Selected Performance Opportunities

South Carolina Music Teachers Association (SCMTA) events:

(http://www.scmta.org)

•Spring Auditions: Students audition at the local level in March and proceed to the state auditions in Columbia in April with a score of Superior. The winners of the state auditions perform in a special honors recital in May.

•SCMTA Competitions: Students compete in November at the SCMTA State Conference to proceed to the Regional (5 state) competitions in January. The winners of the Regional competitions proceed to the National Competition at the national SCMTA conference in April. There are junior high and senior high divisions of this competition.

National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival

(http://nfmc-music.org)

•Students perform two pieces for ratings given by a single judge. This is a local event. One piece is from a prescribed list of pieces that are rated in various levels of difficulty (i.e. Primary I, Moderately Difficult II, Advanced, etc.) The other piece is a free choice. Students who achieve superior ratings three years in a row receive a trophy.

Asheville Piano Competition

(http://aapf.ws)

•This competition in early May, adjudicated by three judges, provides students the opportunity to earn certificates, medals, and prize MONEY at various levels of difficulty. The winners in each category are featured in a Winners Recital, and there is also a Grand Prize winner who may be featured at the Fall Benefit Concert at the Diana Wortham Theater in Asheville.

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music

(http://abrsm.org/US)

•This is an international curriculum of piano study that is followed, uh, internationally! Presently, students travel to the closest examination center which is located in Atlanta, to be evaluated by an examiner who travels from  the U.K. to evaluate the students. There are eight Grades in the curriculum. The evaluation includes not only performance, but a music theory examinations and ear-training tests. Students who complete Grade 8 are eligible for scholarships to the Royal Schools of Music. The examinations are available in November and May each year.