Jr. High Instrumental Solo Festival will be held at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton, NY on January 21st and January 22nd, 2022.  Please be sure to register all students on DaCapo’s Solo Festival Registration site.

COVID-19 Protocols for Solo Festivals

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with our host school districts, all students, teachers, and families must be fully masked at all times while at Solo Festival sites. MCSMA is requiring all aerosol-producing performers (vocal, woodwind, brass) to use performance masks and bell covers where applicable for the 2022 Solo Festivals. Students without the proper protective equipment will not be allowed to perform. 

Performance Masks

• Are only to be worn in warm-up spaces and performance rooms; masks without holes/slits are required in all other spaces within the host school.
• Must cover the nose completely.
• They can be a standard surgical mask with a mouthpiece slit cut for woodwind and brass performers.
• Face shields are not acceptable substitutes for vocalists; all performers must be masked while singing.

Bell Covers

• Flute/Piccolo: no end cover is required. Mask must cover the tone hole completely (i.e. student should be blowing directly into the mask). The “two-vertical slit” style is recommended. No “instrument bag” is required.
• All other Woodwinds: a bell cover must cover the entire bell. More snug bell covers can hinder certain notes; a “bag” style bell cover or surgical mask snugly over the bell can help alleviate this. No “instrument bag” is required. Several teachers have reported that the ProTec bell covers work well, especially for clarinet.
• French Horn: a bell cover must cover the entire bell. Bell covers with hand holes are acceptable (and recommended). Mutes may be omitted.
• All other Brass: a bell cover must cover the entire bell. Mutes may be omitted.

Our festival judges are aware of these restrictions and will be evaluating students appropriately given the circumstances. Our primary goal is to present a safe environment for students to perform for an evaluation while still making the process an overall positive experience.