Prescribed Music List Addendum Request Process

Justification

As we move past Covid modifications for Large Ensemble Assessment, some issues have come to light about how this event functioned in the past that may no longer serve the needs of our state’s music programs. To our understanding, the current system of adding, removing, or changing a piece from one list to another follows the steps of the TMEA PML. As we have recognized over the years, Texas is not always a comparable model for our state. If a director recognizes that a piece is mislabeled, missing from the list, or needs to be removed from the list, they should be able to petition LMEA for the necessary changes. LMEA should be able to have autonomy over their own PML, otherwise why have a specific Louisiana list at all? It is also notable that many other states have this same process in place, such as Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, and Texas. Other states may have a similar process, but the information was not easily found or readily available.

Committee Members

The committee is based on the PML Selection Committee as outlined on the the PML Substitution Request Form with some additions: 

  1. The State Division Chairman
  2. Four other committee members to be appointed by the division chairman based on recommendations from District Directors. Members should be diverse in their experience levels of literature on the PML in order to cover all levels of literature. Committee members do not have to be LMEA Board members.*
  3. Committee members will serve a term of two years to run concurrently with the terms of the district directors. 

* altered from the PML Substitution Request Form

Procedure

The current PML will remain in place as is. Music directors, teachers, and instructors who wish to add a piece, remove a piece, or change the listed grade level of a piece can do so through a form on the LMEA website, located on the District Large Ensemble general information page. Submissions will need to be placed by June 1st of each year. The PML Committee will meet annually to review submitted requests and remove pieces that are out of print. Members of the PML Committee may also present pieces to be added, removed, or have the grade level changed on the PML. The committee will need to update the PML and have it posted on the LMEA Website by September 1st of each year.

Criteria that should be considered when reviewing a request includes, but is not limited to or bound by:

  1. Publisher grade level assignment
  2. If the piece is on another state PML and that state’s corresponding grade level
  3. Length of piece
  4. Rhythmic difficulty
  5. Instrument/vocal range
  6. Time signature and time changes
  7. Key signature and key changes
  8. Instrumentation
  9. Independent lines and density of orchestration
  10. Maturity of piece

Notes of discussion should be kept so that an explanation of decisions can be provided upon request.

PML Addendum Request Form