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TSSEC Sponsor FAQ

  • Who is eligible to enter TSSEC?
    • All solos and ensembles that receive a Division 1 rating on a Class 1 selection at the region solo and small ensemble contest during the current school year may enter TSSEC. All solos must be certified as being performed by memory at the region contest. Exception: solos on the PML no-memory list.
  • When and where will the 2024 TSSEC be held?
    • The contest will be held on Saturday, May 25 and Monday, May 27 at multiple sites in the Austin area. The music theory test will be given virtually by the sponsor during a window of several days in early May. More information will be distributed in late April.
  • How do I register my students? 
    • The entry portal is open for on-time entries from April 1 through April 15. Entries are to be made at: http://www.texasmusicforms.com. Click “TSSEC Enter Students” to submit entries.
  • How do I pay our school’s fees?
    • This information will be shown on your invoice when you complete your entries.
  • How much are the entry fees?
    • TSSEC entry fees are $20 per solo and $10 per ensemble member entered by the April 15 deadline. CutTime assesses a license fee per music program for maintenance of the entry and scheduling system. Additional fees will be assessed for any entries made after April 15.    
  • When will I know our performance times?
    • The master schedule will be released approximately three weeks prior to the first contest day.
  • May I request a specific day or performance time for my students?
    • When registering your students you will choose an available performance day, and either morning or afternoon for each event. On-time entries (entries made by April 15) are guaranteed to be scheduled on the half day (morning or afternoon) that you select for each event at the time of registration. Requests for a specific time within morning or afternoon are not accepted. Be advised that each half day (morning and afternoon) will be closed when capacity is reached for a division (band, choir, or orchestra). Due to the resources required for an event of this size we must balance the number of performances scheduled on the two contest days (Saturday and Monday). Therefore, if having your students perform on a specific day is important you should plan to complete your entries as early as possible in April to get the day you prefer. Half day closures can happen within the first few hours that the entry system is open!
  • After the schedule is released may I request a performance time or day change? 
    • Requests for changes to performance times and/or performance day may be sent to music@uiltexas.org after the master schedule is released. These requests will be processed up until 10 days prior to the contest, based on available times. There is no guarantee that a schedule change or day change can be made.  
  • I left an event out of my entries.  May I still register the event?
    • These entries are called “add-ons”. Directors may enter “add-ons” directly into the system through May 1. “Add-ons” will be scheduled as space becomes available and will receive priority over a school’s band, choir, or orchestra program that made no entries prior to April 15.  However, “add-ons” are not scheduled until after all entries that met the April 15 deadline are scheduled. “Add-ons” should constitute no more than ten percent of the total number of entries for a band, choir, or orchestra program. Each “add-on” event will be assessed a $10 late fee in addition to the on-time entry fee. No entries will be accepted after May 1.
  • I did not submit any of my entries prior to the April 15 deadline. May I still register my students?
    • Directors may submit late entries into the system through May 1. Late entries will be scheduled only if space becomes available. Each late entry will be assessed a $20 late fee in addition to the on-time entry fee. No entries will be accepted after May 1.
  • May I substitute students in an ensemble?
    • Up to 50 percent of any ensemble at TSSEC may consist of students who were not in the group that qualified at the region contest. Those name substitutions should be made when the event entry is registered. Directors may update names through the deadline published in the registration system.
  • May a solo or ensemble perform a different selection at TSSEC from the one performed at the region contest?
    • Yes, provided that the new piece is on the Class 1 list from the same event code that qualified at the region contest. Repertoire updates are made by the director in the online system through the deadline published in the registration system.
  • What types of awards are given?
    • Division 1 rating for a solo receives a gold medal.
    • Division 2 rating for a solo receives a silver medal.
    • Division 1 rating for an ensemble receives a bronze medal for each ensemble member.
    • Each solo judge may designate exemplary soloists as Outstanding Performers. The Outstanding Performer Award represents the attainment by an individual of superior musicianship as demonstrated in the exacting competition of the Texas State Solo-Ensemble Contest. Outstanding Performer Awards will be mailed in June to the address of the account holder in the registration system.