LZ music students will be off to Harvard high school on March 5 to compete in the annual IHSA Solo/Ensemble competition. Solo/Ensemble is a competition for music students to perform in front of a judge in either a small group or by themselves. The students are then given a score on their performance along with the judge’s feedback.

“It is technically a competition, but you’re really only competing against yourself. In the end, it’s really about the experience,” Josh Thompson, band director, said. “It’s really hard, in a full band setting, to make sure there’s music that makes every single person a better musician, so performing in a smaller ensemble really helps push them individually”.

The choir, band, and orchestra are all sending students to Solo/Ensemble this year, adding up to an estimated total of 160 performers representing the school.

“Educationally, it’s a good chance to get feedback from someone who’s not your teacher. They also use this opportunity to perform a piece in a setting for a judge,” Nick Juknelis, choir director, said. “I like being able to see and hear the reaction from the judge and the family members because it’s pretty common that a parent might be hearing their student sing a solo for the first time.”

There are a variety of ways students prepare for the event. A majority of participants take private lessons at the school and work on their piece with their instructor, while other students tend to assemble and prepare an ensemble entirely on their own. the amount of preparation needed varies from student to student but are generally given around two and a half months to prepare.

“The main thing to take away is just that preparation matters. It’s harder to play in a small group, there’s nowhere to hide and it just adds to the accountability of getting better and working at your instrument,” Thompson said. “For an ensemble, students need to work well with the other players as well as know everyone’s part because there is no conductor to help you, if you get lost, you need to know the other people’s music to get caught up.”

Both directors agree that in the end, it is less about who the best is, and more about how a student can improve themselves.

“I hope they take the feedback and keep it with them,” Juknelis said. “Solo and ensemble is a lot of work, but we welcome everybody to participate.”