TMEA REGION 24 VOCAL DIVISION HIGH SCHOOL HANDBOOK

I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: The following rules and guidelines, adopted by Region 24, are intended to be comprehensive and adequate for the executive committee (Region officers) to administer association activities. These rules supersede all previous written rules and precedents. These rules are intended to be compatible with TMEA philosophy, thus enabling our students to be accepted with credibility at state-level competitions. I. OFFICERS A. Election a. At the Spring Meeting in even-numbered years, the members of the Vocal Division shall elect a Chair-Elect, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The Chair-Elect shall serve two years and then become the chairperson for another two-year term. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall also serve two-year terms. Newly elected officers assume their responsibilities immediately after the Spring Meeting at which they are elected. B. Chair: Duties . Preside over meetings of the membership a. Keep the membership informed of events and rules b. Fulfill any duties assigned by the State Vocal Chair of TMEA c. Attend meeting at TCDA and TMEA state conventions d. File necessary forms and reports with the State Chair e. Attend the Area B audition f. Coordinate division activities g. Oversee the All-Region Choir process h. Contact and secure services of All-Region clinicians immediately after Spring Meeting i. Register entries and schedule auditions j. Work with host site for auditions k. Prepare and run all auditions l. Coordinate clinic rehearsals and concert performance m. Work with UIL Executive Secretary on UIL matters

i.Hire Concert/Sight-reading judges ii.Schedule the C/SR contest

n. Chair the Executive Committee

o. The Chair shall receive an honorarium for each year in the amount of up to $300.00 at the conclusion of the area auditions contingent upon Region financial status. Amount will be determined by the Executive Committee. C. Chair-Elect: Duties . Assist the Chairperson in his or her duties a. Assume the duties of Chairperson after the Spring Meeting of the even numbered years b. Serve on the Executive Committee c. Serve as the co-technology officer.

.The technology officer shall be responsible for storing, maintain, and updating all audition equipment (mp3 players and speakers). The technology officer will work directly with the chairperson. They will be charged with all disbursement, training, and collection of audition equipment at each audition.

D. Secretary: Duties . Take minutes of division meetings and provide a digital copy after each meeting as well as a printed copy at the next meeting. a. Compile and distribute an electronic directory of all division members b. Assist the Chair in his or her duties c. Serve as the co-technology officer.

.The technology officer shall be responsible for storing, maintain, and updating all audition equipment (mp3 players and speakers). The technology officer will work directly with the chairperson. They will be charged with all disbursement, training, and collection of audition equipment at each audition. d. Update and maintain the Region 24 Vocal Website with pertinent information. e. Prepare and print judges sheets for each round of auditions f. Serve on the Executive Committee E. Treasurer: Duties

. Furnish Chair with a written statement of financial condition and the past two years expenses (classified by type of expense by September 10) a. Collect records and deposits all funds b. Disburse funds as required by region activity requirements c. Announce the financial condition at each general meeting d. Serve on the Executive Committee

F. Vacancies: Any vacancies of division offices shall be filled by an election at the next possible meeting of the membership, except in the case of Chairperson, when the Chairperson-Elect shall assume the office, a new Chairperson-Elect shall be elected.

G. Computer Technician: The computer technician shall be responsible for the TMEA entry process and each round of auditions up to the state area auditions. Expenses related to computer tabulations shall be reimbursed by the Region. At the conclusion of the state area auditions, the computer technician (unless the computer technician is a Region 24 Choir Director) shall receive an honorarium of up to $250.00.

III. AUDITION RULES AND PROCEDURES A. The State Manual Audition Procedures Manual, TMEA Vocal Division is distributed by the State Vocal Chair, as revised for the current year, is the authority for all procedures and processes. Directors are responsible for being familiar with all materials in the State Manual, whether or not it appears in the handbook. B. Director’s Responsibilities

a. In accordance with the TMEA Constitution, any director whose student participates must be a member of TMEA and shall be required to provide proof of membership prior to the first audition. b. Directors within the region shall be used to judge and work in other capacities. Five-member panels shall be used in all sections. Outside judges from neighboring regions may be hired as necessary. c. Once a director enters students in the All-State process, they are committing themselves to be called as a judge for every subsequent round. If a director cannot be at an audition, it is the responsibility of that director to find a qualified proxy. The proxy judge must be an active, or retired member of TMEA. Any deviation must be approved 72 hours in advance by the Region Vocal Chair, or students will not be allowed to participate.

i. Proxy judges shall not be considered guest judges and will be responsible for the purchase of their own meal. The Region Chair must approve any proxy judge. The director missing the Region event must compensate the Region $100 for the proxy judge. The Region will pay the proxy judge after services rendered.

d. All directors are expected to punctually attend all stated Directors’ Meetings the day of the audition. All judges shall proceed directly to their judging assignments following the Directors’ Meeting. A judge shall have no contact with any participating students until the conclusion of his/her judging assignment.

C. Guest Judges: Guest judges for the region shall receive an honorarium of $125 for District/Region/ Pre-Area Auditions, plus a meal per judging engagement. A judge serving as a proxy for a region director will not be considered a guest judge.

. Region 24 Vocal Division will pay for guest judge meals at District, Region, and Pre-Area auditions.

D. Host expenses . District, Region, and Pre-Area $300 allotment to offset food expenses a. All receipts must by submitted and all overages covered by the host school. E. Directors who fail to adhere to rules, policies, or guidelines will be subject to terms of TMEA Penalties for Rules & Policies Infractions. F. Participation and entry

IV. Region 24 participates in four auditions: A. District – Only voice parts with over 60 singers will audition at this round. IF the number is very close to 60, the executive board will make a decision regarding the phasing of that voice part, taking into consideration DNA’s. 42 voices (21 from each of the two rooms or 14 from each of the three rooms) will be selected for each voice part to participate in Region Auditions. B. Region - All voices will audition including those selected at District. Numbers 1-15 will be named to the Region Mixed Choir. No alternates. In treble sections, numbers 16-42 will be named to the Region Treble Choir. No alternates. In the Tenor/Bass voices, numbers 1-15 will be named to the Region Mixed Choir. No alternates. C. The Small School Choir (hereafter referred to as SSC) track may be selected by students from schools 1A-4A. SSC track participants will select the SSC track at the time of registration. These students will compete beginning at the Phase II audition. The top two chairs in each section will participate in the Region Mixed Choir and will proceed to SSC Area Auditions. A student entered into the Small School Track may not change classification once auditions have begun.  Directors, please ensure that you have selected the correct track for your students D. All of the Large School Choir (LSC) students in the Region Mixed Choir will audition to be LSC Area Candidates from Region 24. Numbers 1-5 will be Area Candidates, with 6 and 7 serving as alternates. Those LSC Region Mixed Choir singers will go to a pre-area audition where the top 5 chairs will continue on to the area audition.

E. Area B – Numbers 1-4 in each section will be named to the All-State Mixed Choir. Chairs 5-10 in the treble sections will be named to the All-State Treble Choir, and chairs 5-8 in the tenor/bass sections will be named to the All-State Tenor-Bass Choir.

F. A school should be represented by their top students--not necessarily evenly divided among sections. Only students well prepared should be allowed to participate.

G. The entry fee of $20.00 per student must accompany the entry form. When you submit your online entries, you will print off the TMEA

Official Entry Page to submit with your fees on the day of the first Region Audition. You must have a copy of your current TMEA card or proof of TMEA registration with your entry form and fees. Plan ahead if you are paying by purchase order. In the event of problems, please supply a Xerox copy of the check request dated and signed by your principal. The Region will not accept any student checks. Each participating campus is responsible for a $100 campus fee.

H. Any deletions, DNA’s or changes should be reported to the Region Vocal Chair immediately. It may be wise to proofread your entries and make a copy for your files. I. It is your responsibility to check the academic eligibility of each of your students. No student shall be allowed to audition who is academically ineligible. J. Entries will be submitted online via the TMEA website. Instructions for online entries can by found on the TMEA website. All directors are held responsible for understanding the entry process and adhering to deadlines. K. The following addition is excerpted from the TMEA Audition Process Manual: a. All contest deadlines will be 14 days prior to the day of the audition. b. The late and final online entry deadline will be seven days prior to the day of the audition. c. Correction to an existing student entry may be made between 13 and seven days prior to the contest without penalty, but a student entry added less than 14 but more than seven days prior to the contest will result in an additional 100% student late fee. d. Entries begun less than 14 but more than seven days prior to the contest will be assessed a 50% additional campus fee charge and 100% student fee charge. e. A campus entry created less than fourteen days prior to the contest will be subject to the TMEA Grievance Process f. Directors will be allowed to add or change student entries the day of the audition. The 50% additional campus and 100% additional student late fees will be assessed. g. All fees must be paid or supported by a school purchase order prior to the start of auditions. L. Audition procedures

. Music for all auditions shall be selected from TMEA All-State repertoire for the current year. Selections for District, Region and Pre-Area rounds will be selected by the executive committee and presented at the Fall Meeting. Music for the concert will include some of the TMEA All-State repertoire. Additional music, if needed, will be chosen by the clinicians and executive committee. a. Audition procedures will be modeled after the TMEA All-State audition process. See appendix for details of each audition. b. Sight-reading will count for 20% of the maximum possible score.

c. Audition numbers i. Student audition numbers shall be randomly pre-assigned

utilizing the TMEA computer program by the Region Vocal Chair.

d. Cuts for the Phase I and Phase II/Region auditions will be posted two school days before each audition. At all subsequent auditions, cuts will be provided at registration. Cuts for Phase I, Region and Pre-Area auditions will be selected by the Executive Committee. e. Numbers will be distributed at registration on the day of the audition. f. All students at the audition site must be in the designated holding areas in order to protect the integrity of the audition. g. Students are expected to be on time for all auditions.

.Registration will be open for 30 minutes. No late registrants will be accepted.

h. As each section is completed results will be presented to the directors for review. Tabulated audition results shall be available for inspection by directors for one hour following the conclusion of the entire audition. At the end of this period the results are subject to the TMEA Appeals Process. i. Results for student viewing will be posted at the audition site as well as on the region website (www.region24vocal.org) after results have been finalized, by audition number only. Only results of students who made the choir will be posted on the website. j. The TMEA computer program will break all ties. k. In accordance with state policy, no electronic devices may be used or accessed by a student participant until the auditions for the student’s section have been concluded. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in student disqualification. The list of non-allowable electronic devices includes, but is not limited to, phones, electronic games, computers, cameras (within an audition room), and playback systems.

.The audition site host will set up an adult-monitored “call station” where students may access their phones in emergency situations without penalty.

l. Judges will be behind screens. Only one student at a time will be permitted in the audition room, and the student will sing through the entire cut.

M. DISQUALIFICATION –

. Disqualified students forfeit all privileges. Students may be disqualified for:

.Misconduct at auditions or clinic/concert i. Cheating or violating audition rules

ii.Violation of attendance policies

IV. ALL-REGION REHEARSAL, CLINIC AND CONCERT A. Attendance Guidelines a. Directors should notify the Chair immediately if any of their students will be unable to participate. b. Excused absences shall require a written explanation to be submitted in advance to the Region Vocal Chair for consideration. The Executive Committee will determine if a student will attend enough rehearsal to perform on the Region Concert. The following reasons are excusable:

i.Personal illness of a serious nature. (If a student becomes ill during a rehearsal and must leave, the section leader or a region officer must know the nature of the illness. Upon a student’s return, a decision can be made as to whether the student is well enough and is attending enough of rehearsal to continue as a member of the choir).

ii.Death in the immediate family. iii.Competitor in a UIL or other TMEA event.

c. Unexcused absences shall cause a student to forfeit membership in the All-Region Choir and all privileges attached thereto.

.Being present at the site, but not in the assigned rehearsal area shall be counted as an absence.

i.Other absences that will not be excused include, but are not limited to the following: 1. College entrance exams (excluding English Writing

Assessment Test) 2. Athletic practices 3. Non-district athletic events (i.e. tournaments) 4. Jobs 5. Illness in family 6. Non-school related contests and activities (rodeos,

hobbies, scouts, family or church trips, etc.) d. Tardies – A student shall be considered tardy when that student is not in his/her assigned seat when the All-Region Choir begins to rehearse. All tardies shall be considered unexcused. Two tardies shall equal one unexcused absence and result in dismissal from the choir. A tardy shall be considered an absence when more than half of the rehearsal has been missed.

e. Any student who participates in the All-Region Choir and Concert must be accompanied at all times by his/her director or an appointed proxy. The Region Vocal Chair shall be informed as to who the proxy will be at least 48 hours in advance. If students are left unsupervised the member/sponsor may be subject to the TMEA Grievance Process. B. Clinicians . The membership will submit names of potential clinicians to the Region Chair before the November Region performance. The Executive Committee will review submissions and secure clinician services. a. The honorarium for a clinician shall be $500.00. The region UIL schedule shall be used for travel and per diem for meals. C. Accompanists . The Region Vocal Chair shall arrange for accompanists. a. The honorarium for an accompanist shall be $250. The region UIL schedule shall be used for travel and per diem for meals if they are from outside the region. ______________________ ENTRY REMINDERS • Make sure that your entries are accurate as there may be financial penalties for

corrections or changes. • Double-check the spelling of all student names. The programs will be prepared

from your entries. • When you submit your payment and your TMEA number, please advise if you have

any students who will need wheelchair access or are legally blind so that we can make necessary arrangements.

• Please advise the Chair if you have any voice teachers who will be available to judge.

• E-mail DNA’s as soon as possible. • Only bring prepared students to the audition. _____ Have you joined TMEA? _____ Have you obtained the audition music? _____ Have you obtained the audition CDs? _____ Have you obtained a check for fees made payable to TMEA Region 24 Vocal Division? _____ Have you downloaded and printed the invoice to submit with your payment?

_____ Have you sent a copy of your TMEA card to the Region Chair? _____ Have you read and reread the Region and State handbooks?

Region XXIV MS/JH Audition Policies and Procedures

Elected Positions

Responsibilities of Officers Coordinator (two year term, beginning upon completion of Coordinator-Elect service)

1. Preside over MS/JH Vocal Division Meetings 2. Contact and hire All-Region clinicians 3. Arrange and oversee All-Region repertoire selection committee 4. Make arrangements for creation of All-Region audition rehearsal/accompaniment tracks 5. Find sites for All-Region audition, pre-rehearsal and concert 6. Secure neutral party to compose sight-reading for All-Region audition day 7. Coordinate All-Region repertoire packets with JW Pepper or Pender’s 8. Hire specialist to run TMEA All-Region tabulations program 9. Assist hired tabulations specialist in receiving and organizing All-Region entries 10. Coordinate scheduling of auditions by communicating with tabulations specialist 11. Oversee tabulations room on audition day 12. Make final decisions about audition procedures on All-Region Audition Day 13. Plan, prepare and e-mail all necessary information to region directors regarding the Audition, Pre-

rehearsal, and Clinic/Concert 14. Plan and coordinate All-Region pre-rehearsal and clinic/concert 15. Order All-Region patches; distribute on Clinic/Concert Day 16. Act as Master of Ceremonies for All-Region Concert 17. Assist UIL secretary with creation of middle school UIL schedule 18. Communicate with TMEA officials and attend MS/JH Coordinator meetings at TMEA/TCDA 19. Handle and address grievance process/issues through proper chain of procedure

Coordinator-Elect (two year term, elected in even years) 1. Arrange recordings and t-shirts for All-Region concert 2. Make judging assignments for All-Region auditions and hire qualified supplemental judges 3. Communicate with supplemental judges regarding cuts, judging guidelines, and other

expectations. 4. Secure cuts tracks for the All-Region audition day 5. Act as host – region liaison on the audition day and during preparations 6. Assist Coordinator at the Pre-rehearsal and Clinic/Concert 7. Act as assistant Master of Ceremonies at All-Region Concert 8. Confer with host schools for lunch and/or snacks: audition day, pre-rehearsal and clinic/concert

Secretary (two year term, elected in odd years with option to renew service)

1. Take minutes at MS/JH fall and spring region meetings 2. Type and copy minutes for presentation at following meeting 3. Collect director information at fall meeting 4. Create, distribute, and maintain a spreadsheet of director information from the information

provided at the fall meeting 5. Compile list of selected student names for Region program 6. Prepare All-Region concert program and arrange printing 7. Oversee registration table at All-Region audition day and assist as needed during the day 8. Assist Coordinator at pre-rehearsal and clinic/concert

Treasurer (two year term, elected in odd years with option to renew service) 1. Present detailed financial report at fall and spring region meetings. 2. Collect annual dues at Fall Meeting 3. Collect audition entry fees from Coordinator-Elect for deposit 4. Make travel/hotel arrangements for All-Region clinicians 5. Purchase necessary items and keep region checkbook balanced and up to date 6. Purchase all items necessary for registration, tab room and audition rooms

Stipends for Officers To be paid annually, provided funds are available

$200 Coordinator $100 Coordinator-Elect $100 Treasurer $50 Secretary

Director/Active Member Sponsor Responsibilities

Attendance Policy At least ONE director from each school is required to attend all of the region choir activities. The one exception: ALL directors need to be in attendance at the audition. No student will be allowed to participate in region choir unless their director/assistant director is present and performing his/her assigned responsibilities. The Region Coordinator will assume that all directors will plan to attend all of the All-Region activities, unless otherwise notified.

Proxy Policy If neither director can attend a particular rehearsal in an emergency situation, another responsible adult should be designated and the Region Coordinator should be notified of that change so that responsibilities can be altered.

Instrumentation or Voicing for each Ensemble Treble I Total: 54 Tenor Bass Total: 54 Treble II Total: 54 Soprano I 18 Tenor I 18 Soprano I 18 Soprano II 18 Tenor II 18 Soprano II 18 Alto 18 Bass 18 Alto 18

Audition Entry Procedures

Entry Procedures Each campus pays an annual school fee of $75.00, which includes access to tracks (which includes all parts, accompaniments, and sight-reading track for all voices. This will be paid along with student entry fees at the region entry deadline. In the case that two campuses are served by one head director, only one $75 school fee may be paid by those combined campuses. Directors not adhering to the rules for deadlines, entries, or other guidelines, will receive reprimands. In every case, every effort will be made NOT to penalize the student for the director’s mistake. Directors must hear all students individually prior to the audition. If any student learned an incorrect part and are therefore entered in the wrong room, the director MUST alert the officers BEFORE the actual audition day. Failure to do so or waiting until the day of the contest will result in a financial penalty and grievance from the state TMEA office. Directors should compile an “Information Sheet” describing the All-Region process. Included in the letter should be student expectations to learn several pieces of music and sight-read for the audition. Describe how you will teach the audition material (sectionals, mp3 distribution, etc.) and give the student an idea of the commitment needed to be a part of the “Best of the Best”. Give a description of the choirs and explain it is an honor to be a member, and that excellent conduct will be expected throughout the process. State that all performances and rehearsals are required after they make the choir. It is wise to include information about transportation as well. Please seek out the help of a mentor teacher if you are creating this document from scratch.

1. All contest deadlines will be 14 days prior to the day of the audition. 2. The late and final online entry deadline will be seven days prior to the day of the audition. 3. Correction to an existing student entry may be made between 13 and seven days prior to the

contest without penalty, but a student entry added less than 14 but more than seven days prior to the contest will result in an additional 100% student late fee.

4. Entries begun less than 14 but more than seven days prior to the contest will be assessed a 50% additional campus fee charge and 100% student fee charge.

5. A campus entry created less than fourteen days prior to the contest will be subject to the TMEA Grievance Process

6. Directors will be allowed to add or change student entries the day of the audition. The 50% additional campus and 100% additional student late fees will be assessed.

7. All fees must be paid or supported by a school purchase order prior to the start of auditions. 14 days prior to the audition, online entries must be entered by the end of the day (midnight), mailed entry packets must be postmarked by this date, and hand delivered entries must be received by this date. You MUST enter your students online (www.tmea.org). Click on “Divisions”, then “Vocal”, then “Audition Entry Process”. You MUST be a member of TMEA in order to use the online entry system. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE SCHEDULED AN AUDITION IF YOU ARE NOT AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF TMEA. Please check in advance with your students to see if they have time conflicts on the day of the audition. If a student can ONLY audition in the morning or afternoon, please designate “AM” or “PM” when entering students online. Please note this information as included on the Region Contract. DO NOT guarantee your students any specific audition times other than morning or afternoon. Please make an extra effort to be in communication with parents regarding scheduling. Only those students who plan to audition should be entered online. No substitutions can be made after the late entry deadline (7 days prior to audition). Please note: all students must be academically eligible at the time of the audition and must maintain eligibility in order to perform if selected. Please consult your district’s eligibility calendar for details. After you have entered your students through the online system, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from the tabulations coordinator. Please carefully check to see that all of your students are listed on the correct voice part in the email sent to you. Students will not be allowed to switch rooms on the day of the audition. If there is a problem, IMMEDIATELY contact the officers and tabulations coordinator to rectify the situation.

Entry Fees A $10.00 fee for each student must be paid to the region in order to audition. Your entry fee should consist of a single check made payable to TMEA Region XXIV MS/JH Vocal Division that covers the $10.00 audition fee for all auditioning students. DO NOT SEND INDIVIDUAL STUDENT CHECKS. Make your check request as soon as possible to avoid complications. Please request that the check be returned directly to you, so that you may include it with your entry packet. Cash is acceptable, but mailing cash is strongly discouraged. Please note that the region will award no refunds in the event that a school pays for more students than actually audition. Directors are encouraged to consult their district policies before considering submitting a personal check. In the event that a check is rejected or fees are charged to the region, the check-writer will be held responsible for securing proper payment and reimbursing the region for all fees.

The Audition Procedure

Audition Personnel

Responsibilities Judging assignments will be sent out during the week preceding the audition. All directors and assistants who have entered students are responsible for judging in one of the audition rooms. If unable to judge, you are required to find and compensate your own qualified replacement, and notify the region coordinator. Judges should be on time and prepared to stay on campus until all results have been certified. All judges will meet at 7:45am at the audition site to review logistics and judging instructions. Coffee and light breakfast items will be available. All judges must arrive on time in order for the auditions to begin promptly at 8:30am. All judges must bring their own original copy of the audition music, a pencil, and a calculator. An overview of the judging/comment sheet will be given at the directors’ meeting on the morning of the audition. Guest judges will be provided with an informational packet prior to the audition day, consisting of music, directions, guidelines, etc. by a Region Officer. If a student asks the judges a question such as “Do I sing it now?” there should be a response made by the Head Judge only. If a student sings the wrong part (accurately sings a different voice part) in the audition room, the head judge should ask the room monitor to hold the auditioning student while the Coordinator is summoned. All further action is at the discretion of the Coordinator. All judges, including hired judges, MUST remain at the audition site until their room has been completely tabulated, posted, and certified. We must be able to locate you in order to make corrections in the event that a mistake is found. Arrangements for lunch are provided, so everyone is expected to stay on site through lunch. Lunch will be catered by a local restaurant. Directors will pay CASH for lunch and give to the Treasurer at the Director’s meeting at 7:45 AM. Every effort will be made to provide a lunch that accommodates a variety of dietary needs.

Pick up all students’ rating sheets and printouts from your labeled envelope in the library before leaving (or make arrangements to have them picked up for you). Students are not allowed to pick up these materials for their teachers. Audition results will be posted and available for review for exactly one hour. Audition results will NOT be available after this point nor will they distributed to the general membership via e-mail. Directors will only be allowed to take home: 1) Results by School or 2) Results of Contest with ranks listed. Online posting may only include students who made the choir and may only be listed by voice and audition number. (per TMEA) Treble I, Tenor-Bass, and Treble II choir packets will be available for purchase on site immediately after the audition. When you know how many students you have in each choir, you will purchase packets for your selected students. A PACKET MUST BE PURCHASED FOR EACH SELECTED STUDENT ON THE EVENING OF THE AUDITION. Packets should not be purchased at this time for directors (who are responsible for their own music) or alternates (for whom packets will be made available on an as needed basis).

Stipends Associated with Auditions • Guest judges: $125 • Tabulations: $250 if hiring outside of existing region MS/JH personnel

Audition Procedures Audition times will be assigned in 2-hour blocks (8:30-10:30, 10:30-12:30, 1:00-3:00 and 3:00-5:00). Registrations for each block will BEGIN 30 minutes prior to the block start time (8:00, 10:00, 12:30, 2:30). There is no need for students to arrive any earlier than the registration start time, as registration will be open for 30 minutes. Upon registration, students will receive an audition number, but NO SPECIFIC TIMES will be given. Prior to the audition day, students will receive no more specific information than their block time. Directors should make sure the students understand the sight-reading process, particularly the fact that they can sing with the tonic chord aloud, sing aloud during the practice time, and that the actual sight-reading must be sung after the second triad and starting pitch. The sight-reading instruction track for each part has been included with the rehearsal tracks and may be duplicated for student practice. Students may begin to practice out loud at any time following the second song, and should not be penalized for practicing prior to the designated “30 second practice time”. PLEASE NOTE: Tenor I and Tenor II will sight-read with a tenor voice in TREBLE CLEF. Bass/Baritone will sight-read in BASS CLEF.

• Students sing cuts of two songs, followed by 8-measures of sightreading • Sight-reading difficulty guidelines: eighth, quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes; quarter

rests; start and end on do; primarily between do and sol; skips only within tonic chord • Sightreading keys:

Sopranos read and sound in G Altos read and sound in F Tenor 1 read in G, sound in A Tenor 2 read and sound in G

Bass read and sound in D • Students are divided into two hour audition blocks with registration beginning 30 minutes before

the start of the block • Cell phones are collected at registration and returned after students audition • Entry deadline is two weeks prior to audition day • Max Song score is 300 (150 per selection) • Max sight-reading score is 60 • Only sight-impaired SPED students will be exempt from the sight-reading portion of the audition.

The cuts will be made available to directors via e-mail on Monday evening, the week of the audition (5 days prior) for release at the director’s discretion. Upon entering the audition room, the monitor will give the judges the audition number only. Students will let the monitor know they are ready to begin and they will sing their assigned part of the audition pieces with the accompaniment track. Students should bring their own music to the audition. NO music will be provided in any of the rooms. After auditioning, students will be allowed to return to the cafeteria, but are encouraged to leave as soon as possible after their audition has been completed. If a student arrives late to his/her audition, he/she will be worked in if possible. Any student arriving later than 15 minutes after the last scheduled person has auditioned for his/her section will NOT be allowed to audition. Registration closes at 4:00. Music packets must be purchased for selected students before leaving the campus. NO CASH – only purchase orders or “to be billed”. You have the option of choosing a designee to represent your school in the event that the judges do not choose any of your singers. Designees must have auditioned to be considered.

Audition Music Original copies of the audition pieces need to be purchased for all your auditioning students. Students will not be allowed to audition with photocopies. Music does not have to be memorized for the audition.

Alternates Alternates will be determined in the following manner: two per part per room with a minimum of two per part. In the event of a tie, the combined raw scores of songs will be used. In the event that a selected student is unable to participate, the director should contact the Region Coordinator, who will then contact the appropriate alternate. Directors should not contact alternates on their own. When and if a Treble I choir student is unable to perform, the highest ranking Treble II student in that audition room will be invited to perform with the Treble I choir. An alternate will then be called up to fill the newly vacated place in the Treble II choir. Alternates may continue to be called until 12:00 noon on the day of the pre-rehearsal, after which point no additional alternates will be called. In the event that any judging panel in any room at the audition is unable to certify the designated number of singers to the region choir, that panel will be responsible to meet with the Region Coordinator and decide how many singers will be selected from that room. Certification Procedures (HS only)

Clinic/Concert Stipends/Honorariums Associated with Clinic/Concert

• Clinic/Concert Accompanist: $300.00 • All-Region Clinician: $350.00 plus travel expenses • Recording Pianist $20.00 per song recorded • Recording singers $20.00 per song recorded • Audition Host Reimbursement of expenses

Student and Director Attendance Requirements Student concert dress code: Tenor/Bass: campus choir uniform; black or white button down shirts, dark pants. Vests, ties, etc. at director/campus discretion Treble: campus choir uniform; uniform dresses if available OR all black dressy outfit Attendance at all rehearsals and performance is required. These include the Pre-Rehearsal, clinic all day Saturday, and the Saturday evening concert. Any student needing to be tardy to a rehearsal must inform his/her director who will obtain clearance from the Coordinator. Only one tardy is allowed. Everyone deserves to have a positive experience. Discipline problems only take away from students’ hard work and time. Therefore, students must be on their best behavior in rehearsal so that the section leader and directors will be able to use the time and talent to their fullest potential. For the Pre-rehearsal, music need not be memorized, but should be learned as completely as possible. All music MUST be memorized for the Clinic/Concert day. Clinicians generally allow the singers to look at their music until the afternoon session, at which point memorization will be required. Patches will only be awarded to those students performing in the final concert. Directors will pick those up from the Region Coordinator at the directors’ meeting on Saturday.

Student Elimination Any director observing students not meeting the expectations will complete as Incident Report for the student. This can be any student in any choir. Student receiving two Incident Reports from directors will be sent home. These reports are on file for BOTH the Pre-Rehearsal and the Clinic/Concert. Any student obviously not knowing the music at the Pre-Rehearsal or the Clinic/Concert, at the discretion of the section leader and with the approval of the Coordinator, may be asked to forego participation. Any student missing more than one half hour of any rehearsal will not be allowed to continue his/her participation in the Region Choir. Exceptions will be made only in true emergency situations, at the discretion of the Region Coordinator. Students knowing of unavoidable conflicts to the dates listed should NOT audition. Any student more than 10 minutes late to the final assembly before the performance will not be allowed to sing.