I. The recognized band festivals of the state of West Virginia will be held under the joint sponsorship of the West Virginia Bandmasters’ Association and the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission as a music education event for the instrumental music students of West Virginia schools.
II. All WVSSAC member schools (High School, Middle Schools/9th Grade) shall be required to participate in the festival of their region if band is in their class schedule. (See WVSSAC Rule 127-5-5.3)
III. Band Festivals may only be held with the sanction of the Secondary School Activities Commission.
IV. To be sanctioned, a festival:
A) Must be held from the Monday of Week 38 to the Saturday of Week 44 of the WVSSAC standardized calendar. The regional director shall be responsible to determine the appropriate date which must be submitted to the WVSSAC prior to June 1 of the year preceding the festival.
B) Must be held in a facility adequate to host a festival (i.e. warm-up rooms with stands, acoustically acceptable performance area, etc.)
C) Must accept only bands that meet WVSSAC eligibility requirements.
D) Must see that bands meet all Festival Plan requirements.
V. FESTIVAL PROCEDURE:
A) All music, with the exception of warm-up selections, must be selected from the current WVBA Graded Music List. New titles may be added to the Graded Music List by submitting them to the Graded Music List Chairman. Additions to the Graded Music List are at the discretion of the chairman. Submissions for the current school year must be postmarked no later than February 15. If a tune is not on the current Graded Music List, a No Rating will be given and the school will be notified accordingly. Two movements of a suite or one movement of a symphony shall constitute one selection. The WVBA Graded Music List may be accessed at the following web site: http://www.mhsbb.com/WVGradedMusicList.htm
B) The Chairman of the Music Grading Committee will be appointed by the President of WVBA and approved by the WVBA Executive Board. The chairman will then select his/her own committee with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.
C) No music shall be prepared and entered by a school in a festival more than once during any four consecutive years for high school and three consecutive years for middle schools. If the rule is not followed, the band will receive NR and the SSAC will be notified.The Festival Director must keep yearly records to enable the enforcement of this rule.
D) At the Festival, two separate selections from the current Graded Music List shall constitute the audition program. A warm-up selection may be played prior to these selections; however, it is not to be adjudicated. The warm-up selection may or may not be from the current Graded Music List.
E) The performance “level” of each band will be determined by the adjudicated selections.
F) The five ratings to be used in adjudication are: I, II, III, IV, and V.
G) A band may choose to have “Comments Only” instead of a rating. The Festival Chair will establish the deadline for such requests.
H) Adjudication ratings will be published as follows: SCHOOL, LEVEL, RATING (e.g. COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL, LEVEL VI, RATING II).
I) Sight reading shall be considered a festival option. If chosen, a sight reading judge will be hired. After performing the prepared festival music, the band will proceed to another performance area to read at sight a selection one level lower than the lowest level prepared. The sight reading grade will be considered separate from the other festival rating.
VI. FEES: A fee of $120.00 will be assessed for each band. This fee shall be sent to the director of the regional festival. If it is not postmarked on or before March 1, participation by the band will be at the discretion of the Festival Director. In the event the Festival Director elects to waive the March 1st deadline, a $50.00 fine will be assessed and must be paid on or before the performance date.
VII. Fee For Non-Participating Bands & Sanctions
If a band does not participate, a fee will still be assessed and due by March 1.
VIII. Adjudicators:
A) Festival judges shall be selected from a list of qualified adjudicators approved by the West Virginia Bandmasters’ Association. The assignment of festival judges will be made by the festival director with the assistance of the WVSSAC.
B) Additions to and deletions from the list of approved adjudicators may be made by submitting recommendations to the WVBA Executive Board. Festival Directors and band-masters from each region may recommend qualified adjudicators to the WVSSAC. These individuals may be exempt from the required adjudicators’ training.
C) Each band will be adjudicated on its prepared selections by three judges.
D) The official rating form approved by the WVBA shall be used for the adjudication.
E) For adjudicating a band festival, each judge shall be paid a fee of $175.00 and expenses which are to include $.31/mile travel and not more than $20.00 per day for meals. In addition, the Festival Director shall arrange suitable housing for the judges at the expense of the festival.
F) Each judge shall be supplied a numbered score of the audition music to be adjudicated. Judges are not to receive scores of warm-up selections. Photo copies are only permitted as provided by the US Copyright Law. If the rule is not followed, the regional director must notify the WVSSAC.
G) Judges shall use both recorded comments and adjudication forms to evaluate each band.
H) Sight reading adjudicators do not have to be on the approved adjudicators list.
IX. The Festival Director shall be someone closely associated with music education. The Director is responsible for all affairs of the festival. The Director shall submit a Festival Report to the WVSSAC no later than ten working days following the festival. This report shall consist of the financial report, ratings of each band, and a festival fee in the amount of $150.00.
X. Final authority in case of disputes or interpretation of rules shall rest with the WVSSAC.
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