Imagine practicing songs for hours on end just for one performance, trying to get every note correct and play everything in time. This is what many high school band and orchestra students do to get ready for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Administration (MSBOA) Festival.
Every spring, high school bands and orchestras attend the MSBOA Festival, which is considered the most important performance of the year. It is an annual event in which bands and orchestras perform three pieces in front of a panel of three judges, and then sight-read a piece for an additional judge, receiving ratings in five categories based on their performance. After their performance, each ensemble is given a voice memo from each judge with feedback.
“[The MSBOA festival is] important because it holds us to a standard set forth by the MSBOA,” said Loy Norrix band director Aaron Mirakovits, “so that our teachers and students can perform, receive this rating and feedback and know what we are doing well, what we need to improve on, both in terms of the short term and the long term.”
Mirakovits believes that the judges’ feedback at the festival helps bands, orchestras and their teachers across Michigan improve their skills and build long-term success. Mirakovits also believes that the MSBOA festival holds bands and orchestras to a high standard.
“It’s a real test of skill to see how much you’ve practiced and see how far you’ve come,” said junior orchestra member Henry Fuerst. “It’s also important to see how much better you are than all the other bands and choirs at the festival.”
Fuerst believes the festival is important because it tests the players’ skills and shows where they stand compared to other players from different schools across Michigan.
“For regular concerts, I practice 30 minutes at home,” said freshman orchestra member Londyn Schmidt, “but then when it comes to the festival, I practice for a couple hours.”
The amount of time and effort Schmidt puts into the festival shows the importance of putting on a great performance for the judges.
“Because we have a huge band with a lot of freshmen and new members, there’s a lot of growth that we can do,” said Mirakovits. “Whenever you bring another set of ears, you always get new and fresh ideas, especially when it comes to the fact that music is an art form.”
Mirakovits feels that even with the large number of new students in the school band, with the judges’ feedback from the festival, it will be a much smoother process for the students to grow and develop their skills.
For student musicians, the MSBOA festival is more than just a performance. It’s an opportunity to challenge themselves, improve their skills and see how far they’ve come throughout the year.
