Houstonfest - Music Rules

News and Updates

Important Dates

Sat., Mar. 6, 2021: State online awards ceremony posted. Also, Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.

Fri., Mar. 12, 2021: Gail Cope Scholarship applications due.

Fri., April 30, 2021: Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications due.

The rest of this will be updated for 2022 some time soon:

Sat., Jan. 16, 2021: Regular deadline to submit registration spreadsheet in order to pay regular price of $10/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 1/25).

Mon., Jan. 25, 2021: Final deadline to submit registration spreadsheet for late price of $12/student and deadline to postmark payment.

Wed., Feb. 3, 2021, 8:00 p.m.: Deadline to submit changes (adds, drops, substitutions). After this point, no more additions or substitutions will be allowed.

Sat., Feb. 6, 2021: Houstonfest (100% remote): some events conducted "live" (online) that day, all others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.

Thur., Feb. 11, 2021: Houstonfest online awards show emailed to teachers.

Wed., Feb. 17, 2021: State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. for "early bird" price of $10/student (payment does not have to be mailed yet). Also, deadline to apply for the Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship.

Mon., Feb. 22, 2021: State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. at regular price of $12/student. Also, entries for promotional video contest due to State director Jennifer Christianson by 8:00 p.m. and deadline to postmark payment.

Sat., Feb. 27, 2021: Texas State German Contest (100% remote): some events conducted "live" (online) that day, all others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.

Rules: Music Events

Below are the "normal" rules for Houstonfest in a non-pandemic year. To preserve a record of the normal rules, alterations to the rules for the 2021 remote contest will not be reflected here but rather documented at this link: Special Rules and Procedures for the 2021 Remote Contest. In a nutshell, however: The only music events offered in 2021 will be Contemporary Music (solo acts only) and Vocal Solo.

General rules for all music events:

It is not allowed for any contestant to perform any piece which he/she has performed in any previous year in Chorus, Classical Ensemble, Contemporary Music, or Vocal Solo. (This rule does not apply to Folk Dance or Polka Band.) For example: If your chorus performed "Der Tanz" by Schubert in 2020, you may not use "Der Tanz" for Chorus in 2021 or 2022 unless the members of the group are 100% different in the subsequent years. The spirit of this rule is that students should be challenged to work with different material from one year to the next.
Failure to provide at least 2 copies of the piece to the judges will result in a 10-point deduction from the cumulative score.

Chorus:

Entry Limit: 1 chorus per school: 4-12 singers.

Time Limits: 5-10 minutes, with a 30-second grace period (over or under).

The piece(s) must be by German-speaking composers and be recognized works of music. Song(s) must be classical and/or folk. A performance may consist of one song or a medley of songs and singers may use pantomime and choral reading to enhance their production. Song(s) must be sung in German and must be memorized. Groups are responsible for their own accompaniment, whether recorded or live, or may sing a cappella. No instruments or audio-players will be provided at the contest site. Two copies of the sheet music (notes and lyrics) must be provided for the judges. Download critique sheet.

Classical Ensemble:

Entry Limit: 1 ensemble per school: 3-6 musicians; 1 member may be a student who has never been enrolled in German.

Time Limits: 5-10 minutes, with a 30-second grace period (over or under).

The piece(s) must be by a German-speaking composer and be a recognized work of music, e.g., Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Strauss, Mozart, Schumann, Mendelssohn. Music must be classical and groups may do medleys of songs. No electric instruments, other than one electric keyboard, are allowed. No music stands will be provided at the contest site. Attire is part of the judging criteria. If a non-German student is included in the ensemble, this information must be given to the judges. Two copies of the sheet music must be provided for the judges. Download critique sheet.

Contemporary Music:

Entry Limit: 1 entry per school: 1-5 musicians (vocalists and/or instrumentalists, but no advantaged speakers as vocalists).

Time Limits: 2-4 minutes, with a 30-second grace period (over or under); contestants must be able to set up and break down in a total of 5 minutes (in addition to the actual performance time).

One piece is to be sung from a contemporary (post-World War II) German-speaking musical artist or group, which may include rap (must be school appropriate). Lyrics must be predominantly sung in the German language and be memorized. Contestants may sing a cappella, with pre-recorded accompaniment, or with one or more group members playing instruments live (acoustic or electric). However, no playback devices, microphones, speakers, or instruments will be provided at the contest site; contestants are responsible for providing their own equipment and instruments. Two copies of the lyrics must be provided for the judges. Download critique sheet.

Folk Dance - Einzeltanz (Couple Folk Dance):

We are in the process of creating a four-year rotation of dances for Einzeltanz. The first dance, a Plattler, was used for the first several years that the event existed. A second dance, a Schottische, was introduced in 2019, and a third dance, a Ländler, was introduced in 2020 (the links below are for that dance). Folk Dance and Einzeltanz will not be offered in 2021 due to COVID-19, but in 2022, we should introduce the fourth and final dance in the rotation, probably a Mazurka, before starting the rotation over again in 2023 with the Plattler.

Schools may enter both the Einzeltanz and group competitions, the Einzeltanz competition only, or the group competition only. If a school enters both competitions, the dancers in the Einzeltanz competition may be, but do not have to be, in the group entered in the group competition.

Entry Limit: 1 couple per school

Selection of Dance: You must check the website for the current year's dance!

All couples dance the same dance, which will be posted on the website by early fall of each school year. Couples DO NOT need to provide dance notes or music, as judges will already have dance notes. The same recording from the website will be provided at contest. Only one couple will dance at a time, and the boy and girl will be judged/critiqued separately, i.e., one or more judges will judge the boy, and one or more different judges will judge the girl. The boy's points and the girl's points will then be added together to obtain the final score for the couple. See the critique sheet for the specific judging criteria.

In years when the dance is an Einzelplattler, the dance will take place inside a four-meter circle marked on the floor, with an X marked in the middle. In other years, there may not be a circle. Dance must follow posted documentation. After being introduced, the couple will walk to the middle of the circle (or middle of the dance floor). The boy will be asked "(Name), are you ready?" When he replies yes, the music will begin.

Costumes (Tracht):

Tracht comes from the word tragen meaning "to wear." Thus, Tracht means that which one wears. As each region has its own distinctive Tracht, and Trachten are far too diverse to describe in just a few short sentences, Tracht will not be judged as to whether it is worn properly or authentically, only whether it is worn uniformly.

Download the dance notes (instructions).

View a video of the dance on SafeShare (no ads, suggested videos, etc.).

View the same video of the dance on YouTube.

Download the music for the dance.

Download critique sheet.

Folk Dance - Group:

Entry Limit: 1 entry per school.

Total Group Size: minimum 6 dancers, no maximum.

Active Dancers on the Floor at Any Time: minimum 4 dancers performing, maximum 16 dancers performing.

Dance Limits: 4 dances minimum, 5 dances maximum.

Time Limits: 10 minutes minimum, 15 minutes maximum, including entrance, exit, and transitions, with a 30-second grace period. There is a 10-point penalty for going under the minimum time limit or over the maximum time limit.

There is no required dance. Dancers must provide their own music, music-player, and extension cord, if needed. The group must provide at least 3 copies of the following: a list of the dancers' names and documentation of each dance, including the categorization (Level I, II, III) of the dance and the region of origin of the dance. Points will be deducted from "Authenticity" if documentation is not provided. Dances not already categorized on this website must be submitted to the regional director by November 1 so that they can be categorized by an expert panel. Download critique sheet.

Polka Band:

Entry Limit: 1 band per school: 5-12 musicians + 1 director (i.e., max. 13 members); 2 members may be students who have never been enrolled in German.

Time Limits: 5-10 minutes, with a 30-second grace period (over or under).

All pieces of music must be by German-speaking composers. No electric instruments are allowed. No music stands will be provided at the contest site. If a non-German student is included in the band, this information must be given to the judges. Two copies of the sheet music must be provided for the judges. Download critique sheet.

Vocal Solo:

Entry Limit: 2 soloists per school (no advantaged speakers).

Time Limits: 2-5 minutes, with a 30-second grace period (over or under).

The contestant must sing a recognized classical or folk song from a German-speaking composer. The song must be sung in German and must be memorized. The soloist is responsible for his/her own accompaniment, whether recorded or live, or may sing a cappella. No instruments or audio-players will be provided at the contest site. Two copies of the sheet music (notes and lyrics) must be provided for the judges. Download critique sheet.