Eligibility

• Participation in festivals is open to schools holding a current school membership. 
• Students should be enrolled in grades 6 to 12 and must be members in good standing of their school’s vocal music program as verified by the director of record under the MSVMA school membership.

• It is necessary to assess schools an additional fee for these events. These fees must be paid prior to or upon application for participation in any event.

MSVMA sponsors festival events for choirs, large and small ensembles and soloists. Students have an opportunity to perform for adjudicators and to hear other festival events perform. Festivals are designed to be non-competitive.  Directors may choose, when registering, to participate in choral festival for the festival experience or the festival experience with a rating.  

Beginning the 2025-2026 school year, MSVMA’s policy has adopted new verbiage and way of thinking for our scoring systems, supporting a growth-mindset culture for members and students alike.  When registering for festival, directors have the option of choosing “The Festival Experience” or “The Festival Experience with a Rating.”  “The Festival Experience” is now the default for our festivals, replacing the diminutive “Comments Only” that was previously used.

Festival Code of Ethics
Each festival participant and director is expected to conform to rules of good conduct, i.e., observance of care of property, behavior patterns, and adherence to all rules. Directors will show courtesy to all festival workers and ensure that proper adult supervision is present for their students at all events. Appropriate audience behavior and exhibiting undivided attention are to expected in all auditoriums and performance rooms. Students should show respect for other performers and give them the attention they would want themselves as performers.

Communications regarding events are to be between MSVMA members and event supervisors only. Parents and students are not to contact event supervisors. Event applications and adjudication forms are to be completed only by directors.

Directors will adhere to the schedule and leave the warm-up area when asked. Directors should use their ratings in an educational manner and not misrepresent them to the students or the public. Directors or festival participants will not attempt to influence the adjudicators. At no time will anyone other than the event supervisor approach or contact an adjudicator regarding a rating or student‘s performance. Concerns are to be addressed to the supervisor or written on the adjudicator evaluation form. If, in the opinion of the event supervisor, a serious infraction has occurred, the Board of Directors is to be informed by letter. The Board of Directors will take appropriate action which may result in the disqualification from participation in future festivals for a period of time not to exceed two years.