[OCMEA] OCMEA Information Email

[Anthony Mastrobattisto]

Dear Teachers:

So much has happened in the first month of school.  First, I would like to 
thank Elaina Renfrew and North Syracuse Central Schools for agreeing to 
provide their school as the festival site for the Elementary All-County 
Music Festival.  The festival will take place on February 27-28  which is 
one week earlier than what is on the calendar.  I would also like to thank 
John Miller and Les Hathaway for hosting the Senior and Junior High 
Audition Festivals.  The junior high materials were mailed today and 
should arrive within the week.  Thank you all!

There has been a lot of speculation about the accuracy of the audition 
material and what corrections, if any,  should be made.  It has been 
decided by the board that because not everyone is part of the county list 
serve and not everyone will receive the corrections via email that the 
music should be played as written.  If there is an obvious wrong note or 
tempo marking  (i.e the clarinet technique tempo marking should read 
eighth note = 120 NOT the quarter note) than you may instruct your 
students on those corrections.  However, the judges will be instructed to 
listen to the audition as it is written.  So please do not correct minor 
articulation  or dynamic mistakes.  Use your best judgement when making 
any corrections. This also applies to the junior high materials as well. 
Please send any corrections to me so I can adjust them on the masters. Any 
mistakes will be corrected using the input from your emails so the next 
time this music comes up in the cycle it should be perfect!   Also, 
flutists will use the flute audition music to audition on piccolo.  In the 
musicality selection they only have to play until measure 24 (the C dotted 
quarter note). 

Finally, we are still looking for schools to join the county rotation 
schedule to host the NYSSMA Solo Festival.  For those who have not heard, 
the NYSSMA Solo Festival will not be held in Onondaga County for the first 
time in almost 30 years because not one school volunteered before the 
March 1, 2008  deadline.  We will all have to drive to Auburn or Groton 
for our students to audition for NYSSMA and/or All-State Auditions.  I 
cannot imagine with the high price of gas and limited budgets that school 
administrators will be happy with a non-budgeted trip due to apathy.  For 
a county that is as large and talented as Onondaga County this is truly an 
unacceptable situation.  As of this email one school is in the process 
getting permission from their district music coordinator to host next 
year.  While I am glad at the prospect of a new school in the rotation I 
am wondering why no one else has come forward to host?  Jennifer & Tony 
Greene have also volunteered to continue to host a level 1-4 NYSSMA Solo 
as long as someone hosts a level 5-6 festival.  Jennifer has also agreed 
to continue to host a full festival at FM but she needs help with other 
schools getting into the rotation.   I know how busy you all are and how 
many of you do so much to support OCMEA but the organization needs your 
help.  If your school has the facilities to host a festival please contact 
me so we can  avoid another situation like this in the future.  With your 
support OCMEA will remain one of the leading musical counties in the 
state. 

Thank you for your time and continued support. 


Sincerely,

Tony Mastrobattisto
Director of Bands
Westhill H.S.
(315)426-3051

Tony Mastrobattisto
Director of Bands
Westhill H.S.
(315)426-3051
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