The Purpose of the Junior Division

• To bring together young people for regular group study of music, for performance before others, and for social enjoyment;
• To train future club leaders;
• To cultivate courteous and appreciative audiences;
• To stimulate interest in creative music;
• To provide incentive for high standards of performance through festival events and the Festival Cup Award;
• To encourage service through music; and,
• To broaden the vision and the ability of members through understanding of, and cooperation with, the State and National goals.

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*State Junior Dues*

Annual Junior Club dues are payable to the FFMC Financial Secretary by September 1. Minimum dues are $20.00 for 20 members or less, which includes a subscription to Junior Keynotes. For Junior Clubs with more than twenty members, add $1.00 for each additional member. Make checks payable to the Florida Federation of Music Clubs, Inc. Dues postmarked between September 2 and December 1 will incur a $10.00 late fee. This late fee will not apply to new Junior Clubs. All fees for late submissions and new members must be paid by December 1 in order to participate in Junior Festivals.

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*Junior State Convention*

The Florida Junior State Convention is a Florida Federation of Music Clubs event held annually following the Area Festivals. It is a competitive event with winner and honorable mention awards possible in each event. Entrants under 19 years of age as of March 1 of the Festival year and who have received a Superior rating in an event at the Area Festivals are eligible to attend the State Competition in that event. Teachers and Counselors must send applications and fees for the Junior State Convention by the published deadline date.

Juniors are required to enter the Junior Convention under the Junior Club teacher entered under for the Junior Festival auditions.

Teachers may not charge their students in excess of the entry fee established by FFMC. Teachers who charge an entry fee in excess of the established fee will have their membership suspended.

All entry forms for the Junior Convention must be typed or computer generated. Hand written applications will no longer be accepted. Teachers will be charged $5.00 for an incorrect entry that is submitted on the Junior Convention application form.

Information pertaining to the Junior Convention will be published in the Sharps and Flats and online (Florida Federation of Music Clubs-FFMC Junior Convention). It is the responsibility of Counselors and Teachers to disseminate information regarding the Junior Convention to parents and Juniors. Any questions regarding the Junior Convention must be addressed to the State Junior Counselor by the teacher. Parents and Juniors are not to contact the State Junior Counselor.

The Junior Convention will be held in late April or early May.

Competitions will be judged by a panel of three judges, whose decision is final. No comment sheets will be provided to the Entrants.

Division for all solo events will be as follows:
	1 to 44 entrants - no division
	45-79 entrants - two divisions
	80 entrants and above - three divisions

The Junior Convention Meeting is for Juniors only. No adults will be permitted except for the Junior Advisory Committee. Candidacy to serve as a Junior officer is open to any student in grades 8, 9, 10, or 11. All Juniors interested in running for Junior Office must pick up an application at the Junior Convention registration desk prior to the election. The deadline for filing for an office will be stated in the Convention program booklet. The time and place of meeting will be posted at the registration desk.

A Certificate is given to each Junior participating at the Junior State Convention. Junior Achievement Books will be judged at the Junior Convention. They are to be turned in to the Registration desk upon arrival.

There is a No Refund of entry fees policy for the FFMC Junior Convention.

Selection To Be Performed
Entrants will perform only the required piece at the Junior Convention. The required piece must be the same one performed in the Area Festival for which a Superior rating was earned. Accompaniment is required when called for by the score. In vocal events, required selections must come from the arrangement specified in the NFMC Festivals Bulletin. Juniors competing in an event MUST enter a class that represents their performance level.

Piano Solo Event
The Piano Solo Event will include the NFMC Piano Solo Event and the Lynn Freeman Olson Piano Solo Event. Juniors must choose which NFMC Piano Solo Event they will be competing with at the FFMC Junior Convention. Juniors cannot choose both. Juniors must progress to a higher class from the previous Junior Convention. The NFMC Piano Solo Event will be the criteria for levels in Ensemble and Concerti Events.

Senior Piano Concerto Event
The Senior Piano Concerto Event auditions will be held in the following format. There will be a preliminary round of a five minute audition per entrant. The entrant will choose which portions of the concerto the entrant will perform. At the close of the preliminary round the judges will choose up to five entrants to compete in the final audition. The results of the preliminary round will be posted at least one hour prior to the final audition. Entrants will perform the complete movement of the concerto in the final audition. The winners and honorable mentions will be determined by the final audition. The time and place of the final audition will be published in the Junior Convention schedule.

Junior III-B Piano Concerto Event
The Junior Piano III-B Concerto Event auditions will be held in the following format. There will be a preliminary round of a four minute audition per entrant. The entrant will choose which portions of the concerto the entrant will perform. At the close of the preliminary round the judges will choose up to five entrants to complete in the final audition. The results of the preliminary round will be posted at least one hour prior to the final audition. Entrants will perform the complete movement of the concerto in the final audition. The winners and honorable mentions will be determined by the final audition. The time and place of the final audition will be published in the Junior Convention schedule.

Violin Solo/Violin Concerto Event Required Correlations
Violin Solo	Violin Concerto
Primary IV through Elementary III	Junior IA
Elementary II through Medium II	Junior IB
Medium I through Difficult I	Junior II
Medium III through Advanced I	Junior III
Difficult II through Advanced II	Senior

Ensemble Events
With the exception of piano ensembles, solo classes of ensemble partners must be within three classes. In piano ensemble events, solo partners must be within two classes. The ensemble class may be no more than one level below the solo level of the lowest partner.

Hymn Playing
Only the hymn listed as the required piece at the Area Festival will be heard. (The choice piece in Class I-V also comes from the required list). In Primary levels, one verse of each hymn will be played as written. In Classes I-V, there will be an introduction, one verse, and a Plagal Amen only if one is written in the score.

American Patriotic/Folk Song Event
The American Patriotic/Folk Event will be limited to piano students.

Sight Playing
Juniors entering sight playing must enter solo events at the same class at the district level to qualify to compete at state level. The difficulty of sight reading material will be two levels below that of class entered.

Memory
All events require memory except hymn playing, organ, ensemble events, and piano accompanying. Only one (1) piano accompanying selection is required. One exception for memorization in ensemble events is in Am. Patriotic/Folk Song where memory is required.

Provide Copy of Score
An original score of the required composition must be provided for the judges. Hand copied music is prohibited. Electronically produced scores must include written permission from the publisher. No photocopied music will be allowed in the audition room unless accompanied by written permission from the publisher. Accompanists who use illegal photocopied music will result in the disqualification of the entrant.

Faithfulness To The Score
All events, including Hymn Playing, Patriotic/Folk Songs and Accompanying, require strict adherence to the score. Embellished accompaniments will result in disqualification.

Gold Cup Senior Concerto Scholarship Competition
This competition is open only to graduating Seniors. Seniors who enter the Gold Cup Senior Concerto Competition cannot enter the usual Senior Concerto event. Students must have participated in the Gold Cup program and earned at least one Gold Cup; it is not necessary to be a music major. The winner receives a cash award.

Connie Tuttle-Lill All Performance Event
Entrants who win first place in the highest event in any instrument or voice, are eligible to enter the All Performance event the following year. Entrants must enter with different repertoire from the event in which they won and they may enter until they win. The application the teacher makes to the Junior State Convention will indicate the junior’s eligibility for this event. This event may have imposed time limits if conditions require. The winner receives a cash award.

Irene Muir Memorial Award
Judges may nominate any Junior of extraordinary talent and potential, any age, any instrument or voice, to compete at the close of the Junior Convention for a cash award. Since these nominations are made by the judges, names of the nominees will be posted at the Registration area. A Junior who has won previously is not eligible to compete again.

Gold Cup Senior Concerto Scholarship, Connie Tuttle-Lill All Performance and Irene Muir Events
There are no Honorable Mentions.

Winners and Honorable Mention Awards
Announcement of awards in all events will be made at the Awards Ceremony. Judges are not required to name a winner in every event but may name one winner and one honorable mention for every 15 entrants (or any fraction thereof) in each class. Upon the request of the judges, additional honorable mentions may be awarded with the approval of the FFMC State President, State Junior Counselor and State Festival Chairman.

Winners
Winners in any event may not enter the same class again but may enter a higher classification.

Scholarship Award Winners
All first place Scholarship Award Winners will be asked to perform in concert at the Junior convention the year following their awards. Scholarship Award Winners who perform in concert must be enrolled for the current Junior Convention. In events that have more than one scholarship award, the highest class will be invited to perform.

Awards Ceremonies

• Announcement of awards in all classes
• Announcement of all Scholarship Award Winners
• Announcement of newly elected Junior officers
• Presentation of 60, 75 and 90 Point Festival Cups

Membership
Counselors and teachers of federated Junior Music Clubs with entrants participating at Area Festival Centers and the FFMC Junior Convention are required to hold membership in an active Senior Club or have an individual membership. (Art. III, Section 1, C, Bylaws of FFMC, Inc.)

Interrupting Auditions
Teachers who interrupt an audition or will not permit a Junior to audition, unless the teacher is present, will result in the disqualification of that Junior.

Conferring With Judges
No teacher, parent, or entrant may confer with the judges nor may the judges talk to the entrants or teachers. Talking to the judges or making audible comments during or between performances will result in being asked to leave the room, or, in extreme cases, disqualification of the entrant. Any questions must be directed to the State Junior Counselor and/or the State President, not to the judges or to other members of the audience.

THE DECISIONS OF THE JUDGES ARE FINAL

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*NFMC AREA FESTIVAL AUDITIONS*

The Festival program is sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs and administered by the Florida Federation of Music Clubs.

Complete rules governing the Festivals may be found in the current National Federation of Music Clubs Festivals Bulletin. The NFMC Festivals Bulletin may be purchased by contacting NFMC at 1336 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 (www.NFMC-music.org). Telephone number is 317/638-4003

Festival auditions are held during the month of February. The area Festival Chairman will notify Festival teachers of all related information regarding the Festival auditions. Deadline for district area applications shall be December 10. There are no refunds for Teacher or Junior fees.

It is the responsibility of all Festival teachers to have read all rules and regulations located in the NFMC Festival Bulletin. Information is also available through the FFMC’s publication Sharps and Flats.

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*Festival Cup Plan*

The Festival Cup Plan offers additional incentive to all entrants in the NFMC Area Festivals Program. Gold Cups are awarded to Juniors and Silver Cups to Adults on a point system based on Area Festival ratings. Participation is optional.

Complete information on the Festival Cup Plan is located in the NFMC Festivals Bulletin or online at Florida Federation of Music Clubs-NFMC Festival Cup Program.

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*Junior Composers Contests*

FFMC and NFMC offer a Junior Composers’ Contest in which Junior Composer winners are named and monetary awards are given. Guidelines for this contest are included in the NFMC Festivals Bulletin. Additional information and deadlines can be located online at Florida Federation of Music Clubs-Composition Contest

(Updated: Tuesday, July 15, 2008)