FESTIVAL / RECITAL REGULATIONS

1. Teachers must use the unique electronic form for each Recital/Festival provided either on the website or by the event chairmen. Paper Forms are not accepted.
2. Entry Forms must be e-mailed by 10:00 PM on the deadline date.  Checks made out to GLMTA must be mailed to the Treasurer no later than one day after the entry deadline.  An email must be sent to both the Chair and the Treasurer the day the check is placed in the mail stating that the check has been mailed along with the number of entries and the amount of the check. .Teachers will be informed of their students’ playing times in writing or by e-mail at least 7 days, but preferably 14 days prior to the festival/ recital.

3.    Performers should arrive 10 minutes prior to their assigned recital time.

4.    Pupils must perform without music except in case of ensemble, or complicated 20^th//21st- Century avant-garde compositions with prior clearance from the chairman.

5.    Music should be in original form. No arrangements or abbreviations of classics may be used i.e. “Fur Elise”, Bach “Minuet in G” found in method books). Music from method books should be used with discretion.  All pieces should be identified by Op. # etc, and movement to be performed.  Concert transcriptions, such as the Bach/ Hess “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” are acceptable. Only one movement of a Sonatina or Suite may be performed.  Ensemble music may include arrangements of original works. A Bach Prelude or Fugue may be played individually – but also the combination of both is also accepted.

6.    Performance time normally should not exceed 10 minutes per student. Please provide accurate timings for each piece.  Please clear any exceptions with Chairman.

7.   Recital etiquette is the responsibility of the teacher. Respect for the students and teachers is an important concept to foster: (a) bowing; (b) silence during performance; (c) remaining until the end of the recital; (d) no pictures during the recital; (e) leaving babies and small children (who are not performing) at home, (f) not using/playing on phones or iPads during performances which is disturbing to other audience members – phones should be turned off or muted except when recording.  Parents may only record their own child’s performance. Students should only enter and exit the venue between student performances.  Students must stay until the conclusion of the recital to receive Trophy point Credit.

8.   Teachers should notify chairman immediately if a student is unable to perform. Please check with parents to see if a student can play before you submit a recital slip. Inform parents of their responsibility to see that students attend a scheduled performance and stay to the end. Please be certain students know their music before you enter them to avoid unnecessary cancellation.

 9.   Only students of teacher members may perform at festivals/recitals. Exceptions are: accompanists or ensemble participants (one student must study with a GLMTA teacher).

10.  It is recommended that teachers be in attendance, when their students perform, to handle any performance problems. Teachers who must be absent should arrange for another teacher to handle any problems, which may arise.

11.  Any special needs, such as early or late recitals, should be noted on entry forms. The Chairman will try to honor requests, but is under no obligation to do so.

12.  Teachers MAY NOT ENTER STUDENTS WITH DUPLICATE LITERATURE for any non-competitive event.

13.  The use of GLMTA Performance activities is a privilege, which assumes a minimum level of student/teacher preparations (i.e. correct notes, rhythms, dynamics, memory, etc.) Should

a teacher’s students consistently perform in a substandard level, that teacher will be contacted by an Activity’s Committee member. Continued inadequate preparation will result in the suspension of all performance privileges. Teachers suspended from performance privileges may have these privileges reinstated through auditioning their students. However, auditions are limited to not more than once a year.

14. The event Chairman must clear any exceptions to the above regulations.

Greater Laurel Music Teachers Association

SUMMER SOLO and ENSEMBLE RECITALS – 2024

There are two sets of Solo and Ensemble Recitals.  The virtual recitals will be at the beginning of August and the in-person recitals would be on Saturday August 24.  For virtual recitals to receive Trophy Points, students will be required to select their top three performances.  

Entry Fee:   $5 per student for solo and $5 per student for Ensemble (only one $5 fee regardless of the number of ensembles performed).  Teachers may not perform with their students.  Parents performing with students will also pay the entry fee. 

Entry Deadline for Virtual Recitals:  Both the entry form and the link to a student’s YouTube video (no other formats accepted) performance are due no later than 10:00 PM on Friday August 2^nd.  Only e-mail entries accepted.  Be sure the video is “unlisted” and available for listening by all participants. This will not be a playlist, so students will have no need to attend a recital.  The links will be forwarded to teachers for distribution to students. 

Entry Deadline Live Recitals:  August 9 by 10:00 PM.  Only e-mail entries accepted.

Solo Recitals for both events:  One piece per student.  Literature requirements are the same as for our regular recitals and festivals.  Memory required.  All videos must show the student’s profile and hands as well as the absence of printed music-  and no editing of the video is allowed.  

Ensemble Recitals for both events:  Students may enter multiple different pieces, as long as partners or instrumentation are different. Memory not required.

Literature:  Students may not perform any pieces that were used for Laurel events in the 2023-2024 season (through May 2024).

SPECIAL NOTE:  Because these are two different experiences, students may enter BOTH events and may enter the same literature in both Virtual and In-person recitals – although different literature for each event is also acceptable.  

Trophy Points:  FOR VIRTUAL – One point per solo piece performed and a maximum of two ensemble points are awarded provided the student returns their choices for their top three favorite performances. (performers can not select their own performance).  Teachers may also choose to  vote on each recital – but may not vote for their own students.  FOR IN PERSON – One point awarded per each piece performed with a maximum of two ensemble points.  

Entry Form:  Entry forms will be available in early July.  They will include instructions for completing and submitting the forms – including naming the files.    

Recital Program:  For both virtual and in person recitals each program will include about 10 participants.  For virtual, each teacher will be provided by August 4th with the recitals for their students and they will be responsible for forwarding the programs to their own students.  Students should return the programs to their teacher with their rankings no later than August 8^th so that teachers can return the results to Doug Guiles no later than August 9^th.  If a teacher has multiple students on a recital, he/she should combine all the results in one file before submitting.  

COMPETITION REGULATIONS

1. In general, competitions are not open to the public. The exceptions are the Young Musicians and Ensemble/Chamber Music competitions, provided there is adequate room. Any event held in a private home will be closed to the public. Teachers are welcome in the private home, but not in the audition room.  Most events are held at Laurel Presbyterian Church.
2. All entry forms should be submitted electronically and ONE TEACHER CHECK must be submitted for each individual competitive event at deadline. Individual checks or cash from parents will not be accepted. Teachers should forward all checks to Treasurer one day after the electronic deadline AND email both the Treasurer and the ChairPerson to say check has been mailed.
3. Unless otherwise stated, late entries will be accepted up to 10 days prior to the competition at the additional fee of $20.00 per entry. No refunds are made for withdrawn entries.
4. Unless otherwise stated, literature may be changed up to performance time provided literature conforms to competition requirement. (Exception: There is a $5.00 charge to change a piece of music in the Young Musicians Competition). An exact time is necessary for each piece to allow for the scheduling of sufficient time. Please check literature before entering and include op #, movement, etc, to be performed.
5. If a student has studied with more than one teacher in 12 months prior to the competition date, all teachers’ names must be listed on the entry form. Only the present teacher needs to submit.
6. Judges’ decisions are final and not to be questioned by teachers, students or parents. Criteria for judging is “a polished artistic performance.”
7. Student winners will be expected to perform at scheduled honors recitals.
8. All piano music must be memorized with the exception of complicated 20^th/21^st Century avant-garde compositions, which need to be cleared with the chairman before the deadline. Exceptions to this rule appear in individual competition descriptions. The memory requirement is waived for adult students unless they are competing against non-adults.
9. Solo music must be in original form. No arrangements, abbreviations of classics may be used. Concert transcription such e.g. Bach/Hess “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” may be used with advance chairman clearance.
10. Teachers may accompany their own students unless otherwise stipulated for a particular event. 
11. Teachers should avoid speaking to judges until the close of the judging day. Problems should be referred to the monitor or the chairman. Teachers should not sit with, talk to, or acknowledge in any way students or parents until after the announcement of winners.
12. Teachers are responsible to pick up critiques, certificates, medals, trophies and plaques. None will be mailed or delivered.
13. For most competitive events, the order in which students perform shall be as follows,  2024-2025 Alphabetical order by last name, 2025-2026 reverse alphabetical order by last name, 2026-27 alphabetical by first name, 2027-2028 reverse alphabetical order by first name.
14.  Chairman should provide (via e-mail) teachers with performance times at least fourteen (14) days prior to event.
15. Students must bring a copy of the music for the judges.  All entrants and accompanists must abide by the Federal Copyright Law.  Please mark measure numbers in the music.
16. CD sheet music and trademark is accepted in lieu of an original copy if properly documented or if in public domain.  Music editions published prior to 1929 are usually in public domain.  It will be the responsibility of the individual student and their parent to be sure that the music submitted for adjudication is a legal copy.  A good source for establishing something as public domain (and thus legal to copy) is IMSLP’s website.  
17. The Name of the student, parent, or teacher/institution should not be visible on the music provided to the judge.
18. Please check the website as well as other communications for any updates or changes of event  information.
19. All entry forms will be electronic and submitted to the chair via e-mail unless otherwise stipulated no later than 10:00 PM on the deadline date.  No paper copies will be accepted.  
20. Students and adults may enter ANY event non-competitively for a critique. Adults may compete only in those events that so specify in their rules. In all events, students dropping a piece may still perform non-competitive for a critique.
21. In order to avoid duplication, all judges must be cleared through the Student Activities Chairman before the invitation has been extended to the judge.
22. Teachers are expected to be available (a minimum of 4 hours) to help the day of the competition, if entering students. While a minimum of 4 hours must be designated on the entry form, based on number of teacher participants, the actual assignment could be more or less time. A teacher may offer a substitute if the substitute is another GLMTA member.