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The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) offers Band and Orchestra Festival.  This is an opportunity for ensembles from member schools to perform a program of three pieces for adjudication, one of which must be from MSBOA's required list.

District-level festivals are held each year at the end of February through the beginning of March. HSMA is in District 5.  Each group is evaluated by three performance judges and one sight-reading judge. Ensembles are rated on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest rating possible. The overall score is computed using a formula which combines the ratings of each judge. Ensembles that earn an overall 1 rating (or "Superior") are qualified for State Band & Orchestra Festival which is held in late April or early May. The basic structure of State Band & Orchestra Festival is the same as District, but the ensembles are held to a higher standard.

 

HSMA has a practice of alternating which program (Band or Strings) goes to B&O Festival, while the other has an “In-House Festival” hosted by HSMA and adjudicated by some of the area’s finest and most experienced conductors.  We have found this system of alternating the style of Festival to be very beneficial to our students and conductors.   Generally, in even-numbered years, Symphonic Band and Concert Band participate in the MSBOA B&O Festival, (with Strings performing In-House).  In odd-numbered years, the Senior Orchestra and Junior Orchestra participate in the MSBOA B&O Festival (while the Bands perform In-House).

 

Additionally, although by MSBOA rules State B&O Festival is available for both Junior High and Senior High bands and orchestras who earn a Superior rating at District B&O Festival, HSMA only sends senior groups (Symphonic Band, Senior Orchestra) to State B&O Festival.