The State Large Ensemble Festival will remain on pause until further notice. 
 
The MMEA board is engaged in work to consider what this event may look like in the future with an emphasis on affordability, equity, and sustainability. MMEA will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available. 

 

Historical Context
MMEA reintroduced the State Large Ensemble Festival in the Spring of 2024.

Due to various logistical and financial challenges, the Board made the decision to pause. See below. 

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Notes

• Below, the term festival is synonymous with the terms assessment and adjudication.

• SLEF = State Large Ensemble Festival

Summary

• For the 2023-2024 school year, just under 40% of the ensembles that qualified for SLEF elected to participate in a SLEF event. Broken down by level and type of ensemble, there was a low participation rate of 28% (HS Orchestra) and a high participation rate of 48% (HS Chorus).

• Teachers (both those whose ensembles attended and those who did not) shared the following concerns with attending SLEF events:

  • Scheduling (testing conflicts, having enough time to secure administrative permission to travel)

  • Budget (transportation, MMEA fees)

• MMEA faced the following difficulties with putting on these events:

  • Finding facilities that could accommodate the space needs, had the equipment needed for the events, were available when MMEA needed them, and were within MMEA’s budget

  • Finding enough people to successfully run the events

• MMEA overspent its budget for SLEF events by over $40,000 during the 2023-2024 school year, and it would have cost even more if several school districts had not agreed to support MMEA by lending equipment, volunteers, and technology free of charge.

 

Educators who wish to share feedback for consideration should contact the president of the appropriate component (MBDA, MCEA, or MODA). MMEA will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.