Recently, the Norman North Band competed in the Solo and Ensemble contest for our region. What is Solo and Ensemble contest you might ask? Well, to the outside viewer, it is where young musicians go to be judged on their performance, skill, and musicality. To those who are in the contest, it means several weeks of dedicated practice and effort. What about the performance itself? It is one of the most nerve-racking experiences band members face in their high school careers. You enter a quiet room, the only other person being the judge. Any mistake in your performance counts against your score. All of the hours and the effort it took to master a piece of music culminate to one five-minute period. All that being said, our Norman North Band had one of its most successful Solo and Ensemble contests ever. The band had nine soloists receive an Excellent rating (the second best possible award) and twenty-four soloists receive the Superior rating (the best possible award), as well as sixteen ensembles, again, with a Superior rating. Out of the forty-nine performances that the band had, forty get to continue on to State Solo and Ensemble contest. 

The scoring remains the same at State Solo and Ensemble contest. You can be scored a one (Superior), a two (Excellent), a three, or a four. However, the standards for Superior performance are even higher. At Regional Solo and Ensemble, it’s quite an achievement to get a Superior rating, but at State Solo and Ensemble, it’s a whole different level of achievement. In years past, the band has always had people make State Solo and Ensemble contest, but the Band hasn’t had this many people make State Solo and Ensemble in quite a while. Our band is ready for it though, and they can’t wait to show off to the judges and take home a state-level Superior rating.