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NMACDA All State Youth Choir Festival Procedures for the Handbook
Section I: PURPOSE
Purpose of ACDA All State Youth Choir Festival
To provide well prepared, talented upper elementary and middle school/junior high music students with an opportunity to participate in a fine choral ensemble, under the direction of a nationally recognized choral conductor/clinician.
Section II: FESTIVAL PROCEDURES
A. Dates of Festival
1. Last weekend of January of each year
B. Site Location
1. Determined by Executive Board of NM ACDA at the NMMEA All State Conference Meeting.
2. Site proposals should be submitted in writing to the Executive Board at the summer Meeting.
C. The festival committee shall consist of the President, president-elect, RS Chairs: Children’s Choir, Jr High/Mid School, Boy Choir and other members as deemed necessary by the President.
D. Festival Committee Duties
1. Vendors: T-shirts, Plaques, Recordings (DVD/CD)
2. Programs: Design, Printing
3. CD’s: Mailing of Audition and Learning CD’s
4. Registration Materials: President will handle registration materials
and get information to Program Coordinator(s).
5. Monitors: Rehearsal Room, Concert
6. Stage Crew: Set Up, Tear Down
7. Concert Ushers: Programs, Doors
8. Hospitality: Clinician lunches, dinner, drinks/snacks, setting up,
purchasing, etc..
9. Co-chairs: for each choir (same as for NMMEA All State)
10. Name Tags: Design and execution
E. Eligibility/Participation
1. Elementary
a. Must be in grades 4 - 6.
2. Youth Choir
a. Must be in grades 7 - 9
b. 6th grade boys with changed voices may audition for Youth Choir
3. Members or associate members of ACDA and their students may participate, with registration fees waived.
4. Non members must pay the registration fee in order to participate or join NMACDA prior to the audition date.
5. Recommendation Forms must be provided in order for students’ to be eligible to audition.
6. A student may not be allowed to audition unless registration and fees are paid and received before the announced deadline.
7. Registration online
F. Student Rules for Participation in All State
1. Students selected to participate in a Festival choir are required to attend all rehearsals and the Saturday performance.
2. Students accepted to participate in All State are expected to participate fully and to the best of their ability by learning all notes and memorizing music.
3. Students are expected to have a folder and pencil at all times.
4. Students may be excluded from participation in the festival for disciplinary reasons.
6. Students are expected to be in formal concert attire.
a. Girls: Modest length skirt or dress (no strapless tops/dresses or spaghetti strapped dresses) and appropriate dress shoes.
b. Boys: Dress pants, appropriate colored socks, dress shoes and a button down dress shirt with a tie.
G. Director Guidelines for NMACDA Youth Choir Festival
1. Music directors are expected to chaperone their student at all times during the Festival.
2. If disciplinary action of any kind concerning a student(s) is deemed necessary, it shall be the responsibility of the music instructor of the student to take such action as necessary. Students may be excluded from participation in the festival for disciplinary reasons.
SECTION III: AUDITION PROCEDURES AND RESULTS
A. Students will audition using the following guidelines:
1. Use the provided audition accompaniment CD for recording the audition.
2. The CD shall include the student stating his/her name, grade level and then student will sing unaccompanied, “’My Country ‘Tis of Thee” as well as the selected audition title.
3. Teacher recommendation and classroom teacher recommendation form must accompany the audition CD.
4. All pertinent information and audition CD’s should be sent to the respective elementary or youth choir judge, postmarked by the specified deadline.
B. Judging
1. Judges are selected at the NMACDA January general meeting.
2. Selected judges choose 2 people to assist with audition CD’s.
3. Names of judges and assistants will be published and available to the general membership.
4. Audition judges will use the judging template for scoring. The audition judging score sheet is a tool for auditioners to use to assist in the selection of the most qualified students. This template will be provided to the judges by the Festival Chair.
5. The judging score sheets must be turned into the Festival Chair(Pres- elect) at the conclusion of the audition adjudication or within 30 days and will be retained by the Executive Board of NMACDA until after the conclusion of the Festival. Said forms will be destroyed.
6. Judges must provide the Festival Chair with student names, school names or studio names and all pertinent information identifying the student selected on the approved template.
7. The judges shall select from the total number of students auditioning the most qualified students as participants in the festival. 150 students maximum will be selected to participate in each respective choir according to the necessary balance of parts.
8. Students may only be moved from one choir to another in consultation and with permission of the NMACDA President.
C. Notification of auditions results will be made to teachers via email and online at the website www.nmacada.org.no later than 90 days prior to the festival
SECTION IV: REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
A. Teachers must register all selected participants online at www.nmacada.org.
B. Student registration, fees and/or valid purchase orders MUST be received no later than 60 days prior to the festival or students will forfeit their participation in the NMACDA All State Youth Choir Festival.
.
Timeline for Teachers: (to be revised each year)
This needs to be developed for new teachers as a cheat sheet of things to accomplish and by when.
A. Teachers Register online
B. Payment of fees (if non-member)
C. Record the student audition
D. Postmark deadline for recorded auditions
E. Judges select students based upon audition criteria
F. Choir lists made available to teachers
G. Student Registration online
H. Payment of fees