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Association of Texas Small School BandsCelebrating 17 years of service to small school bands in Texas |
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OPS Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series?
2. What are the OPS procedures?
3. Where can I find OPS Entry instructions?
4. Which Non-UIL Contests are approved for OPS?
5. Where can I find OPS Forms online?
6. How can I purchase OPS Recordings?
7. What is the purpose of the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series?
1. What is the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series?
A program to recognize annually the most outstanding single performances of Class C and CC middle school bands and Class A, AA, and AAA high school bands in Texas. This program is the property of the Association of Texas Small School Bands and is produced, supported and adjudicated solely by its members.
2. What are the OPS procedures?
Procedure
Any Class C or CC middle school, A, AA, or AAA high school band may enter a CD provided the band director of the school entering is a current regular member of ATSSB.
A band may enter one, two, or three of its contest selections. Only UIL-approved selections may be entered. Entries must have been recorded at a UIL contest or at any other contest during the period from January 1 until May 18 of the current school year if the contest is approved by the ATSSB OPS State Chair. The OPS State Chair will maintain a list of approved contests. Once a contest is approved, it will remain on the list until it is removed by SBOD action.
Each selection must be submitted separately with its own official entry form listing the title, composer/arranger, and publisher of the selection. Each form must be signed by the band director of the school entering, and Principal or Superintendent. Verification of UIL approval to perform any number not listed in the current UIL Prescribed Music List must accompany any such entry.
A fee of $50.00 per selection is required at the time of entry. Each selection must be entered on TWO individual CDs which conform to the technical requirements outlined on the official entry form. One set of CDs will be maintained throughout the process as a backup. (A maximum of six CDs could be utilized with a maximum fee of $150.00).
Conductor's scores will not be used at any level of competition. The judges' decisions will be based only on aesthetic standards.
A march must be entered on entry form 1A. Entry form 1B will be used if only one concert selection is entered (which may be no more than one grade level below school's class). Entry forms 1B and 1C must be used if two concert selections are entered (one of which may be no more than one grade level below school's class; the other must be on or above the school's class). Entry forms should be obtained from the ATSSB Website (http://www.atssb.org). Forms may be photocopied.
All CDs at the region level are to be sent by the band director of the entering school to their Designated Region Coordinator and must be hand-delivered to the Designated Region Coordinator by - or be mailed first class, certified, return-receipt requested US Mail by - May 20.
Band directors will send their CDs to the following Designated Region Coordinators. NOTE: all information to whom and where you will send CD entries will be found in the March Newsletter on the ATSSB website (http://www.atssb.org/execsec/March07.pdf).
When the Designated Region Coordinator has received all CDs from directors, the Designated Region Coordinator will assemble a panel (or panels) of judges to select advancing entries. Only ATSSB-member directors may serve as judges. Exception: After a Region or Area Coordinator has exhausted all attempts to secure ATSSB members as judges, that Region or Area Coordinator may use non-ATSSB members as judges provided those non-ATSSB members are active TMEA members. All OPS judges may be given a $60.00 honorarium, which includes all expenses. If the adjudication begins several hours before lunch, and the judges work through lunch but finish before the evening meal, only the $60 honorarium will be paid. If there is a need for two panels due to the number of entries but only one panel is used to hear all entries, and the judges work through two meals, the judges may be paid an additional $60 honorarium ($120 maximum). All Region and Area Coordinators may be paid a $75 honorarium for their OPS services.
The panels will rank all marches in each class (Class C and Class CC middle school, Class A, Class AA, and Class AAA high school), and rank the concert selections in each class. The Designated Region Coordinator will take the TWO highest-ranked marches and the THREE highest-ranked concert selections in each of the five classes and forward them to their Designated Area Coordinator on or before June 12. The Designated Region Coordinator will ship one set of CDs first class, certified, next-day delivery to the Designated Area Coordinator. The following day, the backup set of CDs will be shipped first class, certified, next-day delivery. Both sets of CDs may be shipped on the same day if utilizing different carriers. The Designated Region Coordinators will send the advancing sets of CDs to the following Designated Area Coordinators. NOTE: all information regarding to whom and where you will send advancing CDs will be found in the March Newsletter on the ATSSB website (http://www.atssb.org/execsec/March07.pdf).The Designated Area Coordinators will forward the winning set of CDs to the OPS State Chair on or before June 26. One set of CDs will be shipped first class, certified, next-day delivery to the OPS State Chair. The following day, the backup set of CDs will be shipped first class, certified, next-day delivery. Both sets of CDs may be shipped on the same day if utilizing different carriers.
Using the same procedure as was used at Region and Area, the OPS State Chair shall assemble a panel (or panels) for each of the five classifications in conjunction with the Texas Bandmasters Association clinic in San Antonio to select the ONE outstanding march and the TWO outstanding concert selections from each class to be named the ATSSB Outstanding Performances.
After each level of competition, the official in charge shall immediately mail a copy of Page 14 showing a complete list of results to the OPS State Chair and to each director who entered a CD. Designated Region Coordinators, and Designated Area Coordinators must obtain ALL forms and form letters from the ATSSB Website prior to the judging sessions.
Each director represented on the final program will be presented a plaque with a copy of the CD mounted on it. The runner-up for the march in each class, and the runner-up in the concert selection in each class will receive a suitable certificate. Presentations will be made by the OPS State Chair at the general membership meeting of ATSSB in San Antonio in February of each year. The individual serving as OPS State Chair is appointed by the President of the Association.
The entire process will be overseen by a steering committee presided by the OPS State Chair and made up of the elected Class Representatives to the State Board of Directors of ATSSB. The function of the steering committee will be to review the process and to recommend changes to the State Board as needed.
3. Where can I find OPS Entry instructions?
4. Which Non-UIL Contests are approved for OPS?
ATSSB APPROVED LIST OF NON-UIL CONTESTS FOR
COMPETITION IN THE OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE SERIES
Note: In order for these festivals to remain on the approved list, no fewer than five bands must perform at the festival and all bands must be recorded with the same recording equipment. A school many not enter a CD from one of these contests for competition in the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series if these guidelines are not followed.1. Director's Choice Music Festivals
2. Greater Southwest Music Festival (Amarillo, Texas)
3. American Classics Music Festivals
4. Smoky Mountain Music Festival (Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
5. South Coast Music Festival (Corpus Christi, Texas and Galveston, Texas)
6. Blinn College Music Festival (Brenham, Texas)
7. E.T.C. World Events (Best in Class Championship)
8. UIL Texas Wind Ensemble Contest
9. Beach Within Reach Festival (Haltom City, Texas and North Richland Hills, Texas)
10. Socorro I.S.D. Concert & Sightreading Contest (Brownwood, Texas)
11. Howard Payne University Band Festival (Brownwood, Texas)
12. American Buccaneer Classic (American Classics Festivals - Corpus Christi, Texas)
13. Sounds of Spring Band Festival (Allen, Texas)
14. Kingsville, Texas, Pre-UIL Band Festival
15. Cavalcade of Music (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
16. Spring Fest Band Festival (Denton, Texas)
17. Music in the Parks (Arlington, Texas)
18. Festival on the Lake (Garland, Texas)
19. TPSMEA Concert and Sightreading Contests
20. PEAK Performance Festivals
21. Eagle Band Classic Festival (Allen, Texas)
22. Festival of Champions (Panama City Beach, Florida)
23. All Star Music Festival (Orlando, Florida)
24. Soundpost Music Festival (Canton, Texas)
25. Greenwood Music Festival (Midland, Texas)
26. Soundwaves Music Festival (New Braunfels, Texas)
27. Pottsboro Pre-UIL Evaluation (Pottsboro, Texas)
28. Dallas Wind Symphony Invitational Wind Band Festival
29. Hamilton Invitational Concert Festival
5. Where can I find OPS Forms online?
OPS Forms may be found on the OPS Forms page, located HERE
6. How can I purchase OPS Recordings?
Purchase information may be found on the OPS CD Order Form HERE
7. What is the purpose of the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series?
Purpose
The ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series is a compact disc (CD) audition program designed to select the most outstanding Class C, CC, A, AA, and AAA concert band performances in the state of Texas each year. A compact disc of the winning selections will be made available to all high school band directors who are current members of ATSSB and to public radio stations that will broadcast the performances . It will provide a series of recordings that demonstrate the highest level at which Texas small school bands perform.
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