Influence of Selected Variables on Solo and Small-Ensemble Festival Ratings

Abstract

With this study, we examined four potential influences on American high school solo and. small-ensemble festival adjudicator ratings—time of day, performing medium (vocal or instrumental), type of event (solo or ensemble), and school size. A total of 7,355 instrumental and vocal events from two consecutive midwestern state solo and ensemble festivals were analyzed. The two festivals, held in 2001 and 2002, employed 75 adjudicators (33 vocal and 42 instrumental). Statistically significant differences were found in the main effects of time of day, type of event, and school size. The averages rating for all events moved toward “Superior” (“I”) as the day progressed. This tendency, found in all size classifications except the largest, was most prevalent among events from mid-size schools. Large-school events received higher average ratings than did small-school events. Although preliminary analyses showed that small-school events were disproportionately held during morning hours, the interaction between time of day and school size was not significant. Significant time-of-day by performing-medium (vocal/instrumental) and type-of-event (solo/ensemble) by performing-medium interactions were found. The two performing media seemed to mirror each others rating patterns. Vocal ensemble events were more likely to receive a superior rating than were vocal solo events, whereas the opposite was true for instrumental events. Similar time-of-day tendencies were found in both festivals, despite almost entirely different adjudicators. Representing a more even mix of public school and college teachers and selected based on different criteria, the 2002 adjudicators awarded significantly more Superior ratings.