Keyboard Studies at Northwestern

Festival of Pianist

April 5, 2008

Guidelines for Entries

* Sanctioned by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

* ELIGIBILITY:   Students currently in school grades 1-12 in Oklahoma or Kansas may enter the festival.   Students may compete for trophies and medallions, or may enter "for criticism only" (no rating or certificate).

* ENTRY FEE:   $10.00 per student.   The number of entries per teacher is unlimited. Entries must be postmarked by February 29, 2007.   Please make the check payable to Festival of Pianists.  There are no refunds of fees.   Teachers should not expect to substitute students who cancel their entries.

*Master class: $5.00 for each participant, who would like to take a mini-lesson with Dr. Ling-Yu Kan at an open class in front of the audience.  Everyone is welcome to participate this open and free-discussing clinic.  Please make check payable to Festival of Pianists.  There are no refunds of fees. The availability of entry will depend on the numbers we receive. 

* CATEGORIES:   Students may enter in one of four categories, depending on their grade in school.   Elementary I, grades 1-3; Elementary II, grades 4-6; Junior High, grades 7-9; and Senior High, grades 10-12.

* MUSIC REQUIREMENTS:  The music should be selected for the student according to his or her own abilities.   Each student should provide a copy of the music, with all measures numbered, for the adjudicator.   Illegally reproduced copies of music will be grounds for disqualification of the student.   The music must be memorized; if not, the rating will be reduced one full rating.   Students performing "for criticism only" have the option of using their music in performance, but must remember to provide a second copy for the judge's use.

* TIME LIMIT:  Five minutes per student.

* RATINGS:   Students will be rated on their performance, according to the following standards:
I+ Superior-Plus: a flawless performance.
I Superior: a near-flawless performance, with only minor problems.
II Excellent: indicative of minor technical or musical problems.
III Good: indicates some musical qualities, but the student exhibits major technical and/or musical problems.
IV Poor: an unsatisfactory performance, with significant problems throughout.

* AWARDS:
ROUND ONE:   All entrants in Round One will receive criticism sheets and certificates of merit.

ROUND TWO:   All entrants who receive a Superior-Plus (I+) rating in Round One are invited to participate in Round Two.  There are no additional awards for this round.   Up to five finalists from each age category will be selected to advance to Round Three.

ROUND THREE:   The finalists will perform in the Festival Honors Recital, which will be presented in Herod Hall Auditorium at approximately 2:30 p.m. (depending on the number of performers in Round Two).   Third through fifth place winners in each category will receive medallions; first and second place winners in each category will receive trophies.

* SCHEDULING REQUESTS:  Requests will be honored only to the extent possible.   Every effort will be made to maintain a schedule that is fair to all students.   Round One will begin approximately 8:00 a.m. and will be finished by noon.   Round Two will begin as soon as possible after lunch, at approximately 1:30 p.m.

* FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:  The schedule will be mailed to all teachers by March 28, 2008.  Please double-check the schedule to be sure all your students are listed.   Make every effort to have your students arrive at their room ten to fifteen minutes before their scheduled performance.  In the event of conflicts with school activities, we will make every effort to accommodate the student; however, all Round One performances must be finished prior to completion of that round.   Please alert us to any conflicts before the day of the festival, if at all possible, so that corrections may be made to the schedule.

* FACILITIES:  Festival Headquarters is Fine Arts 315. Students in the first two rounds will perform on grand pianos in Fine Arts 200, 326, and 327.   The third round will be performed on a Baldwin concert grand piano in Herod Hall Auditorium.

As soon as ratings are posted on the bulletin board, teachers (or someone designated by them) may pick up their students' materials from the office (Fine Arts 315).   Music, criticism sheets, certificates, and the like will not be mailed.

Postmark deadline for all entries is February 29, 2008.   For each entry, include the name of the student, their school grade and hometown, the title of their piece, and its composer.   Send a copy of your entries with a single check made payable to "Festival of Pianists" to:

Dr. Ling-Yu Kan
Assistant Professor of Music
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
709 Oklahoma Blvd.
Alva, OK 73717

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me:
Phone: 580-327-8690
Fax: 580/327-1881
E-mail: lykan@nwosu.edu

Thank you for your interest in the Festival of Pianists.

Registration Form