Festival | pianoteachersforum

Each spring, the PTF sponsors a non-competitive festival. Our annual festival syllabus provides a themed, leveled list of engaging student literature to explore. Students receive feedback from experience adjudicators, and those who earn an outstanding rating are invited to play in our honors recitals.

Members will receive a PDF of the syllabus via email upon receipt of membership dues.

Spring Festival 2021

March 13, 2021

Honors Recitals 2021

March 27 and March 28, 2021 (virtual)

FESTIVAL RULES AND INFORMATION

The Piano Teachers Forum Festival is designed to be a motivational performance opportunity for musicians of all ages and skill levels. Entrants perform prepared selections in a non-competitive environment for widely-respected adjudicators. Each performer receives written comments on his/her performance, a Certificate of Participation, and a gift as a remembrance of the occasion.

REPERTOIRE

All pieces must be performed from memory.
One piece is to be selected from the syllabus.
A second piece of the student's choice should be contrasting in style and/or period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary).
No arrangements or excerpts are permitted. All pieces must be original piano literature.
Both selections must be of a comparable level.

DRESS CODE AND BOWS

Audition videos will be used for Virtual Honors Recitals for those who receive an Outstanding rating. Therefore, the videos submitted for the audition must meet the following criteria:

Students bow before and after each piece.
Students wear recital-appropriate dress clothes (no jeans, sneakers, hoodies, or hats).
Videos must be recorded in horizontal format, and using a tripod or other steady surface for the recording device.

AWARDS

All entrants will receive written comments on their performance to use with their teacher for further study.
All participants will also receive a Certificate of Participation.
Ribbons will be attached for Outstanding, Excellent, Good and Fine Effort Performances.
If a student receives an Outstanding rating, his or her video will be featured in the Honors Recital.

REGISTRATION

Active PTF members may submit an unlimited number of students.
No applications will be processed after the given deadline.
Students may participate on any level represented on the syllabus, regardless of age.
Fees are non-refundable.

With Gratitude,

2021 PTF Festival Committee

Victoria Chow, PTF President, PTF Festival Chair

Jason Gallagher, Syllabus Chair

Hope Krick-Smith, Honors Recitals Chair

ONLINE AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS

Dear Colleagues and Parents,

We are looking forward to this year's Spring Festival and Honors Recitals. Please note the following guidelines for participation.

A separate video is submitted for each of the pieces. Students bow before and after each piece.
Teachers or parents may upload videos to YouTube, along with scans of the sheet music. (Details below.)
Teachers or parents may complete the online registration.
Students should wear recital-appropriate dress clothes (no jeans, sneakers, hoodies, or hats).
Videos should be recorded in horizontal format, and using a tripod or other steady surface for the camera.
Videos must include audio, and the performer and his or her hands on the keys should be visible in the frame.
Videos must clearly show that the student is performing by memory.
Recording on acoustic instruments is preferred, but digital pianos are acceptable.

Below, you'll find example videos from our 2020 Judges' Choice Awards.

Instructions for Uploading Videos to YouTube

After your audition has been filmed, upload it as an “unlisted” YouTube video (see below).

YouTube accepts any of the following video formats: .MO, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.

Upload: Follow these directions to upload your completed video to an unlisted YouTube file. You can do this through the YouTube App or on a computer.

Go to www.youtube.com and sign in. If you don’t already have an account, create one. It can be easily linked to a gmail account.
Click the “UPLOAD” button at the top.
Either click on the “Select files to upload” box and select your video file from your device or drag/drop your video file into the box.
In the “Basic Info” screen, enter the appropriate title with the Student’s Name in the box where the filename appears.
In the box below the title, enter the name of the piece being recorded.
Click the box that indicates the video is appropriate for children under 18.
Change the privacy setting from “Public” to “Unlisted.”
Click “Done.”
When the video is finished, copy the URL and paste it into your registration.
Attach images of student’s music in PDF form in the same registration. It is acceptable to have markings.

Thank you for your help! We are thrilled that technology allows us to hold this event despite the challenges presented by current events. We know you have all worked very hard! Good luck to all of your students!

Checklist for Video Upload:

Did my student bow before and after each piece?
Is the entire body of the student visible?
Is the student dressed appropriately?
Is the student visibly memorized?
Does the YouTube link have my student’s name as the Title?

Participating in this event grants permission for audition videos to be viewed by an adjudicator for evaluation purposes, as well as for inclusion in the Virtual Honors Recitals, if selected.

2020 Judges' Choice Awards

Our 9 Judges were asked to each choose their "favorite videos" out of the approximately 30 videos they each evaluated.

Congratulations, students and teachers!

Judge 1, Megan Hofreiter

Isabella Latini, student of Carol Zeh

https://youtu.be/38Qc_IvNit4

Judge 2, Kairy Koshoeva

Jacob Yu, student of Richard Woo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3V_9oQLQqo&t=6s

Judge 3, Betty Soloff

Frederick Chang, student of Richard Woo

https://youtu.be/YOMSzvg0teA