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Required Pieces
YOUNG MUSICIANS FESTIVAL - Piano Rules

ALL EVENTS

Revised September 9, 2009

Replaces all previous versions; In effect until replaced by a later version


GENERAL RULES FOR PIANO

SPONSOR ELIGIBILITY
  1. Every student must be sponsored annually by an individual teacher. Music schools may not be sponsors. The sponsoring teacher must either
    1. be a paid-up member of THE SCHUBERT CLUB of FAIRFIELD COUNTY, INC. as of the deadline for Festival applications, or
    2. submit a sponsoring teacher fee of $45.00 with student application fees on the Teacher Registration Form.
  2. The YMF is a non-profit, volunteer enterprise that relies on the active participation of all teachers involved. Teachers entering students will be required to volunteer at least two hours of time to serve as room monitors, day chairs or assistant day chairs.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
  1. Entrants must be under 19 years of age as of March 1st of the Festival year.
  2. Entrants may participate up to and including the senior year of high school.
FEES
  1. The cost for a solo or concerto application is $12.00; for a duo/duet application, $24.00, and for a quartet, $40.00.
  2. Sponsoring teachers (non-Schubert Club members) submit an additional $45.00 sponsor fee with student applications.
  3. Special request fees for Piano Festival only - see below.
  4. Fees are not refundable.
APPLICATIONS
  1. Applications (and the appropriate fees) with special requests must be received by January 19, 2010. Incomplete applications will be returned. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify entrants for infractions of these rules.
  2. Applications (and the appropriate fees) without special requests must be received by January 29, 2010. Incomplete applications will be returned. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify entrants for infractions of these rules.
  3. One application must be completed for each soloist and one for each ensemble of two or more performers.
  4. In a given year, entrants may enter only one class in any one event.
  5. Include one check or money order payable to The Schubert Club. Multiple checks from individual families will be returned.
SPECIAL SCHEDULING REQUESTS (PIANO ONLY)

Families with one student may specify a specific day upon payment of a $15.00 Special Request fee. Families with more than one student participating may specify a specific day (or days) for the performances upon payment of a $25.00 Special Request fee. The special request must be made on the application. No schedule changes will be permitted after the application deadline. Teachers should encourage parents to look at scheduled events for March in advance of submitting applications.

MEMORIZATION

Entrants in piano solo events as well as piano concerto events must perform from memory while entrants in piano ensemble events may use scores. These rules do vary by festival so be sure to check the rules for the specific festival you are interested in.

SCORES, PHOTOCOPYING AND CHOICE OF MATERIAL
  1. Published scores of the required and choice pieces (not photocopies) must be provided for the judges. Permission must be sought from the publisher for music that is out of print, not just unavailable or temporarily out of stock.
  2. Required pieces MUST be chosen from the current YMF Syllabus published by the Festival Committee and available from the Festival Registrar. Separate Syllabi are available for instruments other than piano and for voice.
  3. Entrants in all solo events must perform two pieces: one from the Syllabus of Required Pieces and one choice piece that represents a comparable level of difficulty. The choice piece should not be a required piece. (See below for Special Rules concerning the various piano events).
  4. Entrants in the concerto event are not required to play a choice piece. Only one movement of one concerto from the Syllabus of Required Pieces should be played.
  5. Entrants in all ensemble events must play a choice composition in addition to the required piece. The choice piece may be selected from the same collection or be composed by the same composer as the required piece. (Exception: Entrants in the Piano Quartet event are required to play only one piece from the Required Pieces Syllabus.

REPEATS, OMISSIONS AND TIME LIMITS
  1. Teachers are asked to observe the following guidelines for time limits (combined required and choice compositions). If pieces are likely to exceed these limits (perhaps the required piece or concerto is a long one), please attach a note to the application for the Registrar.
      2. Moderately Difficult - Difficult8 minutes
      Very Difficult - Musically Advanced10 minutes
      Concerti15 minutes
  2. Repeats should generally be omitted.
ENSEMBLE PARTNER SUBSTITUTION

In unavoidable circumstances a teacher or other student may substitute for an ensemble player (with no score being awarded to that player).

VIDEO RECORDING

Video taping will be allowed during Festival performances. Parents will be guided by the Room Monitors to set up equipment in advance of the class performances and to operate cameras from the back of the room to keep disruption at a minimum.

PROGRESSION

Entrants who receive a Gold rating should progress to a higher class in the following year except in the following cases:
  • A new required piece at the old level works best for that student.
  • The highest level class in an event may be entered repeatedly with a different required and choice piece
  • Concerto entrants may stay in the same category (see Special Rules for the Piano Concerto Event below).
Note that this rule also varies by festival.

AWARDS and CERTIFICATES
  1. Each performance will receive a rating from the presiding judges: Gold (5 points), Blue (4 points) , Red (3 points), Green (2 points) or Yellow (1 point). A large certificate of the appropriate color will be issued to each Festival participant for each event entered. The number of consecutive Gold ratings earned will be noted on the Gold certificates. Points will be accumulated for each Instrument-Event. When 15 points have been earned the first Gold Cup will be awarded, pending points going toward a second cup, etc.
  2. Points in Senior Concerto classes are awarded on a different scale: Gold (8 points); Blue (7 points); Red (5 points), Green (3 points) or Yellow (1 point). A Gold Cup is awarded each time 15 points are accumulated. Second, third and fourth Gold Cups are successively larger.
  3. In ensemble events, points are awarded separately to each performer.
GOLD CUP PLAN

All points counted toward a Gold Cup must be earned in the same event, with one exception. High school seniors may aggregate points across performance events on a given instrument (i.e. Piano Solo, Piano Concerto and Piano Duet) and with composition

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE PIANO SOLO EVENT
  1. Entrants are required to play one piece from the Syllabus of Required Pieces plus one choice composition.
  2. Memory is required.
  3. The choice composition must be an original, published composition. Simplified arrangements of the classics are not acceptable. Folk songs, hymns, transcriptions, arrangements or abridgements are not acceptable. Only complete compositions are acceptable.
  4. At the Intermediate 1 level and above, the choice piece should be an original from the works of a non-American composer.
  5. The choice piece should not appear in the Syllabus of Required Pieces, even if listed for a different level.
  6. The choice piece should not be by the same composer as the required piece.
  7. Primary 1 choice pieces must be at least 12 measures long (not including repeats). For Primary 2 and above, choice pieces must be at least 16 measures in length.
  8. Required and choice compositions must represent a comparable level of difficulty. To assist teachers, the Festival Committee has published a Choice Piece Syllabus as a guide to relate much of the standard piano repertoire to Festival class levels. This Syllabus is available from the Festival Registrar.
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE PIANO CONCERTO EVENT
  1. Entrants must play one movement from the listed concerti in the Required Pieces Syllabus. No other work is required.
  2. Memory is required.
  3. Entrants must provide their own accompanists. The second piano part should be performed with the music.
  4. Long passages in the accompaniment should be reduced. All cadenzas must be played in their entirety.
  5. Entrants may play in the same concerto level for two or more years providing they play a different movement from the listed concerti.
  6. Entrants in the Senior 2 Concerto event may play one movement from any published classical concerto not included on the Junior and Senior 1 levels and not more than fifteen minutes in length without permission from the Registrar.
  7. There are no specific rules for determining what Concerto level an entrant should play versus the Solo level. Teachers are reminded to use good judgment in choosing levels and pieces appropriate for the student.
SPECIAL RULES FOR PIANO ENSEMBLE EVENTS
  1. Every effort should be made to maintain a reasonable level between ensemble players. The solo level of the ensemble partners should be within two levels.
  2. Memory is NOT required. Judges must be furnished a copy of the score.
  3. Entrants must play one composition listed plus a choice composition that represents the same level of difficulty and does not appear in this Syllabus. The exception is Piano Quartet where no choice piece is required.
  4. The choice and required compositions may be from the same collection and by the same composer.
There are no specific rules for determining what Duet, Duo or Quartet level an entrant should play versus the Solo level. Teachers are reminded to use good judgment in choosing levels and pieces appropriate for the student.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Festival Registrar:
Cheryl Lacy
743 Jennings Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-330-9389
talacy@aol.com
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