The Indiana State School Music Association, better known as ISSMA, hosts a solo and ensemble competition every year during the last week of January or the first week of February, depending on your region.
This year’s ISSMA solo and ensemble was held on January 27th at Northview High School with students from band and orchestra participating. For orchestra, 163 students participated in ISSMA solo and ensemble, with eleven students and two ensembles qualifying for state. For band, around 150 students participated in ISSMA solo and ensemble, with 53 events qualifying for state. State qualifiers are scheduled to perform in Indianapolis on February 24th.
To be qualified for state, a lot of preparation and practice are required beforehand, and the same goes for state qualifier Rebeca Ramirez. “I’ve been practicing since October last year. I practiced really hard and still didn’t think I would qualify for state. I thought I was going to get a silver and not qualify.”
ISSMA gives students the opportunity to perform music and be critiqued in front of a judge to further expand and improve their music skills. This can definitely be a both nerve-wracking and beneficial experience for students. When asked about this, Sophie Krahn, who participated in both events, said that although she was very nervous, she definitely got some good pointers from the judge for the future.
This year’s ISSMA was successful with a large number of students participating and going to state. Good job to all Kingsmen who participated in ISSMA!
Landon Bennett 
Evan Swihart