FAQ
When I Apply | Awards Ceremony | Hotel, Tour and Travel
Performance Facilities | Adjudication | Financial
When I Apply:
- Q. Can I change my festival date/location without penalty?
- Yes, based on availability date and/or location changes can be made until 60 days before your festival.
- Q. How exact do my numbers have to be when I apply?
- When you register, the number on your application helps us determine the largest performing group, so enough equipment will be provided at the performance site. Indicate your largest anticipated attendance (your grade/attendance book would be a good starting point). Your final numbers must be determined fifteen days prior to the festival competition.
- Q. Do the prices listed in the brochure include transportation?
- Prices listed do not include transportation. Click here for Travel Planner information.
- Q. Is there a Registration Fee to sign up for a festival?
- No, there is no Registration Fee to sign up for our Festivals of Music programs.
- Q. If a student is in more than one ensemble, do they have to pay twice?
- Absolutely not, we encourage students to be well-rounded and involved in several performing groups. Your invoice will reflect the total number of students and total number of adults attending the festival.
- Q. If I have five performing groups (concert band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, choir and marching) will all of the directors travel FREE?
- For each application, you will receive 1 free concert band director, 1 free orchestra director and 1 free choral director (as applies to your performing groups).
- Q. If a meal/park admission is involved with the festival package, can we choose not to take it?
- Our festival packages are just that - packages. If a meal or park admission is included with the festival, you cannot deviate from the package.
- Q. I have a string quartet and a guitar ensemble that would like to perform. Is this possible?
- Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate these specialty groups as they are not within the adjudication realm of Festivals of Music.
- Q. My group MUST perform in the morning - we have a dinner cruise scheduled in the evening. Can you guarantee this?
- We will do our best to accommodate your request, but we suggest that you keep the entire day free until your performance times have been determined. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee specific performance times for any group. We suggest you contact your Program Director periodically to check on the status of your festival and to confirm how many schools are attending your festival location.
- Q. Can you guarantee we'll have competition at the festival?
- Unfortunately not - festival attendance is determined by the number of applications that are sent to our office. Schools choose their festival destinations based on prior trips and their school calendar.
- Q. We'd like to participate in a "street" parade - is this possible?
- Some of our festival locations do offer street parades on select weekends - please contact a Festivals of Music Program Director for further information.
- Q. We're a middle school group - do many middle schools sign up for Festivals of Music?
- Quite honestly, most of our participating schools for Festivals of Music are high schools. We do have a handful of middle school/junior high school groups that travel with us - our Music In The Parks program involves many more middle school/junior high school groups since most of these festivals take place in one or two days.
- Q. How do I decide which classification best fits my group?
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- For concert bands and jazz bands,classifications are based on the difficulty of music the group is performing : Class A is for groups performing grade level 3 music, Class AA is for groups performing grade level 4 music and Class AAA is for groups performing grade level 5 and above.
- String orchestras and full orchestras are classified by the age level of the students enrolled in the ensemble - junior high/middle school for grades 6-9 and High School for grades 9-12.
- For high school mixed choir groups Class A has no requirements, Class AA groups must perform one piece grade level 5 or above. All other choir divisions are classified by the grade level of the students.
- Q. How do I determine the grade level of music my group is performing?
- Check any state listing, call the publisher of the piece or contact your local music store to determine the grade level of your music. Another good source is The Director's Guide to Festival and Contest Music through The Instrumentalist Publishing Company, 200 Northfield Road, Northfield, Illinois.
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About the Awards Ceremony:
- Q. Can the park store our trophies after the Awards Ceremony?
- Unfortunately, the parks do not have the resources to store trophies. You may want to have a bus driver or one of your chaperones available to take the trophies to your bus.
- Q. Will my bus driver receive free admission to the park?
- Every park has a different policy regarding admission for bus drivers. Please contact your Festivals of Music Program Director for assistance.
- Q. Will my tour escort receive a free ticket to the park?
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- If your tour escort needs a park ticket, the tour company needs to include them in your final counts. They would pay the cost of an adult package.
- Q. Do we really need to attend the Awards Ceremony?
- No, but we highly recommend that you attend the awards ceremony. As part of the total educational experience, we feel your students should have the opportunity to be recognized for their achievements by their peers.
- Q. Do you have reserved seating at the Awards Ceremony?
- In some instances we may have reserved seating - in most cases, however, we do not. Groups are free to sit wherever they wish.
- Q. What happens if it rains?
- In the event of rain, amusement parks, as a rule, will not close. Some of the rides may close for safety reasons. The Awards Ceremony will take place at its scheduled time and location. For the well being of your students, Festivals of Music Staff has the right to cancel the trophy presentation and distribute trophies and score sheets to the directors.
- Q. We need to leave the park/attraction before the awards ceremony, what do we do?
- Please notify your Festivals of Music Program Director that you will not be attending the awards ceremony. You may be able to pick up your trophies, and judge's score sheets before you depart for home - depending on your departure time, special arrangements can be made to do this.
- Q. Why wasn't an overall trophy presented for middle school jazz bands?
- There must be two groups performing in a category in the same division (e.g. high school, middle school etc.) for an overall award to be presented. If we only have one middle school jazz band and three high school jazz bands, the only groups eligible for the Overall Jazz Ensemble trophy would be a high school group. An overall award will not be presented if there is only one high school/middle school/elementary school group within a specific category.
- Q. How can I explain the Esprit de Corps award to my students?
- The Esprit de Corps trophy is awarded to the school that demonstrates exemplary behavior and deportment throughout the festival weekend. Highlighting the importance of genuine support for fellow performers while demonstrating excellence in all facets of performance both on and off stage, this honorable distinction is presented at the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the festival.
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Tour and Travel:
- Q. Do you provide transportation from our hotel to the performance site?
- No, your buses will need to transport your group to the performance site where you will be met by our Festivals of Music staff.
- Q. Can I visit the park/attraction on a different day than in the package?
- No, you would need to attend the park/attraction on the day it is scheduled.
- Q. How can I schedule sightseeing when I don't know my performance time?
- We suggest you keep the entire performance day open until your adjudication time is determined. Since we schedule performances by groups, it may take quite a while if you have multiple performing groups. Contact your Festivals of Music Program Director in December - at that time, we will have a good idea of the number of groups performing at the festival. Your performance time will be confirmed six weeks prior to the competition.
- Q. Can Festivals of Music reserve hotels and plan sightseeing activities?usic reserve hotels and plan sightseeing activities?
- At Festivals of Music our focus is on the festival itself. For a list of recommended travel planners, click here.
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Performance Facilities:
- Q. Will we have a "home room" at the performance site?
- We do not provide "home rooms" for each participating school. We are limited to the areas we are able to use at our performance sites and therefore cannot honor this request.
- Q. Can the performance site provide a pre-planned lunch/dinner for my group?
- This is a possibility - contact your Festivals of Music Program Director to see if this can be arranged for your group.
- Q. Do you supply platform risers and monitors for show choir groups?
- No - Festivals of Music will provide three step choral risers, four microphones and an acoustic piano. You must provide all other equipment. Please limit your props and additional sound equipment. Your group will have 30 minutes to setup, perform and clear the stage.
- Q. Does Festivals of Music provide an on-site registered nurse or physician?
- We suggest you bring a registered nurse or doctor along with you on the trip. Festivals of Music does not provide on-site medical staff.
- Q. What equipment is provided for our performance?
- Festivals of Music provides the following equipment for instrumental groups - four timpani, bass drum, xylophone, chimes, piano, four microphones (jazz ensemble only), chairs and music stands. We provide the following for choral groups - piano, choral risers and 4 microphones. Schools must provide their own mallets for the various instruments.
- Q. I have students performing in multiple groups - are there changing facilities available for them?
- Dressing rooms are not available at the performance site, but bathrooms can be used for changing purposes. Keep in mind that everyone will be using these bathrooms - please keep changing needs to a minimum. We strongly suggest that your group arrive at the performance site in their concert attire.
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Adjudication (Performance):
- Q. Can I change from "rating only" to "competition", from class "A" to class "AA" etc?
- Yes, you can change the status of your performance and their classification at anytime up until one (1) month prior to your festival date. We suggest you do this in writing via email or fax. If changes are made after the performance schedule has been mailed, you will not be sent another schedule.
- Q. May I photocopy music and/or scores?
- Photocopying is illegal. Please check out our performance guidlines for additional information.
- Q. Do I need a score for my warm-up piece?
- No, scores are only required for adjudicated selections.
- Q. Can our choir use taped accompaniment?
- Yes, but only if there are no vocal parts on the taped accompaniment.
- Q. Do we have to take the clinic session and if we don't, does this count against us?
- No, the clinic session is not mandatory - just notify your Festivals of Music Program Director that you would not be interested in doing this. There is no penalty for groups deciding not to participate in the clinic session - this is an opportunity for the adjudicators to interact directly with the students, refine areas of performance and to reinforce teaching objectives.
- Q. Do you have a required music list?
- No, it is at the discretion of the director to select music that they feel is appropriate for their students.
- Q. Is there a limit to the number of performing groups I can bring to the festival?
- Choral groups are limited to four performance time slots, and no more than six ensembles. This is necessary in order to ensure that all performing groups may receive a clinic session. If choral groups are scheduled back to back, warm-up times must be incorporated into the listed times. Two hour time blocks will be reserved for groups with six performing choirs- you will have one 25 minute warm-up time prior to performing back to back.
- Q. What happens if we get lost or we are late for our adjudication time?
- Don't panic - when you arrive at the adjudication site, our staff will do everything possible to place you in a later available time slot. Groups that arrive late are not disqualified.
- Q. Does Festivals of Music provide accompanists for choral groups?
- We do not provide accompanists for any of our performing groups.
- Q. How many scores do I need to bring?
- There will be three judges adjudicating your performance. You will need to bring three original scores for each adjudicated selection. Measures must be numbered on each score for the adjudicator.
- Q. Can we videotape our performance or take pictures during the performance?
- Videotaping would be at the discretion of your director. We would encourage you to refrain from taking flash photos during the performance of the two adjudicated selections. Photos may be taken before and during the warm-up selection on stage.
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Financial:
- Q. When is full payment due to Festivals of Music?
- A deposit of $500 per school is due on January 1. The remaining balance will be divided into 2 installments: 75 Days -50% of balance due; 30 Days-full account balance due.
- Q. What if my numbers drop the week of the festival - do we receive a refund?
- A full refund (of festival fees only) will be made for individual cancellations if received by the final count deadline (10 days before the festival). However, you if you are using a Travel Planner other cancellation penalties may apply. You should refer to the travel planners cancellation policy for details. No refund will be issued for individual cancellations within ten (10) days of departure.
- Q. When will I receive my refund?
- Refunds should be mailed one month after your festival date.
- Q. When do you need our final numbers for the festival?
- Final numbers are due 10 days prior to the date of your festival.
- Q. Do you carry insurance on each student participant?
- Student insurance is, in most cases, particular to school insurance policies. If additional insurance is deemed necessary, school officials can generally provide a more economical route.
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