On March 2, 100 musicians from Platteville Middle School gathered in Lancaster for the Southwest Music Conference District Solo and Ensemble Festival.
Solo and Ensemble Festival is a one-day event in which students from several different school districts gather to perform a musical solo or ensemble for an adjudicator. The students are given a rating for the quality of their performance. The students begin their preparation weeks in advance, first choosing the music they will learn. They diligently prepare the music to improve their individual musical skills. The culmination is a final performance at festival in the spring.
This year, more than 100 Platteville Middle School singers and instrumentalists prepared music for festival in 125 separate events. Individual practice is an important component of the experience. The other component is the weekly music lessons that each child receives from the Platteville music teachers. Many of these lessons occur as early as 7 a.m. and may conclude as late as 5:30 p.m.
Solo and Ensemble Festival is sponsored by the Wisconsin School Music Association. The singers and instrumentalists are accompanied on piano by an adult. The Platteville Music Boosters donates money to pay for the accompanists.
Students are entered in one of three classes — Class C is for beginners or students with a year of experience, Class B is for students with more than one year experience, and Class A is for the most advanced students, typically high school age.
The ratings students receive are based on a scoring rubric designed by the WSMA, and students are judged according to their tone, intonation, accuracy, expression and technique. A 1 rating indicates excellence. A 2 rating indicates accomplishment, and 3, 4 and 5 ratings may also be awarded.
In Class A, a student who receives a “Starred 1” advances to the State Solo and Ensemble at UW–Platteville April 27.
Students who participated from Platteville Middle School:
Class A Starred 1 rating: Grey Genzoli, string bass solo; MilesGreenlee, cello solo; Lexi Acierno, vocal solo; Sierra Vivian, vocal solo; Lexi Acierno and Sierra Vivian, vocal duet.
Class A 1 rating: Zoe Meir, clarinet solo; Rachel Ababio, saxophone solo; Brooke Gardiner, vocal solo; Alissa Stanley, vocal solo; Jacob Krueger, xylophone solo.
Class A 2 rating: Alissa Stanley, clarinet solo; Rachel Schaefer, flute solo.
Class B 1 rating: Grace Hammermeister, oboe solo; Taylor Beebe and Brooke Gardiner, clarinet duet; Kaelyn Johnson, trumpet solo; Jacob Krueger, trumpet solo; Lyndsey Holl, flute solo; Nick Demaree, string bass solo; Brianna Smith-Beecher, string bass solo; Roy Cornett, cello solo; Margaret Drefcinski, violin solo; Sarah Hasker, violin solo; Dan Iselin, viola solo; Emma Li, violin solo; Zoe Meir, viola solo; Enosh Reeder, violin solo; Rachel Ababio, violin solo; Mike Musarra, violin solo; Skye Herber, string bass solo; Grey Genzoli, vocal solo; Sarah Hasker, vocal solo; Eleanor Clement, vocal solo; Nick Demaree, vocal solo; Rachel Schaefer, vocal solo; Rachel Schaefer and Alissa Stanley, vocal duet; Morgan Wehnke, vocal solo; Zoe Meir, vocal solo; Li Barner, vocal solo; Li Barner and Zoe Meir, vocal duet; Skye Herber, vocal solo; Jeana Nolan, vocal solo; Nicole Statz, vocal solo; Elizabeth Roberts, vocal solo; Leah Ostendorf, vocal solo; Annessa Fox, vocal solo; Mckenzie Timlin, vocal solo; Jacob Krueger, piano solo: Taylor Beebe, piano solo; Miles Greenlee, horn solo; Grey Genzoli, bass guitar solo.
Class B 2 rating: Matt Rowley, bassoon solo; Annessa Fox, flute solo; Zach Brunette, horn solo; Jeana Nolan, violin solo; Bridget Kelley, violin solo; Anna Skubal, cello solo; Josh Zauche, string bass solo; Ben Wilson, string bass solo; Caitlin Brown, vocal solo; Arikah Bogardus, vocal solo; Sami Brookens and Laura Hoppe, drum duet; Emma Weaver, vocal solo; Abby Wein, flute solo and Margaret Drefcinski, piano solo.
Class C 1 rating: Sarah Anderson, bassonn solo; Brook Gassman, saxophone solo; Cloe Sieckman, flute solo; Adam Compton, trumpet solo; Michael Prestegard, trumpet solo; Elizabeth Roberts, tenor sax solo; Caitlin Brown, horn solo; Ben Wilson, bassoon solo; Kaitlyn Reed, clarinet solo; Chandler Miesen, trombone solo; Jeffry Okey, tuba solo; Nadia Jones, snare drum solo, Connor Feyen, string bass solo; Austin Smith, violin solo; Brook Gassman, viola solo; Sarah Anderson, violin solo; Savannah Baxter, violin solo; Zach Brunette, viola solo; Ian Carter, violin solo; Elizabeth Roberts, cello solo; Alex Hartz, violin solo; Julia Montgomery, viola solo; Matt Rowley, cello solo; Trevor Rawson, viola solo; Josh Taber, violin solo; Maddie Zauche, cello solo; Mackenzie Johnston and KD Hoyer, vocal duet; Tara Goodrich, vocal solo; Cloe Sieckman, vocal solo; Akeeya Sylvester, vocal solo; Macayla Schwartz, vocal solo; Dillon Donahoe, vocal solo; Alissah White, Destinee Flesch, Taylor Rutherford and Montana Kastner, double duet (vocal); Matt Rowley, Jacob Krueger, Ulysses Gomez, Mike Musarra, double duet (vocal); Annessa Fox and Elizabeth Roberts, vocal duet; Ethan Suits, saxophone solo; Jordan Brunton, vocal solo; Kimia Safari-Shad, saxophone solo; Savannah Baxter, horn solo; Sophia Gibson, flute solo; Skye Herber, trumpet solo, and the Swing Singers, show choir.
Class C 2 rating: Anna Skubal, oboe solo; Macayla Schwartz, clarinet solo; Kimia Safar-Shad, violin solo; Korey Webb, violin solo; Macayla Schwartz and Akeeya Sylvester, vocal duet; Hally Edge and Janecia Morris, vocal duet; Trista Marsh, Shyanne Jentz, Devinn Rooney and Cloe Sieckman, double duet (vocal); Nicole Statz and Katelyn Brown, vocal duet, Hannah Connolly and Allison Mann, vocal duet; Tabatha Amore, Josh Bloom, Riley McCann and
Lauren Gibson, double duet (vocal); Connor Feyen, trombone solo; Todd Von Glahn, trombone solo; Venkat Reddy, horn solo and Shyanne Jentz, clarinet solo.
Sixth-graders may perform solos for comments only, which included George Schwarzmann, bassoon solo; and Renee Momot, piano solo.
