judge at the beginning of their performance. The judge enters the Performance ID into Solo-Ensemble.com, which displays all of the performance information; the judge simply verifies it with the student(s) before the performance begins. If a student does not have their Performance ID, the judge can look up the performance information in the database. Additional commentary may be included by each band director as private notes. These comments are only visible to the judge, and do not appear on the final scoring sheets. Judges use a laptop, tablet, or computer to enter their scores and their comments into a web-based form. The scores and comments are stored securely and instantly in an online database, where they can be reviewed by the contest director and contest staff. The scores can be shown to waiting students, parents, and school band directors in an easy-to-read format projected onto a large screen or blank wall. A public version of this results page may optionally be shared to parents and others who do not have contest access.

Paper-based Method

Paper-based Solo and Ensemble contests normally begin a judged session by having the performing student(s) provide their identifying information to the judge, such as name, grade, performance name, composer, and difficulty level. The judge writes this information onto a paper form, and writes his or her professional evaluation (opinions and score) onto the form. Following the judging of each performance, the forms are placed into a special courier folder or envelope. Every few minutes (the timing depends on the number of volunteers and the number of judges), trusted volunteers visit each performance room and collect the hand-written judged performances. These volunteers must wait until a break between performances to collect these papers, which is a time consuming process. Once the paper leaves the room, the judge has no easy ability to review or modify their scores, or to review how they have scored during the contest so far.

With Solo-Ensemble.com

Prior to their first contest, each judge sets up a profile on the Solo-Ensemble.com site that belongs uniquely to them. From this login profile they can see all Solo and Ensemble contests to which they are currently assigned. A Solo-Ensemble.com contest director may also set up a default judge profile for any of their judges that may not already have a profile.

Prior to the start of the contest, all judges gather with the contest director for a brief tutorial in using the Solo-Ensemble.com web application. The software is very intuitive and most judges learn to use the system in 5-10 minutes with no difficulty. Once a judge logs in and selects the current contest, they are greeted with a personalized welcome screen. As each band student or ensemble sets up for their performance, they provide a unique Performance ID number to the Judge, who enters it onto the web page, where it displays the information about the performance and input fields for the judge’s comments and score. In case there is an error with the ID provided (or if it is lost), the judge can search the Solo-Ensemble.com database for the student or ensemble (for example by School name and Student name).

If you are a middle school or high school music director (or staff member), you know that rehearsal, preparation, and realistic practice for regional and state-wide music competitions are essential elements of overall student performance and satisfaction. Taking part in local Solo and Ensemble contests helps to prepare your students to excel and reduces their anxiety regarding “what to expect” at these judged events, especially at the regional and state level.

School band directors should expect each contest in which they pay to participate to be conducted in a professional and cost-efficient manner. When Solo-Ensemble.com is used for local Solo and Ensemble contest management, it allows the contest director to make better use of their volunteer labor force and greatly simplify the work of the contest staff, allowing everyone to focus on making the student and band director experience more enjoyable.

Because band directors and staff know their own students, having them enter the student and performance information reduces spelling and data entry errors such as student names and performance titles. The student names and/or performance data can be updated online after the initial data is provided. During the contest, student performance scores are available instantly, online via any internet-connected computer or mobile device. Full judging information (scores, comment sheets) can be downloaded in spreadsheets and printable formats. Contest results may remain available online for days or weeks following the contest.