PMEA District 2 Chorus Selections
Festival Forms
The following forms must be completed in their entirety:
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Student Contracts
Student Medical Forms
Director’s Preference Sheet
All paperwork must be sent to the host director, postmarked on or before September 21 of each year. If
the 21st of the month falls on a Sunday, a postmark of September 22nd will be accepted. Any school
whose director has not submitted their paperwork to the host director prior to the selection meeting, which
is held on the first Sunday of October, will not be permitted to participate in the festival.
Current enrollment figures (grades 10, 11, 12) should be listed on the Director’s Preference Sheet. If they
are not, the latest figures available to the selection committee will be used to determine that school’s
quota. The breakdown is shown below:
CLASS A1 – (1400 OR MORE) = <10 voices> BALANCED OCTET = S1&S2, A1&A2, T1& T2, B1&B2 + 2
CHOICE
CLASS A2 – (1200 TO 1399) = <9 voices> BALANCED OCTET = S1&S2, A1&A2, T1& T2, B1&B2 + 1 CHOICE
CLASS B1 – (1000 TO 1199) = <8 voices> BALANCED OCTET = S1&S2, A1&A2, T1& T2, B1&B2
CLASS B2 – (800 TO 999) = <7 voices> BALANCED QUARTET = S1orS2, A1orA2, T1orT2, B1orB2 + 3 voice
parts not used with AT LEAST 1 MALE
CLASS C1 – (600 TO 799) = <6 voices> BALANCED QUARTET = S1orS2, A1orA2, T1orT2, B1orB2 + 2 voice
parts not used with AT LEAST 1 MALE
CLASS C2 – (400 – 599) = <5 voices> BALANCED QUARTET = S1orS2, A1orA2, T1orT2, B1orB2 + 1 voice part
not used (male or female)
CLASS D1 – (200 TO 399) = <4 voices> BALANCED QUARTET = S1orS2, A1orA2, T1orT2, B1orB2
CLASS D2 – (1 TO 199) = <3 voices> S1orS2 or A1orA2, + T1orT2 or B1orB2, + 1 voice part not used (male or
female)
*Not Used means a unique voice part not yet included in the quota. (i.e. If a soprano 1 is already
included, the next soprano added must be listed as a soprano 2)
Filling out the Director’s Preference List
 The number of students allotted by the school quota and voice parts required are found using the
table above.
 The preferred students in the required voice parts are listed to fill the school quota.
o The students are numbered by order of director preference in the circle to the right of each
name. (1 = Highest)
o List an appropriate alternate vocal part based upon range that the student is capable of
singing. (This is done to assist the selection committee in making adjustments in the event
that voice parts must be switched to improve balance. In considering which students are
moved, care will be taken not to move the top 2 ranked students.)
 “Additional Singers” are listed in order of preference in the event that more students are needed to
balance sections.
Courtesy Appointments
The Selection committee will accept eligible children of PMEA members actively employed at
participating schools or at the university level as courtesy appointments to District 2 Chorus Festivals,
regardless of the school’s quota, at the home director’s discretion.
Foreign exchange students are not automatically part of the Chorus. If a director wants a foreign
exchange student to be in the chorus, they must be listed as a part of the school’s quota.
The Selection Process
Materials needed for the Selection Committee Meeting:
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List of participating schools
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Completed paperwork from each school, including:
o Student Contracts
o Student Medical Forms (copied front to back)
o Director’s Preference Sheets
o Blank sheets of paper for listing each section of the Choir (Sopr. 1, Sopr. 2, etc.)
o A master “tick” sheet for tracking the number of students selected in each section.
1. Sort the Director’s Preference Sheets by school size classification:
CLASS A1 – (1400 OR MORE)
CLASS C1 – (600 TO 799)
CLASS A2 – (1200 TO 1399)
CLASS C2 – (400 – 599)
CLASS B1 – (1000 TO 1199)
CLASS D1 – (200 TO 399)
CLASS B2 – (800 TO 999)
CLASS D2 – (1 TO 199)
2. Conduct a random draw of the names of all participating schools in order to determine the order in
which schools will take part within their groups. Sort the schools in each group according to the
results of the random draw.
3. Selection of students to the Chorus – Selections follow a round-robin format. Following the order
established by the random draw, the students listed in the quota of each Director’s Preference
Sheet will be added to the list for the sections of the choir. Periodic comparisons between the “tic
sheet” and the sections lists being compiled should be made to ensure accuracy.
4. Balancing the Chorus sections and taking additional singers - Once all school quotas have been
selected, the committee will attempt to balance the sections of the Chorus. For example, if there
are 15 Soprano 1’s and 30 Soprano 2’s, the committee may desire to move several Soprano 2’s to
Soprano 1. In considering which students are to be moved, care should be taken not to move the
two top ranked students.
If the sections cannot be balanced in this manner to the committee’s satisfaction, and/or if the host
director is willing and able to take additional students into the Chorus, the committee will
reexamine the Director’s Preference Sheets in the order established by the random draw to find
additional students in the needed section. If the top ranked student on the first school’s “additional
singers list” is in a needed section, that student will be chosen. If not, the top ranked student on
the “additional singers list” of the next school is examined in order of the random draw and taken
as needed. Only schools which have met their quota may have additional singers added to the
Chorus. During the selection process for District 2 Chorus - all schools are permitted to
participate for the drawing of additional singers, regardless of quota status. (Changed by vote
on 1/28/2010.
5. The host school is entitled to their quota plus one half. For example, if the host school’s quota is 4,
then they are entitled to an additional 2 singers. These additional singers are added after the
Chorus has been selected. The committee and the host director should keep this in mind when
determining how many additional students will be added to the Chorus.
6. After selections, information and invoices will be sent to the participating schools.
7. Each school is responsible for paying the registration fee for each invoiced student.
a. If a student is selected for a festival and included on his/her school's invoice,
and then drops out, his/her director must notify the host immediately.
b. If his/her director has another student who will be substituted on the same voice
part, that must also be communicated at that time. It is assumed that the
substitute student will be prepared thoroughly on the concert music.
c. If the director does not have a student to substitute for his/her original student,
then the host director may fill that position with one of his/her own students
(under the same proviso regarding preparation), or leave that position vacant.
8. Payment of registration fees in case of student cancellation:
a. In the event that the director does not have a qualified student to substitute for
his/her original student (a student who can be prepared in the remaining time,
on the same voice part), payment of registration fees is addressed as follows
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If the host director is notified prior to two weeks before the festival,
he/she will refund the registration fee for that student. In this case, if the
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host director fills that seat with one of his/her own students, the host
school would be responsible to pay the additional registration fee.
If the host is not notified until within the two weeks before the festival,
there will be no refund for that student's registration, even if the student
is replaced by a student from the host school or if his/her seat is left
vacant.
The reasoning for this is that the host director has incurred all of his/her
festival expenses based upon the number of students invoiced from the
selection process. Therefore he/she should not be penalized by 1) having
to refund money that has already been committed and/or spent at such a
late date or 2) having to perform numerous extra financial actions at
such a late date (a refund, a re-invoicing, and an extra deposit for each
cancelled/replaced student). The host director may fill that seat,
pursuant to the proviso regarding preparation, and does not need to pay
an additional registration fee.
9. To recap, changes or deletions occurring after the selection meeting will be handled in the
following order:
b. A substitution will be made on the same voice part from the participating school. The
substitute must come to the festival prepared on the concert music.
c. A substitution will be made on the same voice part from the host school. The substitute
must come to the festival prepared on the concert music.
d. The position will be left vacant.
Note: Numbers 7-9 above reflect a policy revision proposed by Ralph Egyud and approved by directors
in January 2011.
Chorus Auditions
1. Purpose
a. Auditions for all high school festivals serve an important purpose. They provide a platform
to evaluate the preparedness of the participating students while rewarding those students
who audition well with continued participation in the PMEA festival system.
2. Host Responsibilities
a. The host must submit the list of festival participants to the District 2 secretary at least two
weeks prior to the festival so that the secretary can randomly assign audition numbers and
type all names into the computer for Wednesday night auditions.
b. The host will assign audition committee members, holding room monitors, and an audition
room sergeant-at-arms for each section. Directors are not permitted to judge voice parts in
which they have a student auditioning.
3. Auditions
a. All students must audition in order to participate in the festival.
b. Directors must participate in auditions or their students will be declared ineligible. If the
director is unable to attend the auditions, he/she must appoint a PMEA member who is not
already participating in the auditions to take his/her place.
c. Auditions will be held Wednesday evening of the festival or as outlined in the weather
contingency plan.
d. Directors must request a change at the Wednesday meeting if they have been scheduled to
judge a voice part of one of their auditioning students.
e. Auditions will be blind.
f. It is the sergeant-at-arms responsibility to see that no student names are available to the
judges in any form. Judges may not handle student folders. All communications between
judges and students will be done through the sergeant-at-arms, who remains in the room.
Half sheets with student names are given to the sergeant-at-arms with random audition
numbers assigned, but may not be posted outside the door.
g. The SAA will instruct the singer to sing the appropriate scale ascending and descending on
syllables or a neutral vowel: S1=A, S2=F, A1=Bb, A2=G, T1=F, T2=Eb, B1=Bb, B2=F.
h. Pitches will be played on a pitch pipe and hummed by either the SAA or a judge of the
same gender.
i. Students will use their own folders. Folders are collected before auditions from everyone
by the sergeant-at-arms. When the students enter for the audition, they will find their own
folder then place it on a "used" pile after completing the audition. Folders will be returned
to the auditorium by the Sergeant-at-Arms after auditions are completed.
j. Seating is announced on the morning following auditions.
4. Procedures
a. At a time specified by the host, directors will meet and audition materials will be
distributed. These include
 Rating sheets
 Judge checklist
 Audition procedures
 Sergeant –at-Arms procedures
 Holding Room procedures
b. Changes in the individual audition committees should be corrected at this time.
c. The district president will preside over this meeting, or in the event of his/her absence,
another district officer will fill in.
d. The host and/or committee chairperson will place a chair and stand in each audition area.
e. When students arrive in the audition area, the assigned audition passages are explained
(including beginning, ending and midpoints) and students are instructed to mark their
music accordingly. Passages should be posted on a chalkboard if possible.
f. After returning to the holding room, the monitor informs the students of their audition
number and tells the students to write them on their half sheets. These numbers should be
double-checked when the half sheets are collected. The sergeant-at-arms will have a list
that shows the audition number and name of each student. Judges will not see this list.
g. The sergeant-at-arms will only identify the students by their audition numbers. If an
audition number (student) is absent, the sergeant-at-arms should inform the judges that a
number (student) should be left blank on their score sheets.
h. All music will be collected by the sergeant-at-arms before auditions begin.
i. Upon entering the audition room, students should find and use their own music. All
communications are to be through the sergeant-at-arms.
j. Restart policy will be the same as the Region policy. During the audition, the student may
request one restart per selection. If requested before reaching the midpoint, the restart will
be from the beginning of the passage. If requested after reaching the midpoint, the restart
will be from the midpoint.
k. When their audition is completed, students will leave their music in the audition room until
all auditions are completed.
1. Scoring
a. Judges will score all students using a PMEA Judge's rating sheet. Scoring is by whole
numbers from 1 to 10.
b. All judges are to tally their scores for each student.
c. Scores are ranked and ties are broken in the tabulation room, not by the judges.
d. Judges sheets should be sent to the tabulation room halfway through the section, and when
the auditions are completed.
e. The tabulations committee is determined by the District president and vice-president.
f. The tabulations committee will input the scores into the computer, tabulate them, and print
the final audition results. This list will be used for the seating of the Chorus. It is the
District President’s responsibility to forward this list to the Region host.
2. Advancement to Region Festivals
a. District 2 will receive half of the membership of each section of the Region Chorus. Ten
students from each section will advance to the Region Chorus.
FESTIVAL JUDGE'S CHECKLIST
Follow this list step by step to guarantee that
each section is handled in the same manner.
 Students are required to audition on two musical excerpts chosen from the concert music.
 Judges open the guest director audition passage recommendation and confer to determine passages
for audition. If the guest conductor recommends two audition pieces, the judges may override one
selection if necessary. If the guest conductor has only recommended one excerpt, the judges
choose one additional excerpt, and must keep the guest conductor’s choice.
 Judges should make sure that a music stand, pitch pipe, score sheets, and pencils are available.
 Entire section enters audition room with folders.
 Sergeant-at-arms welcomes students and introduces judges.
 The SAA explains that one restart is permitted on each piece; either at the beginning or the
midpoint if it is passed.
 The SAA reminds students that there will be no direct communication with the judges. All
communication will be done through the Sergeant-at-arms.
 The SAA explains that following the audition, the folder will be left in the room and the student
should return to the designated area.
 Sergeant-at-arms identifies the audition passages and the order in which they are to be sung.
Passages may be written on a blackboard if available.
 The SAA identifies the beginning, midpoint and ending of each audition passage.
 Students should mark their music to identify these passages.
 The SAA will facilitate auditions; include announcing audition numbers, starting the appropriate
scale and both the selected audition passages, allowing one restart for each piece.
 The SAA will inform the judges of gaps in the audition sequence due to missing students. These
numbers should be left blank on the score sheets to aid the tabulation committee.
 Since auditions are blind, judges should position themselves so that they are not able to see
auditioning students.
 Judges should total individual scores for each student as auditions are completed, double-checking
math.
 Judges will submit scoring sheets to the tabulation room halfway through auditions, and when they
are complete. The SAA returns the folders and the music stand to their designated areas.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (SAA) CHECKLIST
Follow this list step by step to guarantee that each section is handled in the same manner.
1. Students are escorted to the holding room with their half sheets and folders.
 Attendance should be taken, and voice part verified.
 Sergeant-at-arms instructs the students to remove the half sheets from their packet.
 Students should write their audition number on the half sheet and on the outside of their music
folder.
3. Students then go to the audition room, meet the judges and mark music as directed for auditions.
 Audition passages should be listed on a chalk/dry erase board.
 The Sergeant-at-arms notifies the judges of any gaps in the numerical audition sequence. (The
judges do NOT renumber audition numbers, but leave blanks for missing students.)
 Student folders are left in the audition room after the music and folders are marked.
3. Students and Sergeant-at-arms return to the holding room LEAVING FOLDERS BEHIND.
4. As each student enters the audition room, the Sergeant-at-arms will do the following:
 Verify and announce each student’s audition number. The SAA should not tell the judges the
student’s name or school.
 Verify that each student has his/her own folder.
 Instruct the students that all communication with the judges should be through the Sergeant-atarms.
 Announce when the student is ready for each audition segment.
 Stand by quietly in the room while the student auditions. Do not hover close to the student.
 NO STUDENT MAY LEAVE THE AUDITION ROOM WITH A FOLDER.
 Ask the judges when they are ready for the next student.
5. Other Sergeant-at-arms duties:
 Remind students that there is to be no humming or singing while waiting outside the audition
room.
 Instruct students where to go at the conclusion of their audition.
 Collects half sheets in audition order.
 Notify the judges of any gaps in the numerical audition sequence.
 The SAA will instruct the singer to sing the appropriate scale ascending and descending on
syllables or a neutral vowel: S1=A, S2=F, A1=Bb, A2=G, T1=F, T2=Eb, B1=Bb, B2=F.
 Pitches will be played on a pitch pipe and hummed by either the SAA or a judge of the same
gender.
 Send the score sheets and half sheets to the tabulation room after the first half of auditions.
(Ex. In a section of 30, send scores & half sheets for 1-15 to tabulations when complete.)
 Following the last audition, take the remaining half sheets, judges score sheets, and student
audition list to the tabulations room.
 Return box of student folders to the auditorium at the conclusion of auditions.
Holding Room Procedures
THE HOLDING ROOM MONITOR (HRM) will enforce the following procedure:
 The assigned section will be escorted to the holding room by a host school student and will meet
the HRM.
 The holding room monitor will provide the audition order for that section, and will instruct the
singers to write the audition number that has been assigned to each individual singer on that
singer’s half sheet in the appropriate space provided.
 The holding room monitor will then read each singer’s name aloud with the assigned audition
number from a list provided by the host director OR from a list created in the holding room.
 The Holding Room Monitor will organize the students with their half sheets by audition order and
check the half sheets for completion, making certain that each singer has marked on the half sheet
that he/she WILL or WILL NOT attend the region chorus event if selected.
 In the event of a “no show”, the SAA and the holding room monitor will note the missing singer
and will notify the judges to leave that number blank to help the tabulation committee.
 The holding room monitor will review the following protocol with the singers:
o No singing, humming, speaking of text or any other form of audible practicing is to occur
in the holding room or in the hallway
o No portable listening devices of any kind, including cell-phones, are to be used in the
holding room or in the hallway.
o A student may be released to go to the restroom or to get a drink of water one at a time at
the discretion of the holding room monitor.
o The HRM may lead the students through simple vocalizations to warm up students who
audition toward the end of the section. (No vocalization of audition music.)
 The singers will be sent to the audition room when the SAA comes to get the next student. Make
sure the students take their half-sheet to the audition room.
 Each singer will give his/her completed half sheet to the sergeant-at-arms, who will hold them
until all singers have completed their auditions.
 Singers should not return to the holding room after auditioning, but will return immediately to the
auditorium or other designated area, leaving their folder in the audition room with the SAA.
 The holding room monitor will not leave the singers at any time unless there is an emergency and
a suitable substitute can be found.
Piano Accompanist Selection Procedures
Eligibility
a. It is highly recommended that no more than two accompanists be selected from PMEA member
schools. Students must be able to play the repertoire. If no acceptable student accompanists are
available, a professional accompanist should be secured. The necessary cost will be absorbed by
the festival budget.
b. All applicants for piano accompanist must be piano accompanists in their respective school choral
program.
c. Selected accompanists are required to audition as a singer and perform as a member of the festival
chorus.
d. A selected accompanist will be in addition to that school’s singer quota.
Judging Panel
a. Whenever possible, the guest conductor should be invited to select the piano accompanist.
b. In the event the guest conductor is not available for the audition, a panel of judges will select the
piano accompanist(s).
c. The panel will consist of 3 judges, one of which may be the festival host director if no student
from that school is auditioning.
d. It is suggested that the panel members be PMEA members or private piano teachers that have no
private students involved in the audition.
Accompanist Audition Procedures
FORMS
a. Candidates for accompanist should mark “PIANO ACCOMPANIST” at the top of the student
forms.
b. The candidate will also indicate which VOICE PART he/she will audition on.
c. These forms will be sent with the other forms and the director’s preference sheet from that school.
AUDITION TIME FRAME
a. Auditions will be held 30 days prior to the festival.
b. Auditions will occur on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon whenever possible.
c. All applicants will be informed of the audition date by his/her own director through
communication received from the host director by mail, email or telephone at least 3 weeks prior
to the selected date.
d. All applicants must audition during the predetermined audition time.
The day of the audition
a. Audition order will be determined by lottery draw the day of audition.
b. Candidates will be responsible for preparing all music in the festival folder: all accompaniments
and voice parts in any combination.
c. All candidates are expected to follow a conductor throughout the audition process.
d. Candidates will perform a minimum of two selections of contrasting styles along with part and
open-score reading.
e. Results will be announced immediately following the completion of the audition.
Courtesy of cancellation
Out of courtesy to the host director, any applicant who chooses not to audition should notify the host
director as early as possible prior to the audition date.
The motion to approve this policy was made by Mary Lynne Peters, seconded by Laurie Hitt, and passed
unanimously
Committee Members: Ralph Egyud, Mary Lynne Peters, Glenn Cameron, Bob Reid, Gary Daugherty,
Rob Pearce and Chris Gankosky