Please read these guidelines carefully before entering students in OMTA events. Check the monthly Con Brio newsletter and the website regularly for updates and changes.

• All pianists, vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles are encouraged to participate.

• Most events take place on Sunday afternoons with 45-minute recitals scheduled to begin on the hour.

Teacher Guidelines

Eligibility:
Participating teachers must be current with OMTA dues.

Fees:
Entry fees must be submitted with the entry form and are non-refundable. At least one performer of an ensemble must study with a current OMTA teacher. The entry fee is paid by the OMTA student.

Entries:
All entries submitted must use forms from the OMTA or our district website. Entrants must meet repertoire requirements and guidelines. Please include complete and legibleinformation on the entry form. Include the first and last name of the composer and the arranger when applicable.

Deadlines:
Please respect entry deadlines. Event chairs need two weekends to get programs together. Late entries may be accepted until recitals are full or at the discretion of the event Chair.

Scheduling:
When making requests for scheduling, please give the event Chair at least two options. Scheduling requests will be given careful consideration and granted whenever possible.

Time Limit:
Students are limited to a maximum of 8 minutes performance time per recital. Teachers are limited to a maximum of 15 minutes total performance time for each recital. Each teacher may enter a maximum of 45 minutes of total performance time per festival. Accurate timingof pieces is critical to keep recitals running on schedule.

Dress:
Students must dress according to the Eugene District dress code.

Copies:
Photocopies of a musical score are not allowed for performers or adjudicators. A photocopy used to facilitate a page turn is acceptable for the performer only. Music downloaded from a CD-ROM or the Internet should be presented in a folder with the permissions page on top.

Trophy Points:
Students are awarded one OMTA trophy point for participation in any festival sponsored by Eugene District or the State OMTA. See State Guidelines and Procedures.

Use of Recording Equipment State Policy revised June 2012

OMTA sponsored events shall be conducted according to the highest standards of dignity and concert hall protocol to promote optimal conditions for the participants. Use of recording equipment is permitted at the discretion of the event chair. The operators of recording equipment must act discreetly to maintain the concert hall atmosphere. The use of recording devices to contravene copyright laws is illegal and may be prosecuted. Recordings may not be used to contest the decisions of the adjudicators as the decisions of the adjudicators are final

Teachers are responsible for making parents aware of this policy.

Before the Recital

1. Advertise to teachers through the Eugene OMTA email, write an article for Con Brio, and send information to our Social Media coordinator. The article for Con Brio should be published two issues preceding the month of the event.

2. Send a reminder email about the deadline a week before the deadline.

Insurance

1. Insurance for events - MTNA offers free event affiliate insurance for events. Click for program information.

Preparing Recital Programs

1. A minimum of three teachers, preferably more, should be represented at each recital. Even though we have a rule of a maximum of 15 minutes per recital per teacher, if a teacher has more than 4 or 5 students it is best to put their students in more than one recital.

2. Students are limited to a maximum of 8 minutes of performance time per recital unless otherwise indicated in the recital description.

3. Put an individual teacher’s students in consecutive recitals if possible.

4. There should be a good representation of lower and upper division students at each recital.

5. Place younger, less advanced students at the early part of the recital and older more advanced students later in the recital. End with a strong performer.

6. Avoid putting more than one performance of a piece in a recital if at all possible. If that is not possible separate them by several pieces.

7. Allow time (approximately 15 – 30 seconds) between each student’s performance in calculating the total performance time of the recital.

8. Recitals should begin on the hour and last approximately 45 minutes. This may not be possible for very large festivals.

9. Send a copy to participating teachers to proof before printing.

Announcements at the Beginning of the Recital

1. Introduce yourself and welcome the audience on behalf of the OMTA.

2. Ask audience to turn off cell phones.

3. No flash cameras during performance. Pictures may be taken at the end of the recital.

4. Request that the audience plan to stay for the whole performance. If it is necessary to leave, please do so between performances.

5. Announce any changes in the order of the program. (If there are any changes in the order of the performances you may have to again announce the changes during the recital to prevent confusion.)

6. Ask students to bow only at the end of his or her performance (except at the Baroque Festival).

7. Ask that the next student come up during the clapping for the previous student.

8. When you have made all the announcements, introduce the first student.

9. At the end of the recital, recognize teachers whose students played in the recital.

Help on Recital Day

When sending e-mails or calling teachers with their schedule, ask a few teachers whose students are performing to assist during the recital. Some things they might assist with are:

1. Handing out programs.

2. Checking off students on the program as they enter.

3. Seating the students if needed.

4. Making the announcements (be sure the teacher has a list of everything that has to be mentioned).

5. Guarding the door before the next recital.

After the Recital

1. Email an Event Report and copy of the program to the District President.

2. Send a remittance form and a request for payment form to the District Treasurer.

3. Submit an article to Con Brio that includes information similar to the Event Report submitted to the President.

Recitals are opportunities for our students to demonstrate what they have learned, show their growth in musical understanding and gain poise and confidence. They are also an educational introduction to the concert hall for both students and their families. Through teaching and practice, they learn considerate etiquette for the concert/recital hall.

In order to showcase the best of what our students can do, a solid preparation is essential for the student and their family. Here are some ideas we’ve gleaned from Virginia Buhn, Lea Mirabella and Dorothy Munz:

1. Lay a firm foundation of technique and theory.

2. Cover a wide selection of repertoire at each level. Include more than what is contained in the method books. There are so many choices of supplemental repertoire to delight and challenge the students.

3. Develop concepts of style and expression with each piece. For example, how is the Mier jazz piece different from the Gillock waltz? Do the staccatos in the jazz piece sound the same as in the waltz? Help the student so he/she not only “feels” the expression but can project those feelings/sounds to the audience. Can the student’s dynamic contracts be easily heard from the back row? Compare and contrast with the student. Play and listen.

4. Choose repertoire carefully for recitals. The method book is similar to the students’ school reader, i.e., short stories covering educational concepts but not the stuff of book reports and special projects. The grade school student is excited to read those special books for reports. The same should hold for our selection of special pieces for performing at special events.

5. Memorization – the key to reliable performance. Memorization should be expected at least three to four weeks ahead of the event. Teachers can drill the various memory spots to make the memory work secure.

6. Rehearsals are paramount. Rehearse with the student on how to walk up, adjust the bench, mentally prepare, perform, bow and exit. Rehearse the piece at home with parents, friends, at school, with stuffed animals, etc. Rehearse and enjoy in special playing classes where students can share their special music with each other. These rehearsals can start with the shy student using his/her music, then gradually moving toward full memorization. The primary purpose is to grow and learn how to perform in front of others.

7. Studio and OMTA recitals offer a more formal environment where students are encouraged to play to the best of their ability. Suggest that students “dress up” for this special event that showcases what they have accomplished.

8. Even with solid preparation, students are human and make mistakes. Even the best prepared student will have off days. With solid preparation, students and teachers are better able to deal with mishaps along the way and continue to take on the challenge of performances and growth.

Please help to make all OMTA recitals and events a pleasant musical occasion for everyone by following these rules of recital etiquette:

1. Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before the recital is scheduled to begin. Wait quietly if an earlier recital is still in progress. Do not block exits.

2. Absolute quiet is essential during the recital. Talking, whispering, rustling programs and other annoying sounds distract the performers and annoy the audience.

3. Do not bring food or drink to the recital. Most churches and recital halls do not allow food or drink.

4. Avoid bringing babies and very young children to recitals. They cannot be expected to remain silent for an entire program. If you must bring young children, keep them as quiet as possible and take them out of the recital hall if they become restless or fussy.

5. Sit quietly during the recital. Children should remain seated with their parents and no one should be moving around the recital hall during the program

6. Plan to stay for the entire recital. It is impolite to leave before the program is over.

7. If you must leave the recital briefly, always exit and re-enter during applause, not while someone is performing.

8. Do not use any device that could startle performers and annoy the audience. This includes cellular phones, flash cameras and tape recorders. Please silence pagers and cell phones. Do not block the aisles with tripods or move about with video cameras. Photographs may be taken of the students at the piano after the recital is over.

9. Support every student with your generous applause, but save cheering, shouting, whistling and stomping for sports events. Such behavior is inappropriate at a music recital.

10. Please hold applause until a student has completed the entire performance.

It’s easy to create a nice looking program for the recital using Microsoft Word and our Recital Program Template. There are 2 ways to use the template:

1. Download the template to use later. The file name is OMTAProgramTemplate.dot. When you’re ready to start a new program, just double click the file or open it using File ‑> Open inside Word.

2. Just click on the template link to start creating a program for your recital right now. Select Open with: Microsoft Word.

In either case, Word will let you edit the document however you’d like, but you cannot save your changes into the template. Word will prompt you for a new file name when you save. The template itself is preserved to use again.

Once the template is opened, you are simply editing a Word file, but a file with set styles and formatting. You’ll see placeholders like Composition, Composer, Performer, Teacher and Event Name. Just highlight the placeholders (double click) and type the actual recital details. The styles and formatting will be retained. Remove any unneeded entries. Print the 2 pages of the document back-to-back, fold down the middle and voilá.

Finally, remember to thank our sponsors. If your event has been funded by any local organizations, please include a “Thank You” to them at the end of your printed program, below the “Participating Teachers” section.

If you have any questions about how to use the template, contact our Program Template Designer, Neil Patton.

In order to make the job of preparing professional-looking recital programs easier, please follow the guidelines below when you fill out the recital entry forms for your students.

• Include the full name of the composer.
  For example:
  Johann Sebastian Bach
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Ludwig van Beethoven

• In rare instances, initials may be used due to space limitations.
  For example:
  C.P.E. Bach

• Use full names for composing teams.
  For example:
  Nancy and Randall Faber
  Dallas Weekley and Nancy Arganbright

• Use the word and in place of the ampersand (&).

• When possible, include complete information regarding the piece, including the opus number, key of the piece, etc.
  For example:
  Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor (Für Elise)

• Op. is used for opus, capital O.

• No. is used for number, capital N.

• The letter of the key and the mode (Major or Minor) are always capitalized: C Major, A Minor. No hyphens are used.

• Do not use # or b for sharp or flat keys. Use the word sharp or flat with a hyphen: A-flat Major, G-sharp Minor.

• Include BWV numbers for works by Bach, K. numbers for Mozart, k. numbers for Scarlatti, etc.

• arr. is used in front of the arranger’s surname, no capital a.

• A movement of a work is indented on the next line, with the tempo marking following the appropriate Roman numeral to designate the movement.
  For example:
  Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2
  I. Adagio sostenuto

• In the case of a piece taken from a larger work, put the name of the larger work in italics.
  For example:
  In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite
  
  Waltz from Fledermaus

• In the case of Baroque works, the Roman numeral may be omitted preceding the movement listed.
  For example:
  French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816
  Courante
  Sarabande

• For the Junior Bach events, the back cover should include the definition of abbreviations used within the program, such as AMB and WTC.

1. Members are responsible for submitting complete and accurate information on the Recital Entry Forms. See the instructions set forth under the Recital Program Guidelines for Teachers and Chairs. This will require looking up complete composer names, listing complete compositions using opus numbers, movements, tempos, BWV numbers, etc. whenever possible. Our goal is to present programs for our festivals in a professional manner.

2. The chair will create programs based on information submitted. If information is incomplete, the chair may contact the teacher for missing information. It will not be up to the chair to look up missing information.

3. Once programs are complete, they will be emailed to participating teachers to proof their own student’s information.

4. The final layout and order of performers on the program is up to the recital chair.

5. Please be respectful of the chair and your colleagues and keep any last minute changes to a minimum. Last minute changes are time consuming for the chair, and we need to remind our parents and students that last minute changes are discouraged.

1. In the event of emergency or hazardous weather, our executive board or our district president and recital chair reserves the right to cancel or postpone any event. These judgements will always be made with a mind toward the safety of our members and students. Sometimes the judgement will be that each teacher should decide with their students whether or not to participate. Other times the event might be cancelled.

2. Trophy points will be awarded to students if an event is cancelled or if students are not able to attend the event because of hazardous driving conditions.

3. Cancelled events will not be rescheduled.