Park Ridge Strings holds an annual "TECHNIQUE & REPERTOIRE" COMPETITION for string students.
The third annual competition will be scheduled for late April 2012. Apply here before the deadline.

PURPOSE
To encourage and reward personal commitment, goal-oriented perseverance, and demonstrable, deadline-specific musical accomplishment. To offer a performance opportunity and objective/honest feedback to students.

ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to all violin, viola, and cello students through 8th Grade. 
New!!! In 2012, the competition will also be open to non-Park Ridge Strings students. 

An integral and important part of the curriculum, participation is mandatory for all Park Ridge Strings students, just as tests are part of school curricula and games are part of sports’ curricula. The only exceptions are illness/injury or family emergencies – inadequate preparation is not valid grounds for non-participation.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
As an educational component, the independent competition adjudicator will provide a graded comment sheet for each participant, detailing the following specific performance points and giving recommendations for further study:

• posture/position and stage presence
• rhythmic accuracy and tempo steadiness
• purity of intonation
• tone quality and projection
• dynamics, phrasing, and musicianship
• fluidity of delivery (no hesitations or stopping), memorization

PARTICIPATION FEE
A $30 participation fee is required of all applicants not currently enrolled in Park Ridge Strings. 
This fee is applied toward venue rental, hiring of independent judges, competition plaque, and a certificate of participation (if contestant was not awarded a prize). 
The participation fee for Park Ridge Strings students is part of regular tuition.
The participation fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.

REQUIREMENTS
ALL required items listed below MUST BE MEMORIZED. One point will be deducted from any required item that is not memorized.
1. Scales (standard fingerings, separate bows; adjudicator will select two scales from those prepared)
2 years of playing: two-octave major scales with up to 3 accidentals, played forte, quarter = 90 bpm
3 years of playing: two-octave major scales with up to 5 accidentals, played forte, quarter = 120 bpm
4 or more years of playing: all three-octave major scales, played forte, quarter = 120 bpm
2. One etude chosen from the likes of Wohlfahrt, Sitt, or Kayser (violin/viola), and Lee, Schröder, or Dotzauer (cello). Substitute etudes of similar style and level are acceptable.
3. Recital piece.
2 years of playing experience: a shorter recital piece (1 page).
3 years of playing: longer piece (2/more pages).
4/more years of playing: sonata/concerto fast movement, or 2 contrasting solo Bach movements. 

Recital pieces MUST be performed with piano accompaniment (except solo Bach). 
Students are responsible for their accompanist - a list can be provided upon request. 
At their discretion, judges may stop the contestant after a representative portion of a longer piece has been heard.

PRIZES

• There are three prizes (gold, silver, bronze) for every grade (2nd-8th) and each instrument (violin, viola, cello), based on points.
• There is no obligation to award any or all of the prizes, if the participants’ performance does not warrant it (for example, there could be no gold prize in one category, but two silver prizes). 
• Adjudicator’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
• Individually engraved plaques will be available within two weeks following the competition.

VARIA

• In order to ensure objectivity, competition adjudicators are independent and reputable string players and educators from outside the area, contracted by Park Ridge Strings.
• PRS reserves the right to deny participation to any student. 
• Judges are not allowed to adjudicate their own private students.
• Competition performances are open to the general public.
• Why don’t all participants get gold prizes, as in some school programs? One couldn’t put it better than the following: “You don’t have the moral right to hold one child back to make another child feel better” (Stephanie Tolan) and “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” (Aristotle)