Music In The Schools and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl join together in their second consecutive year to bring you a citywide high school music contest. Eighteen public high schools from the Central Texas area will compete on January 7, 2011 at the Lone Star Pavilion at Sunset Station as part of the 2011 U.S. Army High School Drum Line and Mariachi Contest.

Competition Categories: Mariachi Band and Drum Line
Nine high schools will compete in each category.  All competing schools will receive an educational scholarship to benefit their school’s music department.

The first nine schools in each category to register and complete the contest entry process will be allowed to compete on January 7, 2011 at Sunset Station**.  As of 11/8/2010 @ 1:52PM CST, CONTEST ENTRY IS CLOSED. ALL 18 SPOTS HAVE BEEN FILLED.

CONTEST RULES:

1. The contest is open to public high schools in Bexar county and surrounding counties.

2. Each contest participant, “Competing High School”, must be available to compete on January 7, 2011, “Competition Date” at the Lone Star Pavilion at Sunset Station in downtown San Antonio from 4:00pm-10:00pm.

3. Each student participating on behalf of the Competing High School must sign an Army release form and a Music In The Schools release form. No student will be allowed to participate without completing these forms. All forms must be turned into the Music In The Schools by December 6, 2010.

4. Each Competing High School will have a total of 12 minutes “Performance Time”. During the Performance Time each Competing High School will be responsible for performing the Competition Music and setting-up and tearing down any instruments or equipment. Competing High Schools that exceed their Performance Time will be deducted points. Each Competing High School will be assigned a Performance Time prior to the competition date. The floor space for the Drum Line Competition is 60 feet by 60 feet. The stage space for the Mariachi Band competition is 22 feet by 32 feet.

5. Competition Music: Each Competing High School is free to perform the music of their choice. Keep in mind the judging criteria when choosing contest music.

6. Judging Criteria:  Given the event is open to the public and takes place on a Friday night, we want each Competing High School to entertain us. In very technical terms, we want each Competing High School to “knock our socks off!” Other judging criteria shall be based on: intonation, rhythm, precision, timing, execution, dynamics and interpretation.

7. The winning Competing High Schools in each category will be decided by a combination of the judges scores and audience text votes. At the end of all performances in each music category, the judge’s scores will be tallied and the audience will have a brief moment to text vote for their favorite Competing High School. The judges scores will weigh 50% and the total number of text votes will weigh 50%.

8. Decisions of the contest judges and tally of text votes are final–no substitution will be available.

9. All Music Educators representing each Competing High School must subscribe to the Music In The Schools blog to receive important updates regarding competition rules, performance times, weather updates, parking information, etc.  Subscribe to the blog by clicking on this link.

9.  All competing schools will receive an educational scholarship to benefit their school’s music programs.  Final prizes to be announced at the close of the contest.

10. By claiming the prize, the winning Competing High Schools authorize the use, without additional compensation of the winning Competing High School’s name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation, radio broadcasts, newspapers and other publications and in television or film releases, slides, videotape, distribution over the internet and picture date storage) which Music In The Schools may deem appropriate.

11 . In accepting the prize, the winning Competing High Schools, and any guest(s), acknowledges that Music In The Schools may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize(s).