Maine All State Chorus Audition

Information Page

05/03/2010

questions?  email me at

Erin Lowell <elowell@sad60.k12.me.us>


Auditions Dates 2009

08/24/2009

Northern Site - Houlton - November 7th
Southern Site - Gorham - November 13th-14th
Central Site - Skowhegan - November 20th-21st


Audition Requirements
Solo Song Requirements
06/02/2009
Choral Assessment Requirements
(Click here to download the Choral Audition Piece
MP3's and PDF's.)
06/02/2009
Sight Singing and Scale Requirements
08/11/09
Click here to go directly to the Sight Singing Practice Examples
Audition Rubric
Adjudication Guidelines

Audition Requirements

The audition shall be comprised of four tasks in the following order:

  • A Solo selection from “24 Italian Songs and Arias”
  • A Choral selection from SSATB madrigals in the public domain
  • A Major Scale
  • A sample of Sight Singing

    The Solo task shall be performed with a recorded piano accompaniment. The Choral task shall be performed with a recorded vocal ensemble accompaniment. Recordings and specific editions and arrangements shall be made available to all teachers by July 1st to ensure ample available preparation time. 

Solo Song Guidelines and Rotation
8/11/2009

The following four year rotation shall be used, and sung in Italian:



2009-2010: Per La Gloria – 1st verse only

08/11/2009

Pronunciation Guide for Per La Gloria  MP3

         2010-2011: Gia Sole Del Gange –measures 1 - 48 correction 6/5/2006
         2011-2012: Sebben Crudele  -  measures 1 - 48 correction 6/12/2006

          Pronunciation Guide for Sebben Crudele MP3
         
        2008-2009: Danza, Danza Fancuilla Gentile – measures 1 - 41correction 6/12/2006

        Pronunciation Guide for Danza, Danza MP3

Altos and Basses shall sing the Medium Low Voice edition.
Sopranos and Tenors shall sing the Medium High Voice edition.

   
Music is available from favorite local or on-line music shop
Choral Assessment Guidelines and Rotation
6/02/2009

The following four year rotation shall be used, and sung in English:



2009-2010: Fire Fire My Heart – SSATB - Thomas Morley
2010-2011: Sing We and Chant It – SSATB - Thomas Morley
2011-2012: Those Sweet Delightful Lillies – SSATB - Thomas Bateson
2012-2013: All Creatures Now Are Merry – SSATB - John Bennet
You MUST use the custom arrangements and vocal accompaniments provided by
MMEA. No other arrangement or accompaniment will be accepted.
Click here to download the Choral Assessment MP3's and PDF's.

All sopranos shall sing the second soprano part. There shall be three versions of the recording for each vocal part; the third version shall be used in the audition.

1.    Part Predominant - so the student can practice the part in isolation
2.    Part Equal - so the student can practice the part with the ensemble
3.    Part Missing - so the student can perform the part independently

Sight Singing and Scale Guidelines

05/29/2006

The Scale and Sight Singing tasks shall be performed a capella.

05/29/2006

Click to hear the Bb prep chords

Click to hear the F prep chords

Scale
The scale shall consist of one octave and be sung using the same note and rhythm recommendations used by winds as published annually in the Handbook at an approximate tempo of Quarter Note = 60. The scale shall be sung using any syllables of the student’s choice.  Below is an example of the rhythmic pattern to be used with the scale:
Alto / Bass Scale
click on the scale to hear it
altobassscale

Soprano / Tenor Scale
click on the scale to hear it

sopranotenorscale

Sight Singing

The sight singing samples shall adhere to the following guidelines:

Click here for sample Sight Singing examples to practice with
All State Audition Rubric

click here to download the rubric in PDF format

rubric


Adjudicator Guidelines

10 Point Scale
Below Average = 0 - 3
Average = 3.5 - 6.5
Above Average = 7 - 10

5 Point Scale
Below Average = 0 - 1.5
Average = 2 - 3
Above Average = 3.5 - 5

Posture / Support:
    The average high school singer displays an understanding of well-balanced posture and abdominal/costal breathing, although execution is inconsistent and may degrade over the course of a performance. The below average singer displays little understanding of either, usually resulting in a casual or rigid stance and noticeable chest and shoulder movement. The above average singer displays a consistent application of well-balanced posture and breathing technique throughout the entire performance. Judges are encouraged to specify casual or rigid posture.

Intonation:

    The average high school singer displays an understanding of center of pitch and relative natural tuning, although execution is inconsistent across the range and vowel spectrum.  The below average singer displays little understanding of either, usually resulting in a consistently flat, sharp, or inconsistent intonation. The above average singer displays a consistent execution of both, resulting in an intonation that sits on top of the center of the pitch across range and vowels. Judges are encouraged to specify flat, sharp, or inconsistent tuning.
 
Tone / Placement:
    The average high school singer displays an understanding of free and open tone and tall and centered placement, although execution is inconsistent across the range and vowel spectrum. The below average singer displays little understanding of either, usually resulting in a tight sound and/or collapsed placement. The above average singer displays a consistent execution of both, resulting in a full, free, and open tone across range and vowels.

Diction:
    The average high school singer displays an understanding of proper vowel shaping and consonant articulation, although execution is inconsistent, some vowel choices may seem arbitrary, and some consonants may be overdone. The below average singer displays little understanding of either, usually resulting in all vowels having a neutral sound and most consonants being lost. The above average singer displays a consistent execution of both, resulting in consistent, pleasant vowel choices and consonants that are present without being obtrusive.

Dynamics / Phrasing:
    The average high school singer displays an understanding of stylistic artistry, although execution is inconsistent and some artistic choices may seem mechanical and arbitrary.  The below average singer displays little understanding, usually resulting in a performance devoid of any artistry at all. The above average singer displays a consistent application of appropriate artistic choices for the style, resulting in a natural, believable performance.

 
Notes / Rhythms:

 The average high school singer is well prepared, although a missed note or shortchanged rhythm due to nerves is not unexpected.  The below average singer is not well prepared, and may become lost, miss entrances, or improvise rhythms. The above average singer is well prepared, note and rhythm perfect, and independent of the sheet music.

Part Independence:
    The average high school singer can hold their part, although balance, blend, and tuning to the chord may be inconsistent.  The below average singer has trouble holding their part and may become lost or begin singing another part in unison or octaves. The above average singer appears completely comfortable singing their part and focuses more on being part of the ensemble than on their own line.

Scale:
    The average high school singer displays a familiarity with the major scale, although relative tuning may be inconsistent.  The below average singer displays little familiarity, usually resulting in losing the tonality completely. The above average singer displays a strong familiarity resulting in accurate relative tuning both up and down the scale.

 
Sight Singing:
Rhythm:

    The average high school singer can perform the rhythmic pattern accurately in isolation, but may not keep a consistent beat when adding melody. The below average singer will improvise the rhythms. The above average singer will perform the rhythms accurately while simultaneously performing the melody.
Melody:

    The average high school singer can perform the melodic pattern accurately in isolation, but may lose tonality when adding rhythm. The below average singer will improvise the melody. The above average singer will perform the melody accurately while simultaneously performing the rhythms.

Overall Presentation:
    The average high school singer displays an understanding of the audition process, although some anxiety may be evident. The below average singer displays little understanding of the audition process and heightened anxiety, usually requiring extra guidance from the judges and often making excuses for the performance. The above average singer displays a comfort level with the audition process, completing it with confidence and a pleasant demeanor.