The Charleston Music Teachers Association sponsors Achievement Day to encourage students to perform at a higher level of musicianship and to support systematic musical growth. An added benefit for the students is the realization that they are part of a large group of young musicians within the Charleston area community.
Performing in Piano, Violin, or Voice, approximately 300 students participate each year. Adjudicated in performance, applied technique, sight reading, and written theory, students earn points in each area and receive a blue, red, or white ribbon based on the total number of points. After several years of accumulating these points, students receive a trophy, the “Crescendo Award.”
While the full Achievement Day experience is currently being offered in person, students are also welcome to instead submit a video of their two memorized pieces. Additional information can be found by following the Virtual Resources link under Quick Links.
Our host venue is requesting that teachers participating in the in-person Achievement Day complete a Background Check Form and Sexual Harassment Policy Form. Please visit Authorization Forms for further information regarding downloading and submitting this paperwork.
Purpose
The primary purpose of Achievement Day is to encourage and support the systematic musical growth of all students. Other purposes include: enhancement of student motivation; providing goals for students and teachers; having a good preparation tool for the District Auditions; and allowing students to see that they are part of a large musical “family.”
Instruments
Piano and Voice. Piano students may enter as early as Kindergarten, and Voice students are allowed to participate once they have begun the 4th grade. Events may be added for other instruments if there is a sufficient number of students and teachers who are members in good standing to support the event.
Categories
Students will be judged on the following four categories:
- Performance: Students will perform two contrasting pieces from memory. Simplification of or cuts in standard classical repertory is not permitted and will result in the student receiving no score in the performance category. The student must perform the repertoire listed on the application in order to receive a score in the performance category.Students performing in Voice must perform both pieces with piano accompaniment. Students are responsible for finding their own accompanist, and the student’s teacher is not allowed to serve as the accompanist.
- Sight Reading/Singing: The adjudicator chooses appropriate material. Music is chosen that is one or more levels below the student’s playing/singing level. Voice students are free to choose how they vocalize their sight singing material.
- Applied Technique: Requirements are based on the SCMTA District Audition requirements. The grid illustrates how they have been modified to suit the chapter’s requirements.Piano students will be asked by the judge if they wish to attempt the Technique Extra Credit requirements in their level after they have completed their normal Technique requirements. Students are not required to attempt the Extra Credit.
- Written Theory Test: Each level will include key signatures, scales, chords and intervals that coincide with the student’s Applied Technique level. Appropriate time signatures, rhythms, notation and terms will also be included. Basic forms, composers and musical periods begin at Level E.
Scoring
The adjudicator will critique and score each category. The ratings are:
- Outstanding
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
A rating of OUTSTANDING earns 3 points; EXCELLENT earns 2 points; VERY GOOD earns 1 point. A “GOOD” rating indicates the student was not adequately prepared. Students scoring 10-12 points will receive a blue ribbon; students scoring 8-9 points, a red ribbon; students scoring under 8 points, a white ribbon. Honors Recitalists receive three bonus points; Honors Recital Alternates receive two bonus points. Any student may also receive one bonus point if they choose to successfully complete the Extra Credit requirement(s) in Technique. These bonus points do not change the color of the ribbon received from Achievement Day.
Crescendo Awards
To encourage systematic growth, Achievement Day awards Crescendo Trophies to students who have consistently accumulated points over several years. For students who compete in multiple instruments, Crescendo Points will accrue toward separate Trophies for each instrument. Trophies are awarded as follows:
- Crescendo I: 32 points
- Crescendo II: 63 points
- Crescendo III: 95 points
- Crescendo IV: 126 points
- Crescendo V: 158 points
Beginning students who earn Outstanding in all four categories (12 points) and are chosen as Honors Recitalists (3 points) for two consecutive years are awarded two bonus points to bring the total to 32 points, allowing them to receive the Crescendo I Award after the second year of participation. These bonus points do not apply to subsequent Crescendo Award levels.
Honors Recital
Students who have been selected by the judge as honor recitalists will perform in the Honors Recital if their teacher responds to notification by the deadline; otherwise the judge’s ranked alternate will be chosen.
Level Classification
The grid is a modification of the District requirements, taking into consideration the school grade of the student and the current year of study. It will assist you in the proper placement of the levels A through J. Students may be placed at a higher level than the grid indicates at the teacher’s discretion. Students may NOT be marked down to lower levels, and must enter at the same level for all categories.
Notes:
- Year of study refers to the current year, not the number of years of previous study. Just as a student is in year 1 of school when he is in the first grade, a student is in year 1 of study during the first year.
| Grade | 1 yr | 2 yr | 3 yr | 4 yr | 5 yr | 6 yr | 7 yr | 8 yr | 9 yr | 10 yr | 11 yr | 12 yr | 13 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | A | ||||||||||||
| 1st | A | A | |||||||||||
| 2nd | A | A | A | ||||||||||
| 3rd | A | A | B | B | |||||||||
| 4th | A | A | B | B | C | ||||||||
| 5th | A | B | B | C | C | D | |||||||
| 6th | A | B | B | C | C | D | D | ||||||
| 7th | B | B | C | C | D | D | E | E | |||||
| 8th | B | C | C | D | D | E | E | F | F | ||||
| 9th | B | C | D | D | E | E | F | F | G | G | |||
| 10th | B | C | D | E | E | F | F | G | G | H | H | ||
| 11th | B | C | D | E | F | F | G | G | H | H | I | I | |
| 12th | B | C | D | E | F | G | G | H | H | I | I | J | J |