Senior Districts, or the Southeastern District M.M.E.A. Senior Music Festival, is our district-level competitive music festival. Tenth through twelfth grade students come together from all across southeastern Massachusetts in the middle of January, usually at an off-Cape location, to participate in a district-wide concert band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, mixed choir, or treble choir. Auditions are held in November, usually the same week as All-Cape auditions. Ninth grade students have the opportunity to participate at the district level at its sister festival, Junior Districts.
Auditions
Late November
Off-Cape
Festival
Mid-January
Off-Cape
There are three components to an Senior Districts audition: an audition piece, scales, and sight-reading. Results, including chair and ensemble, and sheet music for the festival are released to students by their band directors a few weeks after the audition. Whether a student enters the band or the orchestra is decided Senior Districts rather than the individual students. Students may audition for the Senior District jazz band in addition to the regular audition, but if they get into the jazz band, they must give up their acceptance into any other ensemble.
The audition piece forms the main part of the audition. For each instrument, a different piece is required each year, which can be found on the district website at www.semmea.org. Jazz auditioners must also improvize over their audition piece.
All students generally must know all major scales and the chromatic scale for their instrument.
All students will be given a portion of a piece they haven't seen before to sight-read at the audition.
The Senior District Festival is organized by the Southeastern District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. More information regarding the festival may be found at www.semmea.org.