RULES AND REGULATIONS

VOCAL SOLO

Classification

All participants will be classified by age group.

Adjudication

Our staff of nationally acclaimed adjudicators offers written tabulation and cassette tape comments.  Both written comments and cassette tapes may be picked up at the awards ceremony.

Vocal Solo. This is an opportunity for individual students to perform a solo for adjudication.  Each student will receive a time to report for warm-up.  If you do not report to warm-up at your assigned time, you will forfeit your adjudication time slot.  MUSIC FESTIVALS representatives will attempt to reschedule your adjudication.  However, rescheduling is not guaranteed.  A representative will call you to the stage when the adjudicators are ready.  Each participant will have 5 minutes to set up, sound check and perform.  Performances exceeding the time limit will result in deduction in scoring.

Awards

All participants will receive an adjudication form, taped comments, and rating.  All students are eligible for placement of first through fifth place in each class with appropriate trophy.  Awards will also be presented to Outstanding Acoustic Performance, Outstanding Instrumentalist, Outstanding Audience Appeal, Outstanding Showmanship, Outstanding Original Performance, and more.  Overall Championship Trophies will be presented to the Top five finalists and to the Grand Champion “Music City Rising Star”.  Please note, contestants under the age of 13 may participate as long as you are in middle school, but are not eligible for the listed awards but will receive a trophy with a medal signifying your performance rating.  If you are under the age of 13, please call us or e-mail for further details for participation eligibility.

Trophies will be presented to the top 5 soloists in each age group, best acoustic performance and Best Over-all Original Selection or Outstanding Song Writer. Along with the trophies a medal will be presented to each category winner. The medals represent a rating based on a national scale with gold representing superior (100-90 points), silver representing excellent (89.9 – 80 points), bronze representing a good rating (79.9 – 70) and white for participation (69.9 and below).

MUSIC FESTIVALS will provide music stands, cassette tapes for adjudication, and a sound system with microphones and monitors.  Any person requiring an expanded sound system with numerous microphones or additional equipment must supply their own.

Please bring 4 copies of your music selection form with you to warm-up.  A MUSIC FESTIVAL representative will collect these from you and distribute to the adjudicators.

Music

All participants must supply their own back-up music. Please bring two (2) high quality split-track recordings of instrumental music. You may also bring an instrument to perform your own accompaniment. Competitors will not be permitted to use background music featuring pre-recorded vocals.  *Please play your CD on several different CD sound systems to ensure your CD is working properly.   

Dress Code

Costume or Dress Code will not be a deciding factor in adjudication or scoring; however, please keep in mind that the competition will be held in an outdoor venue as part of the Family Zone.  This zone is a family-friendly area and appropriate dress will be required. Please do not wear any clothing displaying distasteful or offensive logos, slogans, or sayings. Also, temperatures in Nashville during the month of June can reach into the triple digits. Contestants will want to dress in cool layers for maximum comfort.  

Music Selection

We strongly recommend careful consideration when selecting your music selection for competition. Your selection does not have to be country. Country cross-over, pop, rock, blues and gospel are also acceptable genres for this competition. Choose a selection that is appropriate for your own vocal range, tone, age, etc, as well as appropriate for the family-friendly atmosphere of the family zone.

Often students will choose a song because of its popularity or the fame of the performing artist. These song selections do not always make the best choices for competition. Spend some time researching different artists’ catalogs. Your best choice may come from an older less-popular song, an original selection or from an independent label.