Description and Purpose of Event

The purpose of the contest is to promote excellence in music research and publications.

Eligibility

1. Students must be enrolled in Student Affiliate before they can be entered in the TMTA SA Publication Contest.

2. There is no theory requirement for this contest.

3. Grades 1 — Post 12th Grade Student Affiliate Members

4. Young Artist (Post-12) entrants are music students who are high school graduates or collegiate students who have not reached age 27 by the state entry deadline.

Entry Deadline

Enrollment form/fee deadline: $15.00 by December 31, 2021 

Submission deadline:  December 31, 2021 

Use form at TMTA website; include photo release.  

Event Fees

The event fee is $15 per entry.

Please pay online here. You will need your member’s password.

General Information

Students pick one of two topics for their grade level (grades one through college) and write an essay designed to explore and analyze the topic in an original, engaging way. Each article is judged at the local level and then the selected articles are judged at the state level. Judges award “Winner” and “Outstanding” articles, which are published in the TMTA SA Publication Contest Book. Winners receive certificates and cash awards.

1. Only one entry per student is allowed.

2. The articles will be judged locally and only those articles judged outstanding or excellent be entered in the state contest.

3. Topics are purposefully broad to allow the student journalistic freedom of perspective.

4. Students should take care to avoid plagiarism by rephrasing information from their sources. Teachers need to explain what plagiarism is. Quotations are acceptable but should be short and clearly cite the author and source. Formal footnoting is acceptable but not required. Any essay found to be purchased for submission will mean student disqualification from the Publication Contest for the current and following two years.

5. Articles should be written so that others of the same age can read and comprehend them.

6. All articles must be typed in a Word document and submitted electronically.

   a. Use Times New Roman font, 12-point type, double spacing, and 1” margins with no unusual formatting.

   b. No illustrations, graphics, or borders are allowed.

   c. Articles may be typed by a parent or teacher if needed.

   d. The student’s name should not appear anywhere on the document.

   e. Failure to stay within the word limit will automatically disqualify the article.

7. All articles must include a bibliography citing the sources of information used in the paper.

   a. Entries in categories I through VI must cite at least two sources in the bibliography.

   b.  In an effort to promote excellence in publications, category VII entries must not cite  Wikipedia as a source.

   c.  Discographies may also be included.

For additional information, refer to the TMTA—SA HANDBOOK.

Publication Contest Topics 2021-2022

Grades 1 and 2: (75 - 300 words)

IA – Music and Emotions

IB – The Harpsichord

Grades 3 and 4: (250 - 550 words)

IIA – Music in our Natural World

IIB – Gamelan

Grades 5 and 6: (400 - 650 words)

IIIA – Music and Sports

IIIB – Frederic Chopin and his influence

Grades 7 and 8: (500 – 750 words)

IVA – Is Music a Universal Language?

IVB – Alexander Scriabin

Grades 9 and 10: (600 – 850 words)

VA – Music and Physical Health

VB – The Rise of Orchestral Music in the 19th Century

Grades 11 and 12: (700 – 950 words)

VIA – Music and Fashion

VIB – Italian vs. German Opera in the 19th Century

Post-12th (750 – 1050 words)

VII – Music and Minimalism

Judging

1. All articles will receive ratings of Outstanding, Excellent, or Good.

2. A winning article may be chosen for each topic within a division.

3. Each student will receive a rating sheet. If judges have remarks to make, they will put them on a critique page.

Awards

The TMTEF Trustees supervise these awards.

1.     Each student will receive an Outstanding, Excellent, or Participation certificate.

2.     Winning and Outstanding certificates will be presented during the Publication Contest Awards Program at the TMTA Convention.

3.     Winning and Outstanding articles will be published in the TMTA website and in a book to be awarded to those students with Winning and Outstanding articles.

4.     Authors of winning articles will receive cash awards:

Winners in Categories I and II - $50

Winners in Categories III and IV - $60

Winners in Categories V, VI and VII - $70

Publication Contest Tips

• Read the winning articles from last year (found here https://www.tmta.org/student-activities/student-winners/) and see what it is like. Have students read the articles in their category (school grade level.)

• There are two topics per two grades.

• Talk with your students about their topic. Have them write up some key points. Have them go back and build up each point. Have them create an interesting angle. Make it interesting to the reader. (Dialogue is good.)

• The reader should come away knowing something that they did not know before.

• Write for fun learning, not for an encyclopedia. Include substance and facts from research (books and web sites).

• You (teacher) are their editor and creative writing teacher. Students will modify and rewrite several times. Be careful not to compose the article for 1st – 3rd graders. Just give them ideas and filter out factual errors.

• It will take time, several weeks, so START EARLY. No pictures or fancy formatting. (Rare bold print.) Only 12 point Times New Roman font for every single word on the page, even the title. (See handbook)

• Two references are required, at least. Use different root websites. (See handbook)

• A discography is allowed but not required.

• There is a minimum and maximum word limit. It is different for each grade level (category). You must stay within those limits! Count the words in the title and body, not the references or discography. (see TMTA handbook)

Enrich your students. Start small. You can do it!