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Official Competition Rules & Requirements

48th Annual TFMC All State Festival
2023 OFFICIAL COMPETITION RULES & REQUIREMENTS

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT DEADLINE: April 10, 2023

VIDEO LINK SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: May 1, 2023

REGISTRATION LINK LOCATED AT: https://www.tfmcallstatefestival.org

This event is sponsored by Texas Federation of Music Clubs and is a competition specifically designed for Texas Junior Division members, residing in Texas, who participate in the National Federation of Music Clubs non-competitive Festival Program. Generally, NFMC rules listed in the Federation Festivals Bulletin apply. Exceptions are listed within this document.

These are the Official Competition Rules & Requirements governing the Texas Federation of Music Clubs (TFMC) All State Festival Competition. Although national, state, and local governmental restrictions concerning public health during the pandemic are easing, TFMC Junior Division Leadership is continuing the virtual All State Festival event format for this year for the following reasons:

to protect the safety and welfare of our student festival participants (as well as our judges, teachers, and volunteers) in compliance with NFMC/TFMC Child Protection policies;
to provide festival participants with more flexible performance opportunities;
to facilitate increased participation (those living too far away to travel); and,
to ease chronic scheduling conflicts for busy students/families; teachers, judges, and festival workers,

We understand that some of our participants would like to return to a live event. With this in mind, we are considering possibilities in the foreseeable future.

GENERAL FESTIVAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES

General rules as set forth in the most recent edition of the Federation Festivals Bulletin are in effect for this event. Exceptions listed below are adapted for and specific to the TFMC All State Festival event.

ELIGIBILITY:

Festival participation is open to any Junior NFMC Member who has earned a Superior Rating in an NFMC/TFMC District/Local Festival during the current festival year and who meets the following criteria:

Is a legal resident of Texas.
Is 18 years of age or under on the qualifying district festival date
Has not graduated from high school prior to the qualifying district festival date
Only teachers are allowed to register eligible students.
Teachers entering students must be a current Senior Member of NFMC/TFMC.
Teachers may only enter students whom they personally teach.
At this time, ADULTS who perform in the district/local level festivals ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO ENTER THE STATE FESTIVAL.

EVENTS: All events listed in the NFMC Federation Festivals Bulletin are available for participants at TFMC State Festival with the exception of Dance and Musicianship - Improvisation. NEW EVENT–THEORY TESTS! This year, the events offered at TFMC’s All State Festival will include theory tests! Refer to the website for more information: https://www.tfmcallstatefestival.org.

PERFORMANCE PIECE: Only Required Pieces from the NFMC Festival Bulletin can be performed. All selections registered at the All State Festival must be the SAME Required Pieces performed at the current local/district NFMC festival for which a Superior rating was awarded.

ZOOM OR VIDEO PERFORMANCES?: Solo and ensemble performances will be judged from online video submissions. Sight Play/Sing will be adjudicated using online Zoom meetings. The new Theory Event will occur using Zoom meetings with breakout rooms. Participants in the All State Festival Competition remain eligible to receive awards, certificates bearing written feedback from our experienced judges, plaques for All State Winners, and monetary awards where applicable.

VIRTUAL STUDY: Students taking virtual or online lessons are required to have performed at the 2023 TFMC District level festival in person or in a district-sponsored virtual event. They must submit a performance video if they choose to participate in the All State Festival event with the exceptions of Theory or of Sight Play/Sing (online Zoom meetings).

SCJM: Specially Capable Junior Musicians (SCJM) requiring special aid or consideration are encouraged to enter as NON-COMPETE entries. Upon registration for TFMC All State Festival, advise the event chairman (email, text or phone) about the details of each student’s special designation. The SCJM designation will NOT appear on the rating sheet or other documentation.

ENSEMBLE PARTNER SUBSTITUTIONS: Occasionally, an ensemble member is unable to participate in the state-wide festival. A substitute partner is allowed in this case, only if the following qualifications are met. A substitute partner must be a Federation junior member whose solo level is within 2 levels of the remaining partner. Only 1 substitution per duet, duo, trio or quartet is allowed. A teacher, parent, any other adult, or a non-NFMC member may NOT substitute for missing ensemble partners. A student may not perform in more than one of any ensemble event. (1 duet and 1 trio, but not 2 duets or 2 trios) Emergency substitution, except as described here is prohibited.

LARGE ENSEMBLE ENTRIES OF 5+ MEMBERS: At registration, give each large ensemble a name, such as “Cornerstone Choir”.

ACCOMPANIMENTS: The applicant must perform with a piano accompaniment unless the piece is written for unaccompanied solo or ensemble. Recordings are acceptable when accompaniment is required by the composer in the published piece. General Bulletin requirements apply with these exceptions: accompanists for solo or concerto entrants do not receive a plaque or ribbon award, even if they are Junior members. Entrants in the Piano Accompaniment Event must provide their own soloists or ensemble performers. Piano Accompaniment Event entrants do receive an award, but their soloists or ensemble performers do not. Use of a pre-recorded accompaniment is acceptable.

MEMORY REQUIREMENTS: NFMC Bulletin instructions and NFMC directives will be followed regarding memory requirements. No extra credit is to be given for memorized performances at events where memory is not required. Refer to the Bulletin for specifics.

HYMN AND PATRIOTIC/FOLK EVENTS: These will perform the Required Piece exactly as written with no additions or improvisations.

CONCERTOS: Please omit repeats of 10 or more bars for any entry and reduce long accompaniment sections. Due to time limitations, only 10 minutes of any concerto shall be adjudicated and judges will determine starting and stopping points.

ADJUDICATION PROCEDURES: Submissions will be judged after being validated and prepared for adjudication. Our judges are well qualified, experienced and highly recommended adjudicators. Our entrants perform for the judge and compete with other entrants in a group containing entrants in the same event and level. The size of each group is determined by the number of entries received. All performance videos will be grouped in this manner and adjudicated appropriately.

Adjudicators will reference PDFs of student owned music scores plus performance videos as they write critiques/comments. All Judges Comments and Ratings will be printed on Certificates and shipped with awards to District Chairmen for distribution to area teachers as soon as is possible.

Please realize that professional printing does take a considerable amount of prep and production time as does packing and shipping. We hope to have everything completed by the first part of June.

RATINGS AND AWARDS:

Each performance receives one of the following ratings: Very Good, Excellent, Superior, Outstanding or All State Winner. Each student will receive ONE award for each performance, either a plaque or a ribbon. The only exceptions are Ensembles of 5+ members that receive ONE award per group.

Monetary Award Winners will be notified shortly after adjudication is closed. Award money will be disbursed by the TFMC State Treasurer approximately two weeks after all required paperwork is processed. All State Winners will receive a plaque and become eligible for inclusion in the All State Honors Virtual Recital to be held during the TFMC Annual Convention on Junior Day in August, 2023.

All plaques, ribbons and ratings sheets will be shipped to District Festival Chairs at the end of the event for distribution to teachers. This usually occurs the first part of June.

RATING DEFINITIONS:

All State Winner – Only ONE performance from each group will be chosen as the All State Winner. Simply put, the best performer in a folder group. The winner is chosen from the Outstanding ratings in each folder. Judges may withhold the All State Winner award ONLY if there are no Outstanding ratings in a folder.

Outstanding -- Excellent musical and technical performance; all elements (dynamics, style, phrasing, marks of expression, fingering, pedaling, memory, musicality, etc.) present and working together; this great performance is of public recital quality. This rating is NOT merely 2nd place. Any worthy performance can receive this rating. Receives the red, white, and blue rosette ribbon award.

Superior -- A good performance with at least one or two elemental difficulties or a few clear note and/or rhythm errors. Receives a blue ribbon award.

Excellent -- Shows accomplishment and good potential, but has numerous elemental weaknesses or errors in notes and rhythm. Receives a red ribbon award.

Very Good -- Needs help in fundamentals, i.e. rhythm, memory, notes, understanding and preparation. Receives a green ribbon award.

MONETARY AWARDS:

Each Monetary Award Event Winner will receive a Monetary Award. Eligible Events are selected according to the number of entries in pre-selected events. Only official Monetary Award Winners are eligible to receive a cash award plus the opportunity to be showcased on our TFMC All State Honors Virtual Recital at our annual Convention or on our YouTube Channel. Cash awards are made at the discretion of the judges. All decisions by TFMC All State Festival and its judges are binding and final.

Monetary awards will be provided each year as funds are available. The following events are eligible:

PIANO: Piano Solo MA2, MA1, VD2, VD1, D2, D1, Piano Concerto SR, JR3

ORGAN: Organ Solo MA2, MA1

VOCAL: Vocal Art Song Solo MA3, MA2, MA1

STRING: Violin Solo ADV2, ADV1

Violin Concerto SR

Viola Solo ADV2, ADV1 Viola Concerto SR

Cello Solo ADV2, ADV1 Cello Concerto SR
String Bass Solo ADV

Harp Solo ADV Harp Concerto

Classical Guitar Solo ADV Classical Guitar Concerto

MINIMUM ENTRANTS: A Monetary Award event must have a minimum of three (3) entrants. Monetary Awards are provided for only ONE All State Winner in each of these listed events. VIRTUAL PLAYOFFS: Should there be more than one All State Winner selected in any single Monetary Award level, a virtual playoff will occur and ONE Monetary Award Winner will be selected for that level. AWARD WITHHELD: Should an All State Winner NOT be chosen in any event, the monetary award will be withheld. Judges’ decisions are final. MONETARY WINNER REQUIREMENTS: Before funds are released to the winner, NFMC/TFMC memberships of BOTH teachers and students will be validated. Unpaid dues will result in the withholding of funds. TFMC monetary award winners will be required to sign a Publicity Release and to submit their social security number and IRS Form W9 to the TFMC Treasurer (IRS rule). No award transfer, assignment, or substitution by any All State Winner is permitted. TAXES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS.

MUSIC PDF SCORES

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY TO UPLOAD

Video and Score PDF Submission Deadline is May 1, 2023, 11:59 PM CDT (Central Daylight Time). Adjudication begins approximately May 15.

Please read the following carefully. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in rejection of submitted materials.

All music scores shall be submitted in PDF format and meet the following standards:

Include copyright notation in the scan
Include cover of the book/sheet music in the scanned PDF
Remove teacher name or other identifying information from scanned pages.
NUMBER THE MEASURES – videos will be rejected if PDF scores do not have numbered measures
JPG/JPEG format is NOT acceptable
Name/rename PDF files using the following naming convention:

Solo/Concerto events: StudentLastName StudentFirstName Event Class
- Example: Bunny Bugs ViolinSolo Primary4
- Highlighting is for illustration purposes only. Use plain text when naming files.

Duet/Duo events: Student1LastName Student1FirstName Student2LastName Student2FirstName Event Class

Trio events:
Student1LastName Student1FirstName Student2LastName Student2FirstName Student3LastName Student3FirstName Event Class

Quartet events: Student1LastName Student1FirstName Student2LastName Student2FirstName Student3LastName Student3FirstName Student4LastName Student4FirstName Event Class

Large Ensemble of 5 or More: EnsembleGroupName Event Class

Save these PDF scores where they are easily accessible for upload to each student registration record. Delete them all when the event is over.

VIDEO AND RECORDING

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY TO UPLOAD

Video and Score PDF Submission Deadline is May 1, 2023, 11:59 PM CDT (Central Daylight Time).

NO NEED TO PROVIDE LINKS THIS YEAR – JUST UPLOAD THE VIDEO.

Please read the following carefully. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in rejection of submitted materials.

Submissions will be judged beginning May 15, 2023. Results are expected to be distributed to participating TFMC teachers by May 25, 2023. All State Winners will be notified later in May, 2023. Submissions may be disqualified at any time for non-compliance. Submitted (if any) materials will not be returned. No submission will be accepted after Monday, May 1, 2023.

There is no ‘live’ performance – all adjudication will take place online through video submission except for Sight Play/Sing and Musicianship - Theory which will utilize online Zoom meetings. Please prepare as high-quality a video as possible to give a fair representation of the performance. Such videos are possible to create using smartphones, iPads, laptops, cameras, or other recording devices. More information will soon be available on the festival website, but the following guidelines must be observed:

Performances for each class/level solo or ensemble entry must be recorded in one take with no edits.
If a student participates in multiple events, each event must be recorded separately.
Music scores must not be visible unless the event does NOT require memorization.
Participants must perform with accompaniment where required.
Confirm that an accompaniment (when used) is soft enough to hear the soloist – especially important in vocal recordings.
The video must be from only one fixed angle that best shows the performer (and accompanist if applicable) in performance mode (be mindful of pieces that require pedal, movement, accompaniment). Stabilize the recording device so that it does not need holding by hand.
If possible, allow at least 8’ distance from performer as though a judge were seated at a recital.
Dress appropriately for performance: church or concert attire, shoes, presentable appearance.
Ensure recording device is fully charged or plugged in.
Create a quiet environment for recording. Remove distractions; put the pets out; nothing on top of piano; clear performance area as if the judge were a guest in your recording studio.
Eliminate external noises/sounds that might interfere.
Limit the number of trials/attempts at recording the “perfect” performance. Many times the first “take” will be the best!
No multi-angled videos/montages will be accepted as they suggest that the audio and/or video was probably edited.
Name/rename the videos using the same standard as naming PDFs.
TFMC reserves the right to immediately disqualify any submission that shows editing within a piece.

REGISTER

Please do not wait until the last day to register!

REGISTRATION AND FEES PAID DEADLINES ARE BOTH ON OR BEFORE APRIL 10TH. THERE WILL BE NO ADDITIONS AFTER APRIL 15TH. Any late registrations after April 10th will need to be registered by event staff and will be subject to late fees. Contact information is located on the last page of this document. Please mail late fees immediately and notify Event Chairman by email.

BY MAKING A SUBMISSION TO THIS COMPETITION, YOU (1) ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE FOREGOING RULES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS; AND (2) AGREE TO BE BOUND THEREBY.

Please make sure your contact information, email address, phone number and District Festival # are correct upon registration. Your physical address must include Street, City, State, and Zip Code

You will need a computer with internet access, your NFMC Federation Festivals Bulletin, and your list of entries.

Entrants are required to be registered ONLY under the teacher who actually teaches the entrant, exception ensembles. See below.

Teachers must register individually and not under a studio or group name. If large studios need to pay with one check for several teachers, a studio representative must contact event chair and provide a list of teachers and expected individual fees.

An ensemble is registered as one performance with multiple performers. Ensembles with students from multiple teachers must register under ONE teacher who will pay all fees and receive all awards from the District Chair for the entire registered ensemble for disbursement to students.

Accuracy is the responsibility of the teacher. The way you type your entries is exactly how they will print out on rating sheets. Any misspelling is YOURS, and cannot be corrected after rating sheets are printed. Please proofread as you enter the data and before you click SAVE for each performance registered. If you discover an error, please let us know BEFORE adjudication on May 15. We are happy to fix misspellings for you if we know about them in time. We recognize this is very important to the children and the parents.

Please use normal punctuation, including BOTH capital and lower case letters. PLEASE DO NOT USE ALL CAPS OR ALL LOWER CASE LETTERS, ESPECIALLY IN NAMES. What looks “cool” in one font looks awful in another. Upper and lower cases greatly affect Rating Sheet printer formatting and font selections.

Fill out the Worksheets attached at the end of this document before you begin. This helps make registration go smoothly and more quickly.

Go to https://www.tfmcallstatefestival.org. Find the Registration Button and CLICK it to begin.

Only create ONE teacher account/profile using your email address. If you’ve lost/forgotten previously used passwords, click on the option to receive an email sending you a new link to your account/profile.

The online registration software registers one performance at a time. It is intuitive and self-explanatory.

Entries are accepted only for events listed in the current festival bulletin, with the exception of Dance and Musicianship/Improvisation. Musicianship/Theory is now included as an event, however. Entries and fees are accepted only from NFMC member teachers, and NOT from individual students or from public schools, private schools or other private entities.

This year, you will upload the actual video file of the performance and the score/pdf files stored on your computer into the Simplissimo registration application. It’s pretty simple and instructions will be right in front of you. However, if you need help, just let us know.

LATE ENTRIES: Do NOT attempt to add entries after April 10. Register ONLY the students you are certain will participate. No Withdrawals or fee refunds will be made. Exceptions/Additions after April 10th can only be entered by festival staff. NO ADDITIONS AFTER APRIL 15th. Additions after April 10 are subject to Late Fees. Mail your Late Entry Fees IMMEDIATELY and email chairman to notify.

FEES and FEE PAYMENTS

TFMC Festivals will not be responsible for event cancellation due to internet interruption beyond our control, tragedy, terrorist, security, weather, illness, pandemic or bank failure or any other issues or government or community requirements.

EVENTS ENTRY FEES

EACH SOLO OR CONCERTO EVENT $ 37.00

EACH MUSICIANSHIP-THEORY TEST $ 37.00 NEW ALL STATE EVENT

EACH DUET/DUO $ 52.00

EACH TRIO $ 78.00

EACH QUARTET $ 104.00

EACH GROUP OF 5+ $ 130.00

LATE ENTRIES Late fees equal to entry fee

LATE FEES After April 10th

Fees are due April 10 by postmark. If fees are not mailed and postmarked on or before April 10, LATE FEES APPLY.

Payments are accepted from music teachers only.

Individual checks from students/parents will NOT be accepted.

Private music studios with multiple teachers wishing to write one check for all fees will need to email a spreadsheet list of individual teacher names, addresses, phone numbers and the amount of fees paid per teacher. Send to GDERT9@gmail.com at the same time fees are paid. Please also provide the name of a contact person for the studio along with his or her phone number and email address in case of questions.

Payments from public and/or private general education schools will not be accepted.

We accept payments of personal checks, cashiers’ checks, checks issued through your bank’s BillPay option, and money orders. Make one check out for your entire registration to “TFMC Festivals” and mail to the Chairman, address below. Teachers, please make sure your name, address, and phone number are printed on the check. Don’t forget to sign the check!

We also accept payments through Zelle to our email address only, GDERT9@gmail.com. If you accidentally send money to other accounts, or to a phone number, we will not be responsible to recover it for you. If you Zelle your payment, you are required to send a separate email to GDERT9@gmail.com and provide your name, address and phone number, the date and amount that was submitted via Zelle to our festival account for registration fees for accounting purposes.

We no longer have a PayPal account or any other digital/electronic payment method which can receive festival payments except for the Zelle account mentioned above.

Fee payments are NON-REFUNDABLE. TFMC Festivals will not be responsible for event cancellation due to internet interruption beyond our control, tragedy, terrorist, security, weather, illness, pandemic, bank failures, or any other issues or reasons or government or community requirements.

Payment of fees constitutes consent to TFMC’s All State Festival Agreement as follows:
- Teacher certifies that the teacher, students, and parents will abide by all rules and regulations for this festival.
- All fees are nonrefundable - even if the entrant is disqualified.
- Judges decisions are final.
- TFMC All State Festival will not use performance videos for any purpose other than Festival adjudication without a signed release.

Mail one check payable to “TFMC Festivals” to:

(write your name, address and phone number on the check)

Cathlyn C. Neidert, Chairman

TFMC ALL STATE FESTIVAL

P.O. Box 2313

Wylie, TX 75098

214.514.1799 cell Gdert9@gmail.com

TFMC ALL STATE FESTIVAL STAFF

Please add the following email addresses to your contacts so emails to you won’t end up in trash or junk mail.

Cathy Neidert - TFMC All State Festival Chair, TFMC Junior Division Chair

Gdert9@gmail.com

Policies, Rules and Requirements, Finance, Scheduling, Adjudication, Awards, Shipping, Event Management

Mary Thomason - TFMC Junior Counselor, TFMC Webmaster, TFMC Public Relations Chair, TFMC District 6.2 Festival Chair mary@icanlearnmusic.com staff@tfmcallstatefestival.org tfmcallstatefestivalstaff@gmail.com

Simplissimo Access, Training, Support, Tech Team Management, All State Festival Webmaster, Assists Event Management

Seth Thomas - TFMC District 2.4 Festival Chair

TechSupport@tfmcallstatefestival.org tfmcallstatevideo@gmail.com

Support for creating Music PDF Scores and Performance Videos, Tech Team Support, Admin Support

Parents, please kindly allow Teachers to contact the festival staff on your behalf for answers to questions. We are happy to work directly with a parent needing help with tech issues if the teacher has received prior permission from a TFMC staff member requested above.

There are a number of other staff members on our team as well who may be available to help. Our core team has a very tight production timeline to complete this prestigious competition. Any delays to our schedule can push our students receiving their awards further into the summer months than expected. So we are working very hard to provide a first rate, timely experience for our participants. Thanks for your understanding and for your encouragement! We surely appreciate you and celebrate your interest in the musical training of your children! Our team is here to serve our students and families and our teachers.

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