NW ACDA Honor Choir 2016 Division Conference, March 3-6, 2016 Seattle, Washington General Application Information Letter

Transcription

1 NW ACDA Honor Choir 2016 Division Conference, March 3-6, 2016 Seattle, Washington General Application Information Letter Greetings! As the Northwest ACDA Division Board continues its preparations for another phenomenal conference in Seattle, we are again making plans for a superior Honor Choir opportunity for the brightest and best young singers in our division. The NW ACDA Board is pleased to offer five different honor choirs; Jazz Honor Choir, Children s Honor Choir, Youth Honor Choir, Women s Honor Choir and Men s Honor Choir. Students who audition and are accepted will get the opportunity to rehearse and perform at a special Honor Choir Concert with a world renowned conductor, get to know singers from various cities and states in the Northwest, participate in a fun group activity, experience Seattle life, and take home memories they will cherish for a lifetime. CONDUCTORS The division conference will host five separate honor choirs with five outstanding conductors: Children s Honor Choir - Sandra Snow, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Youth Honor Choir - Scott Leithead, Kokepelli Choir, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada HS Men s Honor Choir - Jonathan Reed, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI HS Women s Honor Choir - Dinah Helgeson, International School, Bangkok, Thailand HS Jazz Honor Choir - Vijay Singh, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA WHO CAN APPLY? Children s Choir applicants must be unchanged voices that are enrolled in 5 th, 6 th or 7 th grade. Youth Choir accepts mixed voices in grades 7, 8 or 9. Men s, Women s and Jazz Choir applicants must be in the 10 th, 11 th or 12 th grade at the time of the conference. Singers in grade 7 must choose, with the help of their director, if they will apply for the Children s HC or audition for the Youth. Singers must only audition/apply for one choir/voice part. They may NOT audition for more than one choir or voice part. If singers are found to have auditioned/applied more than once, they will be disqualified. EXCEPTION: Singers who audition for the Jazz Choir may also audition for the HS Men s/women s Honor Choir, but may only audition for one voice part per choir. Singers who wants to audition for Men s/women s and Jazz will have to pay audition fees for both auditions and will have to choose which choir if chosen for both. Rhythm section students must apply as a rhythm section all from one school, but each player will complete his/her own application. Please note the Jazz Honor Choir members must stay with the convention hotels and will be done on Saturday evening after jazz night. AUDITION PROCEDURES The auditions will be conducted online and all submissions must be in mp3 format. An ACDA member must login to submit auditions using your valid ACDA member number. There are separate instructions provided for each choir below. Please be sure you follow the directions carefully for the appropriate choir for each singer. Please be sure to have all necessary information from each singer before submitting online auditions. For each singer applying, there will be a NON-REFUNDABLE $25 (US) application fee due with audition/recommendation materials, via secure online payment using credit card. HOUSING & CHAPERONES Children s and Youth Honor Choir singers must provide their own chaperones staying in each room with the singers or following school/district/organization policy as it applies to overnight trips. Each Children s and Youth singer MUST have a chaperone. One chaperone may serve more than one singer. There will NOT be an additional fee for each chaperone. This means chaperones will NOT get badges and will NOT be admitted to ANY ACDA sessions or concerts without purchasing tickets or general conference registration. (Each honor choir singer will receive 2 free tickets to their honor choir concert. They may give one of these tickets to their chaperone if they wish. Additional tickets will be available for purchase on site.) It is the responsibility of the parents/directors of Children s/youth singers to secure a chaperone for every singer.

2 For the High School Men s, Women s and Jazz Honor Choirs, singers will be assigned to a room with 3 other participants (4 to a room) of the same gender. Our division will be providing chaperones on site. These will be choir teachers from our division schools that are ACDA members. Our High School Honor Choir Housing Coordinator will be providing more information regarding housing and chaperones for these choirs as we come closer to the conference. The cost structure for the Men s, Jazz & Women s Choirs is different than for the Children s and Youth Choirs, since the Men s, Jazz & Women s choirs have housing costs figured into the total and the Children s and Youth must pay for their housing separately. ALL honor choir participants MUST stay at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel in order to be eligible for participation. Children s and Youth Honor Choir members are responsible for arranging and paying for their own room at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel for the three nights of the conference. Once accepted, it is the chaperone s/parent s responsibility to make reservations at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel no later than Dec 1, Failure to make reservations may result in being removed from the choir. BE SURE TO LIST ALL OCCUPANTS of each room when you make your reservations, and tell them you are with ACDA HONOR CHOIRS. If you fail to inform the Sheraton that you are with ACDA HONOR CHOIRS, you will not receive the special rate and you will not be listed in our housing roster and could be removed from the choir. EXPENSE The registration fee for each Men s, Women s and Jazz(& Rhythm Section) Honor Choir singer is $320 (US) and for each Children s & Youth is $200 (US). The participation fee must be paid upon acceptance into the choirs, by Dec. 1, 2015, and is absolutely NON-REFUNDABLE. This expense covers 3 ½ days (2½ days for jazz) of amazing rehearsals and performances with great singers, conductors, accompanists, sheet music, rehearsal recording, T-shirt, breakfasts, and other activities and items. All transportation arrangements and expenses will be made by and paid for by the honor choir participants. ACDA assumes NO financial responsibility for transportation to and from the NW Conference in Seattle, WA. Be confident that our Honor Choir Committee is working hard to ensure that each singer will be provided the greatest experience possible for the best price possible. HONOR CHOIR APPLICATION TIMELINE (Failure to meet deadlines could result in removal from the choir.) August 17, 2015 Application period begins. Audition instructions below. Directors Remember to renew your ACDA memberships as you can t upload auditions if your membership is not current. October 1, 2015 November 1, 2015 December 1, 2015 December 1, 2015 Deadline for all audition materials to be uploaded online and NON-REFUNDABLE $25 application fee paid. No applications will be considered after this date. Post singers accepted to each choir on the NW ACDA website. Singers will have one month to complete online registration and non-refundable payment and to send notarized forms to confirm their intent to participate. Online Registration deadline for all accepted singers. Non-refundable payments must be made online. All notarized forms must be mailed directly to the appropriate Honor Choir Chair, postmarked by Dec. 1(see addresses below). Children & Youth Honor Choir members must reserve rooms at Sheraton Seattle Hotel by this date. Alert them you are with ACDA HONOR CHOIRS. This will also ensure you get the ACDA rates as listed: the single/double rate is: $ $27.30 tax = $ $2.00 tourism fee = $

3 HONOR CHOIR STAFF We have a wonderful group of dedicated professionals serving each Honor Choir for this conference. They are the primary individuals that are volunteering their time to make each honor choir happen. General Honor Choirs Coordinator Amy Fuller amy_fuller@sumnersd.org (cell) NW ACDA Children s Honor Choir NW ACDA Youth Honor Choir NW ACDA Jazz Honor Choir Sharon Smith, Chair Isaac Robbins, Chair Jeff Horenstein, Chair 1403 W. Courtland Ave 614 Hydra B c/o Meadowdale High School Spokane, WA Post Falls, ID th St. SW Sharonrodkeysmith@yahoo.com irobbins@sd273.com Lynwood, WA horensteinj@gmail.com NW ACDA Men s Honor Choir NW ACDA Women s Honor Choir Nicholas Gorne, Chair Karlene Miles, Chair th Ave. Ct. NW c/o Sumner High School Gig Harbor, WA Main Street gorneni@me.com Sumner, WA karlene_miles@sumnersd.org Based on years of work with the ACDA organization, I know that through rehearsing and performing the best choral music, conducted by artistic and inspirational conductors, being a part of these honor choirs will certainly provide many wonderful and life-changing musical experiences for each singer. I look forward to seeing you in Seattle! Musically Yours, Amy Fuller, General Honor Choirs Coordinator

4 Northwest ACDA Division Conference Seattle - March 3-6, 2016 APPLICATION/AUDITION INFORMATION ONLINE PROCEDURE: 1) Visit 2) Click on the link for NWACDA Honor Choir Submission. a. This will take you to an external site. ( 3) Enter your ACDA member name and number password. a. You can update this through the National ACDA website (acda.org) 4) Verify that your name and contact information are correct. 5) Register your singers. a. Teachers can register multiple students under one registration session. 6) Upload individual audio files (files must be in an.mp3 format). a. All recordings must be unedited b. Please submit a separate recording/.mp3 file for each exercise i. There will be four total.mp3 files: high scale, low scale, arpeggio & song Jazz singers will have six total.mp3 files: high & low scales, arpeggio, 2 songs & optional improvisation(screener will listen, but won t count against their score). 7) Electronically sign agreement statements. 8) Submit payment electronically via credit card. If you would like to pay with a different method, please contact Amy Fuller well in advance: amy_fuller@sumnersd.org INFORMATION NEEDED Please prepare the following information for each student applying or auditioning. You will be asked for this information when applying and auditioning online. You may use the application worksheet below if you wish. For the Director: Name & ACDA Membership Number o Directors must be current members of ACDA (Membership will be verified by the ACDA National Office, and new and renewable memberships must be paid by October 1, 2015). Address Sponsoring Organization: name of school, church, community choir Preferred Address & Phone You will be asked to sign (by agreement) a Student/Participant Character Recommendation as shown below. Director Statement of Character Recommendation for the Applicant: This student/singer has demonstrated the outstanding musical ability, attention span, and exemplary behavior necessary to represent his/her school, church, community choir, city/state, in a NWACDA Honor Choir in Seattle, Washington. All auditions included are the work of the singer and have not been edited or altered in any way. For the Applicant: Name Parent/Guardian Name Mailing Address & Phone Address (for both singer and parent/guardian) Which Honor Choir for Audition (5-7 Children s, 7-9 Youth, Women, Men, Jazz) Voice Part for Audition Men s - TI, TII, BI, BII(3 part split preference); Women s - SI, SII, AI, AII(3 part split preference); Youth S, A, T, B; Children s SI, SII, A (2 part split preference) Grade Level Height in INCHES (for example, if a student is 5-foor-2, please enter 62 for their height) T-shirt size (Youth is children s size, not teen ) o Youth S, Youth M, Youth L, Youth XL, Adult S, Adult M, Adult L, Adult XL, Adult XXL, Adult XXXL (please allow for student growth when choosing a size) As part of the application, you are asked to agree to the Statement of Obligation below.

5 Honor Choir Statement of Obligation: I/We have read the guidelines and application forms and understand that a final list of accepted singers will be posted on the NW-ACDA website on or prior to November 1, If I/my singers are accepted, I will complete the formal registrations, including all fees and forms, for each of my singers prior to the December 1, 2015 deadline. I/We fully understand that selection for a 2016 NWACDA Honor Choir brings with it significant musical and financial obligations. We understand that as a member of the Children s and Youth honor choir, the applicant must pay a $200 non-refundable participation fee and that the ACDA is not responsible for the costs of the applicant s transportation or lodging at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel. We understand that as a member of the Men s,women s or Jazz honor choirs, the applicant must pay a $320 non-refundable participation fee and that the ACDA is not responsible for the costs of the applicant s transportation. We understand that only breakfast will be provided for the singer (only) and all other meals are the responsibility of the participant. We further understand that the applicant will be staying in the Seattle Sheraton Hotel, and Children s and Youth members must have a parent/chaperone in the hotel room or follow their school/district/organization policy as it applies for overnight trips, while Men s, Women s and Jazz members will be assigned to a room with other singers of the same gender, and will be assigned to a chaperone designated by ACDA. We understand that all hotel policies and participation guidelines must be followed, or the singer will be removed from the conference at their own expense. We also understand that the applicant must attend all honor choir rehearsals March 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2016 and the convention performance on Sunday, March 6, 2016 (Saturday evening, March 5, 2016 for Jazz). The applicant will be committed to having the music fully prepared according to the instructions included in the music packet before arriving in Seattle. For the Chaperone: Upon acceptance into the Children and Youth Honor Choirs, each singer must be accompanied by a chaperone. Please do not depend on the student s teacher as the chaperone. The teachers are members of the organization and will most likely attend conference events. Students may not be left un-chaperoned at any time. Students MUST have a chaperone on-site. NWACDA will not be responsible for patrolling the halls of the hotel at night. Information about your chaperone will be requested upon registration if accepted. Chaperone First & Last Name Mailing Address Phone Student Name (up to 3 students may be added to each chaperone) Relationship to Applicant (i.e. Parent, teacher, responsible chaperone or organization designee. You will be asked to sign a Chaperone Statement of Obligation as shown below. Chaperone Statement of Obligation: Upon this applicant s selection for a 2016 Children or Youth Honor Choirs, I understand that I will be staying in the same room with the participant or following school/district/organization policy as it applies for overnight trips. I further understand that I will be responsible for ensuring that the applicant attends all Honor Choir rehearsals and performances, arriving on time. I understand that the NWACDA is not responsible for the costs of my transportation, lodging, or meals. I understand that I will not be admitted to any ACDA Conference concerts, interest sessions, or other activities without purchasing tickets or general conference registration. I understand that I am the party responsible for the singer while attending the NWACDA Honor Choir, and that no student may be left un-chaperoned at any time. Mp3 Audio Audition Submission: Use the best quality recording equipment you can. You can record a CD and convert it to an.mp3 file format or record directly to your computer. Garageband (Mac) and Audacity (PC) are recommended recording software. itunes is recommended for.mp3 file conversion. Audio-Enhanced Recordings will be disqualified. Recordings should NOT be edited or enhanced electronically in any way. THIS INCLUDES REVERB Do not give the name of the applicant on the recordings. All applicants will be given an audition number for the screening process. Applicant name and information will be hidden from the screening panel. Recordings will not be returned.

6 Audition Instructions: Sing all exercises and the song unaccompanied.(remember no REVERB or sound editing) Record the starting pitch only of each exercise/song PRIOR to singing. (Do not hum the first pitch.) Children s Honor Choir (Grades 5-7) Sandra Snow, Conductor The Children s Honor Choir is open to singers (unchanged voices) in grades 5, 6 or 7. Directors may recommend up to three singers to the Children s Honor Choir, one in each voice part. *REMEMBER!*: If you believe you have more than three qualified singers that you d like to nominate, you may submit up to three trios, for a maximum total of nine singers. Vocal auditions are not required for the Children s Choir. Soprano 1 Soprano 2 o For 2-part music, Soprano 2 s will be assigned a part based on balancing needs Alto Youth Honor Choir (Grades 7-9) Scott Leithead, Conductor The Youth Honor Choir is open to singers (mixed voices) in grades 7, 8 or 9. *NEW this year Youth Honor Choir is auditioning SATB vs. SSAATTBB. Double check the starting notes for exercises. THANKS! Sing the TWO scales below, one octave ascending and descending, using quarter notes at approximately 100 mm, and using solfege syllables (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do). Do not repeat high do upon descending and sing the exercise in one breath. (Please record each scale on a separate.mp3) Low scale High scale Soprano D G Alto B (Below middle C) Eb Tenor D F Bass G D Vocalize the following scale pattern: using the syllable mah on quarter notes at approximately 120mm, starting on the pitches designated below. At the end of the pattern modulate up a minor second (aloud), take a breath and sing the pattern again in the new key. Continue as before until a TOTAL of four (4) patterns have been sung. A pitch should be given only once at the start of the first pattern. Each of the four patterns should be sung with only one legato maaaaah from beginning to end. (Do not rearticulate the m for each note.) Sopranos: C (third space) Altos: Bb (third line) Tenor: middle C Bass: A (below middle C) Sing the first verse and chorus (melody) of America, the Beautiful at approximately 100mm. ( Oh beautiful to shining sea. ) Remember to record (only) the starting pitch, which is the fifth scale degree or sol. Soprano and Tenor: Key of D Alto and Bass: Key of B REMINDER! Sing all exercises and the song unaccompanied.(remember no REVERB or sound editing) Record the starting pitch only of each exercise/song PRIOR to singing. (Do not hum the first pitch.)

7 Men s Honor Choir (Grades 10-12) Jonathan Reed, Conductor The Men s Honor Choir is open to male singers in grades 10, 11 or 12. Sing the TWO scales below, one octave ascending and descending, using quarter notes at approximately 100 mm, and using solfege syllables (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do). Do not repeat high do upon descending and sing the exercise in one breath. (Please record each scale on a separate.mp3) Low High Tenor I Eb G Tenor II C F Bass I Ab (1st Space bass clef) Eb Bass II F (Below bass clef) Db Vocalize the following scale pattern: singing the syllable mah on quarter notes at approximately 120 mm. At the end of the pattern modulate up a minor second (aloud), take a breath and sing the pattern again in the new key. Continue as before until a TOTAL of six (6) patterns have been sung. Each of the six patterns should be sung with only one legato mah syllable from beginning to end (do not rearticulate the m for each note). Tenors: C (middle C) Basses: G (fourth space) Sing the first verse and chorus (melody) of America, the Beautiful at approximately 100mm. Remember to record (only) the starting pitch, which is the fifth scale degree or sol in each key for this song. Tenor I Key of D Bass I Key of B Tenor II Key of C Bass II Key of A Women s Honor Choir (Grades 10-12) Dinah Helgeson, Conductor The Women s Honor Choir is open to female singers in grades 10, 11 or 12. Sing the TWO scales below, one octave ascending and descending, using quarter notes at approximately 100 mm, and using solfege syllables (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do). Do not repeat high do upon descending and sing the exercise in one breath. (Please record each scale on a separate.mp3) Low High Soprano I D Bb (3rd line) Soprano II C G (2nd line) Alto I A (Below middle C) F (1st space) Alto II G (Below middle C) Eb (Above middle C) Vocalize the following scale pattern: singing the syllable mah on quarter notes at approximately 120 mm. At the end of the pattern modulate up a minor second (aloud), take a breath and sing the pattern again in the new key. Continue as before until a TOTAL of six (6) patterns have been sung. Each of the six patterns should be sung with only one legato mah syllable from beginning to end (do not rearticulate the m for each note). Sopranos: C (third space) Altos: G (second line) Sing the first verse and chorus (melody) of America, the Beautiful at approximately 100mm. Remember to record (only) the starting pitch, which is the fifth scale degree or sol in each key for this song. Soprano I Key of D Alto I Key of B Soprano II Key of C Alto II Key of A

8 Jazz Honor Choir (Grades 10-12) Vijay Singh, Conductor The Jazz Honor Choir is open to male and female singers in grades 10, 11 or 12. Rhythm section students must apply individually, but with the same rhythm section tracks all from one school and may represent grades Sing the TWO scales below, one octave ascending and descending, using quarter notes at approximately 100 mm, and using solfege syllables (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do). Do not repeat high do upon descending and sing the exercise in one breath. (Please record each scale on a separate.mp3) Low High Soprano I D Bb (3rd line) Soprano II C Ab (2nd Space) Alto I A (Below middle C) G (1st Line) Alto II G (Below middle C) Eb (Above middle C) Tenor I Eb G Tenor II C F Bass I Ab (1st Space bass clef) Eb Bass II F (Below bass clef) Db Vocalize the following scale pattern: singing the syllable mah on quarter notes at approximately 120 mm. At the end of the pattern modulate up a minor second, take a breath and sing the pattern again in the new key. Continue as before until a TOTAL of six (6) patterns have been sung. Each of the six patterns should be sung with only one legato mah syllable from beginning to end (do not rearticulate the m for each note). Sopranos: C (third space) Altos: G (second line) Tenors: C (middle C) Basses: G (fourth space) Sing My Romance (melody) a cappella one time through as a ballad in a rubato style and once through in a swing style. Sing in any key that best fits your range. Sing your part (SATB) on the NW ACDA Vocal Jazz Audition Excerpt. This should be done a cappella in a swing style at approximately 120 mm. Find the excerpt at Optional Improvisation: Sing up to one minute of an improvised solo (either scat or reinterpret the melody of a jazz song) with a background recording (e.g. Jamey Aebersold), live accompaniment, or a cappella. The screener will listen to this track if it is uploaded and it may help with consideration of placement; however, it is not required. Rhythm Section: (Each player must complete his/her own audition/application and fee. The uploads for the entire rhythm section will be the same as the other members of the rhythm section.) Play the audition excerpt that can be found on in the following styles. Make sure you observe the notated ensemble hits. (Please record each on a separate track) 1. Medium Swing - quarter note =120 bpm 2. Fast Swing - quarter note = 240 bpm 3. Bossa Nova - half note = 60 bpm 4. Samba - half note = 120 bpm 5. Ballad (straight eighth notes) - quarter note = 60 bpm

9 NWACDA Honor Choir 2016 Division Conference, March 3-6, 2016 Seattle, Washington Online Application Information Worksheet You may use this worksheet as you prepare to enter applications/auditions online. Student Information First Name: Last Name: Mailing Address: City: State: Zip: Singer Parent/Guardian Name (First & Last): Parent/Guardian Parent/Guardian Phone: Which Honor Choir for Audition? (5-7 Children s, 7-9 Youth, Men, Women, Jazz): Voice Part for Audition? (circle): Men s: TI TII BI BII; Women s : SI SII AI AII Men s/women s Prefence in a 3 part split? Youth S A T B --Children s Choir Only (circle): SI SII A Date of Birth: Grade Level: Height in Inches (i.e. 5 2 = 62 inches): T-shirt Size (circle): (Youth are children s sizes not Teen ) Youth S Youth M Youth L Youth XL Adult S Adult M Adult L Adult XL Adult XXL Adult XXXL Roommate Request Name: (Men, Women & Jazz only) Chaperone Name: (Children & Youth only) Chaperone Phone: (Children & Youth only) Chaperone (Children & Youth only) Chaperone Relationship (circle): Parent Teacher Responsible Chaperone Organization Designee Please read and sign the Statement of Obligation on the next page.

10 Statement of Obligation You will be asked to sign the Singer Statement of Obligation as below. Signing this statement indicates you have read thoroughly the Initial Application Information Letter and understand and agree to all portions of the statement. Honor Choir Statement of Obligation: I/We have read the guidelines and application forms and understand that a final list of accepted singers will be posted on the NW-ACDA website on or prior to November 1, If I/my singers are accepted, I will complete the formal registrations, including all fees and forms, for each of my singers prior to the December 1, 2015 deadline. I/We fully understand that selection for a 2016 NWACDA Honor Choir brings with it significant musical and financial obligations. We understand that as a member of the Children s & Youth honor choir, the applicant must pay a $200 non-refundable participation fee and that the ACDA is not responsible for the costs of the applicant s transportation or lodging at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel. We understand that as a member of the Men s, Women s & Jazz honor choir, the applicant must pay a $320 non-refundable participation fee and that the ACDA is not responsible for the costs of the applicant s transportation. We understand that only breakfast will be provided for the singer (only) and all other meals are the responsibility of the participant. We further understand that the applicant will be staying in the Seattle Sheraton Hotel, and Children s & Youth members must have a parent/chaperone in the hotel room or follow their school/district/organization policy as it applies for overnight trips, while Men s, Women s & Jazz members will be assigned to a room with other singers of the same gender, and will be assigned to a chaperone designated by ACDA. We understand that all hotel policies and participation guidelines must be followed, or the singer will be removed from the conference at their own expense. We also understand that the applicant must attend all honor choir rehearsals March 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2016 and the convention performance on Sunday, March 6, 2016 (Saturday evening, March 5, 2016 for Jazz). The applicant will be committed to having the music fully prepared according to the instructions included in the music packet before arriving in Seattle. Honor Choir Applicant Signature: Parent Signature: (Signature is for your director only. Director should save! This form does not need to be mailed to ACDA.)