Here’s how the Music Listening Contest works…
September - October
November - December
January - February
A Brief Overview
Registration for the new season is officially open! Teams and coaches receive their study guide materials and work begins.
Teams continue to sharpen their listening skills, absorbing as much about each composer, piece, and period featured in the study guide as they can. Your school or group will be assigned a region location. A practice test written by the MLC musicologist will help you prepare for contest day!
Your Regional Contest date has arrived! Schools and groups from your surrounding area will travel to compete in person. The highest-scoring teams from each region will be invited to compete at the Championship Contest a few weeks later where a winning MLC team will be crowned!
The Test
The written test for the Regional and Championship contests are identical in format and comprised of five rounds. All except ‘Round 4’ are listening-based. Each round is worth a total of 20 points, for a grand total of 100.
Round 1: Musical Identification
Identify the testable title and composer of 10 music excerpts. Each excerpt is 10-30 seconds in length with 15 seconds between each.
Round 2: Excerpt-based Short Answer
Listen to six music excerpts and answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions about each. Excerpts are 10-30 seconds in length with one minute between each.
Round 3: Lightning Round
Matching of 20 brief music excerpts to a list of titles and composers. Excerpts are 2-10 seconds long with 10 seconds between each.
Round 4: Multiple Choice
Answer multiple-choice questions based on information from the Study Guide.
Round 5: Mystery Round
Identification of 10 music excerpts by period and composer. These excerpts are works by composers in the Study Guide, but are NOT from the MLC playlist. Excerpts are 10-30 seconds long with 20 seconds between each.
College Bowl Round (Championship Contest only)
The top two teams from Rounds 1-5 face off in a head-to-head format where individuals buzz in to answer questions. The winner of this round determines the winning team of the Championship Contest.