Festival and Events
In conjunction with the Provo Arts Council, IAMF currently sponsors an annual ensemble festival and competition. This event is held each year on a Saturday in late October. Family bands, trios, high school and college-aged student ensembles and other types of groups are invited to perform a 15-minute set of music in front of an audience and a panel of judges. The judges critique each group with positive feedback designed to help the members of the group improve and become more professional in their presentation. The groups that score the highest points receive an award sanctioned by IAMF and the arts council. Each group is required to pay a registration fee of $25 for small groups (4 people or less) and $50 for large groups (5 people or more). There is an entrance fee of $5 per person and $20 per family for all spectators. The entrance fee is good for the entire day and evening. The evening show features the winning groups from the daytime competition along with a special guest-performing group as a finale.
Anyone interested in creating a festival or competition in a particular town or city in the U.S. should begin the process by contacting IAMF. We can describe the details and secrets to presenting a smooth and successful event. The next step is to initiate a discussion with the local arts council president or with a local cultural arts or music specialist. This discussion should include details such as a good date and location for the event along with a listing of potential volunteers. Any successful event is well coordinated and involves numerous energetic volunteers. A festival can be organized and presented without money. Prizes can be such that no money or object is given to the winning group(s). Instead, the prize could be a photo and newspaper article about the winners. It could also be a certificate given to the members of the winning group(s). In time, money can be raised to support the festival. It is a good idea to compensate judges for their time. Good judges will make a festival successful as long as they feel that their opinion and time is valued and respected. The winning groups can also be awarded monetary or "in kind" prizes. In 2003 and 2004 IAMF awarded high quality, solid mahogany mantle clocks to the members of each winning group. Photos of the clocks can be viewed by clicking here. The clocks were hand made and donated to IAMF by a very skilled, and kind-hearted, friend of IAMF named Steve Patterson. To get more information on Steve's professional woodwork, call: 805-671-5140.