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Music Festivals
Having students audition and participate in various festivals is an integral part of the Mt. Ararat High School music program. It offers valuable high level challenges to talented and dedicated students that stretch their musical abilities and experiences. Participation in both the audition process and the festival is highly encouraged of students in the Mt. Ararat High School music program.
District III Honors Festival
In November of each year, students auditon for the Maine District III Honors Music Festival. The festival, held at on a Friday and Saturday at the end of January, consists of a Honor Band and an Honor Chorus made up of the finest high school musicians in the District III.
A subdivision of the Maine Music Educators Association, District III comprised schools along Maine's midcoast from Freeport to Belfast and inland as far as Augusta.
Maine All-State Music Festival
The Maine All-State Music Festival takes place in the spring and is the culminating event of the year for many music programs in the state. The festival is also combined with the MMEA Conference, which provides an opportunity for teachers to attend clinics, workshops, and demonstrations of a variety of music education resources.
The festival process begins in the fall with statewide auditions that are held in three locations. Music for the auditions is selected the previous spring and released at the spring festival or immediately thereafter.
The All-State Audition Music List can be found in the Handbook of the Maine Music Educators Assocation. The handbook is published in the August and sent out to all schools the first week in September. Students must be a member of their school's music program in order to audition, and teachers, principals, and parents must endorse the student's application. The applications must be submitted with the all fees paid to the All-State Auditions Chair.
After the auditions are completed, scores are tabulated from lowest to highest in a variety of categories and the top scoring students are selected to participate in the festival. These students are notified through the school's music program and music is ordered for the festival.
Conductors for the festival are hired in the fall, and programs selections are determined in the winter. If conductors have specific instructions for the students, that information is included in the music when it is sent out to the students.
Regional Festivals
Mt. Ararat High School music students also participate in various regional festivals such as the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) All-Eastern Festival and the MENC (Music Educators National Conference) All-Eastern Festival.
