Music News
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It’s Time to Rethink the Prescribed Music List Revision Process
By Richard Floyd | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:56 PM
As most of you probably know by now the University Interscholastic League is celebrating its 100th Anniversary during the 2009-2010 school year. Music has been a member of the UIL family for better than 60 of those years. As I have looked back at our history it has been interesting to see how some things have changed dramatically while others have remained static for decades.
Two Recent Issues Need Clarification in Sight Reading Contests
By Richard Floyd | Monday, December 14, 2009 1:27 PM
Yep. Texas is a big state. Let’s face it. According to Mapquest, it is 820 miles from Texarkana to El Paso and an equally impressive 930 miles from Texline in the Panhandle to Brownsville in the Rio Grande Valley. That’s a lot of wide-open spaces, and at countless locations in this vastness, there will be UIL Concert and Sight-reading Music Contests this spring. And, it will be the hope that most, if not all, will be run consistently and with little confusion or misunderstanding. Of course, this is always the goal but perhaps not always the reality.
Music Director Honors Former Band Director at State Meet
By Jeanne Acton | Tuesday, November 10, 2009 1:34 PM
At the Conference AA 2009-2010 State Marching Band Contest, Music Director Richard Floyd had the unique opportunity to honor a former high school band director, Charles Enloe of Wichita Falls, whose students participated in the first UIL Marching Band Competition in 1947.
Wind Ensemble Contest Provides a Valuable, Educational Experience for Students
By Richard Floyd | Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:08 PM
The State Wind Ensemble Contest was established in 1976 as a part of the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. During the years that followed, this event gradually evolved into the festival format that is in place today. It is now referred to as the State Wind Ensemble Festival (SWEF). It is viewed to be an educationally rewarding and positive experience for all participants. This year this prestigious event is scheduled for May 8, 2010.
Tips to Remember Before Competition Season Begins
By David Lambert, TMAA President | Tuesday, October 06, 2009 12:23 PM
We are once again well into the school year, and competitions will soon begin for bands, orchestras and choirs. As these events are set into motion, many of you will be asked to judge performances for organizations throughout the state. This will require every adjudicator to approach each event with decorum and professionalism.
TMAA is a professional organization that has made great strides in creating a cadre of adjudicators who demonstrate their dedication to the profession, and their fair approach to evaluating each adjudicated performance. We want to continue that perception and improve every year. With that in mind, I would like to provide a list of some of the things to remember when adjudicating these events.
• Re-read the rules for the event you are going to adjudicate. Rules change and we forget. It is always a good idea to re-read the rules each year and understand your role in the process. Sight-reading judges should know who gets extra time and how much. Too often, mistakes occur that could be avoided if time had been taken to review the rules and guidelines.
When You Find It, Speak It
By Ronnie Rios, Marching Band Vice President | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:57 PM
Find the great! See the great! Reward the great! Be the great! And, as UIL adjudicators, speak the great!
As we go through life, it is very important to remember that a bad lunch, a bad moment in time, even a bad rehearsal should be cherished. Why? Consider the alternative.
What if there was no lunch, no rehearsal or no moment to experience. Regardless of the circumstances we must strive to find the great in everything and acknowledge its value.
Many times we, adjudicators, often speak of one problem after another on our tapes or sheets. Although constructive criticism is imperative, we must also speak to the great that is happening or has potential to happen with the groups we adjudicate.
Having a group of students represent a school at a contest is an achievement. Having a group of students play music in an outdoor arena is an achievement. Having a group of students march from point A to point B 65 times is an achievement.
No Major Changes For Music This Year
By Richard Floyd | Thursday, August 13, 2009 11:59 AM
The UIL Music Program continues to operate in a relatively stable environment resulting in few rule changes for the 2009-2010 school year. In fact, only six rule modifications impact our music competitions. None of the rules are prohibitive and for the most part the rule changes are intended to create new options within the UIL music contest structure.
EXPANDED OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN MORE THAN ONE MUSIC CLASS. Beginning this year a student enrolled in multiple instrumental music classes may participate in the group representing each class provided the student is performing on a different instrument. For example a student who plays clarinet in the varsity band and wishes to learn to play saxophone and enrolls in a non-varsity band class to do so would be eligible to go to UIL contest with both groups. The same would be true for a string student enrolled in two string orchestra classes. [See Section 1102 (b)(1)(B)].
OPTION TO ZONE AREA MARCHING BAND CONTEST. By action of the Area Executive Committee and approval of the State Director of Music, the Area Marching Band Contest may be zoned to reduce travel for participating schools. A minimum of five bands must compete at each contest site, and one band per each five bands competing will be certified for advancement to the state contest. This accommodation has been made primarily for Area A because of the extensive travel conditions in the western part of the state. [See Section 1106 (j)(6)(A) and (B)]
Floyd Honored with Distinguished Music Award
By Staff | Friday, May 01, 2009 1:06 PM
The Texas Music Educators Association recently honored UIL Music Director Richard Floyd with the Distinguished Music Award. The award, which was presented to Floyd during the association’s convention in February, is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to Texas music education. “His commitment to guiding UIL music programs in a most professional manner as well as serving as clinician, conductor and a teacher of teachers through in-service presentations throughout our state and the nation has benefited literally tens of thousands of students,” the association’s publication said. Floyd has worked as a conductor, music educator and administrator for 46 years. He previously received the American School Band Directors Association Austin Harding Award in 2002, and the Texas Bandmasters Association named him Bandmaster of the Year in 2006.
Much Ado About Ethics
By Scott Coulson, TMAA Concert Band Vice President | Sunday, March 15, 2009 1:16 PM
The buzzword in the media today is ethics. Headlines are littered with stories about unethical behavior and those lacking integrity. Investors make poor financial decisions. CEOs of major corporations embezzle shareholder funds. Politicians misuse campaign funds or “forget” to pay their taxes! When I used to get the Leaguer in the mail, I confess that I went straight to the back page to see if I recognized anyone’s name under “Official Notices” and “Public Reprimands.” Come on, admit it, you did too!
The dictionary defines ethics as “principles or standards of human conduct, sometimes called morals” and integrity as “possession of firm principles: the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.” The Texas Music Adjudicators has its own Code of Professional Ethics. As TMAA members, it is our responsibility and even our mandate to maintain our professionalism and to be beyond reproach as we execute our judging duties. Though brief, the expectations of ethical behavior are clearly defined as follows:
Adjudicators shall know and uphold all rules for music competition in the current issue of the
Constitution and Contest Rules published by the University Interscholastic League.
Adjudicators shall be physically, emotionally and mentally fit to discharge their duties at music
contests.
Wishing Directors and Students a Successful Contest Experience
By Penny Meitz | Friday, January 23, 2009 12:15 PM
What makes a UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contest a success? Certainly it is much more than earning a Sweepstakes trophy or a Division I plaque. A successful contest has multiple components. Was the competition smoothly organized and implemented? Did students learn and grow musically from their preparation and participation? Did you, as director, learn from the UIL experience and/or the judge’s comments? These are all important components of a successful contest experience.
Do you remember participating in UIL as a student and how you felt after a UIL performance? Many of you will recall the exhilaration from knowing you performed well and received a high rating for the performance. Whatever the rating outcome, students should have a positive impression about their participation in the contest.
