Sr. High Solo Festival  will be held at Minerva-Deland School in Fairport, NY on January 14th and January 15th, 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.

Performance Venue and Proof of Vaccination procedure

In accordance with our host performance venue, The Eastman School of Music, all performers must be fully vaccinated. Bell covers, instrument masks, and containers to collect brass condensation will also be required, as er guidelines from Eastman. Universal masking is required while inside the Eastman School of Music, but there is no distancing requirement for fully vaccinated performers. Masks are required for all audience members at all times, but there will be no distancing requirement at the concerts. We encourage all families to social distance appropriately, as there is plenty of room in Kodak Hall (Eastman Theater). We will be in communication with Eastman frequently as policies/procedures are updated.

The Vaccination collection procedure, as approved by the MCSMA Board, is as follows:

• All teachers communicate to their students intending to audition for All-County that they will need to show proof of vaccination at the January Senior High Solo Festival. (Students that do not wish to be considered for All-County do not need to be vaccinated.)
• Choir students will be required to submit proof of vaccination directly to the Senior High Choir Coordinator prior to selection; specific instructions for this will be communicated directly by the Coordinator.
• At instrumental solo festivals, students intending to audition for All-County will be required to show proof of vaccination at the registration desk. This can be done by showing either the vaccination card, or a NYS Excelsior Pass (photocopies are ok). If part of a multiple vaccination series, proof of the first shot is acceptable, as it will be assumed the student will be fully vaccinated by the time of the March All-County Festival.
• Students who cannot provide proof of vaccination at the Solo Festival cannot be considered for ensemble placement. If a student forgets their proof of vaccination, they can return to the festival at any time before selection begins Saturday afternoon and give proof to the MCSMA office.