ALL PIANO EVENTS
Revised
January 2, 2024
Replaces all previous versions; In effect until replaced by a later version
GENERAL RULES FOR PIANO
SPONSOR
ELIGIBILITY
Every
student must be sponsored annually by an individual teacher. Music schools may
not be sponsors. The sponsoring teacher must be a paid-up member of THE
SCHUBERT CLUB of FAIRFIELD COUNTY, INC. as of the deadline for Festival
applications.
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
- Entrants must be under 19 years of age as of March 1st of the
Festival year.
- Entrants may participate up to and including the senior year of high
school.
FEES
& PAYMENT
The
cost for a solo or concerto application is $30; for a duo/duet application,
$40, and for a quartet, $50. Fees are not refundable.
- Only one check or credit card payment will be accepted from each
teacher for all students (regular or special request)
- All checks must be postmarked no later than
January 31 of the Festival year. Online payment may be submitted via
the link on the Schubert Club site.
Special
request fees for Piano Festival only - see below.
APPLICATIONS
- Applications (and the appropriate fees) with special requests must
be received not later than January 31. The Festival
reserves the right to disqualify entrants for infractions of these rules.
- One application must be completed for each soloist and one for each
ensemble of two or more performers.
- In any given year, entrants may enter only one class in any one
event.
- Please include one check or money order payable to The Schubert
Club. Multiple checks from individual families will be returned.
- No exceptions will be allowed for late registration nor will changes
be made after the registration deadline.
SPECIAL
SCHEDULING REQUESTS (PIANO ONLY)
- Families with one student may specify a specific day upon payment of
a $20 Special Request fee.
- Families with more than one student participating may specify a
specific day (or days) for the performances upon payment of a $30 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 and potential
events for March in advance of submitting applications and to choose a
date when they are available for the whole day since only the date can be
requested and not the time.
- Teachers may submit one additional payment for performers who, due
to unexpected date conflicts or illness need to change to participate via video
submission.
Performers
and their guests are expected to stay for the entire hour of their class and
performance order will not be changed. Late arriving students may perform last.
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 memorization
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
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. Please be sure to
check online sources for copyright compliance. Just because it’s online doesn’t
mean it’s legal to be downloaded!
Required
pieces MUST be chosen from the current YMF Syllabus published by the Festival
Committee and available from the Festival Registrar.
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).
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.
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
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.
|
Moderately Difficult -
Difficult
|
8 minutes
|
|
Very Difficult -
Musically Advanced
|
10 minutes
|
|
Concerti
|
15 minutes
|
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 recording
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 phones/cameras from the back of the room to keep disruption at a
minimum. Parents may only photograph and/or record their own child.
PROGRESSION
Entrants
who receive a 5 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
& CERTIFICATES
Each
performance will receive a rating from the presiding judges of 5 points, 4
points, 3 points, 2 points or 1 point. A large certificate displaying the
points earned will be issued to each Festival participant for each event
entered. The number of consecutive “5” ratings earned will be noted on the
certificates. Points will be accumulated for each Instrument-Event. When 15
points have been earned in any one category, the first Gold Cup will be
awarded, pending points going toward a second cup, etc.
Points
in Senior Concerto classes are awarded on a different scale: 8 points, 7
points, 5 points, 3 points, 1 point.
A Gold
Cup is awarded each time 15 points are accumulated. Second, third and fourth
Gold Cups are successively larger.
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
Entrants
are required to play one piece from the Syllabus of Required Pieces plus one
choice composition.
Memory
is required.
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.
At the
Intermediate 1 level and above, the choice piece should be an original from the
works of a non-American composer.
The
choice piece should not appear in the Syllabus of Required Pieces, even if
listed for a different level.
The
choice piece should not be by the same composer as the required piece.
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.
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
Entrants
must play one movement from the listed concerti in the Required Pieces
Syllabus. No other work is required.
Memory
is required.
Entrants
must provide their own accompanists. The second piano part should be performed
with the music. The accompanist should be available for the entire day of
performance date.
Long
passages in the accompaniment should be reduced. All cadenzas must be played in
their entirety.
Entrants
may play in the same concerto level for two or more years providing they play a
different movement from the listed concerti.
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.
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
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.
Memory
is NOT required. Judges must be furnished a copy of the score.
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.
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 (for teachers ONLY)
Festival Registrar:
Marjie Brake
46 Glenarden Road
Trumbull, CT 06611
Marjie.b@schubertclub.org