All-State Chorus Auditions (updated 7/6/2008)

Audition Dates:
     November 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11, 2008
 
Audition Location:
     USC School of Music, Columbia
 
Audition Piece:
     SSATB “Honor and Glory” by J.S. Bach.

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THIS YEAR'S AUDITION PROCESS:

1. Auditions will be held on November 6,7,8,10,11 at USC School of Music, Columbia, SC.
2. Auditions will be divided into two phases:
   1. Prepared audition selection: SSATB “Honor and Glory” by J.S. Bach.
   2. Sight-Singing
3. Each student will be given a number of points on each phase of the audition. Individual singers will be selected according to their overall performance at the audition based on the total number of points received in the two phases listed above.
4. Basic techniques and sight-singing will be judged individually. The ensemble will audition in quintets before six judges. Three judges will adjudicate the Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto voice parts simultaneously, and three judges will adjudicate the Tenor and Bass voice parts simultaneously. Each student will receive scores from three judges for the prepared piece. Individual student scores for the prepared piece, “Honor and Glory”, will be determined immediately. The score range will be 0 – 50 from each judge. Scored from all three judges will be combined for a total score for the prepared piece. The maximum score possible for the prepared piece will be 150 (50 points from three judges). A student must achieve a minimum combined score of 80 points or above, to move to the sight-singing portion of the audition. If a student does not achieve the minimum score of 80 for the prepared piece, he/she will not be able to audition before the sight-singing judge.
5. Sight-singing material will be selected by the All-State Committee Chairperson and the Audition Coordinator. After successfully completing the prepared selection, students who attain at least the minimum 40 point score will sight-sing individually for one judge in a separate audition room. After completing the sight-singing portion of the audition process, students will leave the building and have no contact with students who are waiting to go into the sight-singing room. Sight-Singing Process:
   1. All directions will be given from a recorded prompt.
   2. Students will be given the tonic triad and the beginning pitch. They will have 45 seconds to practice the 8 measure piece.
   3. After 45 seconds, the students will hear the tonic triad and the beginning pitch again.
   4. The students will have 45 seconds to sing through the piece.
   5. The student must set his own tempo. Count off tempo will NOT be given.
   6. The student may sing on solfege, numbers, la, ta, count-singing, etc.
   7. The score range will be 0 – 10. Students will receive 8 points for completing the piece perfectly as written, plus one point for singing in the key that was given on the recording, and one point for maintaining a steady tempo with no hesitations or restarts.
   8. The piece will be in any major key. The most difficult rhythm will be a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note. Skips will come from the tonic triad.
6. ALL STUDENTS MUST AUDITION COLLECTIVELY AT THEIR SCHOOL’S ASSIGNED TIME. Although students may have previously been members of the All-State program, they will be required to audition again.
7. Absolutely no tape players, tape recorders, CD players, CD recorders, Ipods, MP3’s, video/DVD recorders, radios, or text messaging devices will be allowed in or near the audition site. Cell phones and beepers are to be turned off and left outside the building. If a student is found using any device listed above within the audition site building, the device will be confiscated immediately. That student’s teacher must pick up the device for the student before leaving the premises.
8. No changing of clothes on site.
9. Students must sing the prepared piece in quintets. Fill-in parts to complete the quintets will not be provided. IT IS THE TEACHER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL’S SINGERS TO COMPLETE QUINTETS BEFORE REGISTERING ON LINE. YOU WILL THEN REQUEST TO BE SCHEDULED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SCHOOL FROM WHICH YOU ARE BORROWING STUDENTS. Teachers should notify the All-State Audition Coordinator in this circumstance. No students who are ineligible to audition will be allowed to complete quintets. No teacher may fill in quintets.
10. The number of quintets per school must not exceed the largest number of students registered in a vocal part. If you have cancellations at audition time, you must adjust your quintets to comply with this rule.
11. Students who act as fill-in voices with another school must postpone their personal sight-singing portion of the audition process until they have completed acting as a fill-in voice. This is to prevent the passing of sight-reading information from student to student prior to their entering the sight-singing audition room.
12. Teachers must be present with their students at the auditions. Students not accompanied by their own teacher will not be allowed to audition.
13. No photocopied music will be allowed.

SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

1. The All-State Chorus will be comprised of SATB voices that have received the highest scores during the auditions. The All-State Women’s Chorus will be comprised of a balanced group of female students who have received the second highest scores in their respective voice parts. No alternate All-State or All-State Women’s Chorus members will be selected nor may any teacher make any substitutions. Failure to comply with the substitution rule will result in the substituted students not being allowed to participate in the All-State weekend and their school being suspended for the next academic year.
2. Selected participants will be posted on the website. A package with scoring sheets, cut-off scores, and other information will be mailed to each director after auditions have been completed. It is the responsibility of the director to double-check the scores and notify students of their acceptance into the All-State Choirs. If you do not receive a packet or have questions about scores, please contact Diane MacFarlane, Audition Coordinator.
3. Teachers are responsible for the preparation of the music by their students prior to the All-State weekend. In the event an unbalanced group is chosen from any one school, cooperative learning rehearsals may be conducted by combining two or more schools. Teachers should not expect students to learn the music entirely independently. Practice CD’s will be available for purchase to assist in preparing music. Information on ordering CD’s will be posted on the website and distributed at Choral Arts Seminar.
4. Any school whose selected participants are unable to attend the All-State weekend are expected to notify the All-State Chairman two weeks prior to the All-State weekend. Schools failing to comply may not be allowed to participate in All-State Auditions the
   next academic year.