Mid America Music Association is a yearly festival held in the summer, usually the last weekend in July or the first weekend in August. Students have many opportunities at MAMA: play piano, answer questions about music theory, play duets with a sibling or friend, enter a talent show and more.
The event is non-competitive, unless students choose to enter the competitive division. Otherwise, they will simply be scored on how well they perform. If they receive a Superior rating (95-100%) students earn a trophy and get to be a part of the Awards Ceremony. MAMA is not required, but along with other performance opportunities, is highly encouraged.
Here are some basics about the festival. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask…I am always happy to help.
What types of events can my child participate in?
Solo: Students play two songs in contrasting styles for a judge. One song must be from a test list provided by MAMA and the other is a choice piece. Both of these songs must be memorized. No audience is allowed. Students earn a trophy if the average score of both songs is a 95% or higher.
Click here for the Piano Test List.
Theory Bee: Students answer up to six questions about music theory. If students answer the first question correctly, they receive a ribbon and get to move on to the next round. This continues until the sixth and final round. If students answer all six questions correctly, they will earn six ribbons and a gold medal and will advance to the next Theory Bee level the following year.
Click here for the Theory Bee Syllabus.
Pop, Jazz & Blues, Hymn & Patriotic, Duet:Students play two songs in contrasting style for a judge. These songs do NOT have to be memorized. An audience is allowed in each of these events. There is no test list for these categories, so both songs are choice pieces. Students earn a trophy if the average score of both songs is a 95% or higher. For the duet division, both students earn a trophy.
Quiz Bowl: Students are grouped in teams of 3-4 and answer questions about music theory and compete against teams from other studios. This is like an academic bowl, just about music theory. If your student has interest in this, please let me know right away so we can find teammates for him or her. This will require study time away from the lesson and extra practices with your team. This is a really fun event! The two years that we’ve had a team, we took first place both times and won the gold medal! We even got matching shirts with our team name embroidered and it was a great experience!
What is the financial commitment to participate in MAMA?
There are entry fees associated with each of the events. Also, original sheet music must be purchased for each song selection. If a student is playing in an even that does not need to be memorized, two copies of original music MUST be purchased (one for the student, one for the judge).
Here are the current entry fees. Please check the MAMA website for any changes.
- Solo: Class G thru AAA 23.00
- Solo: entry on 2nd instrument 18.00
- Solo: Jr. Virtuoso and Virtuoso 31.00
- Concerto 30.00
- Open 35.00
- Original Composition 20.00
- Solo: Adult Hobbyist 25.00
- Solo: Student Hobbyist 25.00
- Piano Competitive 20.00
- Composer’s Composition 25.00
- Duet: G through AAA (per team) 25.00
- Duet: Jr. Virtuoso & Virtuoso 28.00
- Duo (two piano, per team) 28.00
- Ensemble or Orchestra only 10.00
- Music Quiz Bowl (Per team) 30.00
- Talent Show (Per act) 15.00
- Hymn/Patriotic; Blues/Jazz solo 25.00
- Theory Bee 15.00
First time participating in MAMA?
Here are the events I suggest: Solo & Theory Bee. If your student has time to learn an additional two songs, I would suggest they choose one of the following as well: Jazz & Blues, Pop, Hymn/Patriotic, or Duet.
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