All State Selection

 “THE PROCESS”

The All-State bands, chorus, orchestra, and jazz ensembles are honors groups comprised of the top students from school music departments across the state. The 5 groups are directed by renowned guest conductors and perform on one of three concerts in the Eastman (Rochester) Theater and Innovations Theater during the annual NYSSMA Winter Conference in late November or early December each year. Rehearsals take place in Rochester, NY from Thursday through the Sunday concert during the conference.

Each year in late August approximately 600 students are notified that they are selected to participate in the NYSSMA Conference All-State music groups. How does NYSSMA select these students? This seems like a simple question however the answer is complex. This article outlines the “process” used by our organization in selecting students for participation in the NYSSMA All-State performance groups.

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NYSSMA Piano-Only Festival
April 10-11, 2026
Walter Panas High School

December 9, 2025

Dear Music Colleagues,

I hope your Winter Concert season is off to a good start! Walter Panas High School will host this year’s NYSSMA Piano Festival on April 10-11, 2026. This festival is for classical piano only – we will not host any Jazz Piano auditions. All jazz solos will be heard at the Up-County festival in Somers on May 29-30.

 Please note that PIANO fees for the 2026 festival season are as follows:

Levels I-IV: $26
Levels V-VI: $36

Our festival will be held at:

Walter Panas High School
300 Croton Avenue
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567

Registration will begin: January 19, 2026. Registration will close: February 27, 2026.

All registrations will submitted through DaCapo at:
https://www.dacapomusicfestivals.com/

*Please, when registering students, check with your colleagues in grades 1-12 regarding siblings. Only put in sibling info if they are also attending the piano festival! Other festivals are irrelevant to the scheduling of this one. Please check that parents of siblings requested the same time preference for all of their children to avoid confusion and more work for everyone later on.*

Any questions or concerns can be directed to festival host Patrick Murphy via email at: nyssma@lakelandschools.org (please use this email for NYSSMA-related questions instead of my personal account).

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year! I look forward to working with you and your student musicians in 2026!

Patrick Murphy

2026 NYSSMA Majors and Clinic Evaluation

December 9, 2025

Based on last year’s registration numbers, we’ve determined that we need three days for instrumental performances and two days for choral. The schedule below reflects this data. Thank you for your patience as we navigated our first year of having two sites, and for your understanding as we tweak to fit our Zone’s needs.

Please note the 2026 Majors and Clinic Evaluation dates and locations below:

CHORAL (F-117):
Fox Lane Middle School (Bedford)
May 19-20
Sarah Matthews, host: bcsdnyssma@gmail.com

INSTRUMENTAL (F-112):
Mamaroneck High School
May 18-20
Dina Madden, host: nyssma@mamkschools.org

Please do not cancel your Majors time. Last year, several last-minute cancellations — including some back-to-back — left judges idle for over an hour. More importantly, those canceled spots could have gone to other ensembles that we had to turn away due to limited space. If you are concerned that your students are not as prepared as you would like, please consider going for Comments Only rather than canceling. Canceling is inconsiderate to all involved.
Clinic Evaluation will be offered at both sites this year.

Registration will begin the first week of January on the NYSSMA website. I have no control over the opening of this registration, as it is handled by the NYSSMA office on Long Island. Registrations can be completed at this link: Majors & Clinic Registration

Any questions or concerns about specific ensemble needs can be directed to the festival hosts above. If you need assistance with logging in or accessing your account, contact Stuart Rauch in the NYSSMA office at srauch@nyssma.org, 516-997-7200 x11.

I look forward to a wonderful festival season in 2026!

Thank you,
Kim