ISSMA Solo & Ensemble
February 6, 2019
The Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Solo & Ensemble event took place last Saturday at East. This event is held every year and allows high school band students to perform for competition.
“ISSMA Solo and Ensemble is a chance for band students to perform either in a solo or small group,” band director David Rodgers said.
Band students from around forty different schools performed their musical pieces in front of a judge and received both feedback and a score. Those who placed gold in Division 1 will go on to perform their piece at state.
According to Rodgers, over a thousand student musicians came through the building to perform their musical pieces.
“Anybody is eligible to do it,” Rodgers said. “It’s just a matter of students who want to participate.”
Rodgers helped his students prepare for their performances by providing them with time to practice. At both Central and East, he set up times to work with them after school. Although he offers help, many students found time to practice on their own.
“It’s guided individual practice, so to speak,” Rodgers said. “It’s really kind of their responsibility to get it ready because it’s not a full band situation.”
Senior Szczesny Lipinski performed an oboe solo with a piano accompanist on Saturday. Her piece, by G.F. Handel, is titled Sonata III for Oboe and Piano.
“It’s a fast movement and a slow movement,” Lipinski said. “The first movement is an adagio, it’s really slow, it’s really pretty, and the second movement is really fast. It’s essentially non-stop sixteenth notes the entire time.”
To prepare for her performance, Lipinski had been practicing almost every day since September for at least ten to twenty minutes. Additionally, she met with her private teacher at least once a week.
When asked why she chose to participate in ISSMA Solo & Ensemble she said, “It’s a way to challenge myself as a musician and give myself something to work toward in my lessons.”
