USBands Unveils the Virtual Music Festival Series for Winter 2021
With health and safety conditions at the forefront of educator's and parent’s minds as students head into the new year, USBands announces the v-USBands Virtual Music Festival Series by Yamaha for the Winter/Spring of 2021. The Series will provide educators with a meaningful opportunity for students across the country to participate and be evaluated in Concert Band, Jazz Band, Percussion, and the Creative Class along with Individual and Ensemble performances.
The overwhelming response from educators through the v-USBands fall season surveys and the Winter Interest Form informed the decision of the USBands team to build upon the positive momentum of the fall and offer performance opportunities during this unparalleled and challenging time for music education.
The v-USBands Virtual Performance fall marching band season served nearly 150 music programs through 650 video uploads, 225 adjudication assignments with nearly 32,000 student performances during eight weeks of activities.
For the v-USBands Virtual Music Festival Series by Yamaha, USBands will engage top adjudicators from throughout its pageantry arts network to provide commentary and feedback for programs. Programs will benefit from a consistent platform of weekly, biweekly, or monthly evaluation in competitive and exhibition classes, allowing for music educators to customize their participation to maximize the student’s experience.
Additionally, all performances will once again be hosted on FloMarching for students, parents, and extended family to watch the performer’s progress throughout the season. A weekly recap will acknowledge the results from each of the performances every Saturday evening.
Season Showcases on March 20 and April 17 will provide opportunities for educators who wish to focus on major monthly events to submit their performances as part of larger events with more participating groups and additional benefits. The v-USBands Grand Finale will allow for a celebration of the entire Winter/Spring season and incorporate additional features as did the Fall Grand Finale.
Schedule
February 27 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
March 6 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
March 13 Concert, Jazz & Percussion plus, Individual & Ensemble
March 20 Season Showcase 1 for Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
March 27 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
April 3 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
April 10 Concert, Jazz & Percussion plus, Individual & Ensemble
April 17 Season Showcase 2 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
April 24 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
May 1 Concert, Jazz, Percussion, & Creative Class
May 8 v-USBands Grand Finale
Fees for registration will remain affordable for educators to participate in the number of events to appropriately serve their students and advance their programs. Fees will be announced shortly and will be similar to those established during the v-USBands fall marching band season.
Concert Band and Jazz Band adjudications will feature two nationally-recognized and credentialed music evaluation professionals from the immensely talented roster of individuals in the pageantry arts network, Yamaha clinicians, and the scholastic and collegiate music education community.
Percussion performances will be structured similarly to traditional USBands winter participation with evaluations provided in Standstill, Concert, and Marching Percussion and follow all WGI rules and regulations as a Regional Circuit. Adjudicators will be selected from the ranks of credentialed, world-class USBands percussion professionals representing designers, arrangers, directors, and instructors.
The Creative Class will once again provide the opportunity for educators and designers to think outside the box and use video, cinematography, and technology, combined with aspects of theater, drama, and performance to define an entirely new movement for the pageantry arts.
A special announcement will be forthcoming regarding programs interested in participating within the indoor color guard activity. Individuals, ensembles, and units will have the ability to choose the best pathway forward to make their 2021 as meaningful and successful as possible.
Details regarding the pricing of participation, format and length of submissions, adjudication sheets, rubrics, and additional information for the v-USBands Virtual Music Festival Series by Yamaha will be released over the coming weeks and incorporated in the 2021 v-USBands Participation Guide and posted at usbands.org.
Registration for the v-USBands Virtual Music Festival Series by Yamaha will open on January 15, 2021, and allow for programs to register for weekly, biweekly, or monthly participation. In the meantime, if you wish to pre-register, you can do so HERE.
If you have any questions or would like to connect with someone on the USBands Team, please email info@usbands.org. More information is available at usbands.org.