Reevaluating Your UIL Concert Music Selections after the Winter Storm

CHRIS MCLELLAN
Jan 28
4 min read

This blog is mainly targeted to band programs who have UIL evaluations before spring break although it is relevant to any program that experiences unplanned interruptions to your rehearsal schedule.

The recent winter storm disrupted many school schedules, causing several missed rehearsal days for UIL Concert & Sight-reading participants. This unexpected break can throw off your preparation timeline and raise questions about whether your current music selections still fit your ensemble’s readiness. Hopefully, you have a plan B already in place and can pivot quickly if you determine it is needed. Adjusting your plan now can help your group perform confidently and meet UIL expectations despite lost time.

Assessing Your Ensemble’s Current Readiness

Start by evaluating where your group stands after the missed rehearsals. Consider these key points:

Number of rehearsals remaining: Take into consideration school holidays, TMEA, testing calendars and other extra-curricular activities which may interrupt your schedule. Also consider that it is currently cold and flu season and you are likely going to have some student absences along the way.
Play through your entire program upon return: on the first day back, I believe it is important to play through your entire program to assess where you are in terms of preparation. If you have contest in late February or early March, like most small school programs in my region do, this is crucial.
Technical challenges: Are there sections in your chosen pieces that require more practice than your ensemble can manage in the remaining time?
Musical maturity: Has your group developed the tone, balance, and expression needed for the pieces?
Sight-reading skills: Are your students comfortable with the sight-reading level assigned by UIL for your classification? How much time is needed during rehearsal to prepare for this portion of the evaluation?
Student attitude: do your students love your current program enough to dig in and work harder, if needed? Observe body language and energy levels to help you decide if pushing through with a piece they may not like is going to produce the desired results.

Adjusting Your Music Selections

If your assessment shows your current selections are too demanding, consider these strategies:

Choose pieces with manageable technical demands: Look for music that still challenges your students but fits their current skill level. For instance, if your original piece has complex rhythms, switch to one with simpler patterns but similar musical quality.
Focus on musicality over difficulty: UIL judges value expressive playing and ensemble cohesion. Selecting a slightly easier piece that your group can perform with confidence and musicality will score better than a difficult piece performed poorly.
Balance concert and sight-reading selections: Ensure both parts of the UIL contest are achievable. If your concert pieces are too challenging and do not allow time for sight-reading practice, it may be time to pick selections that match your ensemble’s current ability.

Revising Your Rehearsal Plan

With fewer rehearsal days left, your practice schedule needs to adapt:

Prioritize trouble spots: Use sectional rehearsals to target difficult passages rather than running full pieces repeatedly.
Incorporate focused sight-reading practice: Dedicate time to sight-reading exercises that mimic UIL difficulty levels. This builds confidence and reduces anxiety on contest day.
Adjust your pass-off schedule: You may also elect to offer video pass-offs or before/after school pass-off times to limit any class time you have planned for this purpose.
Make-up rehearsals: can you schedule make-up rehearsals? Depending on your situation, this could be very helpful to make up for some lost time. If full make-up rehearsals are not possible, consider sectionals or offer individual help before or after school.

Communicating Changes with Your Ensemble

Transparency helps maintain motivation and focus. Explain why adjustments are necessary and how they will benefit the group. Highlight that the goal is a strong, confident performance rather than rushing through difficult music.

For example, you might say: “We want to show the judges our best tone quality and musicality. Choosing music we can play prepare in a shortened time frame will help us do that. We can pick up our original pieces after UIL and perform them on the spring concert to complete the original learning goals."

Examples of Successful Adjustments

Several directors have shared how they handled similar situations:

Changing to a selection that you have already read and possibly considered for UIL, but is a little more achievable in the remaining rehearsal time.
Choosing a new selection that doesn't require as much time to clean the technical aspects, but still has some of these elements in a less challenging arrangement.
Moving from a lyrical selection to a piece with a short lyrical section, if you are worried about the muscality needed for a full lyrical piece. It is also ok to not program a lyrical piece. It is NOT a requirement.

These examples show that flexibility can lead to better results. Hopefully, you don't feel the need to change your entire program and in my opinion, this is not recommended. Start with your most challenging piece and reevaluate the time needed with one less demanding selection.

Conclusion

If you've been teaching long enough, you have probably had to deal with this before. Stay calm! Your students will follow your lead. If you are freaking out, they will get nervous as well. Be calm and assess your situation and make decisions that are in the best interest of your students and, if you decide to make changes, communicate to your students the why. Remember, this is an EVALUATION, not a contest for placements. You can always revisit any music you move off from for your spring concert, invitational contest or next years UIL evaluation!

If these ideas resonate with you, consider checking out my new book which is available for pre-order at: https://www.mclellanbandconsulting.com/product-page/the-unconducted-curriculum-book-digital-files

Chris McLellan retired in 2021 as Director of Bands for Springtown ISD and currently serves as Executive Secretary for UIL Region 7. Additionally, Chris is a clinical teacher supervisor for Tarleton State University and the University of North Texas Band programs as well as an active mentor and clinician for numerous band programs across Texas. Please visit mclellanbandconsulting.com for additional blogs, resources and contact information.