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COMPETITION DETAILS

Denver Percussion – Spring 2021 Percussion Ensemble Competition


 

  • Who: High School & Middle School Band Programs

  • When: Spring 2021 (April 9 – April 23, 2021) – All competitions are by video upload

  • What: Percussion ensemble for ensembles of at least 3 musicians, which follows present Colorado and CDC guidelines for groups and coronavirus prevention. RMPA/WGI style ensembles are encouraged to participate, and may submit the best video from their competitive shows. Rhythm section instruments (guitar, piano, bass, etc) are allowed. ​

  • Why: To keep kids engaged and give them a goal to look forward to, while still promoting musicianship and fun.

  • Cost: $50 per ensemble, no limit on number of ensembles from each school. Music and necessary instrumentation are additional expenses if/as necessary. Denver Percussion does have rental instruments available.

  • How: Band directors, or independent ensembles, will form groups to compete in a percussion ensemble competition for the fall of 2021. Students need not be percussionists to play in a percussion ensemble! Groups will select one or more pieces  for a minimum of 2 minutes but no more than 8 minutes of music for the group to perform (total video length must be less than 10 minutes). Please make sure to select music that is appropriately difficult for your ensemble, as music that is too easy will be boring, and music that is too difficult will be frustrating for your kids. 

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Groups will be scored on the following criteria:

    • Rhythm (50 points)

      • Individual rhythmic accuracy (20 points)

      • Ensemble rhythmic accuracy (20 points)

      • Complexity of rhythm (10 points)

    • Note accuracy (30 points)

      • Individual preparation (10 points)

      • Group preparation (10 points)

      • Complexity of music (10 points)

    • Musicality (20 points)

      • Individual phrasing & performance (10 points)

      • Ensemble phrasing & performance (10 points)


 

NOTE: There is no visual score for this competition, but ensembles are expected to dress and act professionally in their performance. Costumes related to the selected music are not required, but they may make the performance more fun for the group. Costumes will not increase, or decrease, a group’s score. Note that the actual performance is part of the musicality score, so performing well is encouraged.

 

There will be no designation by division/class for ensembles to choose (we will place groups as necessary).

 

Single file video submissions should be of high quality (HD1080 or better), from one fixed camera positioned to see the entire group. Note that the video may be comprised of a single take of the entire performance or mixed takes of individual pieces to allow for cleaning/sanitation between pieces. Stereo audio provided on the video should be of exceptionally good quality, and multichannel audio mixing (close micing) is allowed. Groups that do not have multichannel mixing capability may use a single stereo microphone. Please contact Denver Percussion with questions or for assistance in video and audio recording assistance as needed. We recommend you do a few dry runs of your video/audio work prior to the actual submission deadline!

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Videos are required to be uploaded by 11:59 MST on April 23, 2021. All videos will be uploaded through a DropBox.com or similar link supplied by Denver Percussion. These links are time restricted, and late uploads will not be accepted. Failure to upload a video will result in a score of N/V (no video). Videos are large files and will take quite a bit of time to upload. Do not wait until the last minute to upload your video!
 

IF YOUR SCHOOL CLOSES PRIOR TO THE UPLOAD DEADLINE, YOU MAY FILE FOR A PARTIAL REFUND OF YOUR COMPETITION FEE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ROUNDS YOUR GROUP HAS BEEN ABLE TO COMPETE IN.

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