Be Careful What You Wish For Applying For and Preparing Your Ensemble for an Invitational Performance
By Steve Tyndall
Why Put Yourself Through This? Applying for an invitational performance, whether it be a state, regional, national, or international conference, can be a stressful experience for the director. If you choose to apply, do so for all of the right reasons. Using an invitational performance as a teaching tool is admirable. Using such a performance as a career accelerator to pad your own personal resume is not! Applications are to be completed, deadlines have to be met, references gathered, performances recorded, parent’s organizations notified, and most importantly, your administration consulted. For a lot of director’s, making the commitment to apply can be the most stressful of all. It’s not a decision that you should take lightly. If accepted, and you don’t approach the event with the most positive outlook imaginable, it can affect your students, your program, your family, and even your personal health adversely. Everyone involved may decide “never again!” The director needs to weigh all of the pros and cons of applying very carefully. Is this the appropriate next step for your program? Meeting the qualifications described on the application itself can be a positive indication to the director that it is indeed time to proceed. But there is so much more to consider before the application process is completed and submitted. First, the conference for which you are applying should reflect of the current status of your program. If this is your first attempt at applying for any invitational performance, then set obtainable goals that will benefit your program, your school, and your young musicians.
The Application Process
While every invitational performance is extremely important, it is advisable to seek out a state conference or even a university invitation to begin this new chapter in your program’s success. Applying for invitational performances should be a tiered process. This is not meant to say that one particular performance venue is more important than another. Instead, the requirements of the performance (if accepted) as well as the logistics involved in getting your ensemble to the performance would be less involved at the state level and would offer the experience to all involved needed. This is an important step to consider.
When the decision has been made to apply and you have chosen your venue make sure that you have been a past attendee of the
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conference. Often the application will address this specifically, primarily to see that you are familiar with the ebb and flow of the conference and especially its clientele. Next, before anything else, consult your school administration. Most principals will see the value of such a performance for your program and your students, but they want to be informed. Keep these two thoughts in mind: 1) Almost every application requires an administrator’s signature to be considered complete, and 2) if your administrator hears about your plans second-hand (from a parent or staff member) he (or she) is caught off- guard and appears to be uninformed as to what happens in their own school. Administrators do not like this at all.
Next, all conferences and other invitational performance venues will require an audio recording, a video recording, or both. This is the make or break portion of the application…. for obvious reasons. Not only does the choice of music that you include in your recording need to be quality material performed with exemplary musicianship, the recording itself needs to a product of superior quality from superior recording equipment. Festival performances or recordings made in an acoustically complimentary performance hall are ideal. Make no mistake; using a recording studio is more acceptable. Using technology to clean, splice, or edit your recording is not a true representation of your ensembles’ true abilities and is considered professionally unethical. You will have to prepare a live performance that lives up to the digitally enhanced recording you submit. I was present at an international conference for a performance that left me feeling “how DID that group get invited?” Avoid placing your program, your students, and your career in that predicament.
In addition to the application and recording(s), you may be asked to supply references for your group and maybe even for yourself. Most applications also have a secondary form specifically for references. They might even be available on line, so that the individual can complete and send from the comfort of their own home. Choose your potential references wisely, preferably a group of your peers who have worked with and even adjudicated your ensemble. More importantly, peers who are familiar the potential of your group and feel that they will be a perfect fit the particular conference. It is perfectly acceptable to bring other professionals in to work with your group with the intent of using them as a reference. Avoid contacting folks who will serve on the
selection committee. They may be a respected colleague, a good friend, and even someone who has worked with your group in the past, but it could lead to a very uncomfortable situation. If there is any part of the reference portion of the reference will need to mail, be sure to mail or hand deliver the form along with and addressed and stamped envelope. Make the process as easy as possible for your colleagues, and be sure to formally thank them. One great way to do this is to acknowledge your references in the “Special Thanks” portion of your printed program for the event (if selected) or your program for your final performance of the season (whether or not you are selected). One last thought concerning the application process. If accepted, some conferences require an on-site informational meeting that in which you will need to plan. Your calendar will need to be cleared and finances available. Though required, the conference may not cover your costs incurred for this meeting.
Okay, so you talked to your administration, obtained a quality and unaltered performance recording, contacted references, and have checked and rechecked complete your completed application (did you and your administrator sign on the dotted line?) .
Now you wait. And as you wait, remember…
..do NOT call the conference selection committee repeatedly asking if the decision has been made. This can be very annoying and will not help your cause. The application will state a date and method of notification, and you should honor the process.
And finally, the good news arrives…. your ensemble has been selected! What to do next? BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!!
The Preparation Process
Many of my colleagues and I believe that being accepted for an invitational performance is the hardest part of the entire process. I have found this to be very true, but only if your approach to the preparation process is positive and enjoyable. By enjoyable I mean for all involved, yourself, the parents, the community, the administration, and most importantly your students. The months that follow will offer a fantastic opportunity for you to provide your students with an educational opportunity like no other. More importantly, you will have the opportunity to take music to the next level and create a lifelong memory for your students. That’s really what it should be about. So before we begin discussing preparations, remember to
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