2011 NW MENC All-Northwest and WMEA All-State Honor Groups State of Washington Applicants Only

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1 2011 NW MENC All-Northwest and WMEA All-State Honor Groups State of Washington Applicants Only While all applications and auditions will be filed at the All-Northwest level, students from Washington who are not selected for a NW performing group will be considered for our All-State groups. A singular audition/application will be used for both. All-State and All-Northwest will be held in Bellevue on the same weekend. The following information and requirements apply to both MENC All- Northwest and Washington All-State. Program overview All-Northwest honor groups include Band, Orchestra, Mixed Choir, Treble Choir, azz Band and azz Choir. All-State groups are Concert Band, Symphonic Choir and Symphony Orchestra. The entire application and audition process will be done online and includes a screening at the state level and ultimately the Northwest level for placement in groups. Direct technical assistance for teachers is available throughout the process at hstech@wmea.org. Conductors for NW and Washington All-State honor groups: Ray E. Cramer, All-NW Band Andrew George, All-NW Orchestra Richard Bella, All-NW Mixed Choir Ryan Holder, All-NW Treble Choir Robert Washut, All-NW azz Band Christine Guter, All-NW azz Choir Carolyn Barber, All-State Concert Band ames ordan, All-State Symphonic Choir Gerard Schwarz, All-State Symphony Orchestra Eligibility Teacher Honor Groups are organized expressly for students of classroom MENC member educators only. Teachers must maintain current membership from the time of application through honor group performances. By using our online application/ audition system, teachers attest that: 1. they are the MENC member teacher of the applicant, and have the student under their direction in a performing group corresponding with the honor group for which the student is applying; 2. that a MENC member teacher from the applicant s school was present at the time the audition recording was made. Refer to for complete policy guidelines. Eligibility Students Students must be in grades 9-12 and regularly participating members in the school music performing group, offered for credit, corresponding with the honor group for which they are applying. Please refer to StudentEvents/AllStatePolicy.pdf for complete eligibility definitions. Regular participation in that school music group must continue through the honor group performance. Students interested in applying in more than one category will need to submit a separate application, payment and recorded audition for each area. By applying, all students, parents and teachers agree that if selected, students are required to attend all rehearsals, and remain with their honor group from check-in through the concert. Placement: Female singers chosen for All-NW will be assigned by management to either Mixed Choir or Treble Choir. Those selected in winds and percussion will be assigned to band or orchestra. Those accepted on a azz rhythm section instrument will be assigned to azz band or azz choir. Expense and transportation Application Fee: $15.00 due with application. All payments must be made by credit card and instructions are provided within the online application process. (Application fees are waived if your school is an Associate Member of WMEA.) Please note that if a student anticipates needing financial assistance to participate if ultimately selected, application to access those funds needs to be submitted by the audition close date of October 5. See the WMEA Young Musicians Excelling fund page for complete information.

2 Participation Fee: Transportation: $ (plus additional $5 if All-NW azz concert ticket preordered) due immediately after notification of acceptance. Participation fee covers all housing, meals, Seattle Symphony concert ticket, on-site event transportation and administrative costs. Payment of this fee must be processed through the student s school. Limited financial assistance is available from the WMEA Young Musicians Excelling fund. See the WMEA Young Musicians Excelling fund page for complete information. Each school, in cooperation and understanding of students parents/guardians, will arrange transportation to and from Bellevue. Students are not permitted to drive to, from or during the honor group experience. Critical Dates Wednesday, September 1 Tuesday, October 5 Monday, November 15 Wednesday, December 15 Monday, anuary 3 Wednesday, February 16 Thursday, February 17 Saturday, February 19 Sunday, February 20 Online application and audition window opens Online application and audition window closes (11:59 PM) Notification of acceptance/registration info ed to teachers Postmark deadline for registration forms and all fees ($10 late processing fee per student after this date.) This deadline cannot be extended for any reason. Mailing of music to teachers/schools begins NW azz group members arrive in Bellevue, rehearsals begin All-State and NW large group members arrive, rehearsals begin All-Northwest azz Band and azz Choir concert All-State and All-NW large group concerts Audition/Application Checklist And Reminders for Teachers Ensure your MENC membership is current and will remain current through February Teachers cannot access online application forms, nor submit applications/auditions unless membership is current. Warning MENC does not finalize renewal of membership until checks have cleared, credit cards approved or purchase orders paid by the school/district. Renewal can be done online ( by phone ( ), or mail. Distribute the Student Application Worksheet and audition materials to qualified students. The worksheet is for your use only--please do not mail to WMEA. Complete/submit the online application and upload recordings at Deadline is October 5. Detailed instructions found online within the application/recording pages. Audition payments will be done online via credit card as part of the audition process. If a student is applying for financial assistance through YME, postmark deadline of form is October 5. For additional information regarding the All-Northwest Honor Group program, contact: Bruce Gutgesell, MENC-NW Student Events Coordinator, WMEA or bruceg@wmea.org Technical questions regarding the online audition/applciation process should be directed to hstech@wmea.org.

3 th Ave W, Suite 101 Lynnwood, Washington WMEA WMEA (FAX) WMEA High School Honor Groups Financial Assistance Advisory Board Gerard Schwarz, Seattle, Chair Seattle Symphony Orchestra Steve Paul Moen, Seattle, Vice Chair Shafer, Moen and Bryan (Retired) eanne Ehrlichman Bluechel, Seattle Arts Advocate Kathy Fahlman Dewalt, Bellevue 10 Grands David Gannett, Seattle Arts Advocate Nancy Gosen, Seattle Seattle Symphony Christian Harris, Seattle Physician Barry Heid, Yakima Manhasset Specialty Products David Horsey, Seattle The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Mary Langholz, Seattle Washington State Arts Alliance Annie Matlow, Spokane Spokane Symphony Vicki White Miltun, Mercer Island Past President, WMEA George H. Moffat, Mill Creek Boeing Anne Moneymaker, Yakima Visitors and Convention Bureau Marlys Palumbo, Seattle Van Ness, Feldman, PC oseph F. Wheeler, Port Townsend Centrum (Retired) Staff Bruce Caldwell Executive Director o Caldwell Development Director Gayla Stewart Administrative Assistant The WMEA Young Musicians Excelling fund is pleased to provide monies and services that provide assistance to Washington students of genuine limited financial means. This year s participant cost is $325 per student. For students who TRULY need financial assistance, please follow the steps below: 1. Print out a copy of this form. 2. Ask your music teacher how much your school will assist with costs, and then put that amount on line B below. 3. Complete the rest of this form to the best of your ability. 4. Have your parents and music teacher sign the form and sign it yourself. 5. Send it to: WMEA YME Assistance Program th Ave W, Suite 101 Lynnwood, Washington This request must be postmarked on or before October 5, If you are a Washington student accepted in an MENC All-Northwest or WMEA All-State group, your teacher will be notified by US mail of how much assistance you have been granted (it may not be all you ask, as the available funds must be distributed equitably). All requests are handled in confidence separately from the auditions and do not impact whether or not you are selected for honor groups. THIS IS STRICTLY NEED-BASED ASSISTANCE. IT IS ESTABLISHED ON AN HONOR SYSTEM. Please ask ONLY for assistance based on true need. THIS IS NOT A SCHOLARSHIP. Financial Assistance Application (Washington students only) 2011 High School Honor Groups Student: School/City: Home Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: Please check this box if you are receiving free or reduced lunches. Areas of application: Winds/Percussion Strings Vocal Inst azz Vocal azz A. High school honor groups participation fee:... $ B. Amount school will pay (subtract):... $ C. Balance due from me:... $ D. Amount I can reasonably afford (subtract):... $ E. Amount of assistance requested:... $ We attest this is a true financial need for support as requested. Student Signature: Parent Signature: Request Acknowledged Music Teacher Signature Give the GIFT of MUSIC

4 Student Application Worksheet All-Northwest Applicants: Please provide all information asked for below, completely and accurately. Return this form to your teacher. Teachers: This worksheet is for your use only. Please do not mail to WMEA. You will find an optional opportunity to purchase a discounted student ticket to the All-NW azz Band and azz Choir Concert. This is your only opportunity to preorder a ticket. If selected for a group and participating in Bellevue, an additional $5 will be added to your $325 participation fee. Provide the following information, return to your teacher: Name (first, last): T-Shirt Size: ( S, M, L, XL, XXL) Gender: Male Female One Optional All-NW azz Concert Ticket (yes or no): Home Street Address: Parent/Guardian Name: Home City/State/Zip: Grade in School: 9 th 10 th 11 th 12 th Home Area Code/Phone: Instrument or Voice Category (ies) of Audition(s): Parent Required Parent Signature: By signing this form, I grant permission for daughter/son to audition for, and should they be selected, participate in a 2011 All-State or All-NW honor group. I also understand that auditioning for this honor represents a commitment to participate, should she/he be assigned to an All-State or All-NW honor group.

5 RECORDING THE AUDITIONS ON A COMPUTER First, if you already have a digital recording system that works for you, keep using it. ust make sure that the resulting files are.mp3 files. If you ve never created digital recordings with your computer, you should, at little cost, be able to create digital recordings and submit them online. Procure a microphone with a 1/8" ack. It may cost $10-$40 at any computer store (e.g. Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City) or a music store that serves computer needs. Your building or district tech support may have extra microphones available for you to use at no cost to your budget. Plug the mic into the mic ack on the computer. It usually has a microphone icon next to it (often colored pink). Open your audio recording program. 1. Windows: Sound Recorder is on all Windows machines start/all programs/accessories/ entertainment may be the path to find it on many machines. Note: Older versions of Sound Recorder may have a recording limit of 60 seconds per track. Students will not be penalized if the recording shuts off after one minute. 2. Mac: The ilife Suite, included with all newer imacs, includes Garage Band. Older Macs have SoundTrack. Record each exercise. Each exercise of the audition needs to be a separate file. We recommend including the audition- track number as a part of the file name. Save each exercise as a separate track with a title that makes sense to you (ohn Smith Tuba Track 1, ohn Smith Tuba, Track 2, etc.). Each student will have 2-5 files created, depending on the category. Listen to each file to make sure it recorded with good sound. Save these files in a logical location on the computer. Remember, the resulting file must be in.mp3 format. Itunes is a great tool to convert various audio file formats to.mp3. Download Itunes (a free program), import the audio and convert the files to.mp3. Still need recording help? Remember your logical help resources: tech-savvy music teachers or other teachers in your building, building and district tech support, tech-savvy students (an especially good resource!) and other music educators in your region. And remember, we are providing technical support as well. Your tech expert s contact information is on your application page.

6 Audition Materials Vocal azz All exercises except track 7 are to be sung a cappella (without accompaniment). Accompaniment is optional on track 7. The pitch should be given only once before each exercise. Track 1 Sing a one-octave maor scale starting on the note named ascending and descending with do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do. (Quarter note = 72) Soprano I... D (space below treble clef) Tenor I... Eb (third space on bass clef) Soprano II... C (middle C) Alto I... A (below middle C) Alto II... G (below middle C) Tenor II... C (second space on bass clef) Bass I... Ab (first space on bass clef) Bass II... F (space below bass clef) Track 2 Sing a one-octave maor scale starting on the note named ascending and descending with do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do. (Quarter note = 72) Soprano 1... Bb (third line on treble clef) Tenor I... G (fourth space on bass clef) Soprano II... Ab (third space on treble clef) Tenor II... F (fourth line on bass clef) Alto I... F (first space on treble clef) Bass I... Eb (third space on bass clef) Alto II... Eb (first line on treble clef) Bass II... Db (third line on bass clef) Track 3 Track 4 Track 5 Sing the words I love to sing on a descending, octave arpeggio ( ) in the assigned key for your voice part. Repeat it six (6) times for a total of seven (7) patterns with each repetition being one-half-step higher than the previous one. Do not sing or hum the new pitch; ust think it. Only one pitch is to be given for the entire exercise. Soprano I... Bb (third line on treble clef) Soprano II... Bb (third line on treble clef) Alto I... G (second line on treble clef) Alto II... G (second line on treble clef) Tenor I... C (first ledger line above bass clef) Tenor II... C (first ledger line above bass clef) Bass I... G (fourth space on bass clef) Bass II... G (fourth space on bass clef) Sing unaccompanied the melody and words of America The Beautiful, first stanza and chorus only (start with Oh Beautiful... and end with...from sea to shining sea ). Remember to begin on the fifth. Soprano I... Key of D Soprano II... Key of C Alto I... Key of B Alto II... Key of A Tenor I... Key of D Tenor II... Key of C Bass I... Key of B Bass II... Key of A azz Interpretation: Sing the first 16 measures in a swing style, unaccompanied, of Summertime. You choose the tempo and key. (Lead sheet is available on Aebersold, Volume 25.) Track 6 Rhythmic and Pitch Accuracy: Sing unaccompanied, your voice part of azz Choir, Example 1. Track 7 Include a one-minute excerpt of anything that will show your azz abilities. For example, sing a solo feature or improvise. You can do this with a live rhythm section or an Aebersold recording.

7 VOCAL QUARTET EXCERPT Soprano Alto Tenor Bass & b c Medium Swing & b c V b c? b c Audition Example Vocal # Pack up all Pack up all # Pack up all n Pack up all azz Choir, Example 1, Blackbird care b care b care b # Ó an' woe, Ó an' woe, b n an' woe, n Ó care an' woe, woe, here I go, I'm b here I go, I'm here I go, I'm Excerpt extracted from Blackbird Arranged by Kirk Marcy Copyright Oxford University Press Used by permission I'm sing-in' sing-in' low. low. n sing-in' sing - in' low. # sing-in' sing - in' low. S A T 5 & b & b V b Œ Œ. Œ. n. n Œ. > Œ b. > Œ b >.. bird.. bird. b B? b Œ. b b Œ. b > bird.. bird. S 9 & b ^ Œ n > n b^ n ^ A & b ^ Œ > n ^ ^ T V bb ^ Œ > b b^ n ^ B? b ^ Œ > ^ ^