Thousands of middle and high school students will head to UW-La Crosse Saturday, May 3, for an opportunity to perform in a Wisconsin School Music Association State Music Festival, one of the largest student events of its kind in the nation.

More than 32,000 student musicians will take part in WSMA State Music Festivals held on 11 university campuses throughout the state. UW-La Crosse hosts a WSMA State Festival from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3. The event is free and open to the public.

“This is an exciting day for the performers, their parents and teachers,” says Tammy Fisher, director of bands and percussion studies at UW-La Crosse and WSMA State Festival manager. “It is also an important day for our campus because the WSMA State Music Festival is one of the largest events the UW-La Crosse music department hosts.”

To participate in the WSMA State Music Festivals, students must first earn a “starred first” rating in Class A (the most difficult music) at a WSMA District Music Festival, hosted by schools for students in grades 6-12.

Students can select from a variety of instrumental and vocal solo and ensemble categories for their performances. Over 225 district festivals were held in Wisconsin during the past six months, involving more participants than any other student activity in the state.

Learn more about WSMA festivals and other programs by visiting www.wsmamusic.org.