Syllabus

Deadline and Registration Procedures

19. Video entries and online registration and payment must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Monday, June 1.
20. Results will be announced to entrants via email, on (www.omfa.ca) and via our facebook page (www.facebook.com/ONTMUSFEST/) by the end of June.
21. You must follow the repertoire requirements as listed in the specific OMFA syllabus for your instrument. (www.omfa.ca/syllabus)
22. No mixing or sound enhancement is allowed through any kind of soundboard, including a recording studio or computer. No reverb can be added to the recording. The recording must be honest and acoustic. As closely as possible, it needs to be as if the judges were in the room listening to you perform live. You must perform live on the video. No audio dubbing over your video is allowed.
23. Accompaniment may be live (as long as the person lives in the same residence as the competitor) or by pre-recorded back-track.
24. For entries in any level, your video must be titled as follows:

    Discipline 2020 – grade level – your name

    For instance:
    Brass 2020 – grade 4 – Mary Smith

    Musical Theatre 2020 – senior level – Idina Menzel

    Incorrectly labelled entries might not be adjudicated.

25. In the official entry form, if your recording is too large to send by email, you will be asked to provide the link with the web address of your video posting. We will also be copying your posting into OMFA discipline channels so make sure to double check the link provided. All videos must be recorded in standard definition because of bandwidth limitations.

    It is not necessary to send your scores.

26. The video must clearly show your face and your instrument. Piano videos should clearly show your hands. A stationary camera position must be used throughout.
27. The video should be in the spirit of a recital or an audition and therefore you should dress appropriately.
28. You are required to introduce yourself and your selections in the video, both verbally and with a title card before each piece and must be limited to the following:

    BOTH Video and TITLE Card

    Your Name
    The Grade/Level you have entered
    The Composer and Complete Title of your selection (prior to each piece)

    For example:

    My name is John Smith. I have entered Grade 4 Piano and I will be playing Sonatina in F Major, op. 168, no. 1, 1st movement by Anton Diabelli.

    My name is Idina Menzel. I have entered Junior Musical Theatre and I will be singing My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music. Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.

29. Video editing during a piece is not allowed under any circumstances. This will be automatic grounds for disqualification. Each piece should be filmed in one continuous take. The only editing allowed is the insertion of an introduction, and the editing together of the required pieces to form one document. Please do not submit multiple videos – each competitor must submit all of the required pieces within one video entry per discipline.
30. No marks are awarded at Provincial Competitions. Adjudicators will award First, Second and Third places as well as Honorary Mentions to other deserving candidates.
31. YOUTUBE PUBLIC SETTING
    Your video must be made viewable by Public YouTube setting. Each entry must be via video posted to www.youtube.com. You will need to supply us with the link to your performance provided on the entry form. For information on posting videos we recommend exploring the Help section found on the YouTube homepage. Please note that you must select “Public” in the Privacy settings found under the broadcasting and Sharing Options section when uploading your video file to YouTube. If you select “Unlisted” or “Private” your submission will be invalid. Please only enter the OMFA Provincial Competition if you are comfortable posting a public video on YouTube.
32. VIDEO AND AUDIO QUALITY
    While we do not expect professional quality video and audio, we urge you to do the best you can. Take acoustics and the placement of microphones or camera into account. Please test the recording set up before recording your video. When using a smartphone to make a recording, a better result can be achieved by holding the phone horizontally rather than vertically. Pianos used for accompaniment may be either acoustic or digital.
33. JUDGING/ADJUDICATING
    Judging/Adjudicating will be by a qualified adjudicator in each discipline and all decisions made will be final. Criteria for judging/adjudicating will be for overall artistry but other things that will be considered are musicianship, musicality and expression, choice of repertoire, communication, presentation and proper attire. In Voice, Musical Theatre and Speech Arts voice quality, diction, characterization and acting will also be taken into consideration.