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The San Antonio Symphony’s
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest 2016-2017 RULES AND GUIDELINES 1. 2.
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BASIC INFORMATION: The San Antonio Symphony invites students of 5th grade only attending ANY of the Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Young People’s Concerts (Jan. 2017) to enter the Contest. Contestants will prepare to recite one of the pre‐selected speech excerpts (see SPEECH EXCERPTS below) and submit a video entry of the student performing an oral reading of the excerpt. Submitted videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges and scored using the rubric provided (see JUDGING below). One winner per excerpt will be chosen for each particular performance of the Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. program from among the schools and groups scheduled to attend that performance. Winners will be invited to recite their contest entry excerpt onstage in the concerts. IMPORTANT DATES: Wed., Jan. 4, 2017 – Deadline for contest entry. Although this deadline is after the holiday break, it is recommended that submissions for contest entry be completed before the holiday break in order to ensure they are received on time. Late submissions will not be considered. Please, no exceptions. Mon., Jan. 9, 2017 – Schools and groups will be notified of the names of their contest winners on or before Jan. 9. Winners will have the week between Jan. 9 and the concert dates for additional preparation. Jan. 18, 19, 20, 24, or 31, 2017 – Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. concerts, at which winners will recite their speech excerpts onstage. ELIGIBILITY: Contest entry is open to students who are in the 5th grade only during the 2016‐2017 academic year. Please, no exceptions. All students submitting a contest entry must already be scheduled to attend (by the time of the entry deadline) one of the Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. concerts with their class or family on Jan. 18, 19, 20, 24 or 31, 2017. o For information regarding concert programs, dates and reservations, please contact: Jeremy Brimhall | Director of Education | San Antonio Symphony o 210.554.1006 | f 210.554.1008 | m 210.554.1000
[email protected] | sasymphony.org Only one (1) entry on one (1) speech excerpt per student will be allowed. Please, no exceptions. ENTRY GUIDELINES: Each school or group scheduled to attend a Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Young People’s Concert in Jan. 2017 may submit NO MORE THAN one (1) contest entry for each speech excerpt. As there are three (3) speech excerpts, no more than a total of three (3) entries per school or group will be allowed. Participating schools and groups are encouraged to host an in‐school competition prior to the entry
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deadline and then submit entries corresponding only to the top winner for each excerpt. Please, no exceptions. Schools submitting more than three entries will have only their first three entries judged. Contest entry has two (2) required parts that both must be completed on or before the contest deadline. The two parts, detailed below, are paper form requirements and video submission requirements. Where possible, both the paper form and video submission requirements should be submitted together (e.g. in an email, in a mailed envelope, etc.). o Paper form requirements: each school or group entering students to the contest MUST submit one Contest Entry Form and a signed Parental Permission Form for each student entered. All forms must be received on or before the contest deadline. Please, no exceptions. Forms may be submitted by scanned attachment to email, fax or postal mail to the attention of JEREMY BRIMHALL at the addresses below: SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY PO BOX 658 SAN ANTONIO, TX 78293‐0658 Fax: (210) 554‐1008 Email:
[email protected] o Video submission requirements: participating schools or groups must submit a video clip for each student entered of the student performing an oral reading of one (and only one) of the “SPEECH EXCERPTS” below. Please follow these video submission requirements carefully: The student may be standing or sitting but must be clearly visible and facing the camera. The student’s voice must be clearly audible in the video. At the beginning of the video clip and prior to reading the excerpt, the student must say or read the following: “Hi, my name is (full name of student) and I’m a student at (school name). This is ‘Excerpt (A, B or C)’ from ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Jr.” This information can also be found in the SPEECH EXCERPTS section below. The student need not recite the excerpt from memory, but should make frequent eye contact with the camera. Video clips submitted with one or more cuts will be disqualified. Please submit a separate video clip for each student entered. Video clips may be submitted either as an electronic file or as private access to an online streaming video platform. If submitting an electronic video file or files: o The file(s) must be in a commonly used format (e.g. MPEG‐4, WMV, MOV). o The file(s) must be renamed to reflect the full name and school name of the corresponding student (e.g. “Jeremy Brimhall – Sunburst ES.mov”) o Video files may be submitted as direct attachments to email (to
[email protected]), but it will be the responsibility of the sender to ensure that they are received by the entry deadline. o Video files may also be submitted through an online sharing platform, such as Dropbox, Amazon Cloud, etc. A private link to the content must be emailed to
[email protected] no later than the entry deadline. o Video files may also be submitted as saved files on an SD card, thumb/flash/jump/USB drive or DVD and mailed to the attention of JEREMY BRIMHALL at the mailing address above, to be received no later than the entry deadline.
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If submitting as private access to an online streaming video platform: o Please ensure that the video clip remains private and only accessible to San Antonio Symphony staff (Jeremy Brimhall, Education Director). o If private access to the content requires a password, the password must be set as “sasymphony”. Please, no exceptions. o The text or name of the streaming content, once accessed, must clearly identify the full student name and school name. o vimeo.com is recommended for this submission type as it has a free, basic account type with easy video upload, video clips can be easily shared and made private with a password, the receiver need not have an account to enter the password and view the content. o Links to online content should be emailed to
[email protected].
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JUDGING Judging will take place between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9, 2017. A panel of judges will review and score the submitted video clips according to the following rubric. Up to three (3) winners, one for each excerpt (A, B, and C), will be selected for each of the ten (10) performances of the Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Young People’s Concert. Judges reserve the right to select fewer than three winners from among the entries for any performance should they feel that the level of entries fails to meet a minimum standard.
San Antonio Symphony 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech Contest Scoring Rubric
Vocal Delivery
Physical Delivery
Authenticity
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1 Mediocre
2‐3 Fair
The speaker’s enunciation is frequently slurred or unclear. Several words are mispronounced. Much of what the speaker says cannot be heard clearly. The speaker recites in a monotone voice or in a manner that is uninteresting or unimpressive.
The speaker makes two mistakes with regard to enunciation or pronunciation. The speaker speaks too softly at times and some words are lost. The speaker uses some changes to rate, pause, or pitch, but is not always effective in complementing the natural flow of the excerpt. The speaker appears shy or The speaker’s body language intimidated. The speaker’s frequently suggests body language is awkward nervousness or that he or throughout and/or she would rather be expresses disinterest or fear. elsewhere. Gestures are The speaker slouches and/or mostly awkward or only frequently turns away from occasionally effective. The the camera/audience. The speaker makes some eye speaker uses no or contact with the camera or ineffective gestures. The audience, but looks at notes speaker makes little or no or away from the eye contact with the camera camera/audience for much or audience. of the excerpt. The speaker’s performance is unconvincing. The speaker’s delivery is uninspired and does little to convey meaning or bring the words of the speech to life. The speaker’s demeanor, tone and delivery are in no way reminiscent of MLK, Jr.
The speaker’s performance is somewhat convincing in terms of bringing the words of the speech to life but lacking in conviction. The speaker’s demeanor, tone and delivery are only occasionally reminiscent of MLK, Jr.
4‐5 Good
6 Excellent
The presentation is strong, but contains one mistake in terms of enunciation or pronunciation. Volume level is appropriate or rarely an issue. The speaker uses some changes to rate, pause, and pitch that complement the natural flow of the excerpt.
The speaker’s enunciation is crystal clear throughout. Volume level is appropriate. There are no mistakes in pronunciation. The speaker uses a tasteful variety of rate, pause, and pitch that effectively complement the natural flow of the excerpt.
The speaker appears enthusiastic with regard to body language but has one or two awkward moments. The speaker uses some physical gestures to convey meaning and most are effective. The speaker makes frequent eye contact with the camera or audience. The speaker’s use of notes is mostly unobtrusive in the delivery of the speech. The speaker is successful overall in conveying the meaning of the excerpt. With one or two exceptions, the speaker appears resolute in their conviction of the excerpt’s meaning. The speaker’s demeanor, tone and delivery are frequently reminiscent of MLK, Jr.
The speaker’s body language, posture and gestures exhibit confidence and poise. The speaker makes engaging use of eye contact with the camera or audience throughout. The speaker either recites the excerpt from memory, or the use of notes is completely unobtrusive in the delivery of the speech.
The speaker delivers a captivating performance, bringing the words of the speech to life. The speaker sounds and appears to truly believe the statements in the speech excerpt. The speaker’s demeanor, tone and delivery are highly reminiscent of MLK, Jr.
SUGGESTED PREPARATION: Review related TEKS Objective – English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 5, (b) Knowledge and skills: o (28) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to give organized presentations employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively. (http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110a.html)
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Listen to and watch Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his “I Have A Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963. o Video of the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47Y6VHc3Ms o Audio of the speech: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Familiarize students with the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the challenges and accomplishments he experienced, and the history surrounding his “I Have A Dream” speech. o Several resources related to this purpose will be made available in the free Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Teacher’s Guide prepared by San Antonio Symphony staff. Have students choose one speech excerpt to prepare (see SPEECH EXCERPTS section below). o Note that only one student per excerpt can enter the competition from each school or group (see ENTRY GUIDELINES above). You may wish to pre‐select prior to entry. Students and a coaching teacher should carefully study the judging rubric above and consult it throughout the preparation phase. Students should intimately familiarize themselves with their speech excerpt, practicing it out loud and occasionally in front of a mirror. It is strongly recommended that students entering the contest have several prior “dry run” performances for a range of audiences (e.g. for family, friends, class, pets, etc.) including for the camera. Memorization of the speech excerpt is not required but will be impressive to the judges, so long as no words or lines are forgotten in the submitted video clip. o Participating students may also use note cards, but should strive for good eye contact with the audience (see Judging Rubric above). SPEECH EXCERPTS: Only one student per excerpt per school or group can enter (see ENTRY GUIDELINES above). EXCERPT A: o “Hi, my name is (full name of student), and I’m a student at (school name). This is ‘Excerpt A’ from ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Jr.” o “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self‐evident, that all men are created equal.’ … I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!” EXCERPT B: o “Hi, my name is (full name of student), and I’m a student at (school name). This is ‘Excerpt B’ from ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Jr.” o “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; … This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, … to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
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EXCERPT C: o “Hi, my name is (full name of student), and I’m a student at (school name). This is ‘Excerpt C’ from ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Jr.” o “And this will be the day – this will be the day when … [we] will be able to sing with new meaning: My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.” PRIZES: Prizes awarded to Contest Winners will include but may not be limited to the following: o Winners will be invited to present an oral reading of their entered speech excerpt onstage at the Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. concert performance that they are scheduled to attend with their class or family, on either Jan. 18, 19, 20, 24, or 31, 2017. o Winners will receive a signed Certificate of Recognition from the San Antonio Symphony. o Winners will receive a prize bag of select San Antonio Symphony merchandise. CONTACT INFORMATION: Please direct all inquiries about the contest to: o Jeremy Brimhall | Director of Education | San Antonio Symphony o 210.554.1006 | c 210.441.2858 | f 210.554.1008 | m 210.554.1000
[email protected] | sasymphony.org